States Know Better, Dole Tells Lawmakers Address Before Joint Session Called Unprecedented By Legislators

Congress wants to give control of government back to the states, Republican presidential front-runner Bob Dole told a joint session of the Idaho Legislature on Monday.

“I think one thing we can always agree on, regardless of our party, is a change in the attitude that said ‘Washington knows best,”’ the Republican senator from Kansas told a packed House chamber.

Lawmakers said it was unprecedented for a presidential candidate to address the Idaho Legislature. Members of both parties welcomed Dole’s appearance.

“I think it’s highly appropriate that we hear from him,” said Sen. Mary Lou Reed, D-Coeur d’Alene. “I’m sure that if President Clinton came to Boise, the Republicans would welcome him, too.”

“I don’t think he gave a campaign speech today. I think he spoke as majority leader,” said U.S. Sen. Dirk Kempthorne, R-Idaho, who sat to Dole’s left during the speech.

Kempthorne, a Dole supporter, said the candidate asked the officials who accompanied him into the House chamber to remove their “Dole” campaign stickers from their lapels, “out of respect for the legislative body.”

“He’s very concerned about that,” said U.S. Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, who sat to Dole’s right. “He wanted it to be a message from the Senate majority leader and not from Bob Dole the candidate, and I think he accomplished that.”

Dole lavished praise on both Kempthorne and Craig during his talk, and spoke as he left of helping get Craig re-elected, even though Craig hasn’t endorsed Dole for president.

Craig said he’s remaining neutral in the presidential race for now. “I want to get this budget battle out of the way first,” he said.

Dole drew laughs from the lawmakers as he described how he first became a Republican in a town where few paid heed to party labels: “I went to the courthouse and looked at the registration rolls. I discovered there were more Republicans than Democrats.”

He talked of transforming federal-state relations “from one of paternalism to one of partnership.”

He praised Kempthorne for his successful legislation outlawing “unfunded mandates,” federal programs that states must follow without federal funding. And he praised Craig for helping push a constitutional amendment requiring a balanced budget to within one vote of passing the Senate.

Dole listed the subcommittees the two Idaho senators head, and said, “In Washington, D.C., that’s what they call clout, and that’s good for Idaho regardless of party.”

He spoke out strongly in favor of welfare reform, noting that the reform bill President Clinton vetoed passed the Senate by a vote of 87-12.

“Everyone knows the present system has failed, under Democrats and under Republicans,” Dole said.

And he gave lawmakers a “progress report” on budget talks, saying, “We’re miles apart on policy.”

“Next Wednesday, we’ll sit down with the president again and see if we can reach a credible balanced budget in seven years using real dollars,” he said.

“Doing the right thing sometimes is difficult. We can’t do it by polls.”

“It seems to me we’ve got our work cut out for us,” he said.

After the talk, state Treasurer Lydia Justice Edwards gushed, “Oh, he’s fabulous. He’s going to make a wonderful president.”

Mobbed by TV crews, reporters and well-wishers, Dole made his way slowly through the Capitol to a waiting mini-van. It whisked him to a $1,000-a-plate fund-raiser downtown that drew 150 people.

From there, Dole was off to Salt Lake City and then Bismarck, N.D.

House Speaker Mike Simpson said, “I would frown upon it if all of a sudden I started getting phone calls from all the candidates,” with requests to address the Legislature. “It’s a little different when you’ve got the majority leader of the U.S. Senate.”

“It’s kind of an unprecedented situation, but I don’t know of anyone that had a real problem with it.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

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