What do we really need for President?
The former Bills quarterback and congressman from Buffalo was perhaps the most influential American politician who never became President; he was behind much of the “get out of the way” legislation that led us to the prosperity of the ’80s and ’90s.
And he rose to prominence during an era with great similarities to today.
Morton Kondracke and Fred Barnes write in the WSJ:
The present era resembles the miserable 1970s. Growth is glacial. Incomes are stagnant. The country’s mood is sour. Divisions are widening. In 1979 only 12% of Americans thought the nation was headed in the right direction. Now it’s around 30%. And politicians are pitting class against class: the “1%” against the “47%”; white workers against Mexican immigrants. The public is furious with Washington, and no wonder. Polarized Republicans and Democrats do nothing for them.
Jack Kemp shook things up—but with dramatic ideas about policy, not by pitting outsiders against insiders. The Republican establishment resented the gall of a backbencher’s butting into tax policy. Democrats hated tax-cutting, even though Kemp kept reminding them that President John F. Kennedy first proposed lowering the top rate to 70% from 90%. Special interests were furious when Kemp proposed reducing their tax breaks. He once wrote Reagan’s deficit-hawk budget director, David Stockman,demanding to know why Mr. Stockman wanted to raise taxes on working people and cut food stamps, Medicaid and Head Start, but keep subsidies and tax breaks in place forBoeing,Exxon and Gulf Oil.
Go on and read the whole thing.
And then ask yourself – which candidate would Kemp support?
Kemp was, of course, one of the people who converted me to conservatism. We could do much, much worse, and we usually do.
When Dole picked Kemp for his VP is was actually excited about the prospects of a victory.
I was bitterly disappointed by his performance in that role.
Since he found Dole acceptable I would guess he’d be a Bush man now.
Kemp would be horrified and profoundly embarrassed by every single current right wing candidate on pretty much every issue.
So, DG, how would a staunch anti-communist like JFK feel about your man Bernie running and very possibly winning the Democratic primary?
D-Gone…Bill Clinton: Supported the law he signed that declared marriage is between one and one woman. Said homosexuals could only serve in the armed forces if they stayed in the closet. Worked with Newt Gringrich to balance the budget. Reformed welfare to include limits.
Imagine Bill Clinton running for President today. “I fully support banning homosexual marriage. Marriage is between one woman and one man”.
Or Harry Truman running today. “I am going to draft all of the striking railroad employees into the army, then nationalize the railroads and force them to go to work running the railroads as army personal. Any that refuse would be shot as deserters”. Truman knew how to crush Big Labor.
DG,
Kemp would be horrified and profoundly embarrassed by every single current right wing candidate on pretty much every issue
You are utterly unqualified to speak for conservatives or conservatism.
Please don’t try.
In particular, if I were in a room with you right now, I’d rinse your mouth out with a high-pressure hose for even thinking you could speak for Jack Kemp (peace be unto him).
Never, ever do that again.
I’m pretty sure Mrs. Teasdale meant Kemps, Mitch. As a recognized expert in making bovine assertions, DG is on firm ground.
From Dog Gone’s perspective, ALL the candidates are right-wing; there’s nobody to the Left of her, she defines the Lunatic Fringe.
With that in mind, hers is not a meaningful criticism of Kemp. Or anybody else.
DG-In response to your little drama queen rant, tell me, what’s the difference between “horrified and profoundly embarrassed” and just “profoundly embarrassed?”
Jack Kemp believed correctly that better ideas win. Contrast this with some other people who made it to the top of his party who arrived with a complete lack of good ideas, and who were not and are not particularly interested in “ideas”. Mr.Kemp would most certainly be labeled a RINO by today’s GOP standards.
The GOP’s step to the right is a mild reaction to the Democrat lurch into the sewer. Only a brainless dolt like dg would believe she could surmise what GOP leaders GBNF would say, or do with baby killing, perversion loving, terrorist coddling, America hating, leftist reprobates today based upon what they said and did in their time.
Frankly I’d love to see Sanders get the nomination. He represents mainstream democrats not the fringe left. It would be nice going up against a honest leftist instead of a leftist in moderate clothing.