I've written before about how the GOP's Overton Window is rapidly moving further and further to the right, to where W Bush, once the icon of the right wing in America, now looks like a moderate and Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of the GOP, is in reality so liberal that his clone would un-electable in a GOP primary today. Conservatives and other members of the GOP will reject that idea. Frankly, it seems to me like conservatives don't have a long-term memory function and can't seem to accurately recall anything that happened more than a few years ago, so such gradual political change is something they can't discern. They insist that this sort of thing is relative and it's actually people like me that have moved far to the left.
Well, we now have an artifact from 1996 that proves my thesis. It turns out that Bob Dole's campaign website form 1996 is still up and stands like a time capsule from this bygone era. It's also, by the way, a bit of a reminder of what the websites in the 90s were like. By perusing the site, the reader can get a feel for what Republican politics were like at that time (15-20 years ago) and compare them to today.
Bob Dole wasn't like John McCain, a supposed "maverick" who was willing to buck his own party, or like Mitt Romney, a supposed "moderate" willing to reach across the aisle (whether or not these other two lived up to their reputation is another issue, one that I won't go into here). He was an icon of his party at that time, a fair representation of conservatism in the 80s and 90s.
Now, there are some familiar themes in Dole's website, of course. There are mantras about cutting taxes and railings about "anti-business Democrats" but there are also startling positions that would be completely unacceptable to the GOP today.
For example, in his civil rights record, he boasts of supporting civil rights acts that the GOP wants to get rid of today, including the "Voting Rights Act". He promises "As President, Bob Dole will continue his strong commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans" and states flatly that "...Bob Dole believes that we have made great strides to end discrimination in this country, but that we still have much work to do."
How about the environment. In an era of "drill, baby, drill", the GOP today rails against any environmental legislation as a "job killing bill". Yet "Bob Dole has always understood the key role that the federal government plays in protecting the environment." The website promises that Bob Dole as president would, among other things... "Continue to support the development of non-polluting electric vehicles and cleaner alternative fuels as he has done since the 1970s." WHAT? Adopt a visionary approach to our energy issues? What is he, some kind of socialist?
Bob Dole's page on health care sounds like he's a socialist who would advocate Obamacare.
Take this trip through time and see for yourself.
Well, we now have an artifact from 1996 that proves my thesis. It turns out that Bob Dole's campaign website form 1996 is still up and stands like a time capsule from this bygone era. It's also, by the way, a bit of a reminder of what the websites in the 90s were like. By perusing the site, the reader can get a feel for what Republican politics were like at that time (15-20 years ago) and compare them to today.
Bob Dole wasn't like John McCain, a supposed "maverick" who was willing to buck his own party, or like Mitt Romney, a supposed "moderate" willing to reach across the aisle (whether or not these other two lived up to their reputation is another issue, one that I won't go into here). He was an icon of his party at that time, a fair representation of conservatism in the 80s and 90s.
Now, there are some familiar themes in Dole's website, of course. There are mantras about cutting taxes and railings about "anti-business Democrats" but there are also startling positions that would be completely unacceptable to the GOP today.
For example, in his civil rights record, he boasts of supporting civil rights acts that the GOP wants to get rid of today, including the "Voting Rights Act". He promises "As President, Bob Dole will continue his strong commitment to protecting the civil rights of all Americans" and states flatly that "...Bob Dole believes that we have made great strides to end discrimination in this country, but that we still have much work to do."
How about the environment. In an era of "drill, baby, drill", the GOP today rails against any environmental legislation as a "job killing bill". Yet "Bob Dole has always understood the key role that the federal government plays in protecting the environment." The website promises that Bob Dole as president would, among other things... "Continue to support the development of non-polluting electric vehicles and cleaner alternative fuels as he has done since the 1970s." WHAT? Adopt a visionary approach to our energy issues? What is he, some kind of socialist?
Bob Dole's page on health care sounds like he's a socialist who would advocate Obamacare.
Take this trip through time and see for yourself.
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
