Heritage Foundation Mourns Loss of Jack Kemp, Fighter and Leader
Posted May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm in Ongoing Priorities 
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Heritage Foundation President Edwin Feulner tonight issued the following statement on the death of Jack Kemp, former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and longtime Heritage Foundation Distinguished Fellow:
“Jack Kemp was a leader – whether it was in a football huddle, a national political campaign or a policy discussion about the Austrian school of economics.
“I first met Jack nearly 40 years ago, during his freshman year in Congress. When he introduced the Jobs Creation Act – a major legislative advance of supply-side economics – I knew I had found an ally. That ally soon became my friend
“Jack was a ‘bleeding-heart conservative.’ He wanted to make it possible for every American to succeed and eagerly worked with people of all races, colors and creeds toward that end.
“Across-the-board tax cuts and ‘enterprise zones’ for blighted neighborhoods are now common economic prescriptions – especially during these hard times. But to make these ideas respectable, Jack had to fight for them constantly during his years in Congress, as Housing and Urban Development secretary, as chairman of a national tax reform commission, and during his presidential and vice presidential campaigns.
“He won those fights, and millions benefited. The tax cuts that Jack helped engineer in the 1980s gave Americans unprecedented prosperity for decades. His commission also boldly proposed a national flat tax. Those policies also helped spread freedom around the world.
“I remember standing with him in Moscow’s Red Square in 1990. The Cold War was starting to thaw, but few even suspected that the Soviet Union’s days were numbered. Jack knew. As we stood on the square, in view of the Kremlin, he pointed out an astonishing sign: The line for the new McDonald’s restaurant was longer than the line for Lenin’s tomb.
“Many people will remember Jack as a great football player – and rightly so. But he was also a great player in the world of ideas, with a mind as strong as his arm. I will miss his strength and friendship greatly.”
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22 Responses to “Heritage Foundation Mourns Loss of Jack Kemp, Fighter and Leader”
Gmoney-Raleigh on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
He will be missed
winston on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
This is sad news. A big loss for the conservative movement. I would like to send my condolences to his family & friends
Patricia, Florida on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
A great American. God rest his soul.
Don Trexler, Allentown PA on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
One of our modern day giants of the conservative movement is now gone. Jack Kemp was a great leader and inspiration for many during his years in the House. I was honored to have worked on his 1988 campaign for President. His enthusiasm for the cause and his effective way of espousing conservative ideals are something we seem to be lacking in today’s elected conservatives. He helped bring conservatism in from the wilderness. Although a junior partner with the Reagan’s and Buckley’s of the world, Jack Kemp played a major part for me in shaping the political landscape. We’ve lost a great conservative and individual today.
Ralph Foster, Baytown, TX on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
The America I love , and the Constitution that
I cherish is dead. Life , Liberty and the pursuit
of happiness do not exist.With Abortion, single parent mothers and divorece, we have become the worlds greatest child abusers.
Look at your credit card, the president says that for every dollar you spend, you will get two
dollars back. Many stupid Americans and all Democrats believe him.
Keep your quarters that say “In God we trust”
We have a Government that tells us when and where
we can pray.
The definition of Comunism is “Atheistic
Socialism”. See where we are going ?
R. Foster
Baytown, TX
Nicholas Sanchez, Falls Church, Va on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Rep. Kemp was an aggressive thinker, a passionate promoter of freedom and economic liberty, and a great lover of his country. May his memory be eternal!
James Wolbert, Garfield, NJ on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Jack Kemp’s passing is truly a sad event. His vision and his economic ideas helped Reagan with His Revolution. He will be missed.
Kevin Weaks, Union City TN on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Jack Kemp was a true giant and hero in American politics, a place where so few exist. He was the leader of a cause and a general in the Reagan Revolution. Had Jack Kemp been elected President of the United States, as he should have been, this country would be so much better off and some of the people who are directing policy today would have been rightfully silenced.
Barbara Saylor,Sterling, Colorado on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
I am very sorry to read of the death of Jack Kemp.I have tried to keep up on news of him, ever since his candidacy for President of the United States, and even before. We have lost a great statesman.
Chris Braunlich, Alexandria on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
During the 2002 SuperBowl (delayed because of 9/11), quotes from the Founding Documents were read by former NFL stars, Kemp among them.
My teen-aged son watched and wondered why Jack Kemp was among those doing the reading, and I noted his role in previous SuperBowl victories.
He looked at me, astonished: “Jack Kemp played football?”
My son knew him only as a political leader, a man of ideas, and as someone who had tried to change the world for the better.
Jack Kemp would have been pleased to know a generation saw him that way. Memory Eternal.
Russ Ramey Lima, Ohio on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
I met and talked with Jack during the 1988 election cycle at a luncheon in Cincinnati. As a Kemp-Roth Laffer Curve supply sider, I know we’ll miss him in the debate regarding the current run up of a leviathan State. He must have been frustrated with this reversal of what actually works in a free marketplace.
RIP Jack, and our prayers to your family.
Barb -mn on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
What a wonderful person. He inspired so many to live for themselves, while the government today, takes that away.
Jack Kemp will be deeply missed, but not forgotten.
George E. Barthel, Jr., Peachtree City, Georgia on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
We can remember Jack Kemp by his passion for free market capitalism and his continued drive for the next set of reforms- fundamental tax reform, the flat tax and Social Security privatization just to name a few. We are all inspired by his leadership and his values.
His family is in my prayers.
MAS1916 – Denver, CO on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
This is indeed a loss for the country. Kemp believed in the essential goodness of America as well as the ability of the nation to overcome all obstacles. He was an outstanding spokesman for conservatism.
He will be missed.
Ken, California on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
In the AP story on Saturday night which the WSJ ran, Kemp’s capitalist credentials are noted in the first sentence of a longer paragraph. The next sentence begins “Yet….” and goes on in a way to contrast his supply side attitude with his undergirding sense of compassion and inclusion for Hispanics and Blacks in society.
It’s a subtle thing but incestuous of the POV that permeates writing in most mainstream publications. Here again a writer is assuming that fairness and love and respect for the dignity of the individual cannot form the basis for action within a free market economy.
Indeed, it is those qualities and a respect for the “rule of law” that informs and guides the success of those markets. Jack Kemp knew this and lived it in his life.
Kevin Lucas on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
I remember when Jack Kemp first ran for Congress. I thought what does a qaurterback know about polictics. Thank you Jack for proving how dumb I was. Jack Kemp and President Regan made me the solid conservative I am today. If only another Jack Kemp and Ronald Regan could be found in today’s Republican party. God bless you Jack and may he watch over your family. RIP to a great American.
Jon Scott on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Jack Kemp was my political beacon and the reason that I became so passionate about this game. During two Congressional runs in RI, I would confuse local media when responding to the “Do you consider yourself a Reagan Republican” question. “No”, I’d answer,”I consider myself a Kemp Republican”. It sent them scrambling for their history books.
The uninitiated still don’t understand his importance in the political pantheon and few realize the America that we may have had with his ascension to the Oval Office. He was a perfect choice for a sweet spot in time and the electorate never gave him the chance to take our nation to the next level.
I was privileged enough to meet the man several times and to count common names among our political allies. I am honored to advocate his positions nearly 30 years after I first came to respect him as a policy expert, rather than as a sports idol. I am proud to call myself a “Kemp Republican”. Godspeed Jack.
JPS
Bob, Alexandria, VA on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Jack Kemp was a wonderful example to us all. I sat close to him at church, and was greatly admired his humility and example to us all.
Phil Krone, Miami Beach and Chicago on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Jack Kemp was truly a great American and human being with firm principles. He knew the difference between dogma and dicta, and although he was an idealist he was a very practical results oriented person who could disagree without being disagreeable. Losing Jack and Paul Weyrich within months of each other is a terrible loss not just for responsible and intelligent conservatism but for the nation as a whole. As a frugal liberal I shall miss him and his contribution to the Republic.
Dustin, Dallas, TX on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
One of the great honors of my life will always be to have worked as an intern for Jack when I was fresh out of grad school. He was a political hero to me because he was equally passionate about conservative policy and compassion toward the poor. He spent his political life showing how conservative policies can help everyone. We have lost a great one. Another reminder that those of us making up the next generation must do better at honoring the legacy of those that fought so hard to advance conservative ideas.
Tuco_bad on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
I am no fan of Arlen Specter, but he is correct on Kemp’s disastrous legacy.
All the tax money that Jack Kemp saved for himself and his wealthy friends could have been used to research and cure various diseases.
Oh well.
Matt Jones, Waterford MI on May 2nd, 2009 at 10:12pm said:
Mr. Kemp was my personal hero. I will miss him, and my prayers go to Joanne, Jeff, Jennifer, Judith and Jimmy.
I stupidly tried to defend his honor on a website called Democratic Underground. The moderators appeared to have no problem with someone questioning Mr. Kemp’s willingness to serve our country during Vietnam (He actually was drafted, but failed the physical.). I had the nerve to register in order to correct such misinformation, and I have since been censored and banned! Mr. Kemp, please know there are people who loved you and knew where your loyalties were. It would be easy to get angry with those liberals of selective censorship, but you had not one resentful bone in your body. May we all learn from your example, and may you rest in God’s peace.