MARIO SCENARIO: W&L WAITING FOR A DECISION

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, February 20, 1992                   TAG: 9202200318
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: A-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: DOUGLAS PARDUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
MARIO SCENARIO: W&L WAITING FOR A DECISION
Forget the Iowa Caucus. Forget the New Hampshire primary. Forget Super Tuesday. If Democrats want to know who will be their party's nominee for president, the best early gauge will come March 7 in Lexington.
That's when Washington and Lee University will conclude its Mock Democratic Convention with student votes for the party's presidential nominee.
W&L's been doing this every four years since 1908 and claims to have picked the right candidate (well, at least the one the party eventually selects) 14 out of 19 times.
The student conventioneers even correctly selected an unknown Georgia peanut farmer named Jimmy Carter in 1976.
Perhaps that's why "maybe, could be" candidate Gov. Mario Cuomo of New York is listed as having agreed to give the keynote address at the Mock Convention. Perhaps he hopes the students will be so inspired by his speech that they will abandon the other Democrats and draft him.
But, Cuomo won't even say for sure if he's planning to attend. Although W&L says Cuomo has agreed to give the keynote, Cuomo is doing what he has done most of the past year - being non-committal. His press aide, Chuck Porcari, won't say whether the governor is going to show up at W&L. No comment will be made on the governor's non-official appearance schedule until a week before, Porcari said.
Also listed by W&L as scheduled to appear at the Mock Convention is 1988 Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis. His reasons for appearing are clear. The big loser in 1988 finally will be honored at a parade. He'll serve as grand marshal for the Mock Convention's opening-day parade through downtown Lexington.
Among the other Democrats scheduled to attend are Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, former speaker of the House, and U.S. Rep. Jim Olin, D-Roanoke. O'Neill is to deliver the Mock Convention's opening address.
Keywords:
POLITICS

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB