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The Harvard Salient |
October 21, 1996 |
People are often annoyed at Republicans on this liberal campus, and the less polite may even want you to take the Dole/Kemp sign out of your window. The People's Republic of Cambridge offers no relief for people to the right of John Kerry, so it's no surprise that rightward-leaning people here aren't always as excited and motivated about conservative causes as they could be. The simple cure for this is prolonged exposure to a crowded poltical rally and a lively debate.
Hartford, Connecticut is by no means the most picturesque city in
New England (or even Connecticut), but it was the location of the
first Presidential debate, so that is where I went, along with three
other members of the Harvard Republican Club. Unable to get tickets
to the debate itself, we attended the Dole pre- and post-debate
rallies, along with four to five thousand other people.
The rally was predictable fare, including speeches by what seemed like every Republican elected official in the state, which resulted in some uniquely memorable sound bites. For example, Chris Stapino, state chairman of the Republican Party, provided this gem: "We are Republicans, and the Democrats can lick our shoes." Rep. Gary Franks (R-CT) said that people should be allowed to "write a check to an IRA, not the IRS."
Two or three hours before the debate, Elizabeth Dole addressed the crowd. Mrs. Dole praised her husband's solid character and called him "a better man for a better America" and "a work horse, not a show horse." She was interrupted several times by chants of "Dole! Dole!" and "Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp!" In between the speakers, several high school and college bands played tunes to pep up the crowd, along with pre-recorded music including, rather incongruously, KISS's "Rock and Roll All Night."
Finally, it was time for the debate; the crowd cheered as the Doles appeared on the big screen TV and jeered when the Clintons made their entrance. President Clinton's opening statement was typical Clintonspeak. He expressed his desire that the campaign be "one of ideas, not of insults," although this doesn't seem to apply to the Democrats' attack ad campaign. He also stated that "we passed welfare reform," making me wonder if he considers himself a Republican like the lawmakers who really passed welfare reform. Clinton's biggest selling points were, "We're better off than we were four years ago," and what seems to be the new refrain of Clinton, Gore, and every other Democrat in America: "Ten and half million new jobs."
Despite the media's declaration that the debate was a Clinton victory or a draw, Dole should have been pleased with his performance. Dole was funnier and more gracious than he has been in past debates. While he did make some veiled comments about Clinton's drug use and his criminal friends, he made no direct attacks on the President's character. The main personal differences between him and the president were, he stated, his lower blood pressure, weight and cholesterol.
Clinton was the loser in the debate, if only because he did not perform up to standards. He tried to be presidential and folksy at the same time, and when he repeated a number of phrases, trying to install them in the minds of voters, he bored me. Least impressive of all was the President's effort to deflect criticism of his drug policy by appealing to voters for sympathy for his family's drug problems.
The high point of the evening came after the debate, when Dole dropped by to give a short speech. Although he didn't really talk about anything of substance, his mere presence invigorated the crowd. After too many months of too little to be excited about, the rally made me think that maybe, just maybe, come January we'll have a real Republican President, instead of a pretender and four more years of the same.
-Travis Wheatley