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

today's key pierre presents was originally broadcast on october twenty third two thousand sixteen from the dole institute of politics katie our 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 was you came up in a very famous political family could you tell us about your upper ear ache patient now what would you feel 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 now it over to cover ever i believe that period of time when i was growing up everybody here polio and my

parents believed it wasn't that i swam in chlorinated water was our rights when the carburetor renee montagne host iran is growing others say what they i remember will he will be rows of them 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 from senator tell us about that first that person or a she had nineteen seventy eight well they're on why republicans in the primary and seven of its auto i was very fortunate to work and 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 was with the volunteers who really how you want to do is ms boorstin gave away senator dole army what the law where pianist and center kassebaum was selected he knew she was going to be one of your colleagues in this i wasn't very happy know we had a great relationship and we were proud to be additional kansas republican conservatives which means we understood to get things done you have decent you mrs that mansour i also i have friends on both sides

dr when you get to know someone regardless of party and when you trust each other you can talk to each other about how can we work this out how police of oil slick and bess is there a nancy did a better job of that that idea 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 though as chairman and he's said mr chairman and russell long will mean it's a law thought thought out of the chairman and this is a wonderful guide to stand 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 give 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 they're addressing 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 in this that 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 wind that i was afraid to go i just one sure one to bother they wait until you're ready our senses center census it had the clearest 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 have a tremendous power but you always worked with the whole committee and it was the chairman who who really exercise their initial even i think today but still when i chaired well now scott the

help committee which i think is silly but i'm here with the labor and the field labor committee and handles health issues that ted kennedy was either major and minor leaguer and we worked back and forth together and i had some people say what happened to work with ted kennedy well you can't you can't when you care about the issues and 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 for vets along areas who wanted that it leads me to 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 inside 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 for four years 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 all about like at nasa build it and i like stories 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 again a lot that 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 they will when you talk about fraud but i didn't name to do and i really i have to say i think you i worked with a lot of colleagues some time agreed with and some i didn't and i admired what i think we all have a fairly convenient time and then harriet time than trent lott fall you didn't get to you step down and

ninety six burnett has fallen to trent lott president well i know anyway it an ally 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 issue he always managed to find some way to end the conversation in a big way and i really miss said 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 dr bartlett whatever you 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 all politics we talk about where they're a farmer i was thrown our family and i don't think that's totally gone i think there've been forty bill that leaves in the senate as you were bipartisan and so i think it's startling comeback below not a lot of churn but i think there is a recognition this has been my experience in thirty six years and farmers all right 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 a century dogs through oregon through the men say a way about her he certainly willing to engage people and think you're going to be good in every pena learn a lesson know people have problems that have some politician lawyer through god's along our yeah they are so shell 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 and seasonal give that

though not all i think i think it's improved a little bit you know in many years 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 they were the email all the senators i don't have to pay 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 bye bye in a tweet there are you know

for sure how the listening to the university and so they get our army during the eighty eight ninety six campaign side i remember are being in center bills office a lot and our always run into senator kassebaum always enjoyed that because some of your colleagues weren't always agreeable to staff of presidential candidates are kassebaum was always alive but you guys work together very closely i'm curious if you could talk about some of the things you work together on live 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 creative are intricately involved in that legislation and i don't think it would be in existence as it is today if they had not been for bob as majority leader the way he called us all together people would argue up or down you tell a story of 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 had a conference and i was 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 nuts 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 but 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 to deal with their necks vince that hasn't in my view is you never better the nearest that and that's true and they you were there were all the other debts that you know you're gonna get the credit that they're going to go along the war the martin luther king holiday bill sen thurmond with chairman of the committee

a nightmare and we took that go up and if that bob would you watch this or they are while and that can use other side i didn't see thurman who read a 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 is the american regardless of our ethnicity or background are color whatever and an hour it was really a great experience and i would not apple allow a lot of people in this room the same when nancy hughes supported us what

you did and why it's ok but our you know you can't win unless you have people in every county douglas county as a couple our own 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 limit 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 that happen within the road in their way i mean the most trivial things in an aviation industry commercial aviation industry at that time was sound

i was really angry 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 the legislation passed and it did provide him to take but some ability to help the industry feel there was the way they could be better addressed and that was one wrong 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 of the more sober why didn't work with her she's that's when she was

first lady often 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 katherine 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 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 am a 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 of the night 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 senator kassebaum you've 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 they're really open on law again in office when i was a year war broke out and everybody was on caring for the navy air force army whatever and so you know there are frowned so you had an affair roll 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 that so iowa you miss having to take a western send how many here remember western said about that nestle 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 leave him 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 know you find a way we can look back on now and polls that we did things that were helpful to people and of course i came from the farm farmer

kansas 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 and fourteen thousand votes and my foreman song the man remembers bill roy abortion became a big issue in that campaign as we want but it was a first date became an issue in the all oppressed came out in the new york times in all tv people and you know we assumed well what's strange people on you

decide that issue or her fetus as you are 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 that our campaign but i did personally that was the fantasy years and the thought of minnesota i can think of that they not a watershed of these were not ninety three some org twenty years by this trial

close to be around thirty years that lead beyond and we're as laurel robinson and there season families are running to the right now it has celebrated is under thirty still works every day raising angus cattle and i didn't hear you forty five we wanted it every day you're an inspiration is an area is today injured our reviewer is whether with his daughter and i want her to recognize that because you know there's we're living longer there's more that followed the

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 year old question of 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 achy and we were here to help raise money for the bob ney center here and we were asked to reminisce well both of those who don't know 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 dean of women in a new goal was put in place to enter the two there were two women storms at that time or abandon your colleagues and that odd venues and the suggestion was that a freshman girl lived for a year in the door before they could pledge innocent minority 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 a lot of the senior year i went back to this 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 weller says before two was i came back from war to i don't know if i couldn't use mine 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 allen i grew up and the army has been understood no not have that anything you've ever worked for his flock to rebut in this audience does every day you make a contribution every day help somebody maybe make a formal call there's some relative you haven't talked with there somewhere is the last little little things that really are important note i got i have to tell a story about president reagan oh i absolutely was but either way she had ronald reagan's

use i think at the time secretary of transportation and they descended be a lull in your quips and a list that said mr president how do you get almost done how do you handle all the 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 it as a wound forces it does and he believed it and practice it 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 work 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 dear leader's 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 in the antarctic past forty bipartisan pieces of legislation which indicated me that you know that it was started a german leaders are working together now press always says the powers of doing anything so no we don't know with 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 this country like in ten years that matters is now what is a the error in our lives so i have a small state

so we need some leadership to 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 pot in the western kansas i don't think that's a good idea that i could be wrong and wrong many times but always blended on nancy yeah i guess i i would just add ii i think it's important to always think positive about events it seems to me we're really significantly and 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 news it you hear some new place about something then 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 and 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 all are dressing as commander in chief and we

have so many really major changes occurred not only with our own our own country and businesses in the industry but you can't just say within a bill de waal and keep everybody out or i'm gonna 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 is it it's escalating on both sides now and i am i feel it doesn't serve the country well far i really think that nancy's undecided on the law and i don't know i talk with are people are talked about will i go live a toned down his rhetoric to start talking about and slowly everybody wants a week

to start talking about policy people on a walk through and do that if you listen all these debates and never mentioned commerce they're not going to do anything to get it through congress were good lines that the war 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 were no we're going well you talked to him do you think you listen i think you have mine and you 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 problems 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 convention we are not prosser arkansans <unk> the wall i think i need to reassure intro we have we have quite a few members of our student

guide by the war hero or all of them to stand right now and be recognized for both 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 an absolutely important everybody can they can be fined a volunteer it's a way to meet a lot of people if you go door to door i still owed on and 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

leading 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 eight education at this point that's still looking for a job so that i think for everybody it's important to be a participant in one where another there's always something always something one could do maybe it's just really the children until at the library 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 mob rule nineteen but they are what they call on of white men you know about an open your grandfather bad it is lg world of 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 or lot of kleenex you know there are further his

emotional and then i gather not everyone knows all is war a war to uniform on and he was walking around it about fifty eight and i said to the guys at your age is so our modern want a modest walk up and you don't always sang so well tonight on august eight carousel but is an inspirational us it's a lot of people or inspiration for non 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 some of 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 let 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 there's the castle wall or does these things and 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 bought only had three people who refused to shake hands and i've been around or every state and i remember in

colby kansas near the farm bill are perversely then a county in other people showed up and right on the front row were for farmers felt who advised the only caps on the kat said don't go discouraged if everybody over but agreed with the bandwidth all i need to hear the other side center until we started to talk a lot about senator kassebaum but this may be my last 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 become the truth is we all have some criticism one way or i go out to see a lot mr massey was like wearing one that i'm in the warm disagreements and people disagreed with or from private dollars a person which is very important here to the region but other wiki an enemy to do well i meant keeping it a secret just like your transcript i'm not going to be a lawyer 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 seized on the inside of the eye on over got a lot of friends that those people and i'd say low bar reviews walked right by and i'd 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 our appetite for 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 well job probably was in a room right now me and the letters a and all the presidents plan around his room because the word was

carly was going to be that the beach or is i gather called earl warren from wall or 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 are my hotel i'd 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 boats in two thousand or in a southern ohio you wanna realize that whatsoever be your neighbor you've won during for good knowledge and one of the leaders and i 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 when we get a cow any chances so columnist thank you liane for all her albums or

over the years and if you are against me that's fine because i've learned when you get out of college or numbers blog right people say well you alluded to berta rojas and nancy's guess you know what your poster or so lawyers so castle on these popular those other gardening bowl use a morale thanks again bill thank you very well served graduations anstey well i thank you it's been a real honor and and wonderful to see some friends here that said we haven't for a while and i think you've got this isn't iran will that right out there by the window so i can go out with kanell and 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