In the last few weeks before returning to Dartmouth, I had the misfortune of attending a local Republican rally with my father who is running for local office. Political events of this sort are generally tolerable -- eat fried chicken, smile, nod, say "It's a school in New Hampshire" a few thousand times, leave.
But the last event we attended was intolerable because it epitomized the problem with the Dole campaign that could very well cost him the election in November.
One of the speakers at the rally worked for the Dole Campaign at the state level and came to excite a little grass-roots support. After reminding the audience of Dole's weaknesses as a candidate, in particular his inability to make personal connections both on television and in person (Clinton's forte), all this employee of Dole had to offer in support of the man that signs his paycheck was, "He has character." When a woman in the audience asked him to elaborate, he had no well-defined answer.
The Clinton campaign has tried to steer away from a character debate, yet Clinton has become such a good Republican that we can not have an issue debate. Former Clinton advisor Dick Morris' worst nightmare has come true -- the only thing left for the Republicans to attack is character. Yet the Dole campaign cannot create an approach that addresses character in any meaningful way. We have heard about war injuries, family values, and community service. Men of good character go to war and build strong communities (or villages, depending on the convention), but these activities do not define character.
Character is working toward an ideal regardless of whether or not it is popular. Lincoln defined character by alienating half our nation and then bringing it back together. FDR set a precedent with his redefinition of humanitarian values in a liberal society. From the most conservative to the most liberal, our Supreme Court judges shaped our constitution; few, if any, took a poll before making their decisions. Bill Clinton may well be our most well-loved existentialist President, but he is not a man who history will remember as a leader who helped define that well-worn political term, "character."
When Dole accused Clinton of being a liberal this week, Clinton replied that his record spoke for itself. Clinton's record reads like a Gallup poll. In the attempt to win reelection, Clinton has sacrificed his own liberal idealism to the political pundits like Morris who promised him re-election. His revised plans for health care died with the 1994 Republican victory just as his new stance on the budget coincided with an election year. It is my guess that the era of big government will be over up until Nov. 5.
At convocation Dr. Samuel O. Thier, recipient of honorary degree Doctor of Science, defined professional. Part of his definition was performance over reward. Dr. Thier was directing his remarks to the medical community, but I would hope that we hold our government officials to the same standards. Bob Dole is a true public servant in that he has chosen performance over reward. He may not give a better speech or excite enthusiasm as Clinton does, but his record is one of adherence to certain beliefs about the way government should be run. Simply put, the era of big government is over because Dole led the Senate to that conclusion.
