Jack Kemp has died. He was certainly influential in his time, a leading policy light of the Republican Party in an age of GOP ascendancy. But reading his name again after so long, and under current political circumstances, one may tender the melancholy thought that Jack Kemp was the future once. Tempus fugit. And R.I.P.
Jack Kemp is dead
Sunday May 3, 2009
Categories: Ave atque vale, Republicans
Filed Under: Jack Kemp, Republicans
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Rod Dreher is an editorial columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and author of "Crunchy Cons" (Crown Forum), a nonfiction book about conservatives, most of them religious, whose faith and political convictions sometimes put them at odds with mainstream conservatives. The views expressed in this blog are his own.
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Kemp's optimism lives on ... in Joel Osteen.
Well, he proved that a closeted gay man could get onto the Republican Presidential ticket. An interesting achievement.
Dedicated to Jack Kemp:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuDJmVkPYpw
"Jack Kemp was the future once."
Indeed. And he would have been a much better future than two Bushes, a Dole, and a McCain.
As a republican during the 1980's, I worked as a volunteer on Jack Kemp's presidential campaign. I found his genuine and passionate conviction to transform the perception of Republicans being the party of the rich to be very inspiring. Although many republicans found Jack to be appealing because of his support for tax cuts that would benefit themselves and the economy, I always felt that they viewed Kemp's energetic support of extending these policies to the inner cities as that of a closet, Great Society liberal.
Although in recent years I became a Democrat and no longer shared many of his views, I never lost my enormous respect and admiration for Jack. Although he was ideological on some issues, he was never polarizing. Kemp co-sponsored legislation with Black and Hispanic Democrats during his time as a member of Congress. Jack got involved with issues such as Soviet Jewry from the time he began serving in 1971, before it was politically popular to do so.
Above all, Jack’s character should be the greatest part of his legacy. Besides relentlessly pursuing the support of people who did not vote republican, he was put to a test when presented with an opportunity of become commissioner of the NFL when he was Secretary of HUD. The fact that he refused the offer in order to fulfill a commitment to HUD speaks volumes as a testament to his character.
He will be sorely missed.
Party of Lincoln
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