The son of late conservative icon Jack Kemp talked about presidential politics and the state of the GOP during a visit to Buffalo Monday.
The late Kemp was a Buffalo Bill before becoming a long-time congressman and 1988 presidential candidate. He died of cancer in 2009 at the age of 73.
His son, Jimmy Kemp, is president of the Jack Kemp Foundation, a Washington, D.C. educational organization. He visited First Niagara Center where author Morton Kondracke signed copies of his new biography, "Jack Kemp: The Bleeding-Heart Conservative Who Changed America."
Kemp spoke with WBFO about the twist-filled presidential campaign.
“You know, it’s just like in sports. You've got to compete, and you compete on your own team. And that strengthens you and gets you ready for the opposition. I think, from a political perspective, both the Republicans and Democrats need to do a better job of understand that they’re on the same team. That they’re representing Americans. And we need strong leadership from both parties,” he said.
Kemp also commented on today’s GOP.
“I mean, you look at the state of the Republican Party and I don’t think there’s anyone who would say, ‘oh, the Republican Party is doing just what it needs to do.’ There are various factions, but that breeds competition. And it should strengthen our political leaders and the Republicans in leadership,” said Kemp.
He also spoke about campaign promises the Republican Party’s current front runner, Donald Trump.
“It’s kind of a really difficult cycle we get into because to get elected you say ‘hey, I can do this!’ Well, our system is set up to make progress slowly. Right? And so the further you get from that understanding, the more tempting it is to think that there’s a quick fix. And Mr. Trump promises quick fixes,” said Kemp.
The younger Kemp also spoke about the Buffalo Bills, calling Rex Ryan a great coach whom he hopes will manage the team for long-term excellence.
