Jack Kemp

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Jack French Kemp Jr. (born July 13, 1935) is an American politician and former professional American football player. He was the Republican candidate for the vice presidency in the 1996 presidential election as running mate for Bob Dole and was (along with Dole and eventual winner George H. W. Bush) one of the main Republican candidates in the 1988 presidential election. Kemp is also a veteran of the United States Army. Despite his longstanding opposition to abortion, Kemp is considered a social moderate because of his advocacy for minorities and immigration reform. Economically, he is a tax cutting fiscal conservative who favors free markets.

He was a professional quarterback for thirteen years. He played in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL) and American Football League (AFL). He co-founded the American Football League Players Association, which he served as president for five terms, and served as captain of both the San Diego Chargers and Buffalo Bills. He earned the American Football League MVP award in 1965 after leading the Bills to their second consecutive AFL championship, and he holds most AFL career passing statistical records. He was in the AFL for all ten years of its existence and played in five of its ten championship games. He is vice president of NFL Charities.

He served nine terms in the United States House of Representatives as a representative of Western New York. He was a proponent of both Chicago school and supply-side economics, and he is notable for the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981 (known as the Kemp-Roth tax cut). After stepping away from his congressional position for a failed Presidential run, he joined George H. W. Bush's Cabinet as United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. He then travelled the speaker's circuit before becoming a Vice Presidential nominee. As a progressive conservative politician, Kemp served as the Republican Party spokesperson on minority and inner-city issues for most of his political career.

He has continued a career of public service since retiring from elective politics. He has been active as a political advocate and commentator. He has served on corporate and non-profit organization boards, served in official capacities to promote American football and has been a political advocate for both the Republican Party and for veteran professional football players. Kemp has authored, co-authored, and edited several books.

Football career

Kemp, who was born, raised and educated in , attended both Fairfax High School and Occidental College, where he was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. He selected Occidental, where he was a physical education major, because its football team used professional formations and plays, which would prepare him for his aspirations as a professional quarterback. Kemp would also perform post graduate study at Long Beach State University, California Western University and serve in the military from 1958–1962.

Kemp began his professional football career in 1957 when he was selected by the Detroit Lions in the 17th round of the 1957 NFL Draft, but he was cut before the 1957 NFL Season began. After one NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and being on the taxi squad of the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, a year serving as a private in the United States Army Reserve, (as well as playing one game for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League, which made him ineligible for the NFL in 1959), Kemp signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers of the AFL. According to his older brother Tom, the family attempted to encourage him to get on with his life after he bounced around the NFL and his parents drove him from California to only to see him get cut. Kemp had been a third-string quarterback, who never got to play, on the 1958 New York Giants when they lost in overtime of the 1958 NFL Championship Game to the Baltimore Colts at Yankee Stadium in the first NFL Playoff overtime game. On February 9 and February 11 1960 the AFL agreed to a "no tampering" policy with the NFL and CFL respectively to keep from stealing star players. Thus, players like Kemp with modest NFL experience were common AFL signees at the time.

Chargers era (1960-1962)

In 1960, Kemp finished second to Frank Tripucka in the major passing statistics (attempts, completions, and yards) in the eight-team AFL. He led the Los Angeles Chargers to a 10–4 record. Kemp led the AFL in yards per completion and times sacked. He finished one rushing touchdown short of the league lead. Kemp became, with Tripucka, one of the first 3,000-yard passers in the American Football League by surpassing 3000 yards in the inaugural 14-game schedule 1960 season. Kemp led an offense that averaged 46 points over its last four games and scored over 41 points in five of their last nine games. In the AFL Championship game on January 1 1961, Kemp led the team to field goals on their first two possessions, but when the Houston Oilers posted a touchdown in the second quarter for a 7–6 lead, the Chargers would never regain the lead.

Kemp was in the Reserves when his unit, the San Diego-based 977th Transportation Company, was activated for duty on October 15 1961 by President John F. Kennedy after the Berlin Wall was erected in August of that year. A month before he was activated for duty, the right-handed Kemp injured his left shoulder while playing football. Medical examiners found swelling and muscle spasms in his left shoulder and described his voluntary range of motion at 80 percent. The Surgeon General of the United States Army reviewed recommendation by Army doctors that Kemp be excused from service. Kemp underwent a second physical at an Army hospital in . Kemp's 1961 Chargers roommate and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Ron Mix was denied a deferment. Kemp went on to lead the Chargers to a division title that year, passing for 2,686 yards and 15 touchdowns. He cited lingering effects from a later knee injury as the reason he had to fly first class at Government expense as the Housing Secretary from 1989 to 1992.

In 1961 San Diego Union editor, Jack Murphy, started a movement to convince Barron Hilton to move the Chargers from the Los Angeles Coliseum to Balboa Stadium in . Kemp led the relocated San Diego Chargers to a 12–2 record and a repeat Western Division championship. Kemp again finished second in passing yards (this time to George Blanda). The team earned a championship game rematch against the Oilers. However, this time the Chargers were unable to muster any scoring until a fourth quarter field goal in a 10–3 loss.

In 1962 the Chargers drafted Lance Alworth and John Hadl. Kemp won two American Football League Western Division championships with the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers, but in a rare blunder by Chargers' coach Sid Gillman, Kemp was put on waivers to try to "hide" him when he was unable to play due to a broken middle finger after two games for the Chargers in 1962.

Lou Saban era (1962-1965)

This ploy did not get by Buffalo Bill coach Lou Saban, and Kemp was picked up by the Bills for the $100 waiver fee on September 25, one of the biggest bargains in Pro Football history. The AFL commissioner, Joe Foss, awarded Kemp to the Bills, who along with the Dallas Texans and Denver Broncos attempted to claim Kemp. The signing solved the Bills' quarterback problem according to Billy Shaw. According to Van Miller, Kemp was not so excited about coming to Buffalo: "Jack's a skier, and he wanted to go to Denver and play for the Broncos. He hated the thought of coming to Buffalo. He was in the pits when he joined the Bills in Houston. But he came to Buffalo and made some good stock investments, made millions and then got into politics."

Injuries, including a broken finger, kept Kemp from performing for most of the season. It was during that injury that Kemp received a military draft notice for service in the Vietnam War, and received a draft waiver because of a knee problem. The knee healed, and he had a successful career as a professional athlete. Kemp debuted on November 18 in a 10–6 win over the Oakland Raiders. Kemp directed the only touchdown drive. He played only four games for Buffalo in 1962, but still made the AFL Eastern Division All-Star team. The Bills won three of their last four games to finish 7–6–1. On December 14, the Bills outbid the Green Bay Packers for Notre Dame quarterback Daryle Lamonica.

In 1963, Kemp found himself in a a battle for the quarterback position with Daryle Lamonica that would last four seasons until Lamonica left for the Oakland Raiders. Lamonica felt he ". . .learned a lot from Jack about quarterbacking. And I truly believe that we were a great one-two punch at the position for the Bills." An interesting event occurred when Lou Saban suspected Al Davis of spying on the 0–3–1 Bills and made his team practice using false numbers. That week, the Bills went on to win their first game of the season over the Raiders. In 1963, Kemp led the Bills from a slow start to a tie for the AFL Eastern Division lead with a 7–6–1 record. Kemp again placed second in passing attempts, completions and yards. He also finished second to teammate Cookie Gilchrist in rushing touchdowns. The Bills played the Boston Patriots in a one-game playoff to determine the division title on December 28 1963 at War Memorial Stadium in in weather. While bulldozers removed the snow from the frozen field, fans threw snowballs at the Pinkerton guards. During the game the Bills replaced Kemp with rookie Lamonica after falling behind 16–0 in the third quarter. The Bills lost 26–8. After the game, Kemp said, "I remember telling coach Lou Saban as we walked off the field at War Memorial Stadium that those same fans who were booing us then would be cheering us next year. I really felt that we had the makings of a championship club and we were just a year away from winning it all."

Kemp was said to be the "clubhouse lawyer" for the Bills and he kept the peace. During the 1964 season, he managed personalities such as Gilchrist, who walked off the field when plays were not being called for him, and Saban, who Kemp kept from cutting Gilchrist the following week. The negotiated apology was an early sign of his political abilities. The 1964 team relied on a running game of Cookie Gilchrist and Wray Carlton and a defense that set records for rushing yards, rushing TD's and quarterback sacks. The team won its first nine games and went 12–2 for the regular season. The team won the Eastern division with a final game victory over the Patriots at Fenway Park on December 20 1964. Kemp led the league in yards per attempt and finished one rushing touchdown short of the league lead, which was shared by Gilchrist and Sid Blanks. In the championship game, Kemp scored the final clinching touchdown with just over nine minutes left in the 20–7 victory.

According to Lamonica, the 1965 team had a different emphasis: "We really changed our offensive game that year. In '64 we had depended a lot on Cookie Gilchrist and our running attack to carry us. That was our bread and butter that year. But that all changed in '65. The Bills had traded Gilchrist in the off season to the Denver Broncos. So we went to a pass-oriented game more that season than we ever had before. We not only went to our receivers, but we threw a lot to our running backs. And I really think it brought out the best in Jack that year. Jack was a great quarterback and leader." The Bills finished the 1965 AFL season 10–3–1. Kemp finished the season second in the league in pass completions.

He led Buffalo to three straight Eastern Division titles and two American Football League championships, in 1964 and 1965, throwing to receivers Elbert Dubenion and Ernie Warlick. Kemp was able to lead the Bills to a repeat league championship in 1965 without the 1964 AFL leader in rushing attempts, yards and touchdowns, Cookie Gilchrist, (who had been traded to the Denver Broncos) and with the 1964 yards per reception leader, Dubenion, only playing three games. This earned him a share of the AFL MVP awards that he split with former Charger teammate, halfback Paul Lowe. Kemp earned the Associated Press award, while Lowe won The Sporting News and United Press International awards. Kemp also earned the AFL Championship Game MVP.

Joe Collier era (1966-1968)

Lou Saban resigned to take the head coaching job for the Maryland Terrapins football team and defensive coordinator Joe Collier was promoted to head coach for the 1966 AFL season. In 1966, the Kemp led the Bills to their third consecutive division title with a 9–4–1 record. However, in the AFL Championship Game on January 1 1967 the Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 31–7. The 1967 Bills endured a 4–10 1967 AFL season.

The Bills suffered a bad loss to the Houston Oilers on August 23 1968. On August 26, head coach Joe Collier put the Bills through a 40-play scrimmage. During the scrimmage, Ron McDole fell on Jack Kemp's right knee and Kemp was out for the season. The Bills went 1–12–1 without Kemp for the 1968 AFL season.

John Rausch era (1969)

The Bills drafted and signed O.J. Simpson and Jack Kemp returned from a year of injury, but they only compiled a 4–10 record during the 1969 AFL season. In 1969, Kemp had a four-year no-cut contract, but the Republican Party of Erie County approached him about running for the United States Congress. After the AFL All-star game in 1970, Kemp returned home and talked to his wife before deciding to run for Congress. Kemp said "I had a four-year no-cut contract with the Bills at the time. . .I figured that if I lost I could always come back and play. But the fans had their say and I was elected to Congress."

Career summary

Kemp had the most career passes attempted, most completions and most yards gained passing in the history of the American Football League. Kemp played in five of the ten AFL Championship games. He holds these same career passing attempts, yards and completion records for the AFL Championship Game and is listed second for many other championship game statistics including career and single game passer rating. Kemp was an American Football League All-Star seven consecutive years, 1960 and 1961 for the AFL's Western Division, and 1962 through 1966 and again in 1968 for a total of eight of the league's ten years. A Sporting News All-League selection at quarterback in 1960 and 1965, he was the only AFL quarterback to be listed as a starter all ten years. Kemp co-founded the American Football League Players Association with Tom Addison of the Boston Patriots, and was elected its president five times. He was one of only twenty players who were in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence. He advocated recognition of the league, and in its last year, 1969, lobbied Pete Rozelle to have AFL teams wear an AFL patch to honor it. Kemp retired from Pro Football after the 1969 AFL season.

Kemp twice led the AFL in yards per attempt and played all fourteen games in his final six AFL seasons. Over the course of his career, he became (along with Ken Anderson) one of the two most successful American football quarterbacks drafted from Division III football programs. In 1964, he produced the AFL's leader in yards per receptions (Elbert Dubenion, 27.1). However, despite his success and important AFL records, he is most prominently listed in the NFL record book for less flattering accomplishments, including his place as a former record holder for most quarterback sacks in a game. Despite Kemp's AFL records, Joe Namath and Len Dawson were selected as the first and second team quarterbacks for the All-time AFL team.

Political career

Kemp's political career began long before his first electoral campaign in 1970. Kemp had been a volunteer in Barry Goldwater's 1964 Presidential campaign and Ronald Reagan's 1966 successful California Gubernatorial campaign. In the off-season in 1967, Mr. Kemp worked on Governor Reagan's staff in . In 1969, he served as special assistant to the Republican National Committee chairman. Kemp's ability to work with blacks and his stands on racial equality also are traced back to his the time while he was playing football with black teammates: Kemp said "I wasn't there with Rosa Parks or Dr. King or John Lewis. But I am here now, and I am going to yell from the rooftops about what we need to do."

Congress (1971–1989)

Kemp, who describes himself as a "bleeding-heart conservative," represented the region in the United States House of Representatives from 1971 to 1989. Kemp had been drafted by Republicans after incumbent congressman, Richard D. McCarthy, decided to run for the United States Senate. He championed several Chicago school and supply side economics issues: economic growth, free markets, free trade, tax simplification and lower tax rates on both work and investment. Kemp has been a long-time proponent of the flat tax. Kemp also defended of the use anti-Communist forces in Central America, supported the gold standard, spoke for civil rights legislation, opposed abortion, and was the first lawmaker to popularize the notion of enterprise zones. At times, Kemp has supported affirmative action, and he has supported rights for illegal immigrants. In addition, he was a strong proponent of Enterprise Zones as a way to foster entrepreneurship and job creation and expand homeownership among public housing tenants. Although he is liberal on many social issues, he is not on gay rights.

Kemp was quickly identified as a leader of the future: as a second-term congressman in 1974 Time magazine, presented its "Faces for the Future" and included the then 38 year-old Kemp. Kemp was considered a front runner for the vice presidency at the 1980 Republican National Convention, and received 43 votes from conservatives who were opposed to George H. W. Bush. By 1984 he was viewed as Reagan's heir apparent. He is as fondly remembered for his good hair and handsome looks as for his athletic prowess and political savvy, and he is described as having the charisma of an earlier J.F.K. Kemp is described as the most proactive combatant in the War on Poverty since Robert Kennedy. Kemp is known as an independent politician who often legislated outside the jurisdictions of the committees upon which he served and often spoke in favor of ideals and principles over political platforms of his party. As a supply sider generally, he was not a proponent of balanced budgets, but instead viewed growth as the solution.

Kemp's original encounter with supply side economics came in 1976 when Jude Wanniski, then an editorial writer for The Wall Street Journal, interviewed at Kemp's Congressional office. Mr. Kemp picked Wanniski's brain all day and night (all the way to Mr. Kemp's home in , at midnight) until Kemp had been completely converted. Thereafter, Kemp began espousing supply side economics far and wide, and in 1978 he and William V. Roth, Jr. proposed tax cutting legislation. Kemp was chiefly responsible for supply side economics' inclusion in President Reagan's economic plan. Although large tax cuts in the early 1980s are attributed to Reagan, it was actually Kemp and Senator William Roth from Delaware, through their Kemp-Roth Tax Cut legislation, that initiated these cuts in 1981. These tax cuts have been attributed for the economic growth from 1983 to 1990, the then largest peacetime expansion of the United States GDP. As a younger congressman, one of his more notable magazine appearances was in the October 24 1978 issue of Esquire. Allegations of 1967 Sacramento office Reagan staffer homosexual activity that Kemp has been cleared of were explained in the article.

Kemp was considered the leader of the progressive conservatives who adhere to the hard right on social issues, but avoid protectionist fiscal and trade policy. In addition to Roth, he has had numerous political allies. At various times he collaborated with Newt Gingrich and Trent Lott on deregulation and tax cuts, collaborated with John McCain and Phil Gramm on tax cuts and spending restraints, legislated with and campaigned for Joseph Lieberman, and waged the war on poverty in the cabinet with James Pinkerton. Another progressive conservative was Pete du Pont. Even after retiring from congress and after serving in the Cabinet, Kemp remained close to Gingrich, Lott, Vin Weber and Connie Mack. Kemp can also be credited as being a member of the Federal committee to promote Martin Luther King Day as a national holiday. In fact, with his very progressive voting record he has several civil rights leaders such as Benjamin Hooks, Andrew Young and Coretta Scott King and conservative Black intellectuals like Glenn C. Loury and Robert L. Woodson as supporters and friends. Ken Blackwell was one of Kemp's Deputy Secretaries while serving in Bush's cabinet.

In 1980, he considered opposing Republican Jacob Javitz for the United States Senate and was considered a potential Reagan running mate that year. Kemp twice delivered speeches at the Republican National Convention: He addressed the convention on July 15 1980 at the 1980 Republican National Convention in and on August 21 1984 at the 1984 Republican National Convention in . Despite efforts and considerations of expanding his political domain, Kemp never held a fundraiser outside of his suburban Western New York district until well into his eighth term in congress.

Presidential bid (1988)

In 1988, he surrendered his congressional seat to run for President of the United States. His campaign was on an early positive course with many early key endorsements in New Hampshire, but Vice President Bush held the support of much of the Republican establishment in New York. Although he had an eclectic mix of supporters, his campaign was quickly in the red and it found itself borrowing against anticipated Federal matching funds. In order to offset his socially moderate stances, he made clear his opposition to abortion, his support of the Strategic Defense Initiative and his support for a stronger military than United States Secretary of State George Schultz. Despite a platform covering the full range of political subjects, Kemp's primary campaign weapons was a fiscal policy based on tax cuts. As part of his fiscal policy he opposed a social security benefits freeze and endorsed a freeze on government spending. To some, Kemp's supply-side stance was viewed as an attempt to ignore the national defecit. In the fall of 1987, it was clear to politcal pundits that Kemp needed to gain support from the far right on non-social issues. Among the issues Kemp made his opinion known on was that he was among the majority of Republican candidates in opposition to Reagan's INF Treaty agreement with the Soviet Union's Mikhail Gorbachev despite general Republican voter approval of the treaty. With aspirations of support from the right wing voters, all candidates with low levels of poll support for the nomination took the same "sabre-rattling" stand.

He used a somewhat negative advertising campaign that seemed to have the intended initial effect of boosting him to serious contention. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican Presidential nomination, and subsequently served as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development from 1989 to 1993 under President George H. W. Bush. His 1988 campaign was based on the platform of supply-side economics and inner-city enterprise zones. In Bare Knuckles and Back Rooms: My Life in American Politics (ISBN 0553067311, Broadway, 1997) by Kemp campaign chairman, Ed Rollins, Rollins described Kemp as a candidate with foibles. Kemp's campaign managers say he was unmanageable: He ignored timers on his speeches, refused to call contributors, and refused to practice for debates. A humbling Super Tuesday ended his campaign. He won 39 delegates, fewer than eventual nominee and President George H. W. Bush, Bob Dole and Pat Robertson. After withdrawing from the race, he was still considered a contender for the Vice-President nomination. In 1994, Kemp's 1998 campaign reached a settlement with the Federal Election Commission by agreeing to pay $120,000 in civil penalties for 1988 campaign election law violations for, among other things, excessive contributions, improper direct corporate donations, press overbilling, exceeded spending limits in Iowa and in New Hampshire, and for failure to reimburse corporations for providing air transportation.

Cabinet (1989–1993)

As a bleeding-heart conservative, Kemp was a logical choice as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, whose job would be to foster public sector and private sector methods to meet the demands of public housing. However, the scandals of Samuel Pierce and the neglect of the president were obstacles from the start. He was unsuccessful at either of his major initiatives: enacting enterprise zones and promoting public housing tenant ownership. The goal of these two plans was to transition public housing into tenant owned residence and to lure both industry and business into inner cities with federal incentives. Kemp was partly at fault for not achieving either of his primary goals because he did not get along with the rest of the Cabinet. Although Kemp did not affect much policy as director of HUD, he did clean up its reputation, and he developed a plan to salvage the troubled Federal Housing Administration. He halted corrupt programs and changed their procedures as well as developed an antidrug offensive, which enabled him to collaborate with Bill Bennett. He was also a supporter of "Operation Clean Sweep" and similar movements to prohibit firearm possession in public housing.

Despite the fact that Kemp was able to push Bush to support a $4 billion housing program that encouraged public housing tenants to buy their own apartments, the Democratic Congress only allocated $361 million toward the plan. In addition to roadblocks in Congress, Kemp was constantly at odds with Director of the Office of Management and Budget (aka White House budget director), Richard Darman who opposed Kemp's proposed welfare reform to correct government offsets and his pet project HOPE (Homeownership and Opportunity for People Everywhere), which was intended to sell public housing units to their tenants. HOPE was first proposed to John Sununu, the White House chief of staff in June 1989 for the purpose of not only creating enterprise zones but also expanding subsidies for low-income renters, social services for the homeless and elderly, and enacting tax changes to help first-time home buyers. Sununu shot it down at first and it was voted down my most of the cabinet, but Sununu at the urging of United States Attorney General Dick Thornburgh decided to encourage president Bush to sign on in August 1990 for Kemp's Economic Empowerment Task Force. However, Kemp's new project was overshadowed by the Persian Gulf War and the budget negotiations. Darman found himself battling Kemp and allies such as Newt Gingrich, James Pinkerton, and Vin Weber. The budget left him with $256 million for his plan, which Kemp was able to increase during some appropriations battles. Soon after Clayton Yeutter was appointed chief White House domestic policy advisor Kemp's Economic Empowerment Task Force was abolished. President Bush generally avoided the issue of federal antipoverty programs. Bush instead used Kemp as a mouthpiece to deliver oratory on a conservative activist agenda that was given a low priority by the administration. By the time of the Los Angeles riots of 1992, Bush was a bit late in supporting enterprise zones, tenant ownership and welfare reform. Nonetheless, the riots made Kemp a focal point of the administration. However, Charles E. Schumer probably summarized the prospects of Kemp's success in advance best when he said in 1989 "Good ideas with money can do a whole lot. Good ideas without money aren't probably going to do a whole lot" and the decision not to fund Kemp's ideas was the issue here.

Kemp was a bit of a surprise to stay as a member of the GHW Bush cabinet for the duration of his presidency, and he was described as one of the few Bush Administration members who would take any tough stands. By most measures, his time as Housing Secretary was considered unsuccessful. However, even though he could not get empowerment zones passed during his tenure, in 1994 $3.5 billion was approved for them. In 1992, with H. Ross Perot mounting a formidable campaign, Kemp was again considered a Vice Presidential candidate.

Post-HUD years (1993–1996)

As a public speaker between his time as Housing Secretary and his time as a Vice Presidential nominee he was giving public speaches for $35,000 apiece. By 1994, Kemp embarked on 241 fund-raising dinners to raise $35 million for a 1996 Presidential run and to pay of his 1988 campaign debts. Kemp earned $6.9 million in the three years after stepping down from his $189,000 job as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, mostly as a public speaker. He was speaking mostly on behalf of local Republican candidates. In 1994, Kemp and William Bennett made waves by opposing California ballot Proposition 187, a measure to bar illegal immigrants from obtaining public services, in direct opposition to Pete Wilson, one of its endorsers. In January 1995, Kemp cited personal beliefs out of balance with the contemporary Republican political landscape as his reason for not entering the 1996 Republican Party presidential primaries: Kemp opposed term limits, he always preferred tax cuts to anything resembling a balanced budget amendment and, unlike the most Republicans, favored federal incentives to combat urban poverty. He also noted a distaste for the extreme levels of fundraising necessary for a Presidential campaign. In 1995, while the world awaited the campaign decision announcement by Colin Powell, Kemp had positive thoughts on the prospect of such a campaign.

Among the many issues Kemp championed was the flat tax. Kemp was eventually able to propose the flat tax formally after being appointed to head a tax reform commission. Among the 1996 Republican Party candidates, both Steve Forbes and Phil Gramm proposed the flat tax. During the campaign, Kemp's endorsement was highly coveted. Forbes tried to get Kemp to run in 1996, but Kemp declined and in fact endorsed Forbes just as Dole was closing in on the nomination and just after Dole gained the endorsements of former contenders Lamar Alexander and Richard Lugar. Some feel the primary reason for the endorsement was for no reason other than to keep the idea of the flat tax alive. Many thought Kemp had destroyed his own political future with the endorsement, and Kemp profusely apologized to the Dole campaign offices.

Vice Presidential nomination (1996)

On August 16 1996, Kemp was chosen as the Republican Party's vice presidential Republican Party (United States) vice presidential nominees in 1996, running alongside former Senator Bob Dole. Kemp was seen as a means to attract conservative and libertarian-minded voters like those of tough nomination-challengers Steve Forbes and Pat Buchanan . In 1996, Bill Bennett declined the offer to be Dole's running mate, but suggested Kemp, a man described as Dole's antagonist. Kemp was chosen over Connie Mack, John McCain, and Carroll Campbell. Kemp had several former staffers in influential positions as senior advisors to Bob Dole. In addition, Kemp's tax-cutting fiscal policy track record was seen as the perfect fit for the ticket. When Kemp became the running mate for Bob Dole in 1996, he appeared with Dole on the cover of the August 19 1996 Time Magazine, however the pair barely edged out the discovery of life on Mars for the cover.

The two politicians had a storied history stemming from alternative perspectives and objectives. Dole was a longstanding conservative deficit-hawk who had even voted against John F. Kennedy's tax cuts, while Kemp was an outspoken supply sider. In the early 1980s, according to David Stockman Kemp convinced Reagan to make a 30 percent across-the-board tax cut one of the central features of his 1980 presidential campaign. Once Reagan was elected, Dole was the Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee who Kemp claims resisted the plan every step of the way. Dole concedes he expressed reservations about the 1981 plan. The big confrontation came after the tax plan was approved and Dole proposed tax increases (that he referred to as reforms). Kemp was vocal in his opposition to the reforms and even penned a New York Times op-ed piece, which enraged Dole. Dole convinced Reagan to sign on to the reforms causing Kemp to summon allies to meetings to stop the act which eventually passed in 1982. At the 1984 Republican National Convention, Kemp along with allies such as Gingrich and Lott added a plank to the party platform that put President Reagan on record as ruling out tax increases, which Gingrich called "Dole-proofing" the party platform. The plank passed over Dole's opposition. Then in 1985 Dole proposed an austere budget that barely passed in the senate with appendectomy patient Pete Wilson casting the tieing vote and Vice President George H. W. Bush casting the deciding vote. Kemp reworked the budget to exclude crucial social security cutbacks in meetings with the President that excluded Dole. This is said to be Dole's most crushing political defeat and contributed to the loss of control of the Senate. During the 1988 Presidential election the two antagonized each other. Their opposition became less relevant after Bush won and Kemp left Congress for the Cabinet. The two did not really cross paths again until 1996 when Kemp endorsed Dole's opponent Forbes on the eve of the New York Primary in March.

Dole despised Kemp's economic theories, but felt Kemp-like tax cuts offered his best chance at electoral success. During the campaign Kemp and Steve Forbes advocated for a stronger stand on tax cutting than Dole used. For his part, Kemp had to make concessions as well: He had to back expelling the children of illegal immigrants from public schools despite his longstanding opposition to Proposition 187 as well as mute his opposition to abolish affirmative-action programs in California. However, Kemp was able to use the nomination to promote his opposition to Clinton's partial birth abortion ban veto. From the outset of their campaign, Dole-Kemp trailed, and they faced skeptics even from within the party. However, in general, the opinion was that Kemp was helpful to the ticket's chances of catching Bill Clinton. When Dole declined an invitation to speak National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, he had offered up Kemp as a substitute even before Kemp had been named as the Vice Presidential nominee because Kemp was the highest-profile progressive Republican. After receiving the nomination, Kemp became the ticket’s spokesman for minorities and the inner-city. Due to agreement on the self-help policy that Louis Farrakhan has endorsed in many fora including the Million Man March, Kemp in a sense aligned himself with Farrakhan. However, Farrakhan is anti-Semitic, which necessitated some political sidestepping. As the nominee, Kemp at times overshadowed Dole. In fact, more than once, Kemp was described as if he was the Presidential nominee. During the campaign, Kemp expressed the opinion that the Republican party leaders did not stand behind the ticket wholeheartedly.

Gore and Kemp were long-time friends unlike Gore and his previous Vice-Presidential opponent Dan Quayle. Thus, as debaters they did not attempt personal attacks. In the final October 9 1996 Vice Presidential Debate against Al Gore when the Dole-Kemp ticket was already trailing badly in the national polls, Kemp was said to have been soundly beaten. The debate ranged broadly in topics from the usual topics such as abortion, foreign policy to a discourse on an incident preceding the current baseball playoffs, in which Roberto Alomar, the Baltimore Orioles' second baseman, cursed and spat on an umpire. One of the more interesting topics for the critics was the discussion of the policy on Mexico. The Gore victory was not a surprise since Kemp had been outmatched by Gore in previous encounters.

Post-political life

His legacy includes the Kemp-Roth Tax Cut of the 1980s, also known as the first of the two "Reagan tax cuts." In 1993, Kemp co-founded (with Bill Bennett and Jeane Kirkpatrick and with the financial backing of Theodore Forstmann) the free market advocacy group Empower America, which later merged with Citizens for a Sound Economy to form Freedom Works, but resigned as Co-Chairman of Freedom Works in March 2005 after he was questioned by the FBI about his ties to Samir Vincent, a Northern Virginia oil trader implicated in the U.N. Oil-for-food scandal who pled guilty to four criminal charges stemming from the scandal, including illegally acting as an unregistered lobbyist of the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein. Testimony about Kemp became prominent in the trial. Kemp was also tied to James Cosentino by Federal Bureau of Investigation informant Richard Fino just weeks before the 1996 election.

By 1996, Kemp had been named a director of six corporate boards after leaving the government in 1993. He had been a director for Cyrix Corporation, American Bankers Insurance Group. Kemp he has served on the board of Oracle Corporation which is owned by friend Larry Ellison, since 1996 and was named to the board of Six Flags, Inc. in December 2005. He has also been a director for Hawk Corporation, IDT Corporation CNL Hotels and Resorts, Inc. and InPhonic, Inc. At IDT, Kemp opted not to stand for re-election in 2006. He also served as a Distinguished Fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute where he wrote regularly on economic and regulatory issues. Kemp is the founder and chairman of Kemp Partners, a strategic consulting firm helping clients achieve both business and public policy goals.

Although mentioned as a possible 2000 presidential candidate, Kemp did not run, instead endorsing eventual winner George W. Bush. Kemp has continued his political advocacy for reform of taxation, Social Security and education. In addition to his fiscal and economic policies, Kemp advocated against abortion at the time of congress was considering the a bill banning partial-birth abortions. He also advocates for retired NFL veterans on issues such as cardiovascular screening, assisted living, disability benefits, and the recently approved joint replacement program. Furthermore, he advocates for reforming immigration laws.

On March 25 2003, Kemp was selected as Chairman of the Board of Directors of USA Football, a national advocacy group for amateur football created by the National Football League and the NFL Players Association. The organization supports Pop Warner, American Youth Football, Boys and Girls Clubs Of America, National Recreation and Park Association, Police Athletic League, YMCA and the AAU.

Kemp was among the prominent business and political leaders who pledged to raise money for the defense of Scooter Libby in 2005. In 2006, Kemp, along with another unsuccessful vice-presidential candidate, John Edwards, co-chaired the Council on Foreign Relations task force on Russia, producing a document called "Russia’s Wrong Direction: What the United States Can and Should Do".

As of May 2007, Kemp sat on the board of the Yellowstone Mountain Club, which is located in on in the Madison Range north of Yellowstone National Park with 60 ski runs. The Club is a private ski and golf resort where people have come from around the world to build vacation homes. Bill Gates and Dan Quayle are members, and Greg LeMond has accused founder, Timothy Blixseth, of borrowing hundreds of millions of dollars from the club without collateral. Membership, once approved, is $300,000 plus $16,000 annual dues for all members who own their land and homes.

On January 6 2008 he endorsed John McCain in the 2008 Republican presidential primaries shortly before the New Hampshire primary, which was a surprise to many conservative Republican tax-cutters.

Personal

Kemp is the third of four sons of a father who was a trucking company owner and a mother who was a social worker and Spanish teacher. His parents, Paul and Frances Kemp, raised their sons in the Wilshire district of Los Angeles, which was a heavily Jewish section of West Los Angeles. He was raised in the Church of Christ, Scientist faith. He married Joanne Main after she graduated from Occidental College in 1958, a year after Kemp had, and became a Presbyterian. Kemp and Joanne, his college sweetheart, reside in . The Kemps switched their official residence from to Bethesda in 1989. Kemp has two sons, both of whom played professional football as a quarterback. Jeff Kemp played in the NFL from 1981 to 1991, and Jimmy Kemp played in the CFL from 1994 to 2002. He also has two daughers named Jennifer and Judith. Jeff, Jennifer and Judith are each two years apart and Jimmy is eight years younger than Judith. As of June 2006, the Kemps had sixteen grandchildren. Kemp's opposition to abortion is partially affected by his own wife's miscarriage.

Views on soccer

Kemp has been an outspoken opponent of the other version of football, known in the United States as soccer. In 1986 on the House floor during a debate concerning whether the United States should host the 1994 World Cup, Kemp famously proclaimed "I think it is important for all those young out there — who someday hope to play real football, where you throw it and kick it and run with it and put it in your hands — [that] a distinction should be made that football is democratic capitalism, whereas soccer is a European socialist sport." Kemp has compared his speech to George Carlin's 1984 comedy routine on the differences between baseball and American football and has written that his "tongue was firmly planted in cheek" when making the speech. Despite the jocular nature of the speech, it continues to garner negative backlash to this day. However, he continues to insist that the main problem with soccer is "it doesn't have a quarterback".

Kemp notes that about half of his grandchildren play or have played organized soccer and claims to have since 'changed' his position on soccer and even attended the 1994 World Cup Final with long time soccer fan Henry Kissinger, although he wrote during the 2006 World Cup that soccer can be interesting to watch but it is still a "boring game".

Books

In addition to authoring significant legislation as a congressman, Kemp has authored or co-authored several books:

An American Idea: Ending Limits to Growth, (ISBN , Goodrich, 1985)
An American Renaissance: Strategy for the 1980's, (ISBN 0-06-012283-8, Harper & Row, 1979)
The IRS v. The People, (ISBN 089195077X, Heritage Books, 2005) Authored by Ken Blackwell and edited by Kemp
Trusting the People : The Dole-Kemp Plan to Free the Economy and Create a Better America, (ISBN 0694518042 audiobook, ASIN B000OEV5RE HarperCollins, 1996) coauthored with Bob Dole, narrated by Christine Todd Whitman

Kemp, who at the time of writing An American Renaissance was a newly converted supply-side economics convert, says the message is best summarized as saying that "A rising tide lifts all boats."

Notes

References

Clinton, Bill (2005). My Life. Vintage. ISBN 1-4000-3003-X.
Foer, Franklin (2004). How Soccer Explains the World. Harper.
Gruver, Ed (1997). The American Football League: A Year-by-Year History, 1960-1969, McFarland & Company, Inc., ISBN 0-7864-0399-3.
Lodge, George (2000). "The Reagan Plan". Harvard Business School 9-381-173.
Maiorana, Sal (1994). Relentless: The Hard-hitting History of Buffalo Bills Football, Quality Sports Publications, ISBN 1-885758-00-6.
Maiorana, Sal (2000). Relentless: The Hard-hitting History of Buffalo Bills Football, Volume II Quality Sports Publications, ISBN 1-885758-17-0.

External links

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