Some ‘Plain Speaking’ for the Electorate

Those who have spent a lot of time with Bob Dole say he is uncomfortable with the performance aspects of running for president, that he often makes asides and self-deprecating remarks indicating he understands that more than a little acting skill is needed to communicate effectively in a presidential campaign.

Thursday night, Dole got beyond his discomfort and sternly delivered a well-written speech that did a good job of outlining the “plain speaking” themes he intends to stress: experience (“the gracious compensations of age”), trust, honor. Given that most economists agree the nation’s economic indicators are remaining positive, Dole, in a speech that stuck closely to his script, focused less than anticipated on his plan to cut taxes 15% across the board. The running themes instead concerned what he called “right conduct, every day, at every level, in all facets of life. . . . I ask for your vote so that I may bring you an administration that is able, honest and trusts in you.”

The clear distinction he sought to draw was between a Dole administration that would inspire “tranquillity, faith, and confidence in action” and a Clinton administration that he described as “a corps of the elite who never grew up, never did anything real, never sacrificed, never suffered, and never learned.” Despite that scathing description, Dole made a point of referring to Clinton as “my opponent, not my enemy.”

The themes of experience, trust and honor surely are fair ammunition in his race against an administration that has been plagued with persistent questions about its ethics, honesty and political maturity. At some point, campaign handlers may want to push Dole, vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp or even aspiring First Lady Elizabeth Dole toward all-out character attacks on President Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and members of the Clinton administration. But as the Republican nominee now officially goes forth, the American public would be best served by being able to see the Bob Dole who won’t shrink from a hard-hitting--but fair--fight.