Wonkette
‘A BLEEDING HEART CONSERVATIVE’: Former Republican VP candidate Jack Kemp died over the weekend. He was sort of a loony supply-sider, but he actually cared about the working class and racial justice and all sorts of good things. A decent guy and one of the last of the big-tent Republicans. [Obit Magazine]
Wait - he punked Sean Hannity once? I hadn’t heard about this. Tell me more pleeeeeze. . .
He and Bob Dole formed one of recent history’s dullest major-party prez-VP candidate pairings, too. Even then Dole was using socialist scare tactics that were held over from previous campaigns — he’d say about Bill Clinton, referring to the fall of communism, “When the rest of the world is going our way, why should we start going their way?” It’s a telling feature of Jack Kemp that even next to Bob Dole I can’t come up with a damn thing to say about him.
He liked those who kept opposing linebackers from sacking him and they took showers together. Very manly of him. Also helped destroy the economy.
Kemp was an ACTIVE trustee at Howard University, and attended their trustee meeting last year, even though he was ill.
Finding this out changed my feelings about him a lot. I also feel that the news hasn’t given his accomplishments enough attention.
nah. republican. ’nuff said.
here’s a better take.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/05/opinion/05herbert.html
If only Bruce Smith would run!! BRUUUUUUUUUUUUSE!!!!1!
The “Hemp” of the unforgettable Dope/Hemp ‘96 campaign. I loved that t-shirt.
magic titty: There ya go…
So a guy with multiple concussions came up with the tax theory that put us trillions of dollars in the red? Good plan. Who are they going to get to replace him? Gary Busey?
I was quite impressed with the lede I wrote on this…
It is interesting that Jack Kemp played for the Buffalo Bills and O.J. Simpson also played for the Buffalo Bills. I’m not saying anything, it’s just interesting.
Man, this whole trying to get your brain to work like Michele Bachmann’s is a lot of work.
While I never agreed with his supply-side bs, I did think that he was a good guy. He represented the moderate, centrist part of the Republican party and now that Specter is out, there are no moderate, centrist Republicans remaining…
Oh, and he was a cool QB. Also.
This is a quote from Kemp:
“Republicans many times can’t get the words ‘equality of opportunity’ out of their mouths. Their lips do not form that way.”
No wonder they had him killed.
freakishlystrong: Much obliged, friend. Just more of Sean’s douchebaggerdom, I see.
Kemp never bothered me. Wrong — even terribly wrong — about policy, while still being a decent human being is not so bad. The best that will be printed in Inhofe’s obit is that his slime trail dried quickly.
Perhaps his heart was in the right place but this man gave us Reaganomics which led to tax cuts which led to huge deficits which led to massive cuts to social programs which hurt more good people than Kemp helped by ‘caring’ about negroes. Plus his Enterprise Zones did nothing but salve Republican consciences.
magic titty: Sean Hannity is a prick. ‘Nuf said.
magic titty: It flows like De Nile…sorry.
a decent republican, if that isn’t too much of an oxymoron. and a former Bill!
i did, however, give my mother endless grief a few years ago when i found out she donated $15 to his re-election campaign!
The GOP needs more Jack Kemps, Arlen Spectors and John McCains. It is getting more Sarah Palins, Michelle Bachmanns and Joe the Plumbers.
as my high school counselor put it, low those many years ago, “life is like a football game.” kemp overcame his lack of hollywood acting experience and never owned a ball team but he actually played, perhaps as once said of gerald ford, “a little too much football without a helmet.”
The man was a professional NFL quarterback, we (the people) made him an elected official. The fact he never grasped macro economic theory is more our fault than his, he wasn’t chosen for his acumen.
That said, his heart was in the right place. As a result, even with his poor base of knowledge, he came up with some really good ideas (empowerment zones come readily to mind).
hobospacejunkie: So Jack Kemp gave us Reaganonomics? Funny how they named it after the other guy.
Uh, this guy fucked with teh gays and was rumored to be one himself. Good riddance.
Sire Says: Yeah, Jack Kemp did care about black people. But he simply did not care for the gheyz.
SayItWithWookies: Wasn’t he the one who was always talking about showering with black men? Or was that Steve Largent?
This guy went Galt before Galt did.
He was living proof you don’t have to be that bright to learn that all of us were created as equals. Why do so many of his fellow party members have a problem with that concept? But cheers to him for his work at Howard University.
Hmmm… both Kemp and Obama attended Occidental College. Coincidence, or conspiracy?
homophobe.