Dole-Mondale debate excerpt

[toniacock]

If these were all democrat wars...how is it that the military industrial complex(republicans) made all the money? Also why do other countries like Japan equate American flag waving, aggression and imperialism with the Republican Party. Pres. Dwight Eisenhour(sp) warned us about the military industrial complex way back in the 1950's. Hmmmnnnnn.....It finally came to pass?

[Tiggersalt79]

Talk about changing the subject!

[mindspring57]

The first American troops ("advisors") who went to Vietnam were sent by Eisenhower.

[Willjk89]

Let's go back into the past and not get involved in WWII and Korea!

You're a great American, Mr. Dole!

[BassClarinetV]

Bob Dole says Bob Dole.

[Lab356]

Oh btw thanks to the Democrats who made it possible for the USA to help Britain rid the world of a rather nasty fascist dictatorship

[gchuggins]

@Lab356: Democrat Woodrow Wilson's intervention in WWI a "war to end all wars" needlessly sacrificed over 100,000 American lives in a purely European, and wholly unnecessary war, that created the conditions which led to the communist revolution in Russia, the birth of the Nazi Party in Germany and the rise of Adolph Hitler. WWII was a continuation of WWI. If the US had not intervened in WWI, there would have been no WWII. We can Thank the Democrats for both WWI and WWII.

[Lab356]

@gchuggins I think it's a little bit more complex than that. Germany's economic troubles in the 1930s are as much to blame for the rise of Hitler as the supposedly harsh treaty of Versailles.

[loupgarou5z3w]

Lyndon Johnson, terrified of being called soft on communism, got sunk in Vietnam, rather similar with Obama, "Islamofascism," and Afghanistan.

[loupgarou5z3w]

Lyndon Johnson, terrified of ne

[BamaChris]

Democrats get people killed.  That's what they do. It's as plain and regular as water being wet, so why debate it?

[BamaChris]

Damn!  Dole was awesome.

[maxime32]

Inaccurate. 36K combat deaths in Vietnam of US soldiers were pre-Nixon (out of 58K). We should probably blame 1969 on LBJ too, that makes 48K (80-81%) before it was squarely "Nixon's war".

But both parties are warmongers. There is a peacenik minority in each that used to be bigger within the GOP and is now reduced to Ron Paulites and a couple Buchananites who haven't yet left the party.

[maxime32]

I am an Independent and won't debate your basic point about Repub. spending. However, Clinton was not headed towards a balanced budget with a Dem congress, only with Gingrich. Dems lie about spending too. Obama has submitted RECORD budget requests for defence/intell while asking for a freeze for everything else! That was Obama! Let's just tell the truth - no matter what party is in power, our spending priorities are moving towards fascist goals.

[FrsBigeasy]

This was a Horrible Misstatement that Bob Dole made & I'm I Glad he's not Remembered for it Today because he's a Great Man who's Done a lot of Great Things.

[maxime32]

Why is it a misstatement?

[FrsBigeasy]

He referred to the Vietnam, Korean & World War II as "Democrat Wars', trying to make a Partisan Issue out of it & Sen Mondale Referred to Sen Dole by saying that is why Sen Dole is known as a "Hatchet Man" for trying to make a Partisan Issue out of War.

[nonplayerzealot4]

@102LBC Good point.

[BamaChris]

Vietnam was JFK's mess. Nixon got us out of there.

[maxime32]

Ummm, sort of, but Nixon prosecuted the war longer than anyone, so he was hardly Mr Peace. It was McNamara's war, legend has it that JFK did not want to escalate around the time of his death.

[BamaChris]

Dole should not have been so surprised. Getting soldiers killed is what Democrats do.

[marcostar57]

Yea! Like those 5,000 dead soldiers under Democrat G.W. Bush!

[BamaChris]

Well, I was specifically refering to Vietnam and later Somalia.

[l3lackman2]

Hell, Bush's spending record and increase in government spending programs makes him look like a democrat

[marcostar57]

Just goes to show you that Republicans NEVER stand for the things they purport to!

[marcostar57]

LOL..well, not really "Democrat wars" WTF! Dole blew it for Ford w/his asinine hyperpartisanship -- what a dip! Dole mellowed through the years I know -- but Rethuglicans STILL use the same shitty tactics today.

[JMShuffield]

While Democrats play the race card anytime you oppose their Dearest Leader.

[jevoshawke13]

Ah, Dole.  He's actually a very witty man, came off kind of cold in this.

[CaptainDesiderio]

Is this the 1976 VP debate?

[SERVANTOFSET]

Can't be anything else.

[cumguzzlar]

Eh? What the fucks going on? Who's this asshole?

I was expecting tips on how to fiddle the dole. I'm relying on tips from my fat lying cunt brother at the minute, he's currently using 15 false accounts and on about £135,00 a year now. Just seems like a lot of paperwork to keep up to date, just aswell we don't work, got no time with all this cash coming in courtesy of the mug taxpayers....cheers.

[ezycell]

It's pretty rich, isn't it? They ask him about flipping on the pardon, and he tries to change the subject, and quite inartfully I might add. He tries to stoke the view widely held in the Vietnam war era that the Democrats tned to get America into wars. So what does he go on complain about? World Wars 1 and 2. Bob Dole, the greatest isolationist since Joe Kennedy. Nice, but... getting back to the question, how about flipping on the pardon, Mr. Dole?

[ohso41]

And he was raked over the coals for this and it was this moment that likely destroyed the rest of his political career, and then in 2008, Palin did exactly what Dole did, except she did it with every single questiont throughout the entire debate and it only made her even more popular- scary isn't it!

[jimmyjoe1975]

haha... Who cares. 1.6 million dead or some meaningless pardon. The neocon agenda includes wars first and foremost.  The neocons abandoned the democratic party in the 70s and now rule the Republican Party. They and possibly you, are evil.

[ezycell]

Now that's sure a politician for you. His failures are ancient history; his successes are his record!

[sean2015]

Mondale has stated in interviews that one of his aides correctly predicted to him (prior to the debate) that Dole would make the statement about WW2 being "Democratic wars". Mondale said he dismissed this prediction as nonsense and was shocked when Dole actually uttered those words.

If you watch video of this debate from a different camera angle, you'll notice a very conspicuous grin come over Mondale's face after Dole makes these remarks.

[DIEGOSHAY]

Wow. What the hell? Could you imagine if a Democrat started criticizing WWII? He would be raked over the coals.

[dkraemer3]

Is it me, or does his fingers looklike they are 12 inches long?

[goatseguy]

hahaha, what an asshole

[IAMASTRONGMAN]

Bob Dole is awesome.

[rwo2112]

I wish i was old enough at the time to have voted for this man.

[PLArkansas]

Dole was playing the role of a hatchet man in this debate. Agree or disagree, he's hilarious. You almost expect him to start in. . ." Bob Dole wouldn't start a war! Bob Dole knows about sacrifice. Jimmy Carter's a coward, you know it, I know it, the American people know it!

I miss his humor.

[cicio428]

Worthless comment? Thats horseKAKA! Even though Nixon withdrew troops and ended the war, it went on the first 4 years of his term. We don't need division in the USA that is this bitterly partisan. Even Sen. McCain said that last night.

[surfingthechaos]

The fact that it was spouted by someone like John McCain only further demonstrates how worthless it is.

[rickji2]

This is retarded, "democrat wars", most republicans in congress when with all of those wars that dole proposed were the faults of democrats, including WWII the one he served so bravely in. Vietnam may have been started by a democrat but it was fought with greater intensity by Nixon, a Republican.

Anyway that is the kind of thing we don't need in this country. That kind of divisive talk.

Glad that dope wasn't elected President or Vice-President.

[surfingthechaos]

Actually it was fought with greatest intensity by LBJ who was a Democrat. LBJ was the one who milked the draft policy as much as a president legally could. People were burning there draft cards in protest of LBJ not Nixon. Nice UN-originality by the way with your repetition of how we don't need "divisive comments" in this country. First of all that opinion was worthless the first time it was spouted. It certainly wasn't necessary for you to mention it again for the seventh time.

[rickji2]

No, you need to brush up a little on history. It was Nixon who authorized intense bombing campaigns that LBJ refused to authorize for fear of hitting civilian targets. If you think that LBJ was protested and not Nixon or that Nixon was protested much less, then that is absurd. Look at all the organizations, look at all the massive protests that were during Nixon's Presidency. Vietnam Veterans against the war ring a bell? Who do u think John Kerry threw his medals at?

[surfingthechaos]

If the protest involved John Kerry then it was nothing more than a publicity stunt.

[rickji2]

This was before he was in politics. It was organized by a group called Vietnam Veterans against the War. I am only using it as an example to show that many people protested against Nixon's handling of Vietnam. In fact many more people than protested against LBJ's handling, but that is logical since Nixon was in office for a greater duration of the war.

[cicio428]

Well... I respect your opinion, and your right to give it thats what this great country is all about. I just COMPLETELY disagree with your opinion. Anarchist! Thats interesting.

[cicio428]

I don't like division in our country. So this "blind patriot" would like to see comments like "democrat wars" avoided. You don't seem to like democrats or republicans what are you ? a communist?

[surfingthechaos]

Is that question directed towards me? I am not a communist. I associate myself most closely with the label Anarchist. As far as economics go I tend to lean slightly to the conservative side. I do have friends that are communists because I don't believe a person's economic viewpoints reflect the content of their character.

[surfingthechaos]

I also believe that their are good Democrats as well as their are bad Democrats, just as their are good Republicans as well as their are bad Republicans, but for the most part I would rather vote for third party candidates like Ralph Nader.

[surfingthechaos]

I also think it is necessary to draw a line in the sand so you can know that people on one side of the line are the ones trying to perpetuate the machine, and the people on the other side are the people who are fed up with the bullshit. It takes blunt and potentially offensive comments like Dole's to draw that line.

[cicio428]

Bitter to the core !!

[surfingthechaos]

Dole speaks his mind. And in this case he was absolutely right. You're just upset that all the facts stated weren't edited out by Fox News to be more in line with your rose tinted view of the world.

[cicio428]

Yes! That is a very bitter and nasty thing to say. How can you blame WWII on the Democrats? We were attacked at Pearl Harbor!

[surfingthechaos]

Roosevelt let us get attacked you mean.

[cicio428]

Thats crazy! Roosevelt was one of our greatest presidents! Both Roosevelts for that matter. Dole can can get away with Vietnam,,Korea and WWI, but WWII?! We were aganist Hitler!!!! Open your eyes!! The " Democrat Wars" statement is the most bitterly divisive comment ever made during a debate. He looks vicious as he says it!

[surfingthechaos]

Teddy Roosevelt was an ignorant asshole who continually espoused his vicious belief that white christians held cultural superiority over other ethnic groups and religions. Franklin Delano Roosevelt forced America into socialism. Fuck both the Roosevelts.

[surfingthechaos]

And I'm getting tired of Hitler being used as a scapegoat for the war. Read up on Albert Einstein. He urged FDR to develop the atomic bomb out of fear that Hitler would develop it first. The Nazis come and go, but America continues it's development of the bomb. Einstein realized it was the greatest mistake of his life and has said so.

[surfingthechaos]

Einstein was a pacificts for his whole life, but because of one moment of weakness where he acted out of fear instead of logic the greatest weapon of evil still plagues the earth to this day.

[surfingthechaos]

There were many in America at that time that made the same mistake. After World War 1 happened most of the country was leaning towards non-interventionism. So FDR allows the Japanese to attack Pearl Harbor knowing he would be able to take advantage of a situation where peoples fear would supersede their logic.

[surfingthechaos]

As far as the comment being divisive goes, you're right, but it isn't divisive between Democrats and Republicans. It's divisive between blind patriots who think there's a such thing as a just war an the people who know better. That's a distinction that NEEDS to be made.

[EdwardP88]

Wow that was a mistake for him to do that and lol i live in Detroit.

P.S. why was Dole posing like he was being photographed by GQ at the beginning of this excerpt. lol

[surfingthechaos]

It was not a mistake. You may not like it, but he knew perfectly well he was being offensive. That was the point! People NEED to be slapped out of their complacent states of mind like this..

[EdwardP88]

i know he was being offensive but i was saying it was bad politically for him to do it. And who gave me a thumbs down?

[surfingthechaos]

Maybe he wasn't thinking about whether or not it would benefit himself politically. Maybe he said it because it was the right thing to say. I gave you a thumbs down for your over-simplistic attitude.

[EdwardP88]

shut up that don't make no sense, my "over-simplistic attitude" whatever and i'm giving you a thumbs down because of your "bitchy attitude"

[surfingthechaos]

Well then I'm giving you a thumbs down just for the hell of it.

[EdwardP88]

well I'm giving you a thumbs down for the hell of it because you gave me a thumbs down for the hell of it.

[surfingthechaos]

Well then I'm giving you thumbs down for the hell of it because you gave me a thumbs down just for the hell of it because I gave you a thumbs down just for the hell of it INFINITY!

[maxime32]

I like Dole's point for once. Too bad the Republicans became like the old Democrats in their lust for empire.

[cicio428]

Thanks lawford83! Anything from that 1976 campaign I would like to see. Especially Dole who I have heard was really OVER THE TOP with his comments aganist Carter-Mondale. Some of Pres. Fords people thought that Dole hurt them in this close election.

[cicio428]

Dole is a great American. However this is one of the bitterest comments ever made in a debate! Can someone post Mondale's response?

[lawford83]

This is the only portion of the debate I have. According to the book "Presidential Debates," Mondale responded sharply: "I think Senator Dole has richly earned his reputation as a hatchet man tonight."

[Tiggersalt79]

@lawford83 Mondale gives his response: "I think Senator Dole has richly earned his reputation as a hatchet man tonight, by implying and stating that World War II and the Korean War were Democratic wars. Does he really mean to suggest to the American people that there was a partisan difference over our involvement in the war to fight Nazi Germany? I don't think any reasonable American would accept that." Apparently Dole had used the line more successfully in stump speeches!

[surfingthechaos]

So someone who doesn't sugarcoat the truth is automatically bitter.

[JohnMichaels20]

Bob Dole knows that any ticket on which is Bob Dole, Bob Dole's ticket will lose