San Diego, then and now
My return brought back campaign memories from nearly three decades ago
San Diego, it’s been a while. A long while, actually. The last time that I came to San Diego was 1996. I covered the 1996 Republican National Convention for KOMU-TV, the NBC local television affiliate in Columbia, Missouri. I was finishing up my Master’s degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Many aspects of San Diego remain as I remembered: weather is amazing (a high of 69 degrees in June?!), prices are too high (the cost of living is 70% higher in San Diego compared to Des Moines), the views along the Pacific coast are remarkable but traffic delays are annoying (how do drivers deal with this every day?). And why did I have to pay $30 to park the rental car while we ate lunch at the Hotel Coronado? (Sorry, I already complained that things are too expensive here).
I didn’t get to do much sightseeing in 1996. The purpose was, after all, documenting Bob Dole’s official acceptance of his party’s nomination to serve as its presidential candidate. Six months earlier, Dole — the longtime Kansas senator, Gerald Ford’s 1976 vice presidential running mate, miraculous survivor after grievous injuries suffered during World War II and “Iowa’s third senator” for his repeated visits to the state — won the Iowa Caucuses.
Patrick Buchanan pushed Dole hard during that caucus cycle by running to Dole’s right. Buchanan had been a staffer for presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan but focused his presidential campaigns (1992, 1996, 2000) on issues that found a following on the far religious right (opposition to abortion and gay rights), as well as limiting immigration.
Perhaps, Buchanan was a candidate before his time. His “culture war” focus from back then might play well in this 2024 cycle. Iowa’s social conservatives have serious clout. The last three Iowa GOP caucus winners (former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee in 2008, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum in 2012 and U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas in 2016) successfully courted that dedicated caucusing bloc.
Think of the issues that have been dominant with Republican presidential candidates so far this cycle: stopping migrants at the border; restricting books in schools; limiting abortion; stopping diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in public schools and universities; reducing federal spending; requiring transgender athletes to play the sport according to their gender assigned at birth; expand scholarships/state funding for private school students.
Taken as a whole, the issues of today could be the “what’s next” of that 1996 primary campaign. Here are several things that come to mind that happened since 1996 that may have led some conservatives to this moment:
The majority in this country moved to eventually support marriage equality (same-sex marriage wasn’t legal in 1996. In fact, the Defense of Marriage Act that year defined marriage by the federal government as only between a man and a woman). Making same-sex marriage illegal again could be a tall order for conservatives (although, some thought overturning Roe v. Wade was, too).
George Floyd’s murder at the hands of white police officers in Minneapolis in 2020 ignited a national awakening of racial injustices. Some conservatives now decry DEI efforts, want to limit how racial history is discussed at schools and no longer see the need for affirmative action programs.
Record apprehensions of migrants at the southern border of the United States. Donald Trump didn’t need facts to prove his claims of murderers, rapists and drug dealers racing across the border like never before. He ignited fear and anger among his followers with his allegations. Trump, as president, failed to convince his party in both chambers of Congress to fully fund his border wall. But he did elevate the issue of border security with voters (He failed, like so many other presidents before him, to pass meaningful immigration reform). Many Democratic politicians don’t seem to grasp that it’s not just hard right conservatives who want additional border security and a much quicker legal system to determine whether migrants seeking asylum.
Today’s priorities by the presidential candidates reflect issues that have been building in recent years. The conservative base wants a fighter or at least someone who sounds like a fighter, not a RINO (Republican in Name Only).
Back to Bob Dole. Where would he fit in during this 2024 presidential race? Would he fit in at all? As a senate leader, he built a reputation as one who could find compromise. But the word, “compromise,” today may be a dirtier word than “indoctrinate.”
“Follow me,” Dole asked Americans from San Diego in August, 1996. Would Iowa caucus participants follow him to victory in 2024? Likely not.
Dave Price moved to Iowa in 2001 after growing up in the St. Louis area. He is part of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Join many of our columnists for a Zoom call on the last Friday of the month. This is a premium thank-you offering for paid subscribers to any of the IWC members. The Zoom link for this Friday is below the paywall at the end of this roster. Thank you.
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