In the closing months of 1994, the Republicans are delighted to discover themselves in just the opposite position. While there is still not a single announced G.O.P. candidate, the field of likely contenders is already teeming. Some of the likeliest aren't bothering to conceal their ambitions. But I may come to my senses.
Big opportunities attract big names.
Mindful of the clout of a movement that has gained effective control of the Republican Party organizations in as many as 18 states, Quayle, Gramm, Cheney and Alexander all showed up to assure the assembly that they and the coalition had much in common. Wilson, who is pro-choice on abortion, and Baker, who may or may not be a serious contender, were pointedly not invited. Alexander seemed to be providing an object lesson in trying to strike just the right note. The question for us as Republicans is how we can give voice to those concerns without coming across as intolerant or angry or threatening. Indeed, the trick to winning the G.O.P. nomination is to get at least the grudging approval of conservative Christians while drawing support from the party's other two important bases, neither of which cares much about the main religious-right issues.