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Bob Dole has often been criticized for not having a coherent political philosophy. Criticism has come from both parties. During the Republican primaries then-Republican presidential candidate Lamar Alexander called Dole a "legislative mechanic" who lacks "vision." Democratic strategist James Carville has said the same about Dole.
Early on in the campaign Dole himself has told conservative audiences that he would be another "Ronald Reagan -- if you want." Although the Dole campaign does have the discernible themes of returning power to the states, cutting taxes, and the character/leadership issue -- Bob Dole has not clearly articulated these themes, and critics from both ends of the political spectrum continue to say he has no guiding political philosophy.
Early in the campaign, it looked like Dole would run a more effective campaign that would stay "on message." In his April 10, 1995, announcement speech Dole outlined what his mandate would be as president, the so-called "Three R's" of Reining in federal government, Reconnecting Washington with the values of American citizens, and Reasserting American interests around the world. Dole also tried to define his campaign through major speeches.
For example, he gave an address on "values" in Los Angeles -- where he stuck to his prepared text and made news by attacking Hollywood and "the entire entertainment industry" for "pushing the limits of decency" (attacking specific films ["Money Train" and "Natural Born Killers"] for gratuitous sex and violence). But his later speeches were not remarkable, and Dole began to drift off message. Some critics said Dole was bereft of ideas and said that instead of presenting a "vision", Dole presented lists of Governors, Senators and other elected officials who have endorsed him.
Also during the 1996 Republican primary season, Dole's rhetoric shifted to the right, advice he reportedly received from former President Nixon (who also advised him to move to the center for the general election campaign). Dole said in his announcement speech, "Our values are under constant assault from our public and cultural institutions."
Another theme running through Dole's campaign, both during and after the primary season, is "reining in the federal government" and sending power back to the states. In stump speeches he presents a copy of the 10th Amendment, which says, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the states are reserved to the states or to the people." He promises to abolish government agencies, cut taxes, balance the budget and reform welfare.
An underlining theme running through Dole's campaign is character/leadership. Dole often speaks of his war experience, the discipline he learned by overcoming his injuries, and his natural leadership ability. Surrogates and pundits often comment on how Dole's leadership credentials contrast with President Clinton's undisciplined style, pending ethics investigations and lack of military service. After winning the primary, Dole did indeed move towards the center, but did not stray from his pledge to rein in federal government, simplify that tax code and discussing character.
Bob Dole has been intensely loyal to the Republican party, but unlike "movement" conservatives, like House Speaker Newt Gingrich, he has never tried to change it. Writing in the February 1996 New York Review of Books, Thomas Powers summed up Dole's philosophy as "he thinks the business of America is business: he manages his part of the government in the spirit of a man running the traffic department of great city; he tries to keep things moving with a minimum of collision....and with occasional preferment for his friends."
On July 15th on CNN's "Larry King" Dole's wife, Elizabeth, unveiled "the better man, for a better America" as Bob Dole's general election campaign slogan. The campaign said that the underlying themes are: economic opportunity, smaller government and stronger, safer families.
Dole opposes abortion, except when the mother's life is in danger or in cases of rape and incest. Dole also supports giving states the right to impose waiting periods and/or parental notification requirements for abortions. He opposes funding for abortions in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Dole has voted against taxpayer funded abortions and opposes measures that in any way encourage abortion. However, Dole did support federal funding of abortion-dependent fetal tissue research in 1992. He initially voted in favor of the federal clinic access bill in 1993, but voted against the final version of the bill.
On December 17, 1995 Dole seemed to move away from supporting a constitutional ban on abortion. On NBC's "Meet the Press", when asked about a constitutional ban on "all" abortions, Dole responded, "I supported that at one time...I would not do it again...I think there have to be some exceptions." Dole was harshly criticized by the Christian conservatives (Christian Coalition executive director Ralph Reed said he was "profoundly disappointed").
On December 18, 1995 Dole wrote a terse letter (on Senate letterhead) to Ralph Reed stating he still supports a constitutional amendment banning abortion, but wants exceptions for rape, incest and life of the mother. Dole wrote, "There is nothing new in this: I supported the same set of exceptions in 1992."
On June 10, 1996 Dole told CNN that he wanted "tolerance" language in the abortion plank of the Republican platform, not the preamble, as his campaign had indicated a week earlier. Dole said, "seems to me if you want to make it clear to the people out there that we're tolerant...it ought to be right up there where people can see it." As of early August, however, it seemed clear that language would not make it into the party platform.
Dole opposes quotas, set-asides and other preferences that favor individuals because they belong to a particular group. He supports steps to remedy proven past discrimination against specific individuals. He supports efforts to recruit qualified women and minorities as long as such steps do not resort to preferences. Dole introduced legislation that would end the federal government's practice of giving preferences to individuals because they are a member of a particular group. He has helped supporters get affirmative action contracts in the past. Dole would support affirmative action programs that encourage the Justice Department to prosecute discrimination cases.
On June 12, the Washington Post reported that Dole had not mentioned affirmative action since May 15 (a move which analysts say indicates an attempt by Dole to move to the political center, and possibly entice Colin Powell to be his running mate.) The Post also noted Dole had advocated the controversial California Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI), a statewide ballot initiative that prevents the state from discriminating or "granting~preferential treatment" in public education, employment, or contracting on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin.
Dole favors a balanced budget constitutional amendment. He co-sponsored a balanced budget amendment in 1971. He advocates the line-item veto. Dole helped pass a budget plan that would eliminate the deficit in seven years.
Dole calls for the elimination of four cabinet agencies: Education, Housing & Urban Development (HUD), Energy and Commerce. Dole also supports eliminating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dole advocates sending block grants to the states for government programs including: law enforcement, Medicaid, school lunches and welfare.
Dole also supports the "line-item veto," which allows the president to veto certain items in legislation while still signing it into law.
Dole supports term limits for Senators and Representatives in Congress. He supports a 12-year limit for Senate, and believes the House should set its own limits.
Dole supports banning all political action committees; opposes government funding of campaigns and spending limits on congressional campaigns. He would eliminate the income tax form check-off box that helps fund presidential campaigns.
In his June 11, 1996 CNN interview, Dole added that campaign finance reform should be determined by a "commission of outsiders -- not members of Congress -- and make us (Congress) vote up or down."
Dole supports the death penalty. He supports the abolition of parole for violent offenders. He believes teenagers who commit violent crimes should be prosecuted as adults. Dole secured passage of comprehensive habeas corpus reform in order to fight what he sees as abuse of the appeals process by convicted criminals. He promises to appoint "tough on crime" federal judges.
Dole supports the following principles of fighting crime: Stricter penalties for convicted violent felons; increased funding to build more prisons; "truth in sentencing" for violent criminals so they serve full sentences with no chance of parole; the death penalty for international drug traffickers; limiting the number of appeals allowed to inmates on death row; increasing penalties for the possession of any illegal firearms; prosecuting as adults youths who commit three violent crimes; prosecuting as adults youths charged with murder; increased funding for states that use "boot camps" as alternative sentencing for juvenile offenders; and increased funding for local Boys & Girls Clubs and other independent organizations in communities with at-risk youth.
Dole does not believe crime is the result of poor economic and social conditions. He does not believe that training, education and better paying jobs would alleviate crime.
Dole favors prohibiting the exclusion of evidence in criminal searches and seizures when there is "just cause" but no search warrant.
Dole also supports life sentences for criminals convicted of three violent crimes ("three strikes and you're out").
In May 1996, Dole called for an end to parole of people convicted of violent crimes, and life sentences for child pornographers after three convictions.
He contends "the federal judges a president chooses may be his most profound legacy" and that President Clinton has appointed "liberal" judges who are soft on crime and are "dismantling those guard rails that protect society from the predatory, the violent, the anti-social elements in our midst."
Dole would appoint judges "who respect the rule of the law, who understand that society is not to blame for crime, criminals are; judges who protect the rights of crime victims, not invent ever newer and more expansive 'rights' for criminal defendants."
Dole advocates requiring the Attorney General to publish a report every year that summarizes all decisions made by federal judges. He claims this would be a more objective method than the American Bar Association's ranking system for federal judges. (Dole also claims that the ABA is "blatantly liberal.")
Dole had made federal judges an issue in the presidential campaign by drawing national attention to numerous Clinton appointed judges and their rulings.
Juvenile Crime
Dole supports mandatory sentencing as adults for juveniles who commit violent crimes, opposes automatic release of violent juvenile criminals on their 18th or 20th birthday; and preserving criminal records of violent juveniles so courts may review them in the future.
Attacking Bill Clinton's "liberal" economic policies, Dole unveiled his long-awaited economic stimulus plan Aug. 5, promising the end of the Internal Revenue Service "as we know it." "To put it in a nutshell," Dole said, "I intend to lower the federal income tax bill of a family of four making $35,000 a year by 56 percent, cutting it more than half."
He called his proposal the "opening salvo in a battle to repeal the current tax code," and its crux is a 15 percent across-the-board personal income tax cut. Also included are a cut in the top capital gains rate in half from 28 to 14 percent, a $500 per child tax credit, and a repeal of the 1993 tax on social security benefits.
Led by respected Stanford University economist John Taylor, Dole's own advisors estimate price tag of the entire Dole plan at $548 billion over six years. But they, and Dole, say they're still committed to balancing the budget by 2002. "With today's pro-growth Republican congress, cutting taxes and balancing the budget are just a matter of presidential will," Dole said. "If you have it you can do it. I have it, I will do it...Deficit reduction is in my blood and a balanced budget will be my legacy to America."
Dole would continue to downsize the federal government to accelerate the quest for a balanced budget. Also, Dole promised to eliminate federal pork and insist government live by the same discipline as the private sector. He wants to open new markets to American products, scale back government regulations, and pursue a stable monetary policy.
Dole would abolish the Education Department, and actually voted against creating it in the first place. Dole believes certain programs, like civil rights and special education, should remain in Washington but should be run by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dole believes education should be a state responsibility. He backed the school choice demonstration program, in which parents could choose which school their children would attend, even if it was not the school closest to their home. He supports giving parents a larger say in where and how their children are educated. Dole wants to give control and money back to local school districts so teachers can "teach without Washington looking over their shoulders."
Dole believes that all American schools should teach only in English and stop the practice of multi-lingual education as a means of teaching ethnic pride.
Dole supports amending the Constitution to allow voluntary prayer in schools.
Dole has sponsored legislation requiring government compensation when property values are diminished because of government regulations -- the so-called "takings" issue. Many Democrats oppose this position, seeing it as a back door attack at environmental regulations.
Dole supports changing the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to limit the number of habitats eligible to be designated endangered and using "cost/benefit analysis" to calculate the economic impact of environmental regulations.
Dole opposes increasing grazing fees for ranchers who raise cattle on federal lands.
Dole has made moral values an issue. He has called for the entertainment industry to become a better corporate citizen and to stop producing "Gangsta Rap" records and violent films such as "Natural Born Killers." He has also says: "Values count, not just in our lives, but in our society. The economy will never be strong enough to transform a neighborhood where 80 percent of children lack a father, and legitimate jobs are dismissed as chump change." Other Dole comments: "Love of God and country and family. Commitment to honesty, decency and personal responsibility. Self-reliance tempered by a sense of community. Those values made us the greatest country on earth."
Dole has said he agrees with Richard Nixon (one of his political mentors) that the United States must remain the world's leader because no other nation can do it. He says the U.S. must recognize that the real competition among nations is now over trade and energy. Dole believes the security of the world's oil and gas supplies will remain a vital national interest to the United States and other industrial powers. In response, he says American strategy, diplomacy and forward military presence need readjusting. Dole believes American policy should support the interest of the United States, not the United Nations, and opposes putting U.S. troops under U.N. command. He reluctantly supported President Clinton's use of U.S. troops as peace keepers in Bosnia.
Dole supports giving aid to any country that is closely allied with the United States and in need of financial or military assistance.
China
Dole is critical of China's human rights record. He believes China has international ambitions of its own, and is in the midst of a leadership transition. He says everyone wants to trade and everyone wants to create and use capital on a world-wide basis, but many countries do not understand the rules and discipline that go with a world trading system.
Dole, in response to China detaining naturalized U.S. citizen (and human rights activist) Harry Wu, opposed U.S. participation in the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women.
Russia
Dole believes U.S. policy toward Russia should be based on a "new realism" that the two nations are still rivals with conflicting interests. Dole has criticized former President Bush and President Clinton for embracing Russian leaders too closely and too soon. Dole says "new realism" means emphasizing the significance of Russia's 1996 elections. He also said Russian arms sales to Iran, the violence in Chechnya and U.N. vetoes on behalf of aggressors should not be excused, ignored or minimized. He wants to identify our differences with Russia, negotiate them when possible, and condemn when necessary.
Dole has accused Russia of meddling in the U.S.-North Korean nuclear agreement, of opposing the entry of new East European countries into NATO and continuing to support Fidel Castro in Cuba.
Dole supports continuing financial aid to the former Soviet Union unless they export nuclear weapons, equipment or related technology.
Europe/Bosnia
Dole strongly advocated lifting the arms embargo against Bosnia. He supported insertion of U.S. forces in the region only to withdraw U.N. forces from Bosnia. (And then, only if commanded by NATO and if the rules of engagement allowed massive response to any attack on U.S. forces.) Later, he reluctantly supported President Clinton's commitment of U.S. troops to the NATO peacekeeping mission brought on by the Dayton accords.
Israel/Middle East
Dole is pro-Israel. He led the fight in the Senate to require the State Department to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem within four years (Israel captured Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war, and declared it the united capital soon after, but most nations have withheld recognition of its status until their is full peace in the the Middle East (two nations maintain embassies there.) NOTE: In 1989 Dole advocated cutting U.S. aid to Israel.
Mexico
Dole supports NAFTA.
Dole opposes homosexuals serving in the military. Dole's campaign returned a contribution from a group of gay Republicans (The Log Cabin Republicans) because he did not agree with their agenda of "special rights." However, Dole later blamed the decision to return the donation on his staff, and said it was a mistake.
Dole is opposed to same-sex marriages.
Dole voted against the 1994 Crime Bill and its assault weapons ban. He did vote for the five day wait for handgun purchase in the 102nd Congress.
Dole says he is committed to stopping criminals from purchasing firearms, using an instant background check that does not infringe upon the rights of law abiding citizens. Dole supports mandatory sentencing for criminals who use a firearm during the commission of a crime.
In March 1995 Dole had promised a vote to repeal the ban on assault weapons, a part of Clinton's 1994 crime bill. When asked by the Boston Globe in December 1995 if he would lift the ban, Dole issued a statement calling the ban ineffective and did not mention how he would vote, or if he would force a vote on the issue.
In July 1996, Dole dropped his pledge to repeal the assault weapons ban, saying, "we've moved beyond the debate over banning assault weapons" and it would be more effective to require broad use of instant computer background checks. Dole's spokesperson Nelson Warfield that repealing the ban "would not be on his (Bob Dole's) agenda" as president.
Dole opposed Clinton's health care overhaul plan, but positioned himself between moderate Republicans who wanted to negotiate a bill they could vote for and hardline Republicans (led by Gramm), who wanted to kill the administration's plan outright. Dole supports: tax incentives for small businesses to help provide health care to their employees; making health costs tax deductible, limits on the amount of damages awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits; and tax-free medical savings accounts.
Dole believes "major reform" is needed to save both Medicare and Medicaid. He supports giving state governments primary responsibility over Medicaid but believes Medicare should continue to be controlled by the federal government.
Tobacco
Bob Dole supports efforts to reduce access to tobacco products by minors including: preventing tobacco vending machines from being placed in locations frequented by minors; placing limits on cigarette advertising "in and around schools and in magazines read by children."
He also believes states should vigorously enforce their laws prohibiting the sale or distribution of tobacco products to minors.
Dole is also "concerned about the FDA's over-regulatory posture" and about the FDA "devoting precious resources to regulating a legal product out of existence." He believes the FDA should focus on approving important, lifesaving devices as soon as possible.
Dole has publicly questioned whether cigarettes are addictive, but later qualified that statement by saying that it was his personal observation and that he is not "a scientist nor a medical professional."
Dole is against giving government benefits to illegal immigrants. Supports strengthening the Border Patrol, aggressive enforcement of the laws expediting deportation of criminal aliens and streamlining the deportation process for illegal aliens.
Dole supports establishing English as the official language of the United States and is opposed to making it easier for immigrants to become U.S. citizens.
Dole believes the military should be the most capable, most advanced, and best trained in the world. However, Dole supported cutting $1 billion from the Strategic Defense Initiative in 1991. He voted against cutting $1.2 billion from the Navy procurement appropriation in 1993.
Dole has proposed a 15 percent across-the-board personal income tax cut. He also wants a cut in the top capital gains rate in half from 28 to 14 percent, a $500 per child tax credit, and a repeal of the 1993 tax on social security benefits.
Led by respected Stanford University economist John Taylor, Dole's own advisors estimate price tag of the entire Dole plan at $548 billion over six years. But they, and Dole, say they're still committed to balancing the budget by 2002. "With today's pro-growth Republican congress, cutting taxes and balancing the budget are just a matter of presidential will," Dole said. "If you have it you can do it. I have it, I will do it...Deficit reduction is in my blood and a balanced budget will be my legacy to America." Dole has also said he wants to eliminate the lobbyist-drafted loopholes, which he says benefit the few but force the rest of us to pay. Dole supports raising the estate tax threshold from $600,000 to $1.5 million. He would also push for a Constitutional Amendment requiring a 3/5th majority vote before Congress can raise income tax rates, which he says will guard the tax reforms and bias the system against high tax rates. Dole voted for the 1990 budget deal, raising taxes by $133 billion.
Dole opposed the national sales tax favored by Senator Richard Lugar and wants to increase the amount of money people can put in Individual Retirement Accounts.
Dole signed the Americans for Tax Reform "Taxpayer Protection Pledge." The pledge requires candidates to: 1) Oppose any and all efforts to increase the marginal income tax rates for individuals and/or businesses; and 2) Oppose any further reduction or elimination of deductions and credits, unless matched dollar for dollar by further reducing tax rates.
Dole favored NAFTA and GATT and supports opening up more foreign markets for U.S. products (see economy above). However, he believes that if countries want to enjoy the benefits of a world trading system they must also accept the rules of discipline that go with it, and that the United States should consider a country's human rights record before granting it Most Favored Nation status.
Dole supports the World Trade Organization and is opposed to lifting the Cuban embargo.
Dole supports the recently-passed GOP legislation ending welfare as an open-ended federal entitlement, transforming the system into block grants to the states. The bill requires recipients to find work within two years and places a 5-year lifetime limit on benefits. Previously, Dole supported a proposal that would:
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