By Joe Olivares

Abortion

Senator Bob Dole

"Until the day we overturn Roe v. Wade, why can't we require parental consent before abortions? Why can't we ban `partial-birth abortions?' Why can't we stop government funding of abortions?"

Bob Dole opposed the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion. He also supported the attempt in 1983 to establish a constitutional amendment to ban abortion, and as of late has supported measures to create legislation that would restrict the practice of abortions excluding cases of rape, incest, and when the mothers life is endangered. As of late Dole's play on unity within the Republican party has forced him to concede his pro-life views in order to attract the more borderline republicans and conservative Democrats.

Affirmative Action
"Affirmative action is another federal policy out of control. Discrimination is wrong, immoral. This is America. We should have a color-blind society."

Senator Dole was a supporter of affirmative action when it was first introduced, yet over the years he has become one of its most vocal critics. In 1995, he helped introduce the Equal Opportunity Act which would have prohibited any kind of preference system in federal hiring. He has also endorsed the California Civil Rights Initiative which seeks to end most affirmative action policies in that state.

Balanced Budget
"Growth advocates say cut taxes first. Fiscal conservatives say a balanced budget first. I say they are both right."

Bob Dole's career in the Senate showed him to be a strong supporter of cutting the deficit and adopting a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. He has said that his first action, if elected, would be to call for the passage of a balanced budget amendment.

Community Service
"The alternative to cold bureaucracy is not indifference. It is the warmth of the families and neighborhoods, charities, synagogues and the communities."

Bob Dole is a strong believer in non-governmental community service. In other words, he believes strongly in volunteer and community service efforts but feels these interests are better handled by private organizations like the Red Cross (of which his wife Elizabeth is president). He feels strict guidance and direct funding from Washington cause these efforts to be filled with bureaucratic red tape and eventually become exploited by individuals. Dole favors block grants to states to use federal money as they see fit.

Crime
"[I would conduct] an all-out war on drugs. Using the National Guard and military to stop drugs at our borders. Putting more drug enforcement agents on the street to lock drug dealers up. And trying violent juvenile criminals as adults--adult time for adult crimes to make our streets safer."

In his thirty-five years of public service in Congress, Senator Dole has supported virtually every major anti-crime initiative, with the exception of gun control legislation and the Clinton crime bill, which he called "pork-laden." He has advocated a crime plan which stresses winning the war on drugs, tougher sentences for all criminals, and the installation of the "instant-check" system to keep guns out of the hands of any convicted felon.

Education
"Those who believe that school choice will destroy the public school system should look at public higher education in America. After twenty-five years of the Pell Grant program, it is clear that public colleges and universities have not been hurt by competition-they have been strengthened. The issue is not between public schools and private schools. The issue is simply a choice between good schools and bad schools..."

Bob Dole is an avid supporter of parental choice in education. If elected, he has vowed to provide more than 2.5 billion dollars in Opportunity Scholarships, which would allow lower- and middle-class families to send their children to any lawfully operated school wishing to participate. Dole has also promised to eliminate the Department of Education, which he sees as "wasteful bureaucratic spending."

The Environment
"Everyone wants to protect human health, safety and the environment. But the strongest laws don't always mean the most costly laws. Is it too much to ask we fulfill those responsibilities in a way that minimizes costs to society?"

While Bob Dole has not been an overly zealous environmentalist, he has helped pass the Clean Air, Clean Water, Safe Drinking Water, Federal Water Pollution Control, Endangered Species, and National Environmental Policy Acts. He points to the 1996 farm bill, which he introduced, as setting conservation standards for the new century.

Foreign Relations "I believe the American people care deeply about how America is viewed in the world and I believe President Clinton's foreign policy track record of weakness and indecision and double-talk and incoherence has diminished American credibility and undermined American interests."

Senator Dole has been an ardent defender of free trade, supporting GATT and NAFTA. He has strongly criticized United States participation in United Nations operations which he feels are not in the interests of the United States, and particularly United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

Health Care
"We'll give you a good bill that doesn't put bureaucrats between you and your doctor."

One of Bob Dole's under-recognized campaign issues is health care. In 1994, Senator Dole introduced a health care reform bill that took a free market approach to reform and had no price controls, no mandates, and no taxes. While it was intended to help lower-class recipients, its popularity died. Currently, Senator Dole advocates medical savings accounts which would allow people to save money tax-free for medical expenses. He has supported legislation to protect workers who change jobs or have pre-existing medical conditions. Senator Dole has also called for a tax deduction for families who care for their elderly relatives at home. Finally, Senator Dole has vowed to save Medicare at all costs, as he did when he led the fight to save the Social Security program in 1983.

Immigration
"California and other states are being forced to deal with the cost of illegal immigration. If America cannot control its borders, it cannot control its destiny. Legal immigration is an American tradition, and a contribution to our society. But illegal immigration is a crime, and a drain on scarce public resources. . . We must honor legal immigration by ending the flood of illegal immigration."

Since 1983, Bob Dole has called for immigration law reform stressing flow control and the "beefing up" of the Border Patrol and deportation centers. This culminated in his leading the Senate in passing the Immigration Control and Financial Responsibility Act, which denies public benefits to illegal aliens and cracks down on aliens who have overstayed their visas, as well as making crimes against women and children deportable offenses.

The Internet
"I believe the Internet has the potential to improve the delivery of health care, spawn new educational opportunities, protect consumer privacy, stimulate a new era of economic commerce, and enhance the ability of U.S. businesses both large and small to compete around the world. But the ability to ensure the security, integrity and confidentiality of the information that flows over this network of networks is a prerequisite to using it for these applications."

Student Loan Programs
"President Clinton has proposed a complete government takeover of the student loan industry with his Direct Student Loan Program. This proposal means more big government, more bureaucrats, more waste and more government debt."

A recipient of government aid himself through the G.I. Bill, Dole was able to finish college and now vows to make it easier for students to afford education. Since 1966, he has supported the Federal Family Education Loan Program which guarantees private loans to students. Despite the fact that Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich tried to eliminate the interest subsidy on federal loans last year, Bob Dole now vows to keep it. He has vowed, if elected, to increase the distribution of Pell Grants to maximum levels and keep interest rates at a reasonable level for parents who take out loans for students. In the Dole-Kemp economic program he also outlined ways to stimulate savings for education by parents through tax deductions and tax free accounts.

Email the Author

Dole/Kemp '96

CNN's AllPolitics Web Site

A PARODY of the Bob Dole for President Web Site

 

The Moment takes a look at Clinton's positions as well

The Moment reports on the Changing Tides of Politics in America

© Copyright 1996 Columbia University