This is the point that Elise DiNardo, a Jersey City attorney and resident of Weehawken, attempted to make when she attended the Republican National Convention in New York last month.
DiNardo was one of a handful of delegates representing Hudson County and the state of New Jersey who had gone to the convention to discuss social issues that were not in keeping with the ultra-conservative agenda that has received headlines.
"There were about 10 of us," she said. "I work closely with the state party and cochairwoman."
DiNardo, a Republican, is also a member of WISH List (Women In the Senate and House, an organization that supports pro-choice Republican female candidates for Congress and governorships by contributing time or money to their campaigns). Because of this position, she has become targeted by several ultra-conservative groups such as AmeriConservative.
DiNardo, who ran for state assembly in the 33rd District last year, has headed her own legal firm for more than 11 years, and has made frequent appearances as a legal analyst for MSNBC, CNN, CN8 and News 12 New Jersey.
"I went to the convention representing the state and pro-choice women across the country," she said. "We wanted to get the message out that the Republican Party is not necessarily as ultra-conservative as the president projects. There are moderates in the party, and people should look to that part of the Republican Party rather than to the Democratic Party for those issues."
While she admits that President Bush represents a very conservative position, DiNardo said people can be Republicans without agreeing with all the views the president espouses.
"We can disagree and still be Republican," she said. "The party has a lot to offer."
She said she is part of a movement to get moderates elected to the U.S. Senate, the House of Representatives and local government.
The biggest pep rally
Prior to August, DiNardo had never been to a national convention.
"I thought it was wonderful," she said, although she had no expectations other than what she has seen on television. "The Democratic National Convention looked exciting, and I thought ours would be similar. I knew it would be tremendous, and I knew I wanted to go support the president and the party."
She was not disappointed with the energy and excitement she found when she got to Madison Square Garden.
"It was the biggest pep rally I ever saw," she said.
DiNardo said she was particularly moved by former New York City Mayor Rudolph Guliani and his presentation. She said she respected him immensely for the way he handled the aftermath of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"While all of America lived through that experience, we were closest to it, and he helped everyone get through it," she said, offering him as a model of what she means by a moderate Republican.
"His views are different from the president's," she said.
But she wondered if Middle America was ready for someone like Guliani.
"If you live in Middle America, you might not support him or stem cell research or gay and lesbian marriage," she said.
Another Republican she saw as moderate was California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"He brought an amazing energy into the room, and I was thrilled to be on the floor when he spoke," she said, noting how he represented an immigrant who was a Republican.
"What he said was that the Republican party will welcome you if you are an immigrant," she said. "That was an important message. In reality, most of us immigrated in our families somewhere in our blood line. It is important for the Republican party to reach out to that segment of the population."
She added, "We are not just the party of the rich. We are the party of the education and other things."
Education is one of the key issues for the Republicans, as is national defense.
"In reality, America is a different place after Sept. 11," she said. "Most of us have feelings about the war; many of us are against war in general. We do not want to see our service people die. But there are radicals among us, in the world and in America."
And while DiNardo doesn't agree with all of Bush's policies, she calls him "a strong leader" and she likes his policies in regard to national security.
"There has been so much criticism of the president and the war, but the convention allowed us to see other sides of President Bush, such as his policies on education," she said.
She said she never realized until the convention just how diverse the Republican party is. Meeting up with Republicans from across the country, she began to see many of the party's facets.
The W stands for women?
DiNardo said Bush has appointed more women to cabinet and other high-level positions than any other president in history. His administration's dedication to women became clearer during some of the symposia she attended, such as one with wives of the president, vice presidents and others.
DiNardo said the convention motivated her. She said she would soon be going out into the community to try and get the president re-elected, meeting with other Republicans and various groups to get the message out.
"I'll be working across Hudson County and the state," she said. "I'll work closely with Jose Arango [Hudson County Republican chair] to put together a plan. I'll work phone banks and attend coffee klatches."
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