Nancy Kassebaum, Bob Dole uneasy with growth of bitter partisanship

LAWRENCE — Former U.S. Sens. Nancy Kassebaum and Robert Dole expressed regret Saturday at erosion of bipartisan collegiality and trust essential for success of political leaders in the nation’s capitol.

“We were proud to be traditional Kansas Republican conservatives,” Dole said to applause from an overflow crowd at the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. “We understood to get things done you have Ds and Rs, but Nancy and I also had friends on both sides. We were sent there to do a job, not call each other names.”

Kassebaum, who served 18 years in the U.S. Senate with Dole, said the notion of congenially working across the aisle on complicated public policy challenges had lost its luster.

“Today,” she said, “what really is a concern is that people don’t trust or respect. We’re really lacking it today. That’s why so many people today say, ‘Oh, I’m so tired of all this yelling and shouting, we may just may not vote.’?”

Dole, 93, served in the U.S. Senate from 1969 to 1996 and U.S. House from 1961 to 1969. He was regarded as a Senate leader who embraced compromise as a practical element of governing. His political career began after returning to Russell from combat in World War II.

Kassebaum, an 84-year-old native of Topeka, is the daughter of Alf Landon, the unsuccessful GOP presidential nominee in 1936. She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978 and re-elected twice.

“We can look back on it now and hope we did things that were helpful to people,” Dole said.

The joint appearance was capped by presentation to Kassebaum of the 2016 Dole Leadership Prize awarded annually to an individual or group whose public service inspired others. Kassebaum’s husband, the late Sen. Howard Baker, received the award in 2006. Other winners were Nelson Mandela, the Wounded Warrior Project, U.S. Rep. John Lewis, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

During the program, Kassebaum recalled that when engaging in major disagreements with President Ronald Reagan, the former movie actor would end conversations on an upbeat note.

“I really miss that sense of energy, of enthusiasm, of hope that things can be worked through,” she said. “I’m very disappointed, to tell you the truth, in Congress.”

Dole said it wasn’t uncommon in the 1970s and 1980s, when both were in the U.S. Senate, for Democrats and Republicans to sit together and talk about family or life in their home state. Those seemingly insignificant discussions can be the foundation of compromise during moments of gridlock, he said.

He said Democratic President Barack Obama made a tactical error by not forming stronger relationships with Democrats and Republicans in Congress. He is pleased the Senate, which could swing back to control by Democrats, has shown signs of acknowledging the necessity of bipartisanship.

“If everybody agreed with you, it’d be a dull life,” Dole said. “You need to hear from the other side. If you’re going to be good at anything, you need to learn to listen.”

Kassebaum said discontent evident among American voters during the 2016 presidential race that propelled the candidacies of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, who were viewed as fringe participants early in the process, had to be understood and answered.

“Why do they feel nobody’s paying attention and nothing’s getting done?” she said.

While Dole affirmed his endorsement of Trump’s nomination, he said the GOP nominee was wrong to express sweeping anti-Muslim sentiment and advocate for the deportation of 11 million illegal immigrants.

Kassebaum declined to publicly back Trump or Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but she professed difficulty imagining Trump delivering a State of the Union speech or assuming the role of commander-in-chief. She more than once expressed disappointment the GOP candidate repeatedly engaged in personal attacks that served to tear at the nation’s fabric.

“It doesn’t help us come together,” Kassebaum said. “It’s escalating on both sides now. I’m really more sad than mad.”

Dole, who lost the 1996 presidential campaign to Bill Clinton, said he had personally advised Trump to dial back his harsh commentary when speaking to voters — or, as Dole concisely put it, to “grow up.”

“I always thought Bill Clinton was my opponent — not my enemy,” Dole said. “It’s all gotten out of whack.”

Dole, who indicated his favorite song was “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” said he appreciated Reagan’s belief and practice of religious faith.

“I know somebody is walking with me. I wish he’d fix my knee,” he joked.