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AmSpecBlog
Remembering Kemp
So many people have so many good stories about Jack Kemp that I won't take too much time adding my own few tales of the times I had chances to interact with him. The funniest, in retrospect, is the time I did NOT meet Kemp. As an alternate delegate to the GOP national convention in 1988 in my hometown of New Orleans, I was performing all sorts of host duties in addition to my alternate delegate duties, plus I was helping some national folks organize a "Draft Kemp" for VP movement on the convention floor. And, finally, as the guy with the local knowledge of all the New Orleans street routes, etc., I was scheduled to be Kemp's driver after he got into town, all day the Tuesday of the convention.
One problem: I had had mononucleosis earlier that summer and, with me absolutely knocking myself out in convention-related stuff in the week leading to the convention, I came down with a relapse that Monday night. Tuesday morning, I literally had trouble lifting my head off the pillow, much less going to pick Kemp up. I ended up forcing myself to call my brother, who is entirely apolitical, and getting him to be the chauffeur for Kemp all day - while I lay in bed, trying to recuperate. So I missed my chance to spend a lot of time with Kemp, much to my chagrin. Oh, well.....
Anyway, I'll have a column out soon on Kemp's legacy. He was a great and good man. The United States is very much in his debt. For that matter, so are lovers of freedom throughout the world. His infectious enthusiasm was unmatched. He was an apostle of hope and freedom. We were blessed to have him as a public servant. Very fondly, R.I.P.
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Pingback| 5.3.09 @ 5:40PM
Remembering Kemp | But As For Me links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Alan Brooks| 5.3.09 @ 5:51PM
somehow it appears Tom Paine might be crying DOES CARE.
how sweet.
Alan Brooks| 5.3.09 @ 5:54PM
Tom Paine likes Kemp EVEN THOUGH Kemp was a Republican-- how very big of Paine.
how white of you
William Daroff| 5.3.09 @ 6:31PM
Quin: I was coordinating Kemp's New Orleans activities, and it was me that you probably had to call to do the switcheroo with your brother!
Quin| 5.3.09 @ 9:48PM
William,
Actually, I didn't tell anybody with Kemp. There was no time. I just called my brother and he showed up in my place! He later said that he took some shortcuts down some downtown back alleys that avoided a traffic jam, and Kemp turned to him and said something like, " Wow, you really know where you're going! Good job!" :)
MattSwartz| 5.3.09 @ 11:17PM
By all accounts I’ve read, Kemp was a great man, an athlete, and a pro-life Republican, so all of that ought to be remembered at the outset, but his connection to (failed) supply-side economics also has to be mentioned.
Advocating tax cuts without budget cuts is immoral when one’s nation has a large outstanding debt. It’s as simple as that. It’s sham libertarianism and inter-generational fraud.
Why would anyone think that passing a large debt down to the next generation is okay? I ask as a recipient of that ‘gift’.
The dollars I work for aren’t worth a toss anymore because people Jack Kemp’s age intentionally manipulated the economy to get themselves a better deal than they deserved.
I am not happy about that.
Robert Ellis| 5.4.09 @ 12:32AM
Even though I'm a Democrat, I respected Jack Kemp a great deal. Had he been at the top of the ticket in 96, I would have voted for him. Even if I didn't agree with all of his policy positions, I had faith in him as a man. How many politicians can you say that about? One thing about Kemp really sticks in my mind. When he was campaigning in 96, someone criticized his wife. I have seen politicans go ballistic whenever their wives or family get slung with mud, but Kemp took the high road, and reacted with grace and patience. This is my favorite memory of Kemp. The measure of a man is the example he sets.
Pingback| 5.4.09 @ 12:49AM
Topics about Love-stories » Blog Archive » Remembering Kemp links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Mike Lee| 5.4.09 @ 2:24PM
My memory of Jack Kemp was as a volunteer for Dole Kemp 96. I remember him coming up to the car (I was transporting some hung over young Washington campaign workers) and he came up to the car and jabbed his finger into my shoulder repeatedly while he gave a campaign pep talk. I can recall that I felt that he was in great shape and was a really good looking man in person. He reminded me of a high school football coach. He was the reason I volunteered. He will be missed.
Pingback| 5.4.09 @ 11:24PM
One Shot: Remembering Jack Kemp : Post Politics: Political News and Views in Tenness links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
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