POTUS on Jack Kemp
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Former quarterback, 1996 GOP vice presidential nominee, and Congressman Jack Kemp died last night.
A statement from the Kemp family stated that "Jack Kemp passed away peacefully shortly after 6 o’clock this evening, surrounded by the love of his family and pastor, and believing with Isaiah, "My strength and my courage is the Lord." During the treatment of his cancer, Jack expressed his gratitude for the thoughts and prayers of so many friends, a gratitude which the Kemp family shares."
"Jack Kemp’s commitment to public service and his passion for politics influenced not only the direction of his party, but his country," President Obama said in a statement. "From his tenure as a Buffalo congressman to his ascent in national politics, Jack Kemp was a man who could fiercely advocate his own beliefs and principles while also remembering the lessons he learned years earlier on the football field: that bitter divisiveness between race and class and station only stood in the way of the ‘common aim of a team to win.’ Michelle and I extend our prayers and deepest condolences to the entire Kemp family."
- jpt
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Mr. Kemp did a lot with his life. I wish all the best to his family and friends.
Posted by: MayBee | May 3, 2009, 12:38 pm 12:38 pm
No more pain or suffering.
Rest in peace Jack.
Posted by: bailey | May 3, 2009, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
Jack Kemp was a great American. Mr. Obama, you should learn from his positions on the great economic benefits of lowering taxes and regulation.
Posted by: ProtectFreedom | May 3, 2009, 2:06 pm 2:06 pm
Why does O have to make race and class warfare part of what should be a simple tribute to Kemp? Stop trying to play yourself off as a moderate who would in some way find agreement with Kemp on policies.
Posted by: Jason | May 3, 2009, 2:20 pm 2:20 pm
Jason- Your supposed to pay your respects here, not tear apart what Obama said with your own interpretation. Sheesh!
Posted by: amber | May 3, 2009, 3:14 pm 3:14 pm
ahem, Jason.
The President said: “bitter divisiveness between race and class and station only stood in the way of the ‘common aim of a team to win”
that would seem pretty clearly *against* “race and class warfare,” in your phrase. It’s also quite in keeping with Kemp’s record.
Posted by: Colin | May 3, 2009, 3:32 pm 3:32 pm
Why do my comments keep getting removed?
Posted by: Jason | May 3, 2009, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
Go to the Kemp Partners WEB site and read the letter Jack posted to his grandchildren following the election. Very powerful.
Posted by: Ranger | May 3, 2009, 4:37 pm 4:37 pm
“Why does O have to make race and class warfare part of what should be a simple tribute to Kemp? Stop trying to play yourself off as a moderate who would in some way find agreement with Kemp on policies.”
Clearly, you have no knowledge or understanding of the man Jack Kemp was.
Posted by: Ranger | May 3, 2009, 4:40 pm 4:40 pm
Kemp’s speech announcing run for president on 4/6/87:
“The American Dream is not to make everyone level with everyone else, but to create the opportunity for all people to reach as high as their God-given potential allows. In this Nation, if you’re born to be a mezzo soprano, or a master carpenter, or even an NFL quarterback, there ought not be anything standing in your way, not color, not creed, nor station in life.”
Posted by: Jason | May 3, 2009, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
ConcernedinOhio – the only “Zero” here is you….
“A little over 40 years ago, in some parts of America, blacks couldn’t eat, sleep or even get a drink of water using facilities available to everyone else in the public sphere.
We are celebrating, this year, the 40th anniversary of our Fair Housing Laws, which helped put an end to the blatant racism and prejudice against blacks in rental housing and homeownership opportunities.
As an old professional football quarterback, in my days there were no black coaches, no black quarterbacks, and certainly no blacks in the front offices of football and other professional sports. For the record, there were great black quarterbacks and coaches — they just weren’t given the opportunity to showcase their talent. And pro-football (and America) was the worse off for it.
I remember quarterbacking the old San Diego Chargers and playing for the AFL championship in Houston. My father sat on the 50-yard line, while my co-captain’s father, who happened to be black, had to sit in a small, roped-off section of the end zone. Today, we can’t imagine the NFL without the amazing contributions of blacks at every level of this great enterprise.
I could go on and on, but just imagine that in the face of all these indignities and deprivations, Dr. Martin Luther King could say 44 years ago, “I have an abiding faith in America and an audacious faith in mankind.” He described his vision for America, even as he and his people were being denied their God-given human rights guaranteed under our Constitution.
You see, real leadership is not just seeing the realities of what we are temporarily faced with, but seeing the possibilities and potential that can be realized by lifting up peoples’ vision of what they can be.
When President-elect Obama quoted Abraham Lincoln on the night of his election, he was acknowledging the transcendent qualities of vision and leadership that are always present, but often overlooked and neglected by pettiness, partisanship and petulance. As president, I believe Barack Obama can help lift us out of a narrow view of America into the ultimate vision of an America where, if you’re born to be a mezzo-soprano or a master carpenter, nothing stands in your way of realizing your God-given potential.
Both Obama in his Chicago speech, and McCain in his marvelous concession speech, rose to this historic occasion by celebrating the things that unite us irrespective of our political party, our race or our socio-economic background.”
Jack Kemp – November 2008
Posted by: Jesse | May 3, 2009, 7:39 pm 7:39 pm
“The American Football League was looking to expand and decided that New Orleans would be a perfect fit for the five-year-old league. The AFL owners’ plans included a January 1965 All-Star game at Tulane Stadium and an announcement at the game that the league was going to put a team in the city. But the idea came to a sudden halt because a group of players were appalled that African American players could not get hotel rooms in New Orleans or eat at city restaurants because of their skin color. This occurred after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 had been passed by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Kemp, who was a co-founder of the American Football League Players Association in 1964, and the white All-Stars said they would support whatever decision the 21 African Americans made after their meeting about boycotting the 1965 AFL All Star Game.
Their decision was to boycott the game.”
Evan Weiner – Friend of Kemp
Posted by: Jesse | May 3, 2009, 7:56 pm 7:56 pm
Jesse, pay close attention to the following lines from Kemp’s speech:
“You see, real leadership is not just seeing the realities of what we are temporarily faced with, but seeing the possibilities and potential that can be realized by lifting up peoples’ vision of what they can be.”
This is what all conservatives believe and Kemp was not unique in this belief, and it was wrong and unfair of the President to make the argument that Kemp somehow held these beliefs in spite of his politics and ideals. He held this view of lifting up people’s vision of what they can be, because individualism is what conservatism is all about. MLK and the civil rights leaders he worked with envisioned a day of equality of opportunity, not forced achievement in the form of affirmative action. He was celebrating a man in Obama who had achieved much because of his hard work and determination, not because he was given undeserved entry to Harvard, or to the Illinois legislature, or to the US Senate, or to the Presidency. Unfortunately the President doesn’t seem to think he should encourage all Americans to work and persevere like he did, he seems content to allow them to feel like victims as long as he can provide the corrective hand of government, thus creating groups of people who owe their success not to themselves, but to politicians.
Posted by: Jason | May 3, 2009, 7:57 pm 7:57 pm
Jason – Kemp wrote:
“When President-elect Obama quoted Abraham Lincoln on the night of his election, he was acknowledging the transcendent qualities of vision and leadership that are always present, but often overlooked and neglected by pettiness, partisanship and petulance. ”
I think he was referring to people like yourself who are determined to make drama out of every word the President speaks – let’s see – he called that “pettiness”.
Why don’t you actually learn Obama’s policies before you post so that your “counterpoints” have some relevance – LOL
Posted by: Jesse | May 3, 2009, 8:38 pm 8:38 pm
Jesse, How about showing me where my view of Obama’s policies are any different now than they were previous to him winning the election in regards to race for instance. As far as pettiness goes, I take your point, but we must speak truth to power and not allow a man’s life and work to be used for petty political gain.
Posted by: Jason | May 3, 2009, 8:42 pm 8:42 pm
As a gesture of sympathy, Michelle will be removing her $540 tennis shoes for 5 days.
Posted by: Bob | May 3, 2009, 8:49 pm 8:49 pm
Jason
“Unfortunately the President doesn’t seem to think he should encourage all Americans to work and persevere like he did, he seems content to allow them to feel like victims as long as he can provide the corrective hand of government”
Where in the world do you get this idea? When has he he said that?
In Illinois Obama was one of a group of Senators that authored a bill, Welfare to Work clearing the welfare rolls by roughly 80%.
btw – wouldn’t the “corrective hand of government” include the Fair Housing Laws Kemp was such an advocate for?
“I take your point, but we must speak truth to power and not allow a man’s life and work to be used for petty political gain.”
Then why are you using him to do just that?
Posted by: Jesse | May 3, 2009, 9:14 pm 9:14 pm
Obama — once again making it all about him…
Posted by: liz | May 3, 2009, 10:26 pm 10:26 pm
As a gesture of sympathy, Michelle will be removing her $540 tennis shoes for 5 days.
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How representative of the GOP is this kind of pettiness and virulence?
Posted by: kim | May 4, 2009, 12:35 am 12:35 am
The more I read about Jack Kemp the more I admire the man. He really understood the idea of teamwork and working together for a goal.
My heart goes out to his family and friends at this sad time.
Posted by: Lydia | May 4, 2009, 11:08 am 11:08 am
“You see, real leadership is not just seeing the realities of what we are temporarily faced with, but seeing the possibilities and potential that can be realized by lifting up peoples’ vision of what they can be.”
This is what all conservatives believe”
Which conservatives?
Conservatives today seem to get ahead by pointing out who to hate and blame vs anything dealing with positive vision.
Posted by: Ryan C | May 4, 2009, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm