Bob Dole: Obama Is A "Good Man," Cruz Is "So Extreme" And Trump is "Over The Top"

[TexasTowelie]

Former U.S. Senator and Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole, like so many other Reagan-era Republicans, has sharply criticized the ignorance, bigotry, and extremism of this year’s rancid crop of Republican presidential candidates. In an interview on MSNBC today, Dole bemoaned the current state of the Republican party, which he said had become “an extreme group on the right.” Dole joined the growing chorus of Republicans who have harshly criticized fascist front-runner Donald Trump in the wake of his proposal to ban all Muslims from entering the United States. Dole called Trump “over the top” and set that he “couldn’t understand” how people supported him.

Dole also had harsh words for the much-hated egomaniac and unabashed religious extremist Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who pulled into first place in a poll of Iowa Republicans released yesterday, saying “Cruz is so extreme, he’s not a traditional conservative” and roundly criticizing his so-called Senate “achievements” of shutting down the government twice and calling Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) a liar on the Senate floor. Dole, like many traditional and Reagan-era Republicans, represent an era that modern conservatives constantly idealize but is seriously disillusioned with the current extremism and ignorance of the Republican Party, which he’s said is “out of ideas.” Dole also said that he doubted Ronald Reagan would win the nomination if he ran in the current extremist climate of the Republican Party.

In a refreshing break from the traditional rhetoric of the Republican Party, where acknowledgement of even the slightest positive achievement by President Obama is seen as heretical, Dole also praised the president as a “very good man.” While saying that he probably wouldn’t support Hillary Clinton in a potential general election matchup with Trump or Cruz, Dole suggested that he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to vote for either of those Republican demagogues, saying with a laugh that he “might oversleep” on election day. The Republican Party certainly needs more people like Dole, who, despite their flaws, are at least sensible enough to see and call out blind hatred and extremism when they see it, and who work towards unity and compromise rather than divisiveness and confrontation.

http://www.occupydemocrats.com/bob-dole-obama-is-a-good-man-cruz-is-so-extreme-and-trump-is-over-the-top-2/

[liberal N proud]

1. The republican party has been decimated by the teabaggers.

This is what they get.

[Warren DeMontague]

2. Bob Dole

[nomorenomore08]

25. A fairly decent American. Republican or not. n/t

[Betty Karlson]

3. Dole would have been chased out of the GOP - with pitchforks -

if he ran his 1996 platform in today's primaries.

[underpants]

31. Reagan too

Ford
Hell, Nixon too

[Betty Karlson]

32. And Eisenhower would be to the left of Clinton...

Just saying...

[stevenleser]

38. Probably not. At least it's not as simple as you make it out to be

I had an hour long discussion with his granddaughter a year and a half ago. http://steveleser.blogspot.com/2013/10/susan-eisenhower-on-gop-and-panel.html?m=1

Eisenhower was VERY big on balanced budgets. It's doubtful in a budget deficit situation like we have now that he would be proposing any kind of social safety net increase. I think the irresponsible budget busting policies of Reagan era Republicans as a big reason the Eisenhower family are now pretty much all Democrats.

[Betty Karlson]

39. I didn't know thatb they were. Thanks for that information! eom

[virtualobserver]

47. he would have enjoyed Bill's balanced budgets

You must admit though, Bush did a great job tackling that $10 trillion surplus that we were supposed to have.

[ffr]

49. I remind my Rethug friends of this all the time.

Surpluses as far out as the eye could see. But what did their fiscally conservative candidates do with something that was handed to them on a silver platter, nothing less than squander it.

Enough reason to never elect any Rethug on any level of government. Even the most unknown Democrat has to be better than the most polished Rethug.

[virtualobserver]

51. If the Democratic nominee doesn't run that ad over and over again.....

I will have a stroke.

Carter - deficit down
Reagan -deficit up
Bush Sr.-deficit up
Clinton - deficit down and balanced budget
Bush - deficit up dramatically and crash of world economy
Obama - deficit down dramatically

How could anyone see that and vote Republican?

[tex-wyo-dem]

50. I'm not sure I agree with that...

Eisenhower was a supporter of social security and other safety nets, and at the same time very much against the MIC. It's likely the military budget would be reduced to balance the budget, not social programs under Eisenhower.

[stevenleser]

55. There is one quote where he warned against the idea of a MIC. But he was also for a strong military

and was a very moderate person ideologically.

There isnt much there to suggest he would drastically cut the military to fund social programs.

[MoonRiver]

53. I have also read that Eisenhower was quite the racist.

Is this your take steven?

[SusanaMontana41]

63. He could have done much more for civil rights

He was in no hurry to enforce Brown.

My apologies to MoonRiver and and Steven for butting in.

[SusanaMontana41]

62. Love love LOVE the podcast!

Count me among your fans. I bookmarked the link.

[RoccoR5955]

71. EITHER Clinton for that matter.

Just sayin' as well.
Bill Clinton was the best Repbulican president we had since Eisenhower, but Ike was better.
Adlai Stevenson was more of a Bernie type.

[Drunken Irishman]

43. Hell, Bush in 2000...

[liberalnarb]

59. What???????!!!!????!!!!

[Drunken Irishman]

61. Bush in 2000 is much more moderate than the GOP today.

Not that he was moderate...but compared to the Republicans today? Absolutely.

[liberalnarb]

64. The shrubs administration was just plain evil.

He was an evangelical right wing asshole with a terrorist vice president. He would fit in just fine with todays Grumpy Old Party

[Drunken Irishman]

65. 2000 Bush. 2000. TWO-THOUSAND.

Not 2004. Not 2008. Not in between. 2000. His campaign. The one he ran in 2000. Back in 2000. That 2000 campaign was not nearly as crazy as anything we're seeing today. There's a reason I specified 2000 Bush and not Bush in general.

[liberalnarb]

66. The American public sure seemed to think he was too crazy.

He lost that election. His brother had to steal it for him.

[Drunken Irishman]

68. He lost...but barely...

So, I wouldn't say it was much of a consensus either way. Way less a consensus than Dole's loss four years earlier.

[liberalnarb]

58. No no no no no.

Thats too far. Yes, Bob Dole and Eisenhower would have been torn to shreds by today rethuglican party. But, Ronnie Raygun is the one who created their entire nightmarish economic "policy". Reagan was the original ass hole. I'm sorry, but they still welcome raygon and nixon with open arms. They would still be big enough assholes for that party.

[Faryn Balyncd]

36. And Ike's 1956 platform would really drive them wild

(which bragged about expanding Social Security and workman's compensation, from an administration that had marginal income tax rates on the 1% which were far higher than any current Democrat including Bernie proposes.)



K and R

[Betty Karlson]

37. See response #32, please. n/t

[Faryn Balyncd]

70. beat me to it

[Act_of_Reparation]

67. They already did.

In 2012, when he implored them to ratify the United Nations treaty that would ban discrimination against people with disabilities. He sat there on the Senate floor to support the treaty -- believing, I suspect, that the Republicans would struggle with throwing one of their own under the bus to keep the base happy. No such luck, I'm afraid.

[MarianJack]

4. Dole knew how to be a PRICK, but...

...he also knew WHEN to be a prick. I remember him partisanly lashing out at President Clinton before being told that Clinton's mom had passed away that day and reading how he, Dole, immediately called the White House to go to apologize to the President in person. Dole also knew when to be honorable, too.

I'm glad he was never President or VP, but I miss Republicans like him!

PEACE!

[TheBlackAdder]

6. +1

[GusBob]

7. I remember after he lost the election, he was on Letterman

and he was so friendly, nice, and personable

And Dave was like: "ya know, if you like this during the election...."

[Hekate]

13. +2 What used to be our honorable opposition became dishonorable

[Beartracks]

15. +1 that. n/t

[Egnever]

24. Remember when he went on the floor to beg the current asshats to support people with disabilities

on a UN treaty for disabled people and they ignored him. That was a stellar day for the republican party.

Former Senate Republican Leader Bob Dole came to the Senate floor Tuesday to make a personal appeal for lawmakers to ratify a United Nations treaty for people with disabilities.

Dole, who was in wheelchair, came to the floor shortly before senators began to vote. Accompanied by his wife, former Sen. Elizabeth Dole, he listened as Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) made a final push for the treaty.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) walked over to greet Dole, smiling and patting Dole’s back.

In a touching moment, Rep. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.), who also uses a wheelchair and has publicly urged the Senate to ratify the treaty, joined Dole at one point, holding hands with him as they talked and listened to Kerry.
“Don’t let Sen. Bob Dole down,” Kerry told senators, gesturing toward Dole.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-congress/2012/12/bob-dole-makes-appearance-on-senate-floor-151034#ixzz3u4lBu9Ib

[thucythucy]

48. Senator Dole was a big supporter of the Americans with Disabilities Act

and worked with Senator Harkin to make it happen.

I'm glad he wasn't elected president, since his politics generally suck. But by and large he seems to be a decent man, and I wish him well.

[SCVDem]

5. Not voting

Is NEVER the option.

That is giving up on our country!

[sdfernando]

9. This ^^^

[LW1977]

8. And to think he was far right in 1996.

How the Rethuglican party went off the deep end..

[cstanleytech]

12. Its their own fault though, alot of people tried to warn them about the risk they were taking by

focusing their efforts to gain more power and more seats by using these type of people as their base and now the chickens have come to roost.

[Reter]

19. He was never far-right

He was viewed as a moderate conservative in 1996. Pat Buchanan was far-right, and he's still to the right of Trump.

[BlueCheese]

23. Dole always struck me as a reasonable person.

You could work with Bob Dole-- he wasn't the scorched earth type of Republican we have now.

[nomorenomore08]

27. I never thought I'd view the man in a semi-positive light, but he seems like a breath of fresh air

compared to the likes of Cruz. He may be conservative, but at least he's reasonably sane.

Speaking of Buchanan, I'm surprised his profile is comparatively low these days, considering he'd fit right in with the current GOP. Is he simply feeling the effects of old age?

[Reter]

29. He still doesn't fit in because he's a paleo-con, which are anti-Israel

Even Trump doesn't offend Israel.

[Drunken Irishman]

44. Agreed. In fact, had Dole won in 1996 and I doubt his presidency is much diff than Clinton's.

[Matariki]

10. It's what they get for courting the religious right

It's just the end (hopefully the end) result of Reagan era Moral Majority garbage. Which Mr. Dole certainly pandered to in his time.

[Dont call me Shirley]

17. And for courting the white supremacists.

[cstanleytech]

11. "he “couldn’t understand” how people supported him." Really? You cant understand that your party

for decades actively courted these types of people and now you cannot understand how they are getting support????

[Orsino]

14. Fuck you, Bob Dole. Your fingerprints were found at the scene. n/t

[MariaThinks]

16. I guess retired republicans can sometimes speak the truth

[47of74]

18. Hell if Dole had won in 96

I probably would have shrugged my shoulders and said meh and figured he wouldn't have hurt the country too badly. Of course I didn't know any better at the time.

[Reter]

20. Maybe he should have won in 1996

Probably no 9/11 under his watch. And if he loses to Gore in 2000, then still no 9/11.

[yardwork]

40. What? What are you saying? Are you blaming Clinton for 9/11?

[Drunken Irishman]

45. No. He's blaming Bush.

Dole in 1996 means no Bush in 2000.

[Reter]

46. No

But without Clinton's reelection and loss to Dole, there is certainly no Bush in 2000.

[tabasco]

21. Did Dole find a soul?

He was a major asshole republican but really not as rotten as the current crop.

[BlueCheese]

22. The thing is that at the time, various Republicans seem awfully conservative.

But then their successors make them look reasonable. I mean, even George W. Bush, for all of his many faults, made a point of defending Islam as a religion.

[nomorenomore08]

26. And he never seemed to especially dislike gays or Mexicans either.

Sure he exploited homophobia for political gain - which is reprehensible - but it never seemed to come from any personal bias.

To think I'd ever say (sort of) nice things about Dubya!

[yardwork]

41. Oh, that makes it ok then?

W Bush used homophobia to turn out the vote and steal two elections. Fuck W Bush. I don't care if his best friend is gay.

[nomorenomore08]

57. I agree. It's just rather astonishing that some of the current Republicans make him seem

slightly less repugnant, by comparison.

[yardwork]

42. W defended his business partners the Saudis. It's all about the money.

[Vogon_Glory]

28. The Fact That Even Bob Dole Thinks Most GOP Pres. Contenders Are Extremists Ought To

The fact that even former Senator Dole thinks that the leading Republican presidential candidates are extremists ought to give serious pause to those Republican voters who ignore politics until September of election year and then vote Republican anyway.

Many of those voters, particularly the older ones, are dependent on government programs their party's candidates will be hell-bent on abolishing and will leave them destitute.

Sadly, they aren't paying much more attention than the non-voters and will vote against their interests next fall.

[Kalidurga]

30. Dear Bob

Your party is full to the brim with extremists. It's the ones who aren't extreme that are rare in your party and that includes everyone who's only political act is to vote.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

33. Nice to see Bob stand up for Obama....

[SHRED]

34. Dole and his ilk

They set the stage for how his party is now.
They built this.

No sympathy.
No quarter.

[happyslug]

35. Bob Dole in 1996 had support from Italy, where he had been wounded after liberating the city:

Bob Dole did not make much of the endorsement, how could he? the town has voted Communist ever since 1945 (and was pro communists for decades before hand). Yes, Italian Communist supported Dole for President. How would any of the present GOP Candidates handle such an endorsement?:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/why-the-italians-back-lt-bob-1341763.html

Just a statement that Dole could and did deal with the left, he may oppose the left but he was willing to work with the left. That is NOT true of the GOP of today and that is the main problem with the US today.

[bullwinkle428]

52. Sounds like an old man concerned about getting into Heaven.

[jalan48]

54. Ultra right wing Republicans has begat conservative Democrats.

Because that's what the people want. Right?

[swilton]

56. That about sums it up

The DLC/corporate Democrats have filled up the vacuum once occupied by the mainstream Republicans who have now followed their leaders and the tea-party over the cliff.

[kairos12]

60. Veteran Dole would be disliked by the chickenhawk repugs.

[Fearless]

69. Awkward!

[RoccoR5955]

72. So I guess he's backing Clinton this time

Because she is most aligned with his politics.