Republicans Cheer ‘Quiet Hero’ Dole on His Way to Nomination

Summoning “a quiet hero” to “answer his country’s call again” the Republican Party prepared Wednesday night to bestow on Bob Dole the presidential nomination he has sought for 16 years, and to anoint Jack Kemp as his running mate.

Describing Dole as a “modest man who does his duty without complaint or expectation of praise,” Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), declared, in remarks prepared for delivery: “We nominate Bob Dole for president because he is a man of honor, a man of firm purpose and deep commitment to his country’s cause.”

Placing Kemp’s name in nomination as vice president, New York Gov. George Pataki described the former Cabinet secretary as “an urban innovator, a civil rights advocate, a protector of liberty, [and] an economic thinker whose bottom line is jobs and hope and prosperity for every American,” according to prepared remarks.

The triumphant evening, with a procession of testimonials slated for both men, was finally carrying Dole to the nomination denied him in bitter primary defeats in 1980 and 1988. For Kemp, the evening marked a return to center stage after what he had described only months ago as a period of exile in the political “wilderness.”

But even as he climbed back into the spotlight, Kemp faced withering criticism from Democrats who accused him of abandoning his principles for a spot on the ticket. In an interview Tuesday with The Times, Kemp reversed his opposition to expelling the children of illegal immigrants from public schools, and endorsed a California ballot initiative to eliminate state affirmative action programs after earlier declaring that such action would be premature. In both instances, Kemp’s new positions brought him into concert with Dole and the dominant conservative views in his party.

“It’s sad indeed when you watch a person of conviction reverse field,” said Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), the Democratic Party chairman, previewing a theme the opposition is sure to highlight in the campaign to come. “Four days after becoming the vice presidential choice, he now reverses his stand on two very important issues.”

Though careful not to criticize the vice presidential nominee, former Education Secretary William J. Bennett--who joined with Kemp in an October 1994, letter denouncing the expulsion of the children of illegal immigrants--split with his longtime ally on the issue. On Tuesday, Bennett said that unlike Kemp he saw “no reason to change my position.”

“I hold to the same view until I see further evidence,” he said.

Meanwhile, sources close to the Dole campaign said the candidate “hated” the latest draft of his acceptance speech and had “shredded” it. While these sources said Dole was rewriting the speech, officials at the campaign denied that he was doing any more than continuing to “tweak” the address.

Dole himself said Wednesday that the speech writing is going “great. You’re gonna like it.” Asked if he’s changed the draft, which has been in the works since late April, Dole said, “Oh, you always change a few things around.”

Campaign officials did confirm that speech writer and novelist Mark Helprin, who had written Dole’s highly touted Senate farewell speech and was working on the acceptance speech, had left town.

While the controversies over Kemp’s policy reversals and Dole’s speech swirled outside the hall, inside the convention center the GOP continued to present a diverse face to the public. In a convention that already has seen House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) praising beach volleyball as a testament to freedom, Republicans were scheduled to welcome to the stage Wednesday an eclectic assortment of speakers that included a disabled Vietnam veteran; a former Miss America; a well-known model; a union member; a delegation of Olympic medal winners--and, almost incidentally, an assortment of politicians.

Defending Congress

Conservative speakers were to have a higher profile than during the convention’s first two nights, although most of them were scheduled to appear before network television coverage began. The convention heard a spirited defense of the Republican Congress--which had received relatively little attention during the first two nights--from two freshman representatives, George Radanovich of Mariposa, Calif., and Sue Myrick of North Carolina.

Later, several social conservative leaders, including Christian Coalition Executive Director Ralph Reed and 1996 presidential candidate Alan Keyes (both scheduled to appear by video) were to make their case.

Afterward, former U.N. Ambassador Jeane J. Kirkpatrick--whose biting “San Francisco Democrats” speech was a high point of the 1984 GOP convention in Dallas--and former Secretary of State James A. Baker III were to accuse President Clinton of undermining the nation’s defenses and squandering its prestige abroad.

But the evening’s dominant thrust was to paint a compelling personal picture of the party’s 73-year-old nominee--a man his aides say Americans recognize but do not truly know. From Dole’s daughter, Robin, to his wife, Elizabeth, to McCain, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, and freshman Sen. Fred Thompson (R-Tenn.), speakers were scheduled to portray Dole as a man who was both firm and compassionate, principled and tolerant.

Implicit Contrast

Though there was little direct criticism of Clinton--in contrast to Tuesday night’s alternately caustic and witty lancing of the president--the implicit comparison between the two men underscored a central contrast Republicans hope to draw in the fall election. “[Dole] is a man every American will be proud to call our president,” said outgoing Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum of Kansas.

During the day, Dole and Kemp marked time toward their nominations with campaign appearances that underscored their contrasting styles--the one almost phlegmatic, the other effusive and prolix.

Dole celebrated the 51st anniversary of V-J Day on Wednesday by placing a wreath on the San Diego peace monument at Balboa Park, where he was joined by a phalanx of Pearl Harbor survivors in festive Hawaiian shirts, a color guard of Native American veterans, and retired Rear Adm. James B. Stockdale, Ross Perot’s running mate in 1992.

In a voice sometimes shaking with emotion, Dole said that “I see a lot of congressional Medals of Honor here today. That’s really what America’s all about, someone who’s willing to risk their lives or give their lives or come back not a whole person anymore, because they cared so much for their fellow man. . . .”

Kemp’s appearance Wednesday was also emotional--though more exuberant and even frenetic. Bounding from one side of the podium to another, gesturing frequently to friends in the audience, Kemp revved up about 500 California delegates in an animated 35-minute speech Wednesday morning in a crowded San Diego ballroom.

Quoting Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill and the Declaration of Independence; recounting his conversation on the convention floor Tuesday night with former professional football star Jim Brown; nearly breaking down in tears himself, Kemp unleashed a torrent of words on taxes, immigration, affirmative action and the party’s history.

California Comments

Kemp drew one of his most passionate responses when he said he wanted to restore the American dream for everyone who is in the country “legally.” Californians, Kemp said, are entitled to “a sovereign border.”

Kemp did not specifically mention the California ballot initiative to repeal state affirmative action programs, which he endorsed in a series of interviews earlier this week. But he called for replacing programs of racial preference with an assortment of economic incentives for the poor that he has long championed.

Though a California native, Kemp’s relations with Republicans here nose-dived in the fall of 1994, when he denounced Proposition 187, the ballot initiative to deny virtually all public services to illegal immigrants. Tension also had developed over his refusal to endorse the initiative on the ballot this fall to repeal state affirmative action programs.

But leading California Republicans pronounced themselves pleased Wednesday with Kemp’s sudden change of heart on both issues.

State Assembly Speaker Curt Pringle (R-Garden Grove) said, “I always felt he had to clarify those points. I always felt he didn’t understand some of the public frustration regarding illegal immigration.”

Times staff writers Sara Fritz, Maria L. LaGanga and Bill Stall contributed to this story.