Tuesday night, I was ready to gloat.
As the polls foreshadowed, President Clinton defeated Republican challenger Bob Dole in this presidential election. That's what I wanted, and when I sat down to write this week's column, I wanted to gloat. Some good old-fashioned GOP bashing, ha-ha-I-told-you-so gloating, a payback for the numerous licks I've taken in the past couple of months: the angry letters to the Daily, the two hundred irate e-mails flooding my inbox, the parody of my column in another campus publication. All of that stuff. Yes, I was prepared to do some serious gloating.
But just as I was limbering up my fingers and sitting down at the keyboard, the networks switched to live coverage of Dole's concession speech. When Dole mentioned Clinton's name, the Republican audience hurled forth a chorus of boos. I abandoned my computer and went to the TV. There I watched Dole raise his hand and quiet the crowd. He reiterated his belief that Clinton is "an opponent, not an enemy," and then pledged his support to help his country and president in any way possible.
My first reaction was to scoff, to dismiss the old man as a loser and go back to writing this column. But I couldn't. Dole was talking about the fact that for the first morning in more than 45 years, he would wake up and have nothing to do.
I pictured ol' Dole on Wednesday morning, sleeping in late, getting up, reading the paper, sipping coffee, watching CNN.
But that's beside the point. During last night's concession speech what struck me the most was the fact that for the first time in months we saw the real Bob Dole. And, although I'd never vote for him, nor do I agree with most of his ideas, it was good to see that real Bob Dole.
GOP spin doctors and strategists, during the past few months, had turned Dole into something he is not.
They had made him talk about a drastic and risky tax cut which is out of character for Dole. He never supported these improbable ideas, and he never made campaign promises in the past that seemed too tough to keep. They had made him launch a series of negative attacks against the president and his colleagues, making hyperbolic accusations regarding drug use, medical histories and personal character. Dole seemed to become more of a stodgy authority figure, scolding everyone from the president to the American people themselves.
This is not the Dole the nation has known for the past 30 years. Dole was the elder statesman of the Senate, often refusing to be a negative critic of his opponents, as well as refusing to support and tout plans he was unsure of. But his campaign advisers made him abandon the calm, collected, rational Bob Dole.
And that is the Dole we saw Tuesday night as he conceded, a Dole that quieted the chorus of boos, and spoke with optimism and positivity. Like I said, I don't think he would have been a good president for this country at this time; however, Dole loves his country and served it well. For this we can be grateful. The shame is how Dole became a puppet of the powers-that-be in the GOP, and temporarily tarnished his image.
One has to wonder how Dole may have fared if they had allowed him to be himself this year.
Now, when Dole was finished with his speech, I began to think of the College Republicans, whose antics and positions this election year have earned them heaps of enemies across the campus. If I could have some positive feelings toward Dole, maybe I could find it in my heart, with the election being over, to find a favorable light to shed on the CRs.
True, some members of the CRs sent me mean, vile, sometimes threatening e-mail this year. True, CR chalkings were all over campus, a mix of obnoxious non sequiturs and offensive insults.
But, as I lingered in the afterglow of a Clinton victory, I managed to think of something that was good about the College Republicans: They are involved. I loathe their message and I shrink away from their politics, but they were more mobilized and organized and vocal than most student groups this year. Apathy is a shame on a campus as diverse and vibrant as Michigan's, and so it was ironically refreshing to see the CRs vehemently defending their candidates and positions around campus. I can't believe I'm saying this, but some people could learn from the CRs.
Did I really just compliment both Dole and the College Republicans in the same column? Oh dear, excuse me.
Now then, let's gloat:
With Clinton's victory Tuesday, Americans did a service to their country. Americans can be sure that their president is fighting for educational opportunity, health care reform, racial and gender equality and the renewal of the American family. Without the looming quest for reelection, it will be interesting to see how bold Clinton will be in implementing his vision for a better America.
Now if only he had a Democratic Congress to help him do all that neat stuff.
- Dean Bakopoulos can be reached over e-mail at deanc@umich.edu