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May 15th / 17th

"GOP Could Learn from Kemp’s Legacy"

I grew up in the 1950’s when being a Republican was something special.

Dwight Eisenhower was recruited by both parties, but chose to run as a Republican. He was a reluctant candidate and a man of moderate means.

He was a military hero who despised war and warned against the military industrial complex as a corrupting influence on our political system. Under Ike’s administration, schools were desegregated and the table set for civil rights legislation in the next decade. He was a leader who harbored no ill will toward his enemies, but who knew how to stand his ground.

Republicans fell into disgrace in the Nixon era, but found a genuinely nice candidate in Ronald Reagan to put the party back on track. True, Reagan took de-regulation to new heights which set in motion the modern day “ greed is good” philosophy, and he fell victim to the influences of cronies who helped to strengthen the military industrial complex which Ike warned against. But like Eisenhower, Reagan held no grudges, kept no enemies lists, and refused to engage in personal attacks or dirty politics.

Earlier this month we lost Jack Kemp, and with him the last link to the Eisenhower / Reagan legacy of fairness, civility, and strength.

And, had Kemp succeeded Reagan into the White House, the Republican party would have looked much different today.

Jack Kemp’s first career was as quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the old AFL where he led them to two straight championships. Upon retiring from pro football in 1970, Kemp ran for and won a seat in Congress.

There, he almost single handedly reformed our tax system whose top rate tumbled from 70% in 1981 to 28% in 1988.

Kemp was also a crusader for minorities whose career in sports helped to shape his outlook on politics and social reform, and that meant confronting members of his own party when it came to race. Said Kemp, “I have showered with more African Americans than most Republicans have met”.

It was that kind of frankness, and an absence of any hidden agendas that garnered Kemp respect from people of all races, genders, and political persuasions.

And that brings me to where the Republican party went wrong.

In 1988, the GOP nominated George Bush the elder instead of Kemp. That was mistake number one, and that’s when I left the party. Bush was the consummate Washington insider with ties to big oil, big defense contractors, and even the big Bin laden family. His only smart move was to appoint Kemp as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, where Jack set out on a crusade to promote home ownership by residents of public housing. He also helped to establish Urban Enterprise Zones, and gave tax breaks to inner city businesses. He broke down a lot of barriers by adhering to one of his favorite axioms, “the only way to oppose a bad idea, is to replace it with a good idea”.

Kemp was on a roll, and should have been the Republican candidate for President in 1996. Instead the party tapped Bob Dole simply because it was Dole ’s turn at bat. That was mistake number two. Kemp obligingly accepted Dole’s offer to run as V.P., but he couldn’t steer the party out of a crash by driving from the back seat.

Then came mistake number three. The GOP could have persuaded Kemp to run in 2000, but instead it turned to George Bush, Jr. The Republican party became increasingly more right wing, more white, and more nasty. The result was eight years of corruption, civil rights abuses, incompetence, an illegal war, and failed oversight of the financial industry.

What’s even more frightening is that the GOP hasn’t learned anything from its mistakes. Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich are still touted as the frontrunners for the nomination in 2012, and the Republican party is doing nothing to broaden its tent.

Jack Kemp walked the walk on inclusiveness, having once said that his goal was for half of all African Americans to be registered Republican by the year 2000.

As a Presidential candidate or as President, he might have made that dream come true. QB #15’s legacy will never be forgotten by intelligent people. Too bad it was squandered by ignorant ones.