Dole's old ideas still good ideas

With a clean sweep of Super Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole is now less than 160 votes from the magic number of 996 delegates needed to win the Republican nomination for president in San Diego next summer.

Many think that Dole cannot beat President Clinton. Even moderate Republicans have opined that a Dole nomination means four more years of Bill Clinton in the White House. That proposition bears examination.

First, there is a strong conservative trend in the American electorate. From the school board to the statehouse to the 1994 congressional elections, which gave Republicans control of Congress for the first time since President Eisenhower, increasing numbers of Americans, now more than a majority, are choosing candidates who promise to limit government, slow spending, rein in taxes and reduce the intrusiveness of government in the lives of people and communities. That is not a bad trend for a Dole.

Second, the nation may be ready for Bob Dole's brand of genuine self-deprecation. Example: Following last week's victories, the senate majority leader said, "I'm a man of few words. I'm not big on rhet...rhet...rhetoric. I like to get things done." In a world of silver-tongued, focus-group-honed political "leaders," a plain-spoken man from Russell, Kan., might catch on.

Third, Americans don't like politics. It's in our genes. That's one of the things that makes us different from Europeans. A Dole candidacy for "Changing America Together" (which may become his campaign slogan) could be appealing. Dole will remind Americans that Republican leaders in Congress delivered "Veto Bill" Clinton a balanced-budget plan, a tax cut for families and investors, and a top-to-bottom reform of the nation's broken welfare system -- only to have this work scuttled by a president wedded to the status quo. Americans have clearly rejected the status quo and they might be willing to give Bob Dole and his Republican team in Congress four years to see what they can get done.

Fourth, Dole and the Republicans may take a page from "old politics," when the party and the platform were as important as a high-octane candidate. Veteran Republican strategist John Sears hinted at this last week when he said, "Dole can get elected as a member of a crowd." With 31 Republican governors representing more than 190 million people, Dole would have influential allies laying the groundwork for him in important states like California, Texas, Michigan and Massachusetts. He would also have strong, visible and articulate leaders in Congress in his corner. Dole just might be able to shape a new kind of campaign, just when the media age seemed to have changed everything.

Fifth, things will only get better for Dole and the Republicans. Republican primary candidates have spent nearly $100 million over the past year -- and especially over the past six months -- buying ads on TV, organizing rallies and mailing brochures to convince Americans what rotten guys the other Republicans are. For the next four months or so, however, Republicans and the press will be talking about who should be vice president. There will be a mixture of virtues with the vices, for a change. That is bound to help the Republicans in the polls.

Finally, Dole exhibits a refreshing modesty. Last Tuesday, for example, as he was promising, if elected, to deliver a balanced budget, eliminate some cabinet agencies, fix welfare and shift power back to the states, Dole said, "These may not be new ideas. They may have been around for a long time. But they are good ideas." Good ideas, indeed -- and not a bad basis for a presidential campaign.