Posted on 09/07/2002 2:58:12 PM PDT by technochick99
WASHINGTON, D.C. (WOMENSENEWS)--A gracious southerner who has successfully blurred the line between a moderate and conservative Republican throughout her long career in public life, Elizabeth Dole does not seem like the next Jesse Helms.
Yet that is what the North Carolina Senate hopeful says she will be if elected to succeed Helms, the five-term firebrand who will retire in January after having championed the conservative movement's anti-abortion, anti-women's rights agenda for the past three decades.
Having spent decades in Washington as a high-profile bureaucrat and senatorial spouse, Dole moved to her native North Carolina last year shortly after she kicked off her Senate campaign. The undisputed frontrunner in the race, she will face six challengers in the Sept. 10 primary. Nine Democrats are vying for their party's primary nod.
"On most of the issues, I'm right where he is," Dole said, referring to Helms in a recent interview on CNN.
Helms appears to agree. In a slight to several of her more conservative challengers, he endorsed Dole earlier this year. President Bush has also campaigned on her behalf.
Yet critics say Dole is a moderate in conservative clothing. Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a staunchly pro-choice Republican, campaigned with her on the day that she won a coveted endorsement from a powerful anti-abortion political committee. Moderates in Washington are also confident she will not toe the party line if she wins office. Indeed, officials from the Republican Main Street Partnership, a political-action committee devoted to electing moderate Republicans to office, have endorsed her candidacy and contributed the maximum amount of money to her campaign, in the hopes that she will join their group in January.
Pro-Choice Groups Find Dole Too Conservative
While politicos from both parties question whether Dole would in fact carry on Helms' legacy, women's groups are taking her at her word. Indeed, the prospect that a disciple of Helms could take office at a time when the Supreme Court supports the current abortion law by a one vote-margin, when a Republican president is poised to appoint the next justice, and when Democrats could lose control of the Senate in November's midterm elections, they say, is cause for grave concern.
As a result, pro-choice groups are going to great lengths to warn voters not to mistake Dole's agreeable manner for pragmatic politics and not to associate her ideology with that of her more moderate husband, former Senate Majority Leader and presidential candidate Bob Dole. Instead, they say they will endorse the Democratic nominee--most likely the investment banker and former Clinton administration chief of staff Erskine Bowles--in the midterm elections.
"Everyone is looking at her tone and tenor," said Kate Michelman, president of the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League, a political-action committee devoted to electing pro-choice candidates to office. "The bottom line is that her votes will be identical to Jesse Helms'. She might have a different style about her, but she embodies the same views and the same values when it comes to reproductive rights as Jesse Helms."
Kim Gandy, president of the National Organization for Women, echoed that sentiment. Dole, she said, was regarded as pragmatic, and at times moderate, during her service in the Reagan administration as Secretary of Transportation, in the Bush administration as Secretary of Labor, throughout the 1990s as president of the American Red Cross, and even during her 2000 presidential run.
Still, "My sense is that if she says she's as conservative as Jesse Helms, I don't doubt it," Gandy said.
On the other side of the political spectrum, anti-abortion groups are also taking Dole at her word that she is "right in line" with Helms.
"Mrs. Dole has indicated a strong pro-life position," said Barbara Holt, state president of the North Carolina Right to Life, an anti-choice political-action committee. "We feel that she will follow in the footsteps of Sen. Helms."
Nonetheless, many are holding out hope that Dole will not be as vocal an opponent of women's rights as Helms was if, as expected, she wins the Sept. 10 primary and the Nov. 5 general election. They note that Dole supports the right to an abortion in cases of rape and incest and when the life of the woman is at stake--a distinction Helms does not make. And, unlike Helms, Dole also supports the Equal Rights Amendment, her spokeswoman said.
Dole has also indicated that she would be more progressive than Helms has been in the areas of women's health and domestic violence. In addition, Dole has indicated that she would not necessarily oppose federal funding of international organizations that permit abortion, a stance Helms has taken over the years.
Women's groups are also encouraged that Dole prides herself on a reputation for building coalitions to reach consensus. Helms, by contrast, has preferred to stand alone on principle rather than hammer out compromises with his colleagues to pass legislation.
"If elected to the Senate from North Carolina, the pro-choice community would expect Mrs. Dole to be approachable about family-planning issues and women's reproductive rights, something that Jesse Helms was clearly not," said Jennifer Stockman, head of the Republican Pro-Choice Coalition. Unlike Helms, Stockman added that Dole has no interest in overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion.
"Realistically," Stockman said, "Mrs. Dole has never been a pro-choice ally. But we are hopeful that she will be more open-minded to issues important to women."
Helms' Legacy Tough to Live Up To
Few indeed could live up to the standard set by Helms. The longtime leader of the conservative movement, Helms began his Senate career in 1973, the same year that the Supreme Court legalized abortion.
He quickly proved his conservative mettle, orchestrating a ban on U.S. funds to international organizations offering abortions during his first year in office. Since then, he has attempted to deny funding to colleges and universities that offer emergency contraception to students. He also worked to prevent the United States from contributing funds to the United Nations Population Fund, which promotes family planning in developing countries.
As the former chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Helms has recently spearheaded efforts to scuttle U.S. ratification of an International Criminal Court, which would address crimes against humanity, including many forms of sexual violence. He has also single-handedly held up floor consideration for several years of a United Nations treaty called the Convention for the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women, a document widely used by women worldwide to advocate for their rights.
Surprisingly, some anti-abortion advocates agree with their counterparts in the pro-choice community that Dole is playing election-year politics when she compares herself to Helms. They say she is merely paying lip service to the conservative community in an effort to reassure Helms supporters that she will carry on his legacy if she becomes a senator. Indeed, such voters will play a crucial role in the seven-way primary, which promises to draw out the state's most conservative voters, and in what could become a tough general election this fall.
"We are skeptical, very skeptical, that Dole will carry out the mantle of Jesse Helms," said Lori Waters, executive director of the Eagle Forum, an anti-choice, anti-women's rights advocacy group headed by conservative columnist Phyllis Schlafly. "She's had a history of making some not so conservative statements. Having Jesse Helms as a standard is very hard to live up to. We're not optimistic that she would be able to meet that standard."
Allison Stevens covers politics in Washington.
Elizabeth Dole is a gun-hating democRat in disguise.
Anyway, Dole would be far better than the Dem. she'll be running against.
Unfortunately I can't post old TV clips.
In her last run for the Presidential nomination, she trashed the NRA on TV. This was shortly after the Columbine massacre.
Her candidacy sank faster than the Titanic after that.
A vote for Liddy Dole is a vote for Bill Clinton Lite.
As for being a RINO:
She went to Harvard Law School.
She then went straight to Washington to be a bureaucrat with the Department of Health, Welfare, and Human Service.
She registered as a Democrat.
Still a Democrat, she served on LBJ's consumer affairs comission.
She stayed in that office when Nixon came in, swithcing her affiliation to Independent.
Only when she married Dole did she switch to Republican.
As Secreatary of Transportation, her big Republican accomplishment was using the Federal Gov't to force all the states to adopt the 55 mph spped limit.
One day she dressed up like Bobby Brady did when he was a hall monitor and stopped everyone coming to work at DOT with a little red stop sign to see if they were wearing their seatbelts.
What more does one need to know that she is a RINO?
critics say Dole is a moderate in conservative clothing.
My memory of her is that she is a liberal in moderates clothing. But hey, if she will vote with the Republican caucus, at least that is something. Beats the alternative.
The problem is North Carolina is a Democrat State. Democrats have held power over state government for over 100 years.
There are too many Blacks who blindly pull the Democrat lever because Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton told them Republicans want to burn crosses in their yards and lynch them.
There are too many Southern Democrats who won't vote Republican because they still think The Republican party is the Party of the Union. In other words they can't let the civil war go.
Jim Snyder would probably be a better candidate, but he is a candidate that cannot beat Erskine Bowles. Dole is the only Candidate that can beat Bowles. If North Carolina goes to Demonrat hands, the Senate will continue to block Bush's Judges.
Did you know that over half of all Federal Judges have been appointed by Bill Clinton? The Judges that keep making insane decisions like removing "Under God" from the Pledge and Banning a Cross on a National Park are all Clinton Judges.
The Judicial System is what is at stake this November. This election is about Pickering and Owen not Dole and Bowles.
The house is much less important than the Senate.
A U.S. Supreme Court Justice will probably come up for nomination within the next two years. Bush has picked great Judges for the appeals court, but the Rats keep blocking them. Do you think they will be more or less likely to block a Supreme Court Judge than an Appeals Court Judge?
The Courts are what have the rats scared. They impliment most of their wacky agenda through the court system. They are holding on to it with everything they have.
Dole will vote with the Republicans on Judicial Nominations, and that is what counts.
Bowles is a clinton crony who will work with Daschle to block Judicial Nominations. Even more so if the Republicans cannot take the Senate, Leahy and Daschle will never let any Conservative on the Supreme Court.
Dole admits that she had questions about the concealed carry laws and "assault weapons" she also says that after talking to North Carolina Sheriffs she has decided that the concealed carry law works and that Assault Weapons are not a problem.
This is her statement given to the North Carolina Rifle and Pistol Association.
Second Amendment Second to None
BY ELIZABETH DOLE
I have been a strong supporter of the Second Amendment throughout my career. I was proud to be the first woman to ever address the National Rifle Association’s annual meeting in 1982. I said then, and I believe now, that individual gun ownership is a Constitutional right that should not be abridged – no more than the government should be allowed to limit the First Amendment right to free speech.
Thousands of North Carolinians exercise their Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. They target shoot in the field and at ranges. They hunt in the woods and the marshes. They collect firearms, re-enact history and honor cherished traditions. They protect their families and property. If I have the honor of representing the good people of North Carolina in the United States Senate, I will oppose restrictions on the ownership of firearms that penalize the law-abiding citizen.
Like President Bush, I will work hard to ensure that we enforce the laws that already exist, and I believe our highest priority should be keeping guns out of the hands of criminals. The National Instant Background Check has proven to be the most successful approach to achieving this goal. I’ll insist that we prosecute anyone who attempts to purchase a gun illegally. And I’ll insist that the federal government does NOT keep centralized records on law abiding American purchasers.
In the past, I expressed support for the ban on “assault weapons,” and questioned whether it was necessary to own one of these weapons to hunt or to defend our homes. Many argued that it should not be the federal government’s role to decide which gun, of which caliber, with which accessories, Americans can use in exercise of their Second Amendment rights. Seven years after President Clinton and his allies outlawed so-called “assault” weapons, there appears to have been little effect on crime prevention or punishment. What is effective is the Instant Check system. We should stick with what works and enhance the capabilities of the Instant Check to ensure that it functions promptly, that there is access to all relevant records, and that criminals and other prohibited persons who try to buy guns are prosecuted.
The Instant Check system is, in my view, just good common sense. And so is providing safety locks and information with every new gun to help prevent misuse. President Bush, state and local law enforcement and firearms manufacturers are working in over 4000 localities to distribute safety kits, including safety locks. Project HomeSafe is in place in 54 North Carolina counties already. I will work to support its expansion throughout our state and our nation to promote safe firearms practices. Responsible behavior, proper parenting, safety information and appropriate safety locks are all important ingredients in helping to further reduce firearms accidents – especially among children.
North Carolina has another common sense proposal in place: a right to carry law that allows citizens to obtain a concealed handgun permit from the local sheriff after being trained and certified. I have met with North Carolina sheriffs who know the law is working. It works because criminals do not like to prey on those who can defend themselves.
But here in North Carolina, we could also benefit from an idea pioneered in our neighboring state of Virginia. I strongly support expanding Project Exile to North Carolina. Under this program, a convicted felon caught with a gun faces mandatory five-year federal prison term – no plea bargaining and no parole. It is this sort of no nonsense approach that best deals with gun crime. We do not need new restrictions on those who already observe the thousands of gun laws on the books. Full enforcement of current laws will make North Carolina safe. Full respect for the Second Amendment will keep North Carolina free.
Now she may be paying lip service. We don't know. What we do know is that Bowles is Anti-Gun, Anti-Life and Pro-Homosexual.
How much Pro-Gun, Pro-Life legislation is going to come out of the Senate if it is in Demonrat hands. Getting the Committees in Republican control is what counts.
Snyder may be a good candidate, but he CANNOT be bowles in Democrat North Carolina.
The only Republican candidate that can is Dole.
Remeber your Vote is for Judicial Nominations more than anything else.
One more thing before you call me a moderate/liberal I think you should know that I am farther to the Right than probably anyone here on Free Republic.
I believe anyone who attempts to perform or have an Abortion should be brought up on Capital Murder Charges. I believe Fornication, Adultery, Blasphemy, and Homosexuality should be capital offenses just like they were at the Founding of our nation.
I think citizens should have the right to own any type of firearm they wish even if it is a .50 cal machine gun.
I make Dole look Like an Ultra-Leftist. But I am also a realist and I know that without getting the Judiciary in Conservative hands, the liberals will continue to chip away at our nation's Christian Heritage and will work to push for the legalization of more baby killing.
The Court System is going to be the big battle ground where the liberals try to push homosexual marriage on us. If we can't get Conservative Judges on the bench, our nation's moral fabric will be shredded and we will be doomed.
The Judicial system is the big prize in November, and we have to do whatever we can to get the Senate in the Right hands. WHATEVER WE CAN!!!
It's up to the people of the very beautiful state of North Carolina. I wish them well.
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