Discos, uh-ohs and tactical shows from Democratic conventions past

Lest you think I have memories of covering only the GOP national conventions in 1996 and 2000, let me put that to rest.

The Democratic national conventions in Chicago in 1996 and in Los Angeles in 2000 had their memorable moments as well.

The most memorable news in Chicago had nothing to do with Nevada's delegation, thank heaven.

The 1996 convention was where the news broke in tabloids that President Bill Clinton's political adviser Dick Morris violated the president's confidence by sharing national secrets with a hooker. To my everlasting amazement, Morris is now a popular Republican-leaning analyst.

That was the convention where U.S. Sen. Harry Reid proclaimed he and Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota represented the new Democratic Party because they were more moderate and centrist.

The Democrats sought to make news during the convention. Daschle appointed Sen. Richard Bryan to the Senate Finance Committee "for as long as he wants to stay." It was Bryan's reward for being an early supporter of Daschle two years earlier.

But four years later in Los Angeles, Bryan was attending his fifth and final convention, having announced he was leaving politics after 32 years.

By that time, as Democratic whip under Daschle, Reid was a much larger player on the political scene and was being feted at convention events honoring him specifically.

It was obvious he was being treated with far more respect by national figures as the second-highest ranking Senate Democrat. There was a sense he was poised to be the top Democrat in the Senate if Daschle lost his seat (as he did in 2004).

A disco party for Reid sticks in my mind.

But that was less vivid than the welcoming party for the Nevada delegation hosted by none other than actor Jimmy Smits, who cheerfully posed for photos.

Rather than have reporters focus on parties, however, Reid strategized so that Al Gore might make points with Nevadans by issuing a stronger anti-nuclear waste repository stance than Republican George W. Bush.

Wonks like me wrote about it, but in November, despite efforts by Democrats to keep nuclear waste on the front burner throughout election season, the majority of Nevadans favored Bush for president.

That's when it became obvious Nevada had become a swing state and one where voters were persuadable. One year they liked the Democrat, the next year the Republican.

Of course, the 2000 convention also marked the time Clark County Commissioner Dario Herrera was honored by the Democratic Leadership Council as one of 100 elected officials considered "stars." Mentored by Reid, Herrera addressed the delegates on "real inclusiveness."

Today, Herrera is a felon known for his corruption and awaiting a legal decision in California as to whether he's a wife-beater as well. His star has faded in the past 12 years.

Since becoming whip in 1998, Reid was a sought-after interview. In the Los Angeles convention, he said the toughest interview was with Chris Matthews. "He brings out the worst in me. He talks so fast it made me go so fast," the senator said. "I started raving and sounded just like him."

As the Democratic National Convention begins , Reid is destined to be a sought-after interview by everyone except satirist Jon Stewart, who once called Reid the worst interview he'd ever had.

Surely, Reid has improved since then. Surely.

Make up your own mind about that if you're like me and can't tear yourself away from the televised convention spectacle.

Meanwhile, Reid's power has grown only stronger and, for better or worse, he's taken to the national stage where anything can come out of his mouth, sometimes deliberate, sometimes not.

Anyone willing to take million-to-1 odds he won't mention Mitt Romney's taxes?

Jane Ann Morrison's column appears Monday, Thursday and Saturday. Email her at Jane@reviewjournal.com or call her at 702-383-0275. She also blogs at lvrj.com/blogs/Morrison