Senator Bob Dole and Senator Kassebaum Baker: Giants of the Senate

from the dole institute of politics kbr prisons senator bob dole and senator nancy kassebaum baker science of the senate i'm kay macintyre between the two of them bowling kestenbaum baker have more than fifty years in the us senate they appeared together on september seventeenth two thousand sixteen at the dole institute where kassebaum baker receive the annual poll leadership prize this event was moderated by bill lacy director of the dole institute let's start center has obama the question for you could you tell us you came up with a very famous political family could you tell us about your upbringing your education and how what led you to a career in public service well i never dreamed i would be running for the united states senate is to start with a running for office so i grew up in the viet thanh pham a lot of time on it over to cover ever i believe that period of time when i was growing up everybody here polio and my parents believed it was and that it swam in chlorinated water was our rights when

the carburetor oh ah well i had a good time campaigning in those day he posted everywhere you know iran is growing others say what they i remember it will he will the roosevelt in nineteen forty my neighbor arab neighbors but it was a relatively young will hiroshima and that way we could society have the election years old you say

ball well senator tell us about that first though that person narration had nineteen seventy eight well they're on why republicans in the primary and seven other thoughtful i was very fortunate to have gone to k u where i call on people that i knew it can be i thought it invites if they were helping someone else that would suggest maybe someone else i could see with him and i also have more children because the state so i was able to notice when they campaigned in those days a lot of this is saying that we do you know great volunteers like that not what the day and a volunteer so it was enjoyable and wears you know it was a close race but

that's how i won with good volunteers who really how you want to do is he's been a state senator go what the well what are your feelings and center kassebaum was selected we knew she was going to be one of your colleagues say i'm a very happy you know we had a great relationship we were proud to be additional can says republican conservatives which means we understood to get things done you have decent you mrs but nancy i also i have friends on both sides i mean developing trust when you get to know someone

regardless of party and when you trust each other and you can talk to each other about how can we work this out helpfully subtler so we can pass this bill and nancy get a better job of that than i did but i learned a lot from her and i learned a lot from our baker he was my mentor he was well we majority in nineteen eighty one reagan swept the senate the majority i'm fed up of our sin russell long from louisiana had been chairman of the finance committee for seventeen years and suddenly i became the chairman of the finance committee and nonmember wants a call the roll and the they always say you know as one mr chairman and he's

said mr chairman and ross wallboard we thought the chairman and this is a wonderful guide to undo it the other identity knew we were sent there to do a job not to call each other names all that and i want to thank the chance or the prose for all wealth they've given the doorways through which i think of them as said to carry you you can very good center kassebaum you were one of the first woman elected to the senate earlier i can you talk a little bit about the end and you also were the first chair a major committee could you talk a little bit about the challenges that you face as a woman going into the senate with having only had i think one trailblazer and kind of how that

might be different than challenges that women in public service placed a very well i think there are different challenges for both men and women is not taxed on that i always said i was elected to be a senator not just a us senator for women i thought it was important to be able to show that we're all we're dirt dressing many ways the same issue and if i spend a lot of time worrying about whether i was being taken seriously i would be wasting a lot of my time and so you could worry there's a senate strictly senate dining there is a senate dining room and then there's only a sin and there is a republican table and said there was a table that i must have been there all have a year before i went through that door it beautifully above i get one that i was afraid to go i just want your want to bother they wait until you're ready

our senses center sense is that he had to clear his jokes through his wife clara so i think i think i'd have to say though that the problems now are different but they're significant and for both of us the worry is that people are willing to work across the aisle enduring you don't spend the time is your committee chairman and a lot of strength lies in those committee chairman made his finance chairman you had a tremendous per but you always worked with the whole committee and it was the chairman who will really exercise their initial even i think today but they're when i chaired well now scott the help committee which i thought i have to it was a labor in the field labor committee and handles health issues that ted kennedy was either major and minor leaguer

and we worked back in four some people say well how did you work with ted kennedy well you can't you can't when you care about the issues than he did health care so it isn't easy but i think today what really is the concern is that people don't have a trust or respect and even respect for those who might disagree with you all the time there has to be something that you feel is important in that respect and other were really lacking at the day and i think that's why so many people say oh i just i'm so tired of all this yelling and shouting we just may not vote and that's unfortunate or gets along areas who wanted that italy's me what i think is a real issue today and maybe trying to understand why there is such

discontent in the public of why people feel they no one's paying any attention nothing's getting done and i can say when bob was later and i worked under we were eighteen year we were in senate eighteen years together that bob was leader for six of those years and nolan well when i was also leery of laughter you've had over nineteen eighty four and i didn't lead the mindsets and there were you know and then howard was leader before you said that i saw you both really work with your committee chairman and you made sure you pointed out with russell long that you are working together and i think that's that's what we need to instill what kind of fall apart like at nasa build it and i liked star reviews are just one name a couple or

three leaders that you work with that you really admire no it's true and our discourse and howard howard however after i married him i said i was not ever been a calling leader a piano but he also had a rule that i couldn't believe and i might share with you because i grew up we always talked at the dinner table about public affairs and what was going on dad loved taught the local gossip in the state affairs as well as national and an aggressive as he did most of the talking that we all sat around the table and we exchanged so i had our came to visit with the family in nineteen ninety six right at the time of the democratic convention and so we were arguing about that and an increase

in someone and boys said so howard what do you think about the convention you say oh you know it's my rule we don't talk politics or religion at the dinner table and as it will when you talk about fraud but i had big name to do and i really i i have to say i think you i worked with a lot of colleagues some time agreed with and some i didn't but i admired what i think we all have a fairly convenient time in that period of time again liane trent lott volunteered in may after you step down the ninety six burnett has fallen to trent lott well i no really anyway i you know i i tell you i miss

in and disagree with some with president reagan you know you could be sent on and in the room with him when he was trying to talk about something that we didn't agree on an ad budget he always managed to find some way to end the conversation in an up the weather and i really miss her today hi i'm really miss that sense of energy and enthusiasm and hope if things can be worked through and surly buehler leaders here at the university after know that isn't easy and it takes time and patience and dedication that i don't think many are willing to give and congress today i really don't and i'm very disappointed that day the truth in the congress so that those easy to say now that i'm not going to mention a

couple of oh a couple leaders that you really admire now our lesson earlier i learned a lot from our because the way he dealt with people you know yeah that we need friends out of their worth private or do you not surrounded by friends so far we're going to go you know i think when nancy and i were there as many democratic friends of the republican brand and over on the democratic side and sit down with a lot of democrats and we wouldn't talk politics we talk about where there are five and where i was from our family and i don't think that's totally gone i think there've been forty bills at least in the

senate there were bipartisan and so i think that started the comeback that low not a lot of churn but i think there is a recognition this has been my experience in thirty six years and farmers so there's two law those two people are gone and nancy and i want to get back to nancy kass a lot of dollars the most popular politician in kansas and i was thirty four reporters you always exaggerating the law's through through the men say a way about her he certainly willing to engage people

and think you're going to be good in at eight they may have to learn to listen no people out problems and have some politician lawyer through god's along our yeah they are so shell out so we are now meeting for people who have the town meetings and we would speak and then he'd take questions sent people say bob walker will crawl that all military men susan millerick get back though not all i think i think its improving little bit me you know in miami and get in our day there we didn't we had to set up an email system getting the idea there was time to leave and they said there were no email all the senator's aide i don't enjoy the episode

but give everybody their tweets today that's how people get to hear things and it just goes out instantly that's how donald trump got worries tweets every day biden whose get a tweet there are you know for sure i'll have the list at the university of arizona the way that the sewage at our arm during the eighty eight ninety six campaign side i remember are being in center bills office a lot and our always running the center kassebaum always enjoyed that because some of your colleagues weren't always agreeable to staff a presidential campaign that's ever kassebaum was always alive but you guys work together very closely

i'm curious if you could talk about some of the things you were together a long tv one example of the americans for disabilities act and over here over here that was very controversial and what you went through finance committee it went through the committee i was on several different committees have jurisdiction for different parts of that bill bob was majority leader and i would have to say today i saw it and call people into the office all the chairman all of the members of that committee there were intricately involved in that legislation and i don't think it would be in existence as it is today if it had not been for bob as majority leader the way he called us all together people would argue upper dam you tell a story and i don't know

if it was on this issue of someone who is getting a bad time very berry and didn't you tell him to get up and leave were also a republican and we have a cop on scientists trying to get votes and weekend where i have votes and he was very contrary roots you thought i was a big of a role or something and so i said you wanna be the leader if you do let's have a vote right now need them up and why have the conference will then he sat down and i have that's an example i think one issue i know that there was a lot of controversy a lot of controversy that people were concerned about one aspect or another that bill and it turns that kind of leadership as majority leader and his dedication

to it two to make it work and it's one that i worked with ted kennedy well that's true and then you want to work with kennedy a better be prepared even know if they're next month's that hasn't in my view is you never better the nearest that and that's true and say you were there were all the other bits that you know you're gonna get the credit that they're going to go along the war on the martin luther serving all day bill chairman a committee a nightmare and we took that go up and it's that bob would you watch this or they are while on that can't use of a slide it and see carmen three day the vote that i worked out that martin luther an olive a bill

much credit for that nancy and i think a river that i don't understand people that don't see each of us in america regardless of our ethnicity or background are color whatever and out our lives it was really a great experience and i would not apple allow a lot of people in this room simon nancy hughes supported us and if you did why it's ok but you know you can't win unless you have people in every county douglas county as a couple hours working for you know both people vote

for me and douglas county are still alive roll your date's nice i'm driving sarah kassebaum would you take a moment to describe one or two pieces of legislation that you're especially proud of being involved in well i think one was working almost all my eighteen years here on trying to get some protection and liability protection for commercial aviation it was killing smaller hyper went out of business at the time and certainly gained from kansas beach and cessna

oh we're really struggling and it's you know that's a hotel lobby of lawyers who were merely had trouble wanting to limits in anyway liability but it was a question that i think at times we get carried away and you almost feel it people can sue with if they sue the hat was in the road in their way i mean the most trivial things and in the aviation industry commercial aviation industry at that time was sound i was really annoyed so worked and worked and worked in this was india commerce committee the time and i was on the committee you could you had these connected with the aviation industry and commerce committee and went on there when i was first elected and it was a row pleasure

to finally see working across the aisle with a lot of people finally getting that legislation passed and he did provide give and take but some are billy to help the industry feel the same way it could be better addressed and that was one song or you know you do i i worked a lot on health care issues so one of them was hillary clinton's first health care bill done more over why didn't work whether she's that's when she was first lady off member and she had a big health care bill a similar somewhat to the affordable care act but we had two full weeks of hearings i learned more about health care through those hearings and that's again an example of what's missing today those were all on cnn a lot of give and

take about what was involved it i remember meeting with her once a one on one with staff and in her office over the white house and she didn't see any need to address my concerns but she there were a lot of difficulties in that bill and i think the thing that was good friend that was maybe a better understanding of what the problems were the difficulties of trying to address them in such a major way so it never got out of our committee you didn't have to deal with it on the floor but down i think things like that aw i guess one thing i have to say because i chair the african subcommittee for many years and i was really it breaks my heart to see some of the advances they are that have were made it seem to not hold up and so

just to say one thing that i was pleased with working with sanctions which on the whole i mean i'm not a strong supporter of sanctions sanctions against south africa to try and bring into apartheid and worked with the house and i know president reagan had a problem with air and i have to say it but i'm sure you would've been with us but that's an example where as leader you had no choice but to represent the president's point of view on that issue and that we'd get override president reagan's veto and i it was not that onerous a sanction bill but i think it's symbolized we cared about africa so things like that well both of you senator dole you attended k u r before the war and center kassebaum you graduated from gay yoo i share some of your memories about k you when he's both levy yes

sir you can start center errand my friends at never available in law mark at when i was here war broke out and everybody was on caring for the navy air force army whatever and so you know there are frowned so yeah they have the farewell party and we had for all parties almost every night owl so we visited the allied your reply as though i don't want to do to a lot of different things like bill clinton well the iowa you miss having to take a western send how many here remember western said about that nancy forgot to mention she go out or rural health care and no health

care and you know you do you could miss i said yesterday leaving phil luna things that nancy's been involved in setting up arms control something that we don't bring out i guess what i was glad i were done well there's a that's right now legal in a way we can look back on now on faults that we did things that were helpful to people and of course i came from the farm our chances and farmers were wonderful i don't care which party they're wonderful people and in nineteen seventy four a very close race and the day before the election i got an airplane or western kansas

western kansas and carrie the day parade by fourteen thousand points than fourteen thousand votes and my opponents on the man remembers bill roy abortion became a big issue in that campaign i think as we want but it was a first date no became an issue in the all oppressed came out or the new york times in all tv people and you know we as well a strange people on each side that issue some alive supporter a recurring fetuses around the jar making the plate so that bothers me for several years and about three years

ago i call real roller i said baylor says bob dole i haven't wanted to call you can understand that courage because i want guess is that if any idea in our campaign but i did personally that was the fantasy you and the thought of minnesota i can't claim that they not a watershed of these now ninety three some org twenty years by this trial close to be around thirty years new data lead beyond and we're as laurel robinson and there season drama with new running out to the right money has celebrated his honor earthen works every day raising angus cattle

and i call him on his birthday they do if it adheres to whatever and so it is but forty five we wanted it every day you're an inspiration is an areas today injured our reviewer is whether with his daughter and i want her recognized it because you know there's we're living longer there's more technology improvements in health care but he told me he was in great health so far they haven't seen a doctor at night sooner kassebaum your share a severe k u experiences what you remember about well dean smith and i were back here will crash know

how long that that was a bear six years ago a man oh yeah well anyway dean was a year ahead of mia both in high school and it and we were here to help raise money for the bob ney center here and we were asked to reminisce well both of those same time you know what would be on the route where the dynamite at you know a lot of the places it you are no longer yes yeah that's right i mean i would say the one thing i was glad martha peterson was here is the dean of women in a new goal was put in place to limit the two there were two women storms at that time or been an art college and odd venues and the suggestion was that freshmen girls lived for a year in the door before they could pledge in the story and i thought that was a good

idea and so i volunteered to be a counselor so my junior and part of my senior year i was a counselor and i decided that was girls probably knew more than i did it was very hard for me i had no authority to say no you can't hide their bottle and your bet so i don't know where i was i mean that's one thing that i enjoyed a lot doing the senior year i went back to the sorority so i can graduate with some of my friends but most of them are getting married before they graduated so it was a different time and i i really enjoyed their experience and i had then it was fun to reminisce cause i think you raise some of the things you don't want to remember and you say very near transcript i do remember western cities i did well but i quizzed out of math and i didn't have to take it in those days thank goodness

there i would've had a very minor incident that's david all is it i'm ninety well as report too was i came back from war to i don't know a part in his mind and they'll use my hip and so i decided to go to law school or sperm have been there for undergraduate the worst firm law school they've always a one b the below on i grew up and the army has been understood no not have that anything you've got work tortoise whatever but in this audience does every day you make a contribution every day help somebody maybe make a

phone call there's some relative you haven't talked with there somewhere is the last little little things really are important note i got i have to tell a story about president reagan my wife elizabeth one but either way she had ronald reagan's use i think at the time secretary of transportation and they descended below your quips and a list that said mr president have you yet almost done have you have all always stress and he said well there's someone out there helping me everyday so he was a man of faith and he understood it and

got as a boy and forces it does and he believed it and practice is so you know i was the nourse theatre me or you're positive not to worry about i see it happen or this relationship or financial or health summit is and my favorite song is all never walk along and i think of this person's soul lot of song was warping would know worship for its money thank you father referenced today how things were when you were in the

senate and and how you enjoyed having friends and working across the aisle what you think things have gotten so polarized and so difficult in congress today the first ideal to my leadership equal it's doing a little better than i was really close with hoping someday i might go on but let me sit in if i said earlier in the senate this year and they spent several months with an arctic past forty bipartisan pieces of legislation which indicated me that you know that it was starting to determine the leaders are working together and now press always says the powers of doing anything so you know we don't

know some tv and radio by the right maybe all politicians are stupid and they remember a quarter to a reporter on and all people i work with people mapplethorpe with his good people are men and women people serve themselves or have their own agenda but to come to washington because they were elected as a representative and that means you want to represent the people and i think nancy and i learned them along the way my parents that much money but they were great parents and i taught us hard work and discipline and

that means a lot of interning at and i know this audience for all the parents and i were about young people in war discovery like in ten years adams is now was a new hampshire man sea air on the loss that's a young people so i have a small state so we need some leadership get more young people interested in public service and that could be in federal service but public service and other things and hang out there are now brain colorado a part of the western kansas i don't think that's a good idea that

i could be wrong and wrong many times that always blended on nancy powell yeah i guess i would just man ii i think it's important to always think positive about events it seems to me we're really significantly in major changes that are taking place around the world as well as here and we are so much more interconnected today so eat every evening on the names on it you hear some new place about something than what i feel strongly that it's so important to date in our history to understand what happens in the unintended consequences of actions we might take in decisions and i think youre at home trying to understand the unrest there has boiled up in the campaign from donald trump or for

bernie sanders were there was a great deal of work from the youth that feel they're not getting the attention somewhere we all i think have major responsibilities in our communities or how we talk about these issues so we can work through some of work will be needed and a lot of it does start right in our communities where you're willing to serve on the school board which is probably more difficult than being a senator or in communities kerry your county commission and your state legislatures that's where he needs to start and began and i have to say i'm really really been traveling disappointed in my own republican party with the leadership that donald trump has given and i do not like the language is given it thank you

supporter they're prepared by it i can't help but say it doesn't help us to come together in the thought the way of respect and understanding what governments really all about i have a hard time when i hear him speak he had been giving a state of the union speech or a dressing as commander in chief and we have so many really major changes occurred not only with our own our own country and businesses industry but you can't just say within a build a wall and keep everybody out there i'm going to hire twenty five million people when i'm elected well let's talk about what's changed and what is happening and nine shannon call somebody by name and if it is escalating on both sides now and i am i feel it doesn't serve the country well far that's my speech

i really think that nancy's final not talk with you ought to talk about all of jordan a toned down his rhetoric to start talking about and slowly everybody wants a week to start talking about policy people want to know what you're going to do but if you'd listen all these debates and never mentioned commerce they're not going to do anything to get through congress were good vibes that you are just i don't think it's going to happen what it might feel the king or you might decide it's a way to do it well you talked to him do you think you listen i

think you have a minute to have my ticket to try and type singing with his father the lawyer lost in ninety six but i don't remember our we saw bill clegg was my all about my enemy in that approach it that way you can cut malo y so waterproof are honest they all march and eight they contribute all my life from the party's been good to me and people and can really given me many opportunities and so i went to the convention in cleveland than i did no mrs trump with an interview recently let's see i'm

glad she didn't see you should've been impeached you were there representing the veterans to a friend that was very important that convinced know i'm a processor arkansans cup and the wall man then on not running for anything or someone also asked that i think i need to reassert intro we have we have quite a few members of our student guide by the war hero although understand right now and be recognized for senators what would you tell the students who are here today about the importance of being involved in public service both well know i think we both would share the same sentiment and some really important everybody can they can be fined to volunteer

it's a way to meet a lot of people if you go door to door i still aren't done it every now and then i remember not too long ago going to the dinosaur when you doing here for me it's terribly important in one way or another i think it's the status you're helping here on those who aren't i had a diary a graduating from college and went to make a lot less or coach for a soccer team small nicaragua temper yet when the bleating that's a good way through that to do well and learn how an education and it was an in geo group and volunteer but it was something that she gained a lot from in the year after she graduated from college she's not continue beyond that neither soccer or education at this point they're still looking for a job so that i think for every day it's important to

be a participant in one where another there's always something always something one could do maybe it's just reading to children until at the library or review emails of high one as it out on a local am and we talk about everything politics but we know this see how our friends who are in her age groups are getting along that argument in and doing our work for veterans and animals disable your work every saturday i go to war or a lot more of it going after five years because that's the day that they fly these old guys smaller not really over mining but they're what they call on of white men you know about an

open your grandfather their babies lt moulton the cost of a diameter is a nurse onboard and it's a very emotional for it through these men and women were on a walk and oh that'll moral and think about you know what they did as a young man of what they did in the service are a lot like her in that you know there are further has emotional and then i gather that everyone knows all is a war a war to uniform on and he was walking around like the fifty and i said the device as here ages so our modern war in a modest walk up and you don't always sang so well tonight on august eight carousel

but is an inspirational as that's a lot of people or inspirations or naan there are but then away nancy and i love chances we'd love to work with the people sometimes they just can't agree or can help them paul singer's is over i'm somewhat enhances mosul security or whatever problem you sent them a letter released say and we're going to work on the problem may take a while so just one what you know that we've received your letters and that means a lot to me that's like a walking billboard women tell their neighbors and their friends

and that's the festival or bar buzzes things in that she does and so we are airing a sacred song what to do maybe just because we're such from such great state of the people are friendly and again all my political career i but all may have three people who refused to shake hands and knees and i've been around or every state and i remember in colby kansas near the farm bill are perversely ana county in other people showed up and right on her front row work for farmers thought looking guys they'll only caps on the kat said don't go

sandy ms curry never senator dole i need to hear the other side center of all we started to talk a lot about senator kassebaum at this point in my life question tell us how she was part of the united states or for leadership where you know he's not going to be critical you might as well i might be surprised that he would not be telling the truth is we all have some criticism one way or c mod mr massey was like where i won that an enormous agreements in the world disagreed rather than private dollars a person what is the risk

but other wiki an enemy to do well i meant keeping it a secret just like your transcript and none of the oil senator i can i really get close to i don't mean the us and the other was a lady from and barbara boxer from california says on the other side of the aisle on overdrawn and water for over those and i'd say low bar reviews walk right by an odd rather be friendly and i don't think she liked me which is living in the senate yesterday will be another democrat california you never know but that this is the fall of the most popular senator we had when i was there and brought party

he can we're going to take on one last question very good that senator dole i'd like to ask if he could recall in how you felt or what you felt when president ford called you to be his vice presidential running mate what job probably was in a room right now liam elizabeth and all the precedents i am around his room because the word was carly was going to be that the beach or is i gather called earl warren from wall war who is was with abc and he said that we were friends and said bob you're gonna be asked by president ford that is running mate a nice incentive it a bit

surprising i was available president ford they said would you mind coming or wild tale like to talk with you about being my running mate ninety he said we don't need a comedian congress so our see president or read a great visit we've been great friends in three chance and it's made him the republican leader the house and so he felt finally towards kansas that was a very close election level thousand votes two thousand or in a southern ohio

you wanna be allies that one summer be your neighbor you want during for good knowledge and this was one of the leaders now he didn't have a lot of money again he was one of those people like where were putting farmers and away on obama were finished except when we draw so much of the sat it's hard to stop them we give cash give any chances so allow honest thank you liane for all her albums or over the years and as you were against me that's fine go that were when you get out a politician numbers will people say well you alluded to berta rojas and nancy's guess nobody a pollster or so lawyers

so castle on these popular those other gardening bowl use a morale thanks again bill thank you very warm and serve graduations anstey well i thank you it's been a real honor and and wonderful to see some friends here that set him and for a while and i think you've got business in iran will that right out there by the window so i can go out with kanell in with the dishonor you've just heard former us senator nancy kassebaum favor winner of the two thousand sixteen to leadership rise see appeared along with senator bob dole at an event called science of the senate september seventeenth two thousand sixteen at the dollar institute of politics at the university of kansas i'm katie mack entire k pierre presents is a production of

kansas public radio at the university of kansas