To borrow a phrase from Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), do you count yourself among "[President Bill Clinton's] high taxing, free-spending, promise-breaking, Social Security-taxing, health care-socializing, drug-coddling, power-grabbing, business-busting, lawsuit-loving, U.N. following, F.B.I.-abusing, I.R.S.-increasing, $200 hair-cutting, gas-taxing, over-regulating, bureaucracy-trusting, class-baiting, privacy-violating, values-crushing, truth-dodging, Medicare-forsaking, property-rights-taking, job-destroying friends?" If so, you may not have watched last night's first presidential debate.
In his opening remarks, Clinton stated that "there is a record" of his success, and the voters need only look at that record to have a reason to re-elect him. He is right; there certainly is a record, and unfortunately for Clinton, Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole spent the next 90 minutes reminding us of what exactly that record has been.
Dole's record during his long career as a public servant directly reflects his opinions and positions, which include smaller bureaucracy, states' rights and individual responsibility. Clinton's record directly conflicts with his opinions, positions and promises. As Dole asked in a practice debate last week, "Are you willing to buy used campaign promises from this man?"
It is ironic that Clinton chose to draw attention to his record. It is often said that if you repeat something enough, people will believe you. Before you decide to vote for Clinton, I ask you to take him up on his request. Examine that record and you will see the big lie. To use Clinton's own words, the big lie, just like Clinton's spouting of statistics, "sounds very good, but it is very wrong." I do not have the space to enumerate the discrepancies in his record, but some of the more egregious examples include the health care disaster, the veto of the balanced budget and the largest tax increase in history. As Dole said, "Thank God for the Republican Congress in 1994."
I also ask you to examine Dole's record, the compelling reason to vote for him. Dole formed the backbone of the Senate's support of the balanced budget amendment that is now Clinton's idea. He saved us from the socialized medicine that Clinton wants us to forget was his idea. Dole's voting record in the Senate reflects the platform he stands for today, while Clinton's record reflects neither of his presidential platforms.
This election is not a question of issues, mainly because Clinton promises to be a better Republican than Dole. Stated quite accurately by Dole, this election is a question between "trust and fear." Do you believe Clinton's used campaign promises and the ridiculous new ones such as the imminent democratization of Cuba (yes, he did say that last night)? Those promises sent many frightened voters to the polls en masse to vote for liberal Bill in 1992. I hope that American voters are wiser from the experience of the last four years and will not make the same mistake twice.
Bob Dole will bring respect back to the office of the presidency. He will restore credibility and consistency to America's foreign policy position. He does not promise the immediate mitigation of all of society's problems, but he will meet the few, important promises that he has made during this campaign, including a 15 percent across-the-board tax cut which will provide an equal opportunity for every American, not an equal, if limited, outcome which Clinton will provide all Americans.
In his closing remarks, Dole stated, "I know who I am, and I know where I'm from and I know where I want to take America." We can trust that neither his character nor his direction will change during the next four years, unlike Clinton's chameleon-like transformations in the last four. Clinton's bridge to the future is built on a foundation of lies and illusion; only Jean Houston, friend of First Ladies Hillary Rodham Clinton and Eleanor Roosevelt, can predict where it will lead. Dole's bridge to the future will be built on the strong foundation of past experience and demonstrated leadership, and it will reach a known, desired destination.
