View Full Version : Bob Dole
Surprised no discussion on this one. He died at 98.
"Bob Dole, the long-time senator, former Republican presidential nominee and World War II hero, died Sunday at age 98.
Growing up in a blue-collar family in Depression-era Kansas, Dole rose to become a fixture in Washington, D.C. Badly wounded in action in Italy, he lost the use of his right arm, but reached the peak of Republican politics, serving as the party’s presidential nominee, vice presidential nominee and Senate leader in a career that spanned nearly four decades.
In a statement, the family said he died in his sleep early Sunday morning, having “served the United States of America faithfully for 79 years.” Dole announced in February that he had been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer."
https://news.yahoo.com/bob-dole-dies-at-98-170812702.html
Looks like he decided to troll in his farewell letter. I like it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.foxnews.com/politics/bob-dole-pokes-fun-democrats-farewell-letter-dead-vote-chicago.amp
Fair winds and following seas.
I voted for him in '96. Kind if RINO-ish but I'd take him over FJB any day of the week! His war record and the wounds he suffered are certainly enough for me to overlook any RINO-ish tendencies he may have had.
RIP Senator.
dwhitehorne
12-11-21, 18:34
My wife was a legal secretary at a law firm in DC he worked at in the 90's. I got to speak with him at an office gathering one point and he was kind of funny. I think more people would have voted for him if they new he had a sense of humor. Clinton was young and exciting for Dems and Bob Dole was their definition of the Republican party. The voting in Chicago line is classic Bob Dole. David
My wife was a legal secretary at a law firm in DC he worked at in the 90's. I got to speak with him at an office gathering one point and he was kind of funny. I think more people would have voted for him if they new he had a sense of humor. Clinton was young and exciting for Dems and Bob Dole was their definition of the Republican party. The voting in Chicago line is classic Bob Dole. David
He always seemed a like a real person and decent human and had a good reputation as such I heard. He was probably too moderate to excite the base of GOP voters perhaps. I don't recall what turn out was and such at the time but he was not a flashy talker, didn't have Reagan like presence, and the represented a different gen to many voters I guess.
I voted for him in '96. Kind if RINO-ish but I'd take him over FJB any day of the week! His war record and the wounds he suffered are certainly enough for me to overlook any RINO-ish tendencies he may have had.
RIP Senator.
Not even close to the likes of McCain, Romney and the rest.
Biggest problem with Bob Dole is he would have made an excellent VP but really wasn't meant for the big seat. The GOP obviously had no intention of winning the 96 election or they would have come up with a stronger candidate. The fact they ran candidates like Buchanan in the primaries shows how out of touch they really were.
But I always respected Dole for his service. RIP.
Its hard to get excited about any politician these days. Politics is corrupt. If you're a politician more than one term you're probably corrupt too if you weren't already.
Not even close to the likes of McCain, Romney and the rest.
Biggest problem with Bob Dole is he would have made an excellent VP but really wasn't meant for the big seat. The GOP obviously had no intention of winning the 96 election or they would have come up with a stronger candidate. The fact they ran candidates like Buchanan in the primaries shows how out of touch they really were.
But I always respected Dole for his service. RIP.
Yeah that's why I said "RINO-ish" as opposed to a flat-out RINO! McCain, Romney, P. Ryan, et al fit the latter term to a T.
And yeah, 1996 was Dole's "turn" and was a perfect example of how the Republicans like being the party of opposition as opposed to actually holding the reigns of power. A quarter century later that still seems to ring true.
When his wife was senator he was visiting, I had an opportunity to meet him and chat for a bit. This was 2002? He was kind, gracious, and hella funny.
I saw a thing on TV about him many years ago. IIRC after he was wounded he was paralyzed for a good while until he started to recover. The often-overlooked "Italian Campaign".
Yeah that's why I said "RINO-ish" as opposed to a flat-out RINO! McCain, Romney, P. Ryan, et al fit the latter term to a T.
And yeah, 1996 was Dole's "turn" and was a perfect example of how the Republicans like being the party of opposition as opposed to actually holding the reigns of power. A quarter century later that still seems to ring true.
We are in complete agreement, I was mostly stating the distinction and not taking issue with anything you said. I suppose if we tried to run a winner back in 96 Dole might have felt "stepped over" and been forever butthurt like McCain when he didn't secure the nomination back in 2000. And just as we saw with McCain, we might have spent decades watching him screw us by reaching across the aisle.
Maybe not, I'd like to think Dole would have been a bigger man. But nobody thought McCain would be so vindictive either. Of course there was evidence McCain was a scumbag going back to the Keating 5 but everyone kept overlooking things because of the integrity he showed as a POW.
There is also the problem that from the nominees for 96, there wasn't a clear standout. Dole might have actually been the best pick from a sad group. I don't think Forbes or Specter were going to do anything meaningful. It's too bad Perot ran as an independent.
There is also the problem that from the nominees for 96, there wasn't a clear standout. Dole might have actually been the best pick from a sad group. I don't think Forbes or Specter were going to do anything meaningful. It's too bad Perot ran as an independent.
Funny you mention that.....my in-laws (love 'em to death, seriously) usually vote Democrat. That year they voted for Dole, because they didn't like Clinton and Dole was a WWII vet (as is my FIL). Then Obama came along and they held their nose and hit the "R" lever twice! No doubt it pained them to do so! LOL
hotbiggun42
12-11-21, 21:14
I remember Newt Gingrich talked him into resigning from the Senate in order to run for President. Lol. Newt was a brilliant politician in the day.
The Dumb Gun Collector
12-11-21, 22:06
Nobody was going to beat Clinton in 96. He had taken the reigns at the tail end of the first ugly recession in 10 years got to take all the credit when it sprung back (actually, the economy was coming back during the last quarter of Bush Sr. and Clinton claimed it was because of people being optimistic about his election (Jesus)). Throw in Ross Perot's 2nd Vanity Run sucking up 9% of the vote and Republicans basically had zero shot. Dole did an admirable job, and was clearly the better man, but people had decided they didn't need any more stuffy old WW2 vets and figured they would start voting for slick-talking draft dodgers (which has continued ever since).
Nobody was going to beat Clinton in 96. He had taken the reigns at the tail end of the first ugly recession in 10 years got to take all the credit when it sprung back (actually, the economy was coming back during the last quarter of Bush Sr. and Clinton claimed it was because of people being optimistic about his election (Jesus)). Throw in Ross Perot's 2nd Vanity Run sucking up 9% of the vote and Republicans basically had zero shot. Dole did an admirable job, and was clearly the better man, but people had decided they didn't need any more stuffy old WW2 vets and figured they would start voting for slick-talking draft dodgers (which has continued ever since).
Very concise and accurate description of what happened.
Nobody was going to beat Clinton in 96. He had taken the reigns at the tail end of the first ugly recession in 10 years got to take all the credit when it sprung back (actually, the economy was coming back during the last quarter of Bush Sr. and Clinton claimed it was because of people being optimistic about his election (Jesus)). Throw in Ross Perot's 2nd Vanity Run sucking up 9% of the vote and Republicans basically had zero shot. Dole did an admirable job, and was clearly the better man, but people had decided they didn't need any more stuffy old WW2 vets and figured they would start voting for slick-talking draft dodgers (which has continued ever since).
More importantly, he had already gotten NAFTA shoved through and signed, so the spot had basically been reserved for him.
Nobody was going to beat Clinton in 96. He had taken the reigns at the tail end of the first ugly recession in 10 years got to take all the credit when it sprung back (actually, the economy was coming back during the last quarter of Bush Sr. and Clinton claimed it was because of people being optimistic about his election (Jesus)). Throw in Ross Perot's 2nd Vanity Run sucking up 9% of the vote and Republicans basically had zero shot. Dole did an admirable job, and was clearly the better man, but people had decided they didn't need any more stuffy old WW2 vets and figured they would start voting for slick-talking draft dodgers (which has continued ever since).
Ross Perot is the only reason that serial predator was elected in the first place. That and read my lips.
I voted for Bush simply because I saw Clinton as abject evil from the very beginning and I could see the Ross Perot train pulling votes from Senior. But I knew a LOT of people who were HRP supporters. - A LOT.
Dole was too big of a dork to beat him in his second run. "He was so wonderful." Again, getting the benefit of fawning media coverage and the MSM ignoring the reports coming out of Little Rock.
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