Sen. Bob Dole’s passing brought to mind his friendship with Oregon Sen. Mark Hatfield and the failure of Dole’s signature bill for a balanced budget amendment in 1995. The bill failed by one vote. Dole’s personal friend and fellow Republican, Hatfield, cast the deciding “no” vote. According to the New York Times, Hatfield had a change of heart and decided he could no longer support the bill.
Rather than vote for the bill and against his conscience, Hatfield offered to resign so Dole could achieve the two-thirds majority needed without Hatfield’s vote. Dole declined his offer, and the bill failed. Putting aside the bill’s merits, this story illustrates a time when loyalty to the country, its institutions and one’s friends mattered more than self-serving political achievement.
Mark Evers, Lake Oswego
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December 09, 2021 at 10:00PM
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Readers respond: Recalling a time of upstanding loyalty - OregonLive
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