AllPolitics - Bayh To Be Keynote Speaker

Indiana Governor Will Be Democrats' Keynote Speaker

CHICAGO (AllPolitics, Aug. 17) -- Opportunity, responsibility and community. Those words will embody the theme of the Democratic National Convention this month.

To convey their message, the Democrats have lined up a former Superman, the wife of a former Republican White House spokesman, a young governor considered a rising star in the party, and Hillary Rodham Clinton and Tipper Gore, wife of the vice president, CNN has learned. The convention is Aug. 26-29 in Chicago.

Indiana Gov. Evan Bayh, the 40-year-old son of former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh, will give the keynote address, Democratic spokeswoman Kiki Moore said. Bayh, considered an example of the new generation of Democratic leaders, is in his second term as governor.

Other speakers will be Christopher Reeve, the actor known for his role as Superman. Reeve was left a paraplegic last year after a horse-riding accident.

Sarah Brady, wife of former President Reagan's press secretary, James Brady, apparently will speak about the need for gun control, Moore said. Since James Brady was gravely wounded in the March 1981 assassination attempt on Reagan, his wife has lobbied for gun control through her group, Handgun Control Inc.

Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley Jr. also will speak. Other speakers are Don Fowler, national chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, DNC general chairman.

The convention is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. EDT Aug. 26. The Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday sessions are to begin at 430 p.m. EDT. Each session should end by 11 p.m. EDT.

Indiana Governor Will Be Democrats' Keynote Speaker

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