at Choate is former chairman of the Reform party. He resigned earlier this year for personal reasons. He remains a party member, living in Virginia.

Lopez: Is the Reform party headed for disaster? Is the convention — if it is actually held — destined to break into brawls, as the December Nashville meeting did?

Choate: The Reform party is headed for a very exciting national convention. Indeed, it is the only one of the three national conventions worth televising by the major television networks. There will be demonstrations outside the hall, debates and arguments inside. The question is who will control the future of a party that has the potential to win the presidency. As to brawls, they are unlikely to occur, but one never knows. Once upon a time the Democrats and Republicans were excited about ideas, policies, and personalities and it showed at their conventions — outside and inside. That's where the Reform party is today.

Lopez: Is the party "hopelessly split" as Lenora Fulani said it is in her resignation letter yesterday?

Choate: The party is "split" but not hopelessly. In Long Beach, one faction or the other will emerge in control. The term for this process is "politics."

Lopez: Has Pat Buchanan been a force for dissension in the party?

Choate: Third-party politics is the definition of dissension — remember the controversy over Governor Dick Lamm, Governor Jesse Ventura, Donald Trump, Jack Gargan, not to mention Ross Perot? Pat Buchanan fits well into this party — indeed, better than most since he is an experienced public figure who thrives in controversy, and often is its source.

Lopez: Do you have any reason to believe that Buchanan is trying to transform the party into one "of and for only social conservatives," as Fulani accuses?

Choate: Buchanan has repeatedly stated that he will not change the party platform in this election cycle, but will issue a personal statement about his social views. This is exactly what Ross Perot did in 1996. Longer term, I sense that Buchanan will try to reinforce the party's message of economic and political nationalism, which fits well with the ideas of most Reformers. His social views are his own, shared by some in the party and not shared by others. I have seen no evidence that he is trying to force those views on the party.

Lopez: How significant is Fulani's resignation?

Choate: Fulani's resignation will not affect Pat Buchanan's chance to win the nomination. It comes too late in the process for that. It is significant in that it signals that Fulani may run for the chair of the party at the August Convention in Long Beach. At the Dearborn Convention in 1999, Fulani engineered the defeat of the Verney candidate and the election of Jack Gargan. She won 45 percent of the vote in her own race for vice chair. With the Verney and Buchanan forces in opposition, she would be a formidable candidate if she decides to run.

Lopez: At this point, the odds are against John Hagelin grabbing the nomination from Buchanan, aren't they? Or are they?

Choate: For John Hagelin to win the nomination, a majority of the Reform party voters must choose, in effect, to merge the Reform party with Hagelin's Natural Law party. The two party platforms are quite different, as are the positions of Hagelin and Buchanan. I doubt that a majority of Reformers will want a fusion ticket in 2000, which bodes well for Buchanan.

Lopez: You are no longer in a leadership role in the national party, but do you have any advice for the current party leaders?

Choate: My advice is invite the media to the convention and make sure that all functions are fully open to them. The American public likes a good, fair political fight. Give them one in Long Beach, and then come together to win the November election.