Kemp Takes His Turn on Stump at Amgen Plant

In what is becoming a regular pit stop for stumping Republican Party politicians, GOP vice presidential nominee Jack Kemp rolled into the Newbury Park headquarters of Amgen Inc. on Monday, calling the biotechnology giant an example of “American entrepreneurial spirit.”

But great as Amgen’s success has been, Kemp said, the company has been hamstrung by the Food and Drug Administration, and he vowed to ease restrictions on biotech companies if he and Bob Dole are elected.

“You can work better if we can get the FDA off your back,” Kemp told the crowd, mostly made up of Amgen employees. According to the former NFL quarterback, the agency too often seems like a football referee that is always ruling in favor of the opposing team.

Kemp also repeated his message that any efforts to revitalize the U.S. economy need to involve people from all races and socioeconomic groups, or as he put it, everyone from “Harlem to Silicon Valley.”

“We’re going to move this country forward,” Kemp said, “but we’re going to make sure not to leave anyone behind.”

The words of the former secretary of Housing and Urban Development seemed to go over well with the crowd--some of whom admitted afterward that they were more taken with Kemp than his running mate.

“He’s a winner,” said Nuella Armbruster of Fluor Daniel, the engineering company overseeing the relentless expansion of the Amgen campus. “He’s always been a winner. Too bad he’s not at the top of the ticket.”

Displaying what appeared to be an infinite command of gridiron cliches, Kemp stressed that Bob Dole was “the quarterback” of the GOP attack and he was simply a “blocking back” helping the former Kansas senator spread the Republican gospel.

He was accompanied by his wife, Joanne, now perhaps the most famous Fillmore native in history; former Baltimore Colts tight end and Football Hall of Famer John Mackey, and a delegation of Ventura County Republican leaders.

Calling the nation’s tax system “a disgrace,” Kemp also repeated his promise that he and Dole are prepared to completely repeal the federal tax code if elected. He criticized President Clinton for refusing to cut taxes across the board and reiterated the Dole-Kemp plan to slash the maximum capital-gains tax rate from 28% to 14%.

Such a windfall would lead to new jobs and economic opportunities at companies such as Amgen, Kemp said. Founded just 16 years ago by a handful of scientists, Amgen now employs 4,400 people throughout the world, including 3,000 in Thousand Oaks. Its revenues last year were $1.9 billion.

“It’s not trickle-down [economics], it’s Niagara Falls!” Kemp said, countering claims by his Democratic opponents that he and Dole were returning to the mistakes of the Ronald Reagan era. “You will find capital going into Harlem and eastern Colorado.”

Amgen employees--who heard many of the same promises earlier this year, when Bob Dole’s wife, Elizabeth, stopped by their headquarters--have become old hands at entertaining visiting politicians.

“We’ve gotten used to this,” said Louis Longoria of Camarillo, a 42-year-old maintenance worker at Amgen. “Elizabeth Dole, she’s a pretty good public speaker.”

Hung Nguyen, a 30-year-old research scientist, said the rallies are a good opportunity to learn which politicians really understand the needs of a biotech industry power like Amgen--and whom to vote for at election time.

“He knows we’re the leading biotechnology company, so health-care issues are important to us,” Nguyen said, taking a midday break from the lab to hear Kemp speak. “What’s important to Amgen is important to me. That’s what is going to influence my vote.”

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