I have delayed a post on Jack Kemp's passing for too long. He was one of the most interesting members of Congress and the Republican Party. A creative thinker with a keen mind, he was more private regarding his Christian faith compared to other aspiring politicos which may be another way of saying he never leveraged his relationship with Christ for political gain.
Sadly, the Republican Party and George H.W. Bush chose Dan Quayle for the veep slot in 1988 when Kemp was ready to assume the mantle. Kemp did not realize his opportunity until 1996 with the DOA Dole campaign.
One of my favorite writers is Gregg Easterbrook. Easterbrook is one of the more interesting public policy authors on the web and in print. He is a fellow at the Brookings Institute.
Odd as it may sound, his most widely read work is on ESPN.com. He writes a football column there covering the NFL as well as whatever he finds important at the moment. He penned a nice article that illuminates Kemp's legacy.
Stories like that of Jack Kemp make me stop and wonder and ask, "What if?" It always amazes me to think that one decision whether big or little, important or not or even if the decision was yours or someone else's could have such an impact on your life. I don't know much about Jack Kemp except that he was an NFL quarterback and a career politician. I do believe that George H. W. Bush's presidency would have been more successful with Kemp as opposed to Quayle as VP and Kemp possibly would have been president later on and who knows what the country would be like today, only if?
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