Posted on 08/23/2012 4:45:31 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Bob Dole, the last Republican to challenge a Democratic president, has urged Mitt Romney to confront their party's Right wing and likened the Romney-Ryan ticket to his own ultimately unsuccessful partnership with Jack Kemp in 1996.
Mr Dole, a former Kansas Senator defeated by Bill Clinton 16 years ago, said the party should follow his example of "mainstream" Republicanism and become more appealing to ethnic minorities and young people to secure its future.
"We have got to be open," he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. "We cannot be a single-issue party or single-philosophy party". He added: "There's a big split in our party. There's this undercurrent of rigid conservatism where you don't dare not toe the line".
The intervention from the Republican elder statesman comes after Todd Akin, an ultraconservative Missouri congressman, hijacked Mr Romney's preparations for the party's convention in Florida next week with his controversial remarks on abortion and "legitimate rape".
Mr Dole, now 89, disclosed that he had advised Mr Romney on running for president during a meeting at his Washington office in November. He said the former Massachusetts governor showed "flexibility" and a willingness to forge the type of bipartisan deals rejected by current Republican leaders in Congress.
He conceded that the presidential hopeful, who has an estimated $250 million (£160 million) fortune, had struggled to charm American voters still suffering from economic woe...
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Wow, you can’t make this stuff up.
Dole is such a has-been.
” - - - showed “flexibility” and a willingness to forge the type of bipartisan deals - - - .”
Duh, that RINO mentality is exactly what has resulted in 16 TRILLION dollars in National Debt.
BTW, didn’t Obama promise that he would be “more flexible with Putin after the November election? Bob Dole must be proud that his ideas live on - - - .
(See: Dole, Gore, Kerry, McCain, Obama . . .)
Okay Bob.... will you please now go help Ozero with his campaign. He really wants your insight and help. He said he loves you and needs your help now! Thank you.
Their founder is a Trig Truther. What do ya expect>?
Where exactly does Mr. Dole think the party is too right wing/conservative? Mr. Dole should the party adopt legalized abortion on its plank? How about increased taxes or better yet spending?
I love it when these establishment Republicans say the party is too right wing without ever defining what specifically it is at that time to be right wing. Its never defined.
Dole has class, and I respect the man...but these kinds of comments don't unite the party as he claims and he should keep them to himself (especially during the midst of a heated election...yeesh - c’mon Bob!). The way to win “minorities” (people) is the same way you win other people - you take your case to them, teach them what you believe and why, and convince them to join you in your fight for freedom and prosperity...not by clouding the difference in the parties. Some will, some won't.
I recall Dole himself being branded and caricatured as a right wing extremist on many occasions...you are going to be attacked like this anyway, Bob - might as well be genuine...that doesn't mean you don't take care in your manner of presentation...but that's different from ideology.
Mr. Dole needs to put a sock in it, toxic sock syndrome.
Bob, take a Viagra, and STFU.
Bobby is not America. I’m done. (take a blue pill and go away Bobby)
Bob Dole was Old when he ran his gang buster campaign in 1996!
The GOPE needs to wheel out corpses to find a spokesman? Sad.
Isn’t it about time for Bob Dole to confront the oblong box? Perhaps well past time.
Running a good Republican party is pretty simple. The Democrats have more or less successfully forged a coalition of people who care about different issues. They all tend to stick up for each other as long as they know the issue they care about will continue being supported by the party. So here’s the formula to fix the Republican party:
1. Social conservatives consistently back fiscal conservative issues and national security conservative issues.
CHECK!
2. Fiscal conservatives and national security conservatives consistently back social conservative issues.
BZZZTT!
One side of the party is NOT holding up their end of the bargain. They are the reason the party isn’t as successful as it could be.
And to think our family once heartily campaigned for this guy. What a worthless individual. The only people keeping the liberal Romney afloat are the same people who kept Dole afloat = conservative “right wing” Republicans who put America first over our ideological principles. Dole should be ashamed of himself. I for one am ashamed of him.
OK, so I admit it. I campaigned for Dole. Kind of embarrassing. Even had a sign in my yard. Dang he was one of the worst picks to head a ticket ever.
You know I had coffee with Bob Dole! No kidding.
I was at a pro-life fundraiser breakfast at a hotel in Seattle and candidate Bob Dole showed up to let us all know how much he opposed abortion. (Right wing nut job that he is).
I was at a front table with only one other guy eating breakfast and in comes Bob. Then he sat down at my table! He only wanted coffee. So I am staring face to face across the table with Bob Dole. I hand him some creamer.
I remember asking him something intelligent about what was going on in Congress. I’ve learned to just ask a person with power questions, then you don’t look stupid.
Went home and bragged. “I had coffee with the minority leader of the Senate today!”
That night I saw him on television.
His campaign crashed like a burning blimp.
Anybody else meet a famous politician?
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