X-Sender: kevyn@pop.ksu.ksu.edu Mime-Version: 1.0 Approved-By: Kevyn Jacobs Date: Fri, 1 Sep 1995 12:58:53 -0600 Reply-To: Kevyn Jacobs Sender: Information Repository for News of Interest to GLB* Folk From: Kevyn Jacobs Subject: (USA,DOLE,LOG CABIN CLUB) - Editorial: DOLE'S A WANKER! X-To: Kansas Queer News To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS Status: RO X-Status: FROM THE KANSAS STATE COLLEGIAN SEPTEMBER 1, 1995 - EDITORIAL PAGE ================================== Dole panders to electorate by DAN LEWERENZ I was asked the most curious question last year. My pal, Jouni, a student visiting from Sweden, called on my expertise in the realm of American politics. "So, tell me about Bob Dole," he said. "I hear he's sort of a wanker." I have to admit, I have no idea what a "wanker" is, and there is no listing in the dictionary for either "wanker" or "wank." But it doesn't sound good. "Now that kind of depends on who you are," my cousin, Victor, chimed in. "If you're rich and powerful and want to get richer and more powerful, or if you're from Kansas, then Bob Dole is a pretty good guy. "But if you're poor and downtrodden, then yeah, he's probably pretty much of a wanker." I had to think on this one for a while. Though I've never been a big Bob Dole fan (ever since he attacked public broadcasting by claiming that Sesame Street was a front for militant homosexuals, I've had my doubts about his sanity), I wasn't quite ready to confer upon him the title of wanker. But a series of events this summer confirmed what I had long suspected. Jouni was right. Bob Dole is a wanker. It all started with the now-famous Hollywood speech. Dole railed against the elites in the entertainment industry for destroying the moral fiber of the nation, singling out several notoriously raunchy rappers and two particularly violent movies. Had he stopped there, Dole would likely have scored a home run. Though the musicians in question are no longer recording, and the movies were both meant to be critical of the media's glorification of violence, Dole's point -- that there's too much sex and violence in the media -- was a valid one. But Dole didn't stop there. He went on to praise True Lies, a film chock-full of violence, racism, and misogyny, as a good "family movie." As if having a high-dollar Republican donor (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as the star makes a movie a "family movie." Even "True Lies" co-star Jamie Lee Curtis said Dole was crazy. Dole's comments made him look paid for -- violence is OK when it's promoted by the right people. In his speech, Dole had attacked Time Warner for reaping the profits of "the debasing of America." But apparently those profits didn't debase Dole's campaign fund. Dole even tried to turn this potentially embarrassing situation into a positive. "I think it's a demonstration that they didn't buy anything with Bob Dole," he said in a statement June 4. "It sort of dispels this view that every time somebody makes a donation, you're in their back pocket." Slick, Bob. Real slick. Where the money comes from and what the donors stand for doesn't matter to Bob Dole. He's no whore turning political tricks for a fast buck. He'll take the buck without turning tricks. That is, until last week. That's when Dole's office announced that it was returning a donation from the Log Cabin Republicans, a gay Republican organization with more than 10,000 members. "Our policy is to decline contributions from political groups that have an agenda that is in opposition to Senator Dole's positions on the issues," Dole's office said. "We have received over 200,000 checks so far in this campaign. If we had been aware of this particular contribution in advance, it would not have been accepted, and it will be refunded. "Senator Dole's opposition to lifting the ban on gays in the military, for example, runs directly in opposition to the views of this group. In light of this wide disagreement, we feel it is most appropriate to return their contribution." Most of those 200,000 checks were probably from Mike and Ethel Farmer of Deep Western, Kansas, -- how a $1,000 check from a Republican political-action committee slipped through without notice would be a story worth hearing. Especially when Dole spoke with Rich Tafel, Log Cabin's executive director, at a fundraising dinner. In fact, that $1,000 check bought Tafel's meal. Dole greeted Tafel, who was wearing a big Log Cabin Republicans name tag, at the June 19 affair and asked the group's opinion on a pending piece of AIDS legislation. The excuse that the campaign was unaware of the contribution is embarrassingly thin. What he wasn't aware of was the potential for publicity. Dole's office did not decide to return the money until after Deb Price, who writes about gay issues for the Detroit Free Press, said she was writing a column about it. Additionally, Dole must have assumed Log Cabin was interested only in gay issues. Not likely -- I mean, how many Republican politicians do you hear promoting gay issues? More than likely, Log Cabin is a group of moderate-to-conservative individuals who believe in low taxes and small government. And happen to be gay. Besides, couldn't this just have been another demonstration that Bob Dole is not bought and paid for? Instead, it was a demonstration that Dole is more than willing to pander to the whims of the electorate. Dole keeps Time Warner's money, though he finds its actions morally repugnant. And he returns Log Cabin's money because he disagrees with it on "the issues." Irony abounds. When all is said and done, the conclusion is irrefutable. Though millions seem to love you, Bob, I fear this must be done. Bob Dole, I dub you "wanker." Dan Lewerenz is a senior in philosophy and American ethnic studies and the Collegian sports editor. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was published on Friday, September 1, 1995 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1995, Student Publications Inc. All rights reserved. This document may be distributed electronically, provided it is distributed in its entirety and includes this notice. However, it cannot be reprinted without the express written permission of Student Publications Inc., Kansas State University.