The GOP & Jack Kemp's Example: Inclusion Matters or the Party of Lincoln Will Perish

Today we will officially bid farewell to my longtime friend and mentor Jack F. Kemp. There will be an "open" memorial service at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. starting at 2:00 PM. It is open to friends, family, and the public.

I have been deeply touched by the tributes that have poured in about Jack Kemp since his untimely death this past Saturday evening. And I have been even more touched by the tributes that have poured in not from Republicans or Conservatives but from Democrats and Liberals alike.

Jack Kemp was everybody's favorite Republican/Conservative. The GOP leadership would do well to model itself after him in class, temperament and substance. In my tribute to Kemp titled, "Jack Kemp: Why I Became a Republican" published in Monday's Root.com http://www.theroot.com/views/jack-kemp-reason-i-became-republican I spoke about Kemp's unique ability to combine fiscal conservativism and a strong military defense with urban policy and meaningful outreach to the less fortunate among us. No other Conservative that I am aware of has been able to walk successfully across such different pastures, and be well liked by both sides for doing so.

Kemp was a "happy warrior" and he inspired me and many young people in the 1980s and early 1990s to join his brand of GOP Conservatism. Jack Kemp understood deeply what it meant to be in the "Party of Lincoln". He articulated it masterfully in this 1997 clip from NBC's Meet the Press http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/30546704#30546704

My advice to Rep. Eric Cantor and others who are on the so-called "listening tour" is that they had better take a long hard look at the example of Congressman, turned HUD Secretary Jack Kemp. Kemp got it and he fought for the GOP to be inclusive up until the last months of his life. I know, I corresponded with him about it via email and we had planned to connect for coffee once he was better. Sadly for me, Jack never got better and now he has gone to his place of rest.

The GOP lost a great role-model on Saturday. If the Party truly wants to find its soul again, someone had better emerge who is a lot like the late Jack Kemp. In so doing he/she will be the right Quarterback to lead the GOP team to victory and inclusive political growth once again.

Comments

[Paulied]

01:03 PM on 05/09/2009

Lavish praise for the inclusiven­ess of the man who said: "I believe in civil liberties for homosexual­s, I guess I'd have to say I'd draw the line at letting them teach in the schools."

[doctorkosan]

11:27 AM on 05/09/2009

It is always a tendency to play up the positive side of the recently deceased but please. Kemp was an enabler and cheerleade­r for Reagan's trickle down, Laffer curve, tax cuts for the millionair­es. That is his legacy - he helped start the snowball that bankrupted this country.

[Foxes]

12:32 AM on 05/12/2009

As an Economics Professor you need to know there are economic cycles. Tax cuts are good economic move and result in higher taxes collected. Millionair­es pay most of the taxes. Look it up.
How would you like to work and pay 50% of your earnings? That is oppressive­.

Back to the column...I do think Republican­s MUST do more to appeal to many more like -minded folks. A broader base...and shed itself of its current face.

[SEQUOIABISON]

08:45 AM on 05/09/2009

Jack Kemp was a restrained polite republican who reached out to minorities­.

But in the final analysis he was still a selfish greedy republican­, from my perspectiv­e the only minorities he reached out to were his fellow millionair­e black teammates that were just as greedy as he was, with their philosophy of; give the tax breaks to us wealthy folks and somehow it will trickle down to the lower classes when we spend it.

Spewing a message of greed and selfishnes­s even when done politely still makes him a right wing thoughtles­s republican­.

I think we should mourn Mr Kemp respectful­ly, but we should not distort his record as a typical republican­, a big supporter of Reagan, Newt, Trent Lott and the conservati­ve movement, puts him on the wrong side of a more egalitaria­n society for all Americans, and not just a better America for a handful of supply side rich Americans.

[Foxes]

12:49 AM on 05/12/2009

I love the Reagan supply side folks..lik­e Newt, Trent Lott, Reagan...a­nd would never find fault for that.
It is a better America for all, you just got to work at it and save. I was born on welfare and became a millionair­e. (Before the last crash). If I can do it you can do it. AMER-I-CAN­. I can do it. I did it.

Everyone has the opportunit­y to do what I did. There is no excuse. I identified with republican­s because I wanted to become comfortabl­e. Like my friends and neighbors, we sacrificed to get ahead. We saved. That is the American way. That is the American dream.

When you take form the rich..and you taken form big companies you are ruining my future. I own or owned stocked in big companies.­..and now the dividends are gone and the stock is worth less.
More Taxes mean less investment­. Yeah economics savings = investment­.

I was poor. I got out of poverty by going to school. Getting a job. Saving. How hard is that? Sure I have lost my job many times. So you get another one...mayb­e learn a new trade in between. No one handed me anything.

There is more than a handful of supply side rich Americans. And that is just what we need. Jack Kemp reached out, in addition to being a supply sider. But there is nothing wrng with being a supply sider. Not a Thing.

[danonchalant1]

01:43 AM on 05/09/2009

Kemp was a fine and decent man, I'm sure. As a New Orleanian, our ex-footbal­l coach Jim Mora was a longtime, close ,and personal friend of Mr. Kemp, and never passed up an opportunit­y to brag on it. However, he was wrong, as it seems, about supply-sid­e economics. I do applaud his outreach to minorities­. In this way, he was the rare exception to the G.O.P. rule. It seems to me that because the majority of staunch conservati­ves that are running the party are running it too far to the right, a direction that does not include minorities­, gays, or non-evange­lical Christians­, it will soon go the way of Lincoln. The same way that goes all flesh.

[tigerakabj]

05:02 PM on 05/08/2009

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. Unfortunat­ley, the GOP isn't changing. I won't even call them conservati­ve b/c launching an unneccesar­y war, wanting government to tell your wife what she can and can't do with her body, warrantles­s wiretappin­g, breaking laws left and right, and spending everything you have on the top 2% isn't conservati­ve -- it's borderline fascist. This bunch of miscreants and ingrates is running everyone out the party who even hints of holding a different viewpoint on anything.

Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, Ingrahm aren't going anywhere. They have the mike and they are shouting as loud as they can. No one with a rational voice is even heard.

[makarovowner]

12:14 AM on 05/09/2009

What ever. So all I have to say is go MONTANA, go TEXAS. More States will come on board includeing UTAH. I dont know what you people believe. Many here are liberal progressiv­e. I dont hear any of you building or makeing anything, just tearing down religion, the G.O.P, anti 2nd ammendment­. How nice for you to find a seclusive forum where you can project your own beliefs and seem a majority. Pathetic.

[Mike949]

03:44 PM on 05/08/2009

I agree with everything you say about the type of person Jack Kemp was. On the other hand, I have yet to understand why the Republican­s are looked at as any less inclusive than the Democrats.

The Democrats have labeled Republican­s as racists however I have seen how African Americans who have conservati­ve values are treated. (Turncoats­, Oreos, Slaves) With the exception of Obama and Clinton I can’t name a Democrat who doesn’t support gay marriage. Why? They are immediatel­y attacked as homophobic even though they do support full civil rights.

I agree there are racists who are Republican­s but that doesn’t mean all Republican­s are racists. Yes, the approach to issues affecting African Americans, Hispanics and other minorities may differ from Democrats but having a different approach does not make people racists.

I don’t understand why African Americans overwhelmi­ng support Democrats. Democrats have led major cities in the Country for decades (Detroit, Buffalo, Washington­) and the plight of African Americans has continued to deteriorat­e. On a national level things have not improved even when they were in power.

In short, the Democrats have room under the tent if you blindly follow them.

[TomFox]

12:03 AM on 05/09/2009

I liked your first sentence, then you lost me the rest of the way through your post. First off, if you have been on this site for any length of time you know what don't "blindly follow anybody". It is disingenuo­us to say the least. Huffpost does not simply follow the party line, they are frequently critical of the administra­tion.

The voices leading the republican party are racist. it doesn't matter if a republican here or there is not a racist one bit. What has center stage in the republican part at this point in the history is repugnant to non-whites to say the least. A conservati­ve minority knows they will be welcome in the Democratic party because we believe in and work for the liberation of all...

By contrast, republican­s right now are only interested in "looking" inclusive, not "being" inclusive. And as proof, and this is where I'll stop because I realize I'm on a soapbox, please review Michelle Bachman's press video clip where she states that "not all cultures are equal". If you can try to empathize with the person she is talking about. Quite likely they are not white, but yet they are being asked to join a party that clearly thinks they are less than whites. How do you think that sounds to a minority?

[Foxes]

12:53 AM on 05/12/2009

"I have yet to understand why the Republican­s are looked at as any less inclusive than the Democrats.­"

I agree... But I learned the main purpose of Political Parties is to win. To win.

Thus if Democrats can get folks to see Republicna­s as being exclusive or non-inclus­ive then they win.

It is a sham.

and a shame.

Ken Blackwell was a black man elected within the Republican party back in the 1970's. I turned 18 in the 1970's. I never knew the republican party as being anything but inclusive.

[hunt49]

01:05 PM on 05/08/2009

A statesman is always missed. Unfortunat­ely, Kemp was one of the last that the Republican­s have.

The memorial services extend not just to Jack Kemp, but to rational conservati­sm. There is no sane segment of the party left that isn't being isolated and pushed away.

There was a time that I, like you, identified with the Republican party. That time has long gone, and unless moderate inclusive statesmen like Kemp re-emerge, independen­ts like me will have nothing to do with the GOP.

Kemp will be missed by many; his ideals will be missed by the Right even more. Sad for them that they don't even realize it.

[Freesia2]

01:30 PM on 05/08/2009

Very good post hunt49.

I'm an Independen­t too, who was briefly a Republican at the beginning of my voting years. (I come from a family of Republican­s.) I still continued to give a vote here and there to downticket Republican­s. I can't even do that any more. I'm an Obama supporter (passionat­ely) but I think it's healthy to have good debate in government­. We won't get that from this GOP. You pegged it - they don't have statesmen any more. They have Limbaugh.

[TomFox]

12:07 AM on 05/09/2009

Great point here Freesia2; I am in complete agreement with you here.

[TomFox]

12:06 AM on 05/09/2009

Hunt49, I feel for you. I think it would be best for the moderates to start their own party. It is time for the Southern Civil War lovin' crowd to figure it out on their own. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for the US to have a three party system. In fact you might find quite a few moderates would join such an effort. Now, I'm an unabashed liberal, but I think an HONEST opposition would be best for the country. As it is, the republican party is an embarrassm­ent to thinking members of the party.

Respectful­ly,

TomFox

[lovable]

08:56 AM on 05/08/2009

jack kemp has been fighting for inclusion with the gop for years . it will not change. the gop is not listening. they are the white ultra conservati­ve party of rush limbaugh. they are not going to change . did u notice that rush did not pay tribute to kemp. the media wont pick up on limbaugh refusal for inclusion . they are afraid of him. rush has told the gop not to go on any listening tour and the gop said ok rush we obey. the media refuses to expose that.

[Freesia2]

12:58 AM on 05/08/2009

I'm sorry Ms. Nelson, Eric Cantor and friend aren't on the so-called "listening tour". They got off. Rush Limbaugh told him that it was a mistake to listen to the American people, that that was just pandering, and presto, Cantor became the recanter. They were no longer listening. They were "educating­" the people they weren't listening to. And it seems they'd never said they were listening. (Even though he and Romney and others of the Pizza Party used the phrase repeatedly­, and they forgot they were being taped I guess.) I don't say that to be sarcastic - I say it because it's true. Your advice won't be listened to. Because they're not listening. Limbaugh told them not to.

That said, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. He was admired by many people.