Whither the Conservative Movement pg. 9
actions on simple economic reckoning rather than ideology did not spare him from the slogan, “It’s the Economy, Stupid”. If GHW Bush was ideologically driven, it was a private ideology and remained withdrawn from his public speaking.
Bob Dole
Bob Dole was the last of the “old guard” Republicans – at least thus far. Perhaps understanding that GHW Bush’s greatest mistake was in not connecting voters to a higher ideology, Dole did attempt to connect his call for lower taxes to a greater cause (Dole, 1996, quote IV.B.1, IV.B.2, IV.B.3, IV.B.4). His attempts, though, were not made often enough to be seen as consistent. This was not helped by his early omission of ideological stances in favor of specific policy desires (Dole, 1995, quote IV.A.1; Dole, 1996, quote IV.B.4).
The record on Bob Dole is scant considering the amount of time the man spent in the Senate and his inclusion on the 1976 Republican ticket as Vice-Presidential nominee. However, Dole’s early career was eclipsed by Goldwater. By the time of the Nixon ascendancy, Dole was a Congressional leader, but his role was still seen more as a supporting role for Administration initiatives. The same is true when Dole was named as Vice-Presidential candidate with Gerald Ford in 1976. After that, he was eclipsed by Reagan, and, to some extent, even by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
With more well-known candidates laying the ideological groundwork, Dole was able to focus on legislating – which means he was busy brokering deals in offices away from microphones. When he did speak in the Senate, it tended to be confined to comments on
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Bob Dole
Bob Dole was the last of the “old guard” Republicans – at least thus far. Perhaps understanding that GHW Bush’s greatest mistake was in not connecting voters to a higher ideology, Dole did attempt to connect his call for lower taxes to a greater cause (Dole, 1996, quote IV.B.1, IV.B.2, IV.B.3, IV.B.4). His attempts, though, were not made often enough to be seen as consistent. This was not helped by his early omission of ideological stances in favor of specific policy desires (Dole, 1995, quote IV.A.1; Dole, 1996, quote IV.B.4).
The record on Bob Dole is scant considering the amount of time the man spent in the Senate and his inclusion on the 1976 Republican ticket as Vice-Presidential nominee. However, Dole’s early career was eclipsed by Goldwater. By the time of the Nixon ascendancy, Dole was a Congressional leader, but his role was still seen more as a supporting role for Administration initiatives. The same is true when Dole was named as Vice-Presidential candidate with Gerald Ford in 1976. After that, he was eclipsed by Reagan, and, to some extent, even by Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.
With more well-known candidates laying the ideological groundwork, Dole was able to focus on legislating – which means he was busy brokering deals in offices away from microphones. When he did speak in the Senate, it tended to be confined to comments on
Go to page 10
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