Dole: 'I doubt' I could make it in today's GOP

[kpete]

Source: Politico

Dole: 'I doubt' I could make it in today's GOP

Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole says he doesn't believe he could make it in the modern Republican Party.

"I doubt it," he said in an interview aired on "Fox News Sunday" when asked if his generation of Republican leaders could make it in today's GOP. "Reagan couldn't have made it. Certainly, Nixon couldn't have made it, cause he had ideas. We might've made it, but I doubt it."

Dole, a wounded World War II veteran from Kansas and icon of the party, said he believes it needs to rethink the direction it's heading in.

"They ought to put a sign on the National Committee doors that says 'Closed for repairs,' until New Year's Day next year," he said. "And spend that time going over ideas and positive agendas."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2013/05/dole-i-doubt-i-could-make-it-in-todays-gop-164794.html?hp=f1

[Buzz Clik]

1. Dole's leadership was based on negotiation and compromise.

No room for that in either party.

[BlueCaliDem]

4. Your post paints with a mighty broad brush.

Even the most cynical here can't help but admit that there is plenty of room in the Democratic Party for negotiation and compromise, but that's no longer the case within the Republican Party.

If you don't believe me, ask the posters here on this site who are more than perturbed and who take every chance they get to post that President Obama is the "Caver in Chief" and that Harry Reid has a rubber spine.

[PSPS]

7. LOL. Yeah, "both sides," right?

[Buzz Clik]

18. I've changed my mind. Democrats always compromise.

[wtmusic]

19. Oops...you said something positive about a Republican.

I certainly hope you've learned your lesson.

[Buzz Clik]

20. Yeah, I know. It's part of the bipartisan spirit of Democrats.

[Nanjing to Seoul]

37. Obama tries to get bipartisanship from Republicans. Reid works to get people across the aisle

Obama sold the farm on the ACA to get either Snowe or Collins on board, and they both flipped him off.

Yeah, Democrats don't compromise.

Oh my God, I'm sick of the Republican talking point that both parties are the same. I am so sick of hearing!

Naderites come out and say Gore would have attacked Iraq.

[Gore1FL]

21. In the last 5 years

Obama has presented pre-compromised starting points and rolled over from that position. Any suggestion that is in any way equal to the GOP's "HELL NO on all things" strategy requires reassessment.

[1StrongBlackMan]

50. It's a fundamental part ...

of that thing called "governing."

[CBHagman]

10. I wouldn't say there's no room for that in either party...

...but Dole does belong to a period of American politics that looks harmonious by contrast (though it certainly was not, at the time).

I do know that former Senate majority leader George Mitchell recently spoke of how he and Dole managed their working relationship. It was based on directness and respect, a willingness to speak frankly to each other without the one dragging the other down.

[ck4829]

12. Republicans want 100% or nothing at all, Democrats are willing to let the debate be over and gain 0%

Sounds about right.

[Auggie]

22. Republicans are also owned by corporations and lobbyists more than ever

[PatrynXX]

29. haha

very funny.. subject line is correct. but the Dems have basically been a state of caving for 4 years. they can call obama care all they want but the mandate thats in there was to appease republicans and they didn't vote for it. Just the party of no.

[sofa king]

48. That's a happy memory I do not share.

In fact, I recall everyone in Washington, DC being irreparably pissed off at Dole and the Republicans for ruining their Christmas vacations:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_federal_government_shutdown_of_1995_and_1996

I saw firsthand what that bullshit did to hundreds of thousands of people in and around Washington, DC.

The backlash was profound and so damaging that I believe that it directly resulted in the defeat of Dole, the flipping of the Senate, and the resignation of Newt Gingrich.

I'll bet there are a few former federal employees from that time around here. It seemed to me that every single one of them devised a personal and damaging response to the GOP, some of which lasted for years and may well still last to this day.

It was the near-universal antipathy for Republicans within the federal government at the outset of the 21st Century that led directly to the near-complete draining of institutional knowledge from many federal agencies, helped along by the Bush Administration demanding that replacements having "demonstrated loyalty to the President," which selected for fucking morons.

One reason why we have anything left at all is because during the Bush years the executive branch was crippled by institutional incompetence from the top down, and they were unable to work at the pitch of malevolence to which they aspired....

...all thanks to that asshole Bob Dole, who still pales in comparison to the assholes in there today.

[Buzz Clik]

49. The real problem was Gingrich and his bogus Contract with America -- Tea Party precursor.

Dole actually was part of the Congressional group along with Gore who tried to hammer out a compromise.

[sofa king]

61. Only because Dole was going to lose.

Dole's actual "solution" was to quite literally grind the entire government to a halt and then resign in June of '96 to distance himself from the widespread damage he caused, all the while pointing an accusatory finger at President Bill Clinton in the press.

Dole's attempt to "hammer out a compromise," after he caused the problem, was a fleeting attempt at damage control, not serious, not productive, and ultimately as substance-less as the rest of his privileged career.

Dole's legacy is impressive. Today, there are more Americans living in poverty than there were actual voters when he first ran for the Senate.

[Buzz Clik]

62. Wow. I had no idea that people existed who so despise other people.

Bob Dole was responsible for America's current poverty levels? You actually said that?

[sofa king]

63. Yep.

I wonder what evidence you see that contradicts that assertion. Was Dole not the Senate Minority Leader? Was the shutdown of 95/96 not a quite deliberate attempt to tank the economy before the '96 elections? Were the policies he advanced not dusted off by the Bush Administration and put into full, devastating effect?

Did those efforts not succeed well enough for the ruse to be attempted again in '98, and from 2009 to the present?

Yes, they did, and Bob Dole was one of the primary planners, and one of a handful of executors.

Seventy-two million Americans voted in 1968, when Bob Dole was first elected to the Senate. Today, 137 million people in America live paycheck-to-paycheck. Eighty-four million live in "asset poverty." Fifty million of them live under the official definition of poverty. Another couple million live in extreme poverty. An unknown number are homeless and no longer tracked. The desperate now far outnumber the total number of voters in 1968.

So yeah, everything America has lost is thanks largely to Bob Dole himself. You're living in his world--this is his dream, the one he tirelessly worked to realize for his entire political career. What part of that do you disagree with?

[Crunchy Frog]

58. I think you've just shown your true colors.

I've suspected for a long time, but appreciate the confirmation.

[Buzz Clik]

59. Such drama.

Don't forget to tip your waitress.

[Maine-i-acs]

2. He is part of the problem - in 2004 he attacked John Kerry's war record:

"He didn't even bleed, as far as I know" (paraphrased) when asked about Kerry's three Purple Heart citations in Vietnam.
In exchange, Dole's wife got a boatload of reelection money for her Senate campaign.
Too late to complain, Bob. You had your chance to stand up and you caved.

[Demeter]

42. That's exactly the point: the GOP is what Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Dole, McCain, etc Made It

Do I know you, Maine-i-acs?

[lunatica]

44. And I recall that Dole was the meanest of them all

that man could cut flesh with his words. And he probably still can. Maybe he can take the teabaggers on and put that penchant to good use for a change.

[SummerSnow]

3. No Bob you wouldnt make it ...see what your party did to you

[PatrynXX]

30. supposedly

because Rick Santa nuts says the UN wanted to take ones parental rights away X_X GOP .. Make shit up about bills then vote against the bill that includes the fake shit. Hence how the background checks failed. Created a gun registry. No such thing existed. Think if Jesus was around and someone was writing the bible they'd skip his part out. and vote on something totally fictional..

[Sandy one]

35. True

Abraham Lincoln couldn't make it in this GOP. Free the slaves? Forgetaboutit!

[Cha]

38. that's right! Perfect example, SummerSnow n/m

[Snake Plissken]

5. Yeah but, but, but, what about ...

Benghazi

[hrmjustin]

6. +1

[calimary]

26. Welcome to DU, Snake Plissken!

Glad you're here. Kinda hard to feel sorry for the former Senator. Why is he speaking out NOW? At this late date? If he wanted to make a difference, why didn't he make some commercials to help lobby for passage of that Disabled Rights Treaty? Where was he? And yeah, I'm reminded of how he dissed John Kerry - a decorated and wounded war veteran just like bob dole was, himself. I thought there was some sort of "brotherhood." But no - he was content to play politics.

[adieu]

27. You mean

Umbrellagate!

Or was it saluteghazi?

[CBHagman]

8. I'm glad he voiced it.

Bob Dole's often spoken of Dwight Eisenhower as his hero. It's nigh impossible to imagine today's Republican Party embracing many of Eisenhower's policies, and his war hero status wouldn't have protected him, either.

[Botany]

11. Eisenhower was the man behind the interstate highway system and the idea

that we would have bridges failing on it would have been more then Ike could take.

[asjr]

13. Ike was the first Republican president I voted for and

Last edited Sun May 26, 2013, 11:16 AM - Edit history (1)

possibly the last.

[Botany]

9. Gov. Ray Shafer of PA .... next door neighbor's brother as a little kid ... very middle class area

He was for education (K -12, Unviveristies, and community colleges), civil rights, infrastructure,
unions, farms, and business BTW he was a republican too. Ray would have no home in the republican
party today.

He used to play ball with the kids in the neighborhood in the street. He was a good man.

[Flashmann]

14. I find this remark particularly stinging

Nixon couldn't have made it, cause he had ideas.

The clear implication being,to me,that none of the present day (r) bearers have ideas beyond ones they are PAID to have...Something I already strongly suspected.

[thesquanderer]

32. Yes, the Nixon reference is interesting

It comes off kind of like Nixon had ideas, Reagan less so, and no one today. And as has been discussed here before, in some ways, Nixon was to the left of today's mainstream Dems.

[Flashmann]

33. Reagan less so

I never believed for one minute ronnie raygun had ideas,so much as he was following a script...After all,who better to ACT like a grade B President,than a grade B actor,which set the stage for a flagrant puppet in boy george.

[jmowreader]

52. Reagan is the father of the modern GOP

If you look deeply enough at the GOP power structure, you find four big names: Grover Norquist, Ralph Reed, Jack Abramoff and Karl Rove. Norquist is their tax guy, Reed their religion guy, Abramoff is in charge of funding and Rove is their organizer. All four came up in the College Republicans and achieved prominence in Reagan's junta.

The Reagan years marked the transition from "I'm a R, vote for me because I believe things" to "I'm a R, vote for me so I can enact a think tank-written agenda."

[byeya]

15. Dole once said that his vote for Medicare is the one he regretted most. Fuck Dole and his lousy

wife who was a pisspoor senator and a not-too-good head of the Red Cross.

[Deep13]

16. This coming from the guy who blamed WW2 on FDR...

...during the 1976 VP debate with Mondale.

[Major Nikon]

17. Perhaps

But he was also the guy that led the charge against the Raygun tax cut once the economic rubber hit the road. After signing one tax cut, Raygun signed 5 or so major tax increases as well as several minor ones. Most of that was due to Dole's idea of fiscal responsibility which is completely absent with today's GOP.

[Auggie]

23. Dole is full of shit and would have joined the bandwagon

[Dawson Leery]

24. kick

[GoldenOldie]

25. Dole"s first mistake..........

there is no "todays GOP." The Neocons and the Teaparty, silently raided the Republican Party/"GOP." Their is absolutely no recognition nor resemblance of Republican/Conservative remaining.

The Neocons, Teaparty, with the financial assist from Corporate America/Koch Bros, Exxon, FOX, etc., etc., have ever so slowly and quietly tied themselves to the GOP, and taken over control of a once "Friendly Opposition." Young Republicans failed to understand nor seem to care, the true history of the GOP and the necessity of a strong two-party democracy was/is what makes The "United States" of America so formidable. The need to win and power and wealth, is the path to success.

As an oldie, I once admired Bob Dole, as a wounded warrior/veteran of WWII, and an excellent Representative of Kansas and the USA. Along the way, it seems he seemed to tire of the fight and it was easier to go-along-to get-along, with the newbies/neocons/teapartiers, entering the fray of politics.

The "Teaparty," was only able to come into existence because the GOP allowed them to use the Republican Party as their stage, and thus the takeover was complete. I only wish that everyone start calling it as it truly is "Teaparty," a party not equated to the original Boston Teaparty, but a Party consisting of lemmings which do the bidding of Corporate America.........writing our laws, controlling "We the People," etc. What a sorry ending for Bob Dole.

[lunatica]

45. The Republican party actually created the teabag party.

Dick Armey created Freedom Works, the initial official teabagger party. After Sarah Palin brought them out of the woodwork Dick Armey and his ilk organized them. His first big success was when he bussed them around to all the Democratic Town Hall meetings the Summer before the elections and all they did was disrupt all the meetings. I'm pretty sure Sick Armey was a great friend to Bob Dole.

[Ter]

28. My first vote was for Dole in 1996 when I was just a boy

I till don't regret it. Imagine if he won in 1996. He probably would have been reasonable, and gotten reelected in 2000. Probably no 9/11, probably no Patriot Act (direct result of 9/11), and probably no Iraqi War.

Would you change your vote if you knew it would take place like that?

[nomorenomore08]

34. That's a might big "if" though. Not big enough, in my book, to vote for a Republican.

That said, I would've taken Dole over Bush in a heartbeat in 2000, aside from the fact of Dole being 77 at the time. Though I suppose the fact that he's still alive, and lucid, shows his longevity.

[harmonicon]

36. Are you sure you're on the right website?

You're saying that you think Dole would have been a better president than Clinton, right? That is what you've written. That's fucking disturbing.

[Ter]

43. Re-read what I wrote

I didn't say that, but I do think he would have been better than Bush. I said I think if he had won, there would be no 9/11, and no Bush.

[harmonicon]

47. That's some strange reasoning.

If he'd won, there would have also been no second term for Clinton, and the world would maybe be totally different in other ways.

[lunatica]

46. The votes weren't counted and Bush was selected, not elected.

And no. I would not change my vote.

[Tom Ripley]

31. His military service alone would disqualify him

[southerncrone]

39. Cuz today's GOP is run by extremist teabaggers.

[blkmusclmachine]

40. 1 Party, 2 Faces:

The Party of Big Money

[harmonicon]

53. Is there any other party? (nt)

[47of74]

41. Reagan, Lincoln, Goldwater, Eisenhower, Dole, etc

All Republicans who would get teabagged right out of today's GOP.

[Art_from_Ark]

55. Reagan would fit right in with today's GOP

Disdain for minorities and poor people
Disdain for working people
Deep tax cuts for rich buddies
Constantly making up stuff and passing it off as fact
Extreme anti-environmentalism
Vigorous promotion of deregulation of large corporations
Cut social programs
Complained about Carter's $80 billion deficit, the proceeded to double the cumulative debt of all his predecessors in just 8 years.
Couldn't say NO to military spending

[Blue Owl]

51. Just gotta lower your standards, Bob

Dumb it down, sleaze it up, you know...

[Wolf Frankula]

54. Hell, Bob

Ronnie Reagan couldn't get nominated as a rethug. And Nixon and Eisenhower would be considered dangerous commies by the lackwits who run today's GOP.

Wolf

[Orsino]

56. He couldn't even hack it in yesterday's GOP.

Yet he helped build what became the monster of today.

[KamaAina]

57. He "doubts" he could make it in today's GOP?

He ought to know perfectly well that he couldn't. Here's today's GOP walking right past him on their way to block ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, after he'd begged it not to:

[Pterodactyl]

60. Couldn't make it in today's GOP? He couldn't make it in 1996's GOP.