Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 3, 1994 TAG: 9404030017
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
Bennett, the former drug czar and education secretary, has for months resisted entreaties that he take steps toward a 1996 GOP candidacy, saying he wants to spend more time with his family and make some money after a career in academia and government.
But in an interview Friday, he said he was reconsidering his statement in September that he would not run.
"I said that then because people were saying I needed to make up my mind, and I didn't want to hold up any jockeys looking for a horse," he said. "But now people are saying again they think I should run, and that's not so bad. . . . I'm not planning any trips to Iowa or anything, but I'm going to think about it over the summer, and then I'll decide."
In the past, Bennett has told conservative allies he was somewhat reluctant to run because of the near-certain candidacy of Jack Kemp, a close friend and a co-founder with Bennett of Empower America, a conservative think tank. But on Friday, Bennett said, "I don't think that is a problem."
It is their unhappiness with Kemp that drove these conservatives to lobby Bennett. By their account, Kemp has reneged on promises to spend more time cultivating the Republican Party's social conservatives by talking about his opposition to abortion and so-called family values that anchor Bennett's politics.
Those leading the effort include two powerful figures and organizations in the religious conservative movement: Pat Robertson and his Christian Coalition; and James Dobson, head of Focus on the Family, a major player in Christian broadcasting and other media. In addition to their considerable influence with Christian conservatives active in GOP politics, both Robertson and Dobson control extensive fund-raising lists and are extraordinarily skilled at amassing huge sums of money from hundreds of thousands of small donors.
Also involved, according to GOP sources, are William Kristol, a former Bennett aide at the Education Department who now runs an organization called Project for the Republican Future, and Paul Weyrich, a longtime activist and organizer of the new National Empowerment Television, which promotes conservative themes.
Another interested player is Rush Limbaugh, a close friend whose plugs of Bennett's book on his radio and television shows are credited with significantly boosting its sales.
Because of the success of Bennett's "The Book of Virtues," Bennett said personal financial worries no longer are a barrier to running.
"If I was sure politics was the best lever to move things and move the country to where in my view I think it ought to go, then I would be all over it," he said. "I'm just not sure."
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB