By Mary Mostert, Editor Michael Reagan's Monthly Monitor
May 10, 1996
The issue of the week seems to be the gender gap in the presidential contest. The men like Bob Dole. The women find Bill Clinton more exciting. And, why not? He's young and handsome (well, maybe he does have a pound or two extra around the middle.) He has a charming smile. He tells us how much he cares about women and children. And, any woman likes to hear that. He even sheds a tear and gulps when he talks about children dying in Oklahoma City. And, he promises us almost hourly how much he is going to do for us - medical care, balancing the budget, saving social security, creating jobs, saving the Bosnian Muslims, etc. He says we can have anything we want. He says we are wonderful, beautiful and he really cares about us. All we have to do is ask for it and he'll do it.
And, Bob Dole. He's dependable. He was there when everyone else said it was just a waste of time to try to be a conservative during forty years of Democrat control of Congress. He stuck it out. He's persistent and he did everything he could under the circumstances. And, he didn't dodge his nation's call to go to war. He went. It wasn't fun, and he was almost killed. The doctors said he would never walk. He was 100% disabled. But, he kept trying and trying, and finally was able to walk. Without use of his arm, he couldn't do what he might have done, but figured he could still serve his country and the people by running for Congress. And, while serving in Congress, he fought numerous battles to slow down the relentless march of tax financed programs designed further the role of government in American life while even ardent conservatives like Orrin Hatch caved in - tax But he's not exciting, compared to Bill Clinton, he just isn't exciting. He just isn't good at sweet talk and making sweeping promises to take care of us all. He isn't exciting. He moves slowly, and there is that one arm that he can't use. He's the kind of suitor fathers really like for their daughters, but which daughters are fond of - but not madly in love with.