Dole's age prevents close ties with mainstream America


Arizona Daily Wildcat

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"Bob Dole is calling himself an optimist, David Letterman recently commented. "I understand this because a lot of people would look at a glass as half empty. Bob Dole looks at the glass and says, 'What a great place to put my teeth.'"

Yes, the American public seems to have made a sport of mocking the 73- year-old Republican candidate for president. If Bob Dole is elected, he would be the oldest president of the United States thus far, beating out only Ronald Reagan who was 70 when inau gurated in 1980.

The Democrats contend that ageism may just be the key to keeping the White House next month. And the truth is that they've got a lot going for them. There's a 23 year gap between Bob Dole and Bill Clinton; Dole is old enough to be Clinton's father. Even U SA Today describes Clinton on the campaign trail as a "folksy, friendly guy who bounds onto the stage in a blue sport shirt, khaki pants, and brown cowboy boots...who wades into the crowd to tirelessly shake hands with all who reach out."

In today's society, image is everything. In the recently televised debates Dole stood, shoulders hunched and hands visibly shaking, while Clinton remained tall and confident. In an attempt to appeal to the younger generations, Dole concluded his speech by urging us to log on to his World Wide Web page. The only problem was that he gave us the wrong address. Perhaps the outcome of the debates would have been different if they were broadcast on radio only, but Dole will never escape the force he dislikes mo st: television.

So it's no surprise that many viewers were unimpressed with Dole's performance. Even some older voters are unsatisfied with Dole. Many believe that a person in their age group would have a difficult time facing the challenges of running the world's most powerful country. Still other voters worry that Dole would be too old to serve a second term, and this would result in Jack Kemp's foot in the door of the Oval Office.

Dole is not the first candidate who has had to deal with the public scrutinizing each and every wrinkle. Reagan also dealt with jokes about his age and ultimately overcame them. He cleverly buried the age matter in a 1984 debate with Democratic nominee Wa lter F. Mondale when he stated: "I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent's youth and inexperience." So what has Dole been doing to fight back?

That's a pretty good question. Well, he posed for USA Today on his treadmill wearing an unflattering fitness outfit - a dress shirt half tucked into striped boxer shorts. Nice try Bob. He even refers to himself as "the comeback adult" rather than "the co meback kid," as if he wants to make us even more aware of the fact that he's old.

There are two kinds of old - that of the body and that of the mind. True, Bob Dole may have a lower cholesterol count and lower blood pressure than Bill Clinton, but he lacks what many Democrats and Republicans alike refer to as a "fresh vision." For exam ple, many voters feel that his economic plan of costly tax and federal spending cuts will drive up the budget deficit. They complain that his plans to cut the education program are a big letdown. America cannot move into the future with policies such as t hese standing in its way.

In his final statement at the debate, Dole stared into the camera and announced, "I know who I am and I know where I'm from, and I know where I want to take America." I cannot help but worry that he would take us to the wrong address.

Jill Dellamalva is a sophomore majoring in English. Her column, 'Focused Light,' appears every other Friday.


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