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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
May 6, 2009
/ 12 Iyar 5769
The endlessness of Jack Kemp
By
Roger Simon
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Jack Kemp was a man of enthusiasms. He was passionate, erudite, articulate — and often endless.
Informed before the 1987 straw poll in Ames, Iowa, that he had to limit his remarks to 15 minutes, he complained: "It takes me an hour and a half to watch '60 Minutes'!"
Yet his speeches had great energy even at great length, and when Bob Dole needed a running mate in 1996, energy is what got Kemp on the ticket.
I thought about this when John McCain chose Sarah Palin as his running mate last year. Just as Jack Kemp's selection injected the Republican National Convention with an immediate boost of adrenaline in San Diego, so did Sarah Palin's selection immediately lift spirits in St. Paul.
Both presidential candidates seemed a little tired and a little shopworn by the time they got to their conventions, both running mates were more appealing to certain parts of the party than was the nominee, and neither running mate was particularly happy or accomplished in his role as second banana.
For Dole and Kemp, it was a marriage made in hell. Dole believed in balanced budgets; Kemp believed in tax cuts. (They also did not like each other, Kemp having endorsed Steve Forbes in the primaries.) And Kemp's debate performance — one of the few real jobs a vice presidential candidate has — against Al Gore was not good (and may have given Gore false confidence when he faced George W. Bush in their 2000 debates).
While Kemp once referred to himself as a "bleeding-heart conservative" — he was a proponent of immigration reform, tenant ownership of public housing and civil rights — he could also be a full-throated conservative on certain issues.
I first saw that side of him, along with his fervent speaking style, at an Iowans for Life convention at the Best Western Starlight Village in Des Moines in September 1987, when he was beginning his presidential campaign.
Kemp, wearing a red rose as an anti-abortion symbol, delivered his address full blast. "We meet for one of the great events of the 20th century, the reversal of Roe v. Wade!" he shouted. "It won't be a month before that Supreme Court has a pro-family, pro-life justice in Robert Bork! He's gonna win! He's gonna win! I'm a little bit disappointed that the White House is trying to sell him as a moderate. He's a conservative! What's wrong with that? We want conservatives! I will appoint pro-life, pro-family, pro-Judeo-Christian judges to all courts if I am elected president!"
He never got close to getting elected president or even to the Republican nomination. After serving 18 years in the House of Representatives, he became President George H.W. Bush's secretary of Housing and Urban Development, where Kemp approached the job, according to Jason DeParle, writing in The New York Times Magazine, "with an odd set of outside talents and peculiarities. Kemp brought unusual devotion and eloquence to his crusade. But he also brought a grab bag of marginal ideas and a personal style that alienated some of the allies he most needed. Chief among them was George Bush."
Kemp often could not help himself, which he admitted. "Talking once about how he planned to seek better relations with Sen. Barbara Mikulski," DeParle wrote, "Kemp leaned back and stuck a finger down his throat, as if gagging on the very thought. 'I mean, my body language is worse than anybody else's, you know,' Kemp said. 'I can't hide my feelings.'"
An inability to hide one's feelings is often a hindrance in politics, and so it was for Jack Kemp. But he died still true to his feelings on Saturday at age 73, a man of his enthusiasms to the end.
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© 2009, Creators Syndicate
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