The Republican Convention
As It Happens

Aug. 14, 1996

Kansas puts Dole over the top

Bob Dole's home state put him over the top tonight in a raucous, joyful nominating session on the floor of the San Diego Convention Center. The state's 31 votes put Dole's total delegates over the 996 he needed for the nomination.

After Arizona Sen. John McCain set the stage with his nominating speech, the roll call process got underway, slowly but surely moving Bob Dole closer to becoming the Republican presidential nominee.

23 states and territories -- New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, the Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming -- all "respectfully passed" on delivering their delegates so Kansas could clinch the nomination for its favorite son.

Bonilla, Gramm second Dole's nomination

The Republicans who seconded Bob Dole's nomination for president tonight said they're doing it "to fight for Bob Dole and his crusade to restore the American dream."

Texas Congressman Henry Bonilla and Wendy Lee Gramm, wife of Texas Senator Phil Gramm and a former Reagan administration official, told of their own "American dreams." Bonilla told of how his began in a housing project on the west side of San Antonio. "Today," he said, "I am proud to represent the people of San Antonio, Laredo, West Texas" in Congress.

Gramm said her grandparents came to the U.S. from Korea to work in sugar cane fields. "They came with nothing, not even speaking the language," she said. "They were just looking for freedom and opportunity. Two generations later, Ronald Reagan asked me to oversee the futures trading of all American commodities, including the same cane sugar my grandfathers had cut by hand. The story of our families is the story of the American dream."

"For all of us who have lived the American dream, and for all those who still dream of living it," Gramm concluded, "we are proud to second the nomination of Bob Dole of Kansas to be president of the United States."

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McCain nominates Dole for President

Arizona Sen. John McCain formally nominated Bob Dole to be the Republican candidate for president tonight, in an emotional speech celebrating what he called "the virtues of the quiet hero."

McCain, once rumored to be in the running for the V.P. slot eventually handed to Jack Kemp, said Dole will be a great president "because he is a man of honor, a man of firm purpose and deep commitment to his country's cause."

The Arizona Senator took a few shots at President Clinton ("We nominate Bob Dole for president because this nation deserves better than the aimless direction we have endured for four years"), but he spent most of his words praising the man he was nominating. "Others may offer you sound bites and showmanship," he said. "But Bob Dole offers you leadership -- leadership evident in the stature of a man who risked his life for love of country, and considers service to America his honor."

"America, we cannot spare this man."

In an emotional finale, the former prisoner of war revealed that while Dole "led the opposition" to a Senate measure cutting off funding for the Vietnam war before American POWs had been assured a safe return, he wore a POW bracelet bearing McCain's name. "I never knew that Bob had done me that great honor until very recently," McCain said. "Bob never told me he wore my bracelet. He never sought my thanks ... I learned of it just last winter during a debate on Bosnia, when Bob mentioned it only to emphasize the point that no matter how strong our opposition to the president's policy, we must never let our troops doubt for a second that they had the full support of the United States Congress.

"As a down payment on my gratitude," McCain concluded, "I am privileged to render you a small service this evening, but, by so doing, I render a far greater service to my country by placing before this convention, the name of my friend, the Honorable Robert Dole of Russell, Kansas, in nomination for the presidency of the greatest nation on earth. God bless you, Bob, and God bless America."

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Mrs. Dole roams the aisles for her husband

Elizabeth Dole roamed the aisles of the San Diego San Diego Convention Center tonight, impressing upon the gathered delegates her husband's strength of character, his integrity, and his triumph over adversity. "This election is about the vision and the values that will shape America as we move into the next century, she said. "It is about the character of the man who will lead us there."

The former Labor and Transportation secretary had been given a 20-minute prime time slot, by far the longest of the night. Wearing a wireless microphone until technical difficulties forced her to abandon it, Mrs. Dole moved throughout the hall like a television talk show host, speaking with a number of people from the Doles' past, including several who helped Mr. Dole recover from the wounds he sustained in World War II.

The theme was Dole's resilience, his strength of will, and his values, "values like honesty, decency, respect, personal responsibility, hard work, love of God, love of family, patriotism." Mrs. Dole called her husband "a man who is the strongest, most compassionate and tender person I ever knew." She worked the crowd to give an oral biography of the man seeking the presidency.

Mrs. Dole -- who often is paid to give speeches throughout the country -- spoke of the candidate's interest in helping the disabled while rubbing the shoulder of a man in a wheelchair.

Tales of Thanksgiving dinners and birthdays shared with underprivileged residents of Washington, D.C. also peppered her speech. "You never heard about that Thanksgiving dinner in the media because Bob Dole never told anybody about it," she said. "He did it from his heart."

"I believe that in the years to come," she said, "future generations will look back to this November and say, "Here is where we elected the better man who led us to a better America because here is where we elected Bob Dole."

Elizabeth Dole biography from the Dole for President web site

Dole's daughter shares childhood memories

Robin Dole, Bob Dole's 41-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, shared her unique personal view of the candidate with the convention hall tonight, recalling childhood memories of "the rock of my dad's love, his steadiness and the absolute certainty that he would always be there."

"I wish every child could grow up as I did," she said. "With a father she knew would love her without condition, keep her safe from harm, glory in her independence, and drive deep in her soul an unshakable understanding of right and wrong."

"My dad taught me the importance of strength in success, and the nobility of strength in failure. And he taught me how to love."

Calling herself herself "the imperfect child of a great man," the former real estate lobbyist, now working on her father's campaign, said "I want with all my heart for him to be president."

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Thompson hails Dole's leadership

Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tennessee) praised Bob Dole's leadership, tonight, calling him "a man of straight talk and quiet courage."

Thompson, elected to office in 1994, said Dole's leadership abilities impressed from the moment he arrived in Washington. "On our first day at work," he recalled, "Bob Dole called us all in, got his Republican majority around him and said, I've been waiting for you. Let's get to work. And under his leadership we then passed more Congressional reforms in one session of Congress than had been passed in an entire decade.

The former actor, attorney, and Republican counsel on the Senate Watergate Committee said Dole is "driven by one basic commitment -- to see we leave this country better off than when we found it." That's why Bob Dole should be president of the United States."

"With Bob Dole's leadership, we've begun to take our government back," Thompson said. "And tonight, we move forward. We begin a new journey. And history will record that we were there at the beginning when a better man stepped forward to lead us to a better America."

Fred Thompson's Senate home page

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Kassebaum celebrates Dole's values, commitment

Bob Dole's longtime Senate colleague from Kansas, retiring Sen. Nancy Kassebaum, introduced the special part of the program devoted the candidate himself, tonight, giving a quick biography of the nominee-to-be and recalling her own personal experiences with his "steady, sensible leadership."

Kassebaum recalled that when she first ran for the Senate in 1978, "Bob worked hard, sometimes even harder than I did, to help me win my seat. From that early experience, I learned first hand that Bob Dole is a person who makes things happen He doesn't just talk about what should be done. He puts in the long hours, the hard work and the energy necessary to produce real change. For Bob, actions speak louder than words. That's the way Kansans are."

The daughter of former Kansas Governor and Republican presidential nominee Alf Landon (1936), Kassebaum praised Dole's adherence to the values of duty, honor, and commitment. "To some, these heartland values are forgotten, or forgettable," she said. "Bob Dole has never forgotten any of them. They run deep in his mind, body and soul. These are the sources of Bob Dole's steady, sensible leadership. These are the values that guide his head and heart."

"I am proud to call Bob Dole my friend. He is a man every American will be proud to call our president.

Nancy Kassebaum's Senate home page

Full text of remarks

Kirkpatrick slams Clinton defense, foreign policy

Former U.N. Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick delivered a bruising attack on President Clinton's defense and foreign policy record tonight, taking the President to task for putting U.S. troops under United Nations command and for underestimating dangers to American soldiers around the globe.

A national chairwoman of the Dole campaign and a Dole foreign policy advisor, Kirkpatrick said Clinton should never have placed U.S. troops "under United Nation rules of engagement and ... into dangerous situations in Somalia, Macedonia, Haiti."

"Again and again," she said, "the Clinton administration underestimated the danger our forces would face. And they failed to provide adequate support." She cited the terrorist attack in Dharan, Saudi Arabia, as one example of the Administration's negligence. "Unfortunately, " she said, "Bill Clinton and his administration do not understand how to protect and preserve American strength and credibility."

Kirkpatrick maintained that Bob Dole "will be a reliable and prudent ally, a wise and careful president, a strong and honorable leader of whom all Americans can and will be proud."

Jeane J. Kirkpatrick bio from Empower America

Full text of speech

Baker attacks Clinton foreign policy

Former Treasury Secretary and Secretary of State James Baker delivered a scathing attack on the Clinton administration's foreign policy tonight, saying, "When they write the history of Bill Clinton's foreign policy, they're going to call it Gullible's Travels."

Baker criticized Clinton for "paying court" to Syria and the Irish Republican Army, for being soft on China and North Korea, and for failing to extend NATO membership to central Europe. "Four years of drift, not direction," said Baker. "Four years of rhetoric, not resolve. Four years of flip-flops and photo-ops passing for a foreign policy."

Baker claimed that, "in private, our allies will say what they dare not admit in public: that America is no longer the world leader it was under Ronald Reagan and George Bush. And, sad to say, our allies are right."

"In short," he said, "Bill Clinton has done for foreign policy what Hillary did for health-care policy."

The former Reagan Administration Chief of Staff said under a Dole-Kemp Administration, the United States will be "once again trusted by our allies, feared by our adversaries, and admired by friends of freedom everywhere."

James A. Baker, III Biography from the Baker Institute for Public Policy, Rice University

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Quayle says Clinton "no Bob Dole"

Former Vice President Dan Quayle lashed out at Bill Clinton tonight, using a famous political line to label Clinton "no Bob Dole" -- just as Quayle was once labeled "no Jack Kennedy." "I know Bob Dole," Quayle told a cheering crowd. Bob Dole is a friend of mine. And Bill Clinton, you're no Bob Dole."

Quayle, who pushed the "family values" phrase into politics with his widely mocked campaign talk against illegitimacy in 1992, returned to that theme tonight, telling the gathered delegates that now, even the President speaks about "family values," though four years ago "Bill Clinton said speaking about family values was a divisive issue. Divisive? Today, he gives that speech."

Quayle, who has run the Campaign America political action committee since September 1995, was among the few allowed to address abortion from the convention podium. He attacked President Clinton for vetoing legislation that would have banned so-called partial birth abortion.

The former Vice President was preceded by model Kim Alexis, who also talked about "family values."

Dan Quayle's Campaign America

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Carroll Campbell praises Dole economic plan

South Carolina Governor Carroll Campbell touted Bob Dole's economic plan tonight, saying it will "spur this country to higher investment, more and better jobs, and greater productivity for all our citizens."

He described Dole's plan as "a fair and simple across-the-board 15 percent reduction in income tax rates, along with a tax credit for children and a capital gains tax cut." He claimed a similar plan worked well in South Carolina.

After building up the Dole plan, Campbell blasted the President's policies. "Today's tax burden is at a record high," he said, "because Bill Clinton gave America the largest tax increase in American history. The typical American family pays more in taxes each year than they spend on food, clothing and shelter combined." Campbell said the average worker's wages and benefits actually declined under Clinton. By contrast, he claimed Dole's tax-cut plan would mean an extra $1,272 a year to a family of four with an income of $30,000.

"Bill Clinton's policies are destroying the American dream, ladies and gentlemen, and we have to do something about it," Campbell said. "Bob Dole has presented nothing less than a plan to restore the American dream."

Full text of remarks

Nighthorse Campbell lauds his new party

Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) derided his former political party, the Democrats, tonight, explaining why he is one of only 10 Senators who have changed parties while in office. Nine of the 10, he noted, changed from Democrat to the Republican party. Campbell switched to the GOP one day after the defeat of the balanced budget constitutional amendment in 1995.

Only the eighth American Indian to serve in Congress, Campbell said he switched because the Democratic party had become "a party of special interests, not the people's interests." He said the Democrats have a grim vision of the future: "It is a vision of more taxes, more government and less freedom."

"This year, he said, "let's elect a president who is a true American hero, who will restore the American dream by restoring our freedoms. Let's elect a man of compassion and strength. Let's elect a man of integrity and honesty, and most of all, let's elect a man who keeps his word.

Ben Nighthorse Campbell's Senate home page

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Myrick, Radanovich highlight Republican platform

U.S. Rep Sue Myrick (R-NC) and U.S. Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.) took the podium together tonight to highlight the Republican platform, and proclaim themselves and fellow Republicans "the reformers" on a wide range of issues including welfare reform, health insurance reform, and tort reform.

Myrick, a strong supporter of Contract With America, said the Republican Congress already has saved the American people billions of dollars. And she said electing Bob Dole will help them finish the job. "Bob Dole will make the federal government more effective, more efficient, and less costly to the American taxpayers.

Radanovich, a central California valley vintner, said "this is the beginning of the end for the Clinton White House. Send Bob Dole to the White House so we can restore the American dream."