(00:00:01) Let me talk a bit tonight and not about why the party has lost generally and indeed we have but limited to two women if I can because those are issues about which we spend more time. And and I often get asked. Why did you ever how did you ever when did you get interested in women's as your did you have a strong mother? I mean that and I have never been able to accurately piece it together because it came more by experience in osmosis than it did buy some kind of stunning conversion. I was a County Republican chairman in the Portland Oregon area County of about 700,000 when I was relatively Young. And had not had much political experience. And as with all Republican Central committee's in those days. They were run by men and women did the work and most of it the menial work and the man who remove themselves from the media works at around allegedly thinking of the things that the women were to (00:01:05) do. (00:01:06) But as the thinking had no relation to the work the two did not mesh they dreamed up we'd have we had maybe your precincts 40 percent full and they dream up projects as if they were a hundred percent full and you'd see explain to them. They're not full. Well the women can do it somehow so when I became chairman a gradually moved them in out and just move the women into the positions where the thinking of a supposed to go on and then so long as the people who were doing the work we're doing the thinking it worked out much better and I gained a greater appreciation for Extraordinary Talent. These are the late 50s and in those days men. Many bright women did not go into the marketplace the way they do now. There's been a revolution thank goodness. But in those days there (00:01:53) were there were women who were Phi Beta (00:01:56) kappas and mortar boards and in looking to see smarter than their husbands. They were just very smart. Let's just put it that way and they were available for what was then volunteer work now, they get paid for it and it's an advancement in the step forward. But so long as you had that extraordinary under utilized talent and it was there why not take advantage of it and put it to use for the party. That was my first experience when I ran for office. So for the first time in 1962, Georgie was my campaign manager and was the manager again in 1964. We were not married at that time, but we did reach an agreement in the summer of 1964 that if I won we would get Gary and and the agreement was basically this if she couldn't get me elected I didn't want to marry her and if I didn't win she didn't want to marry me and so after that we got married she went on and then managed to a countywide judges campaign in 1966 what come with that background of having moved into it by osmosis and slowly and by the time I'd reached, you know, the mid-60s I just assumed it was natural that women should be involved in all of these things and all kinds of bases. Now. I realize in retrospect my experience may have been unusual because women really were not moving in and major ways into significant party positions and in our party in many areas, they haven't yet So I went back and I try to analyze what has gone wrong and without going into a lengthy explanation of the party's history. You have only two major. Shifts a part of your Legions in this country, you know since the founding of the Republican party and you have to realize how rapidly (00:03:51) we became the majority party. We were (00:03:52) founded in (00:03:53) 1854. We nominate John see Fremont (00:03:56) for president in 1856, and he does not badly. We nominate Lincoln and he wins in a split vote in 1860 and by 1865 were the majority party in the country in the Whigs who we replace because they could not bring themselves to adopt abolition is a plank they just disappeared and the Democrats fractured in from the Civil War onward. We were the majority party in the nation through except for the South and but for our insane reconstruction policies, we probably could have been the majority party in the South also, but we treated the South so badly (00:04:32) after the Civil War that it's no no wonder they came to hate the Republicans and stay Democrat (00:04:37) not liberal very conservative. All during the 1860s 70s 80s 90s 1910s 20s. We were the majority party outside the South we elected the governor's Senators Congress house state house legislature City council's in that 70 year period from 1860. (00:04:56) To 1930 the Democrats elected two presidents and they control to congress's we control all the rest (00:05:04) and since Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal is just changed we've elected three presidents elected three (00:05:12) we've controlled only to Congress has roughly 50 years just the reverse of what happened. (00:05:18) And if you look interestingly 1930, (00:05:21) we were so much the majority party in this case that a majority (00:05:26) of union (00:05:27) leaders were Republic. How do I mean union members? They were overwhelmingly Republican I mean (00:05:31) leaders. Majority of blacks (00:05:34) in this country were (00:05:36) Republican to the extent. They were allowed to vote and interestingly the where they could not vote was in the South which was controlled by democrats and it was the Democrats that kept blacks from voting. A majority of most other minorities, although they were relatively smaller a (00:05:51) number. Or Republican and (00:05:54) clearly men and women in great numbers gradually. We begin to lose them by 1940. The Republicans would become a minority in just a very short time Franklin Roosevelt change this (00:06:04) country from a republican country (00:06:06) to a democratic country, but we lost groups in different rapidity. We lost organized labor very (00:06:14) quickly. We lost them within three or four years. We also the blacks (00:06:18) over a period of eight to ten years and by 1945. If you ask people are you a Republican or a Democrat? It didn't add matter if you were asking a man or a (00:06:28) woman or a black or a (00:06:30) white the country was Democrat, but the interesting thing is that until 1960 at the end of General Eisenhower's eight years as president. (00:06:41) The gender gap is far (00:06:42) as Republicans were concerned was the other (00:06:44) way. Doesn't mean there were more Republican women than (00:06:49) Democratic women, but it means among those people who identified themselves as Republicans women more likely than men said there are Republican. And then in the last 20 years, we have done something to Simply blow them away. And change very dramatically the gender gap until now the Gap is as wide as it has ever been in history, even when it was the other (00:07:14) way and more women than men were Republicans. Now why what happened in that period (00:07:20) And I have no empirical (00:07:21) evidence to measure this (00:07:23) by have no poles to measure it by so I'm going to give you an intuitive Theory as to what I (00:07:29) think happened (00:07:33) all along business. Of course in the Republican Party have been associated in the doesn't bother me of some I think a party some party ought to speak for business and we should because by and large we are more tuned to do so and there's nothing to be ashamed of that (00:07:46) but on occasion when business (00:07:47) becomes hard we therefore become tard as you look, At the (00:07:53) statistics of women (00:07:56) entering professional schools. You see it (00:08:00) change from just a (00:08:03) dribble. To somewhat of a (00:08:06) riblet around 1960 and entering class in law school instead of having five women might have had 15, but it was a change and each year was going up 5 or 10, whereas in the previous 30 years. It hadn't it hadn't changed markedly at all. (00:08:23) so those women were coming out of architecture (00:08:24) schools law schools medical schools 62 63 64 They were being denied in some cases rights to practice in hospitals. If they were doctors. They were being denied hiring by the major Law Firm certainly couldn't be a partner. They might take you on as an associate and let you do a state work because it was mostly widows that outlive husbands and it's alright to deal with women, but you couldn't possibly get a woman do a trial coming, you know, try a case. I mean to cross examiner some older, you know, their emotion wouldn't lend themselves to doing that those kind of (00:08:58) attitudes. And after a while as women begin to associate business with this attitude, they found that they were a chemical engineer graduate 3.5 the got one job. They (00:09:10) were male chemical engineer graduate (00:09:12) 3.5. You got another job better job better paying job from the same company. From the mid sixties. We got the first votes. (00:09:23) On the amendments to the Equal Rights Act that you couldn't discriminate in employment on the basis of sex. (00:09:29) Business was terribly opposed. And to the extent that there was political opposition (00:09:36) in Congress. It was the Republicans that were opposed. Now there were still a majority Republicans that voted for it. But when you look at the key votes on the Amendments which were usually more significant than vote on Final passage. It was the Republicans that were dragging their feet. (00:09:52) On attempting to rectify a gross Injustice about hiring of women by our business - Republican allies. Passes then comes a slight need for daycare. (00:10:07) These women are now in the marketplace. They're having children. Sometimes they're married. Sometimes they're divorced but they're having children and they (00:10:13) like to work and they need daycare and it's an expense. And the Democrats proposed some day care programs (00:10:19) and some of them very centralized and very federally run in some cases not run to aptly and sometimes run over expensively. (00:10:28) the (00:10:28) daycare Republicans vote no, we don't have any other alternative. We don't have any business run daycare. We don't suggest any local Alternatives. (00:10:40) You had a few churches running them you had a few nurseries, but if (00:10:42) you mean where the Republicans involved in taking the lead on daycare knows the other way around we are dragging our feet. And we come to Title Nine on the Education Act, (00:10:53) which says that a federal government gives money for Education. It must be spent without discrimination between men and women. I did not mean that you had to have a boys and a girls (00:11:02) football team. But it did mean that you had to have an equivalent. Maybe you had to have a field hockey team. And you did have to have basketball teams and you had to pay the coaches the same and they had to have the same shower access and the same kinds of money spent on them. (00:11:25) Who offered the amendments to stop that the (00:11:27) Republicans? But I would wager today. There's a fair number of people in this room (00:11:32) have some Daughters of whom you were very proud (00:11:36) in their prowess and field hockey or basketball or track that simply would not have been (00:11:41) participating in those Sports had we and our business allies had our (00:11:47) way. This is all before the era and abortion or ever an issue. These all happened in the mid 60s and early 1970s. The Equal Rights Amendment was really not that difficult an issue the first time we passed it and it passed by and large with strong bipartisan support. And of course it was in our platform until 1980. In fact, we put it in our platform long before the Democrats. It did not really become an issue until the first extension came when the seven years ran out and we voted to extend it and abortion did not become an issue in the campaign still 1976. The Supreme Court decision had been in 73, but the mobilization of right to life had not occurred till after the 74 elections and they started their first Genesis. In 1976 clearly it was the Republicans by this time to the extent (00:12:41) that there was opposition that were opposed to the Supreme Court decision on choice. And opposed to the extension (00:12:50) for ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and by larger opposed to it now to the extent there's opposition again, I think we're going to pass the Equal Rights Amendment in this Congress (00:12:59) and I'm going to make a bet (00:13:01) that a majority of Republicans. Although it'll be a slight majority will vote for it. But the Democrats will probably vote for it with all but one or two exceptions in the Senate. It will (00:13:09) be a very disproportionate breakdown. So what are women to think (00:13:18) how do they do think you're 45 years old you've lived through this last 20 or (00:13:22) 25 years. You've seen the Republican Party reluctantly dragged Kicking and Screaming into acceptance of daycare in the fact, you can't discriminate and employment you've seen as dragged into opening the service academies to women and amazingly, you know, they do. Well they can go out and train just like the men they can shoot about uh, Sakura is the men and they do better academically than the (00:13:45) men. (00:13:46) Of course, the only way you really get to (00:13:49) advance ultimately in the military. Our line positions that have some kind of combat experience of or in combat and if you don't have it man or woman you don't advance in the military (00:14:02) and of course, we don't allow women in combat. So it's nice that you're going into the military. It's nice you get to go to Annapolis and West Point if you're not going to go very far because of their system of (00:14:13) selection in (00:14:14) advancement. supports keeping them out of combat by large Republicans So what's the woman going to think? (00:14:23) Where are her chances best (00:14:25) served I run across woman after woman after woman who is dealt with the federal government and doesn't like (00:14:30) it very well (00:14:32) does not find it a good manager of (00:14:33) anything. And Lord knows when the federal government tries to provide a service we do it. (00:14:41) I mean if we actually (00:14:41) manage it run it administer it we do it very badly. (00:14:47) But if people in this country and especially women who were denied the opportunities more often. Are given an opportunity by the Democrats? To participate in an inept badly managed expensive federally run dictated from Washington DC program. Which is the sum benefit to them and the Republican option is nothing. Which option are they going to choose? It's clear as we're all sitting here. You're going to choose the one that at least gives you some opportunity. Now, how do we change it? And this is where I think we make the mistake in saying that the problem is Ronald (00:15:28) Reagan. (00:15:29) The problems started long (00:15:31) before Ronald Reagan ever even sought the nomination in 76 let alone getting it in 1980 and I'm not talking about those polls that say do you approve or disapprove of the president? Those are very volatile poles and they'll bob up (00:15:45) and down 10 15 points over a couple months now bob up and down and both men and women are very sometimes that gender gaps close. Sometimes the bigger the more critical (00:15:53) question is how do people (00:15:56) regard the party Republican and Democrat because that is a much more significant (00:16:02) question. (00:16:04) In terms of how they vote (00:16:06) for those offices that get below the line of their (00:16:09) notice. I served six years in the state legislature and I'm fully aware that relatively few people (00:16:16) know their state legislature and many of them don't know who they're voting for. They get down to that level and it's Jones versus Smith and they've never heard of Jones and they've never heard of Smith They'll (00:16:25) boat party. And if they are women and they think the Republican party is (00:16:31) unfair the vote Democrat. (00:16:35) And unfortunately for us the reservoir of talent in this country for the people that eventually become members of the US House of Representatives. The US Senate secretaries of State Attorneys General Governor's Senators president. The reservoir is the state legislature. A few people make it without starting their but by far most of us in (00:16:56) Congress house or Senate did start in the lower House of the State Legislature. (00:17:03) In in the lower House of (00:17:04) the state legislature today the Democrats outnumber the Republicans about (00:17:07) 322 (00:17:08) and with those under 40 about 221 (00:17:11) and that does not bode well for us 5 and 10 and 15 years down the road as we're looking for our candidates for higher offices. (00:17:21) Can it be changed and can Ronald Reagan (00:17:24) change it? (00:17:28) I was invited down to the White House a (00:17:30) week ago. Just seven of us the meeting the president Ed Meese Jim Bakker Paul laxalt and Dick Lugar the senator from Indiana and the fella named can do Burstyn. Who is the lobbyist for the White House to talk about? This issue. And I went through this history which I found please the president because he discovered it wasn't his fault. This is but then I got to the part about you know, but we can't continue going this way. Mr. President or things are not going to come out very well at the end and they asked me to have any suggestions. Well, I had some suggestions I wasn't prepared to make them right then. I told him I go back and think about it because I'm not sure I've got the nerve to suggest what I think could be done but every now and then when things get so desperate, It is your greatest opportunity for change. And I picture that properly done if he would be willing he can carry it all he could carry it off. He would have to believe it. I mean, he could not be a false conversion. He would have to believe it. But I find when he believes something. He's afraid of a Salesman if he believes in it himself. I mean you've seen his speeches recently saw the speech on grenade in Lebanon is a classic speech at this is well done. It would have to be something of the magnitude of a conversion like Paul on the road to Damascus. (00:19:05) Or a Penance not unlike Henry (00:19:09) II Canterbury after the death of Beckett, (00:19:12) but it could be done and this is the way I would picture although. I don't know if I have the (00:19:17) nerve to tell them to do it this way first the present the present would have to go back to his original position on the Equal Rights Amendment, which was he supported him when he was governor and I have a letter that he sent to a rally in in the Los Angeles about I'm sorry. I can't be there as an ER a rally, but please put my name on the invitation list and I'll do anything. I can to help you pass it and so that was his original (00:19:37) position. (00:19:38) If he were to go before one of the major women's organizations. Maybe even one that might boo him at the start and to make a speech the all hoods amazing, (00:19:53) but I'm thinking his press secretary tells the person come you cover this and you cover this live (00:19:58) because it's going to be an unusual event. And he goes before them and he's booed and he said he says to the Mistress of Ceremonies. I understand that probably deserve that. And I come to you as a man of a different generation who was raised with a different concept of women, and I now realize exist in this country. And so I am going to announce tonight A change in this Administration first. I'm directing this Administration. We will support the Equal Rights Amendment and will cease any opposition to it and Congress and will urge its passage by the legislature to because I know he won't change on abortion and he's very sincere about it. He'll say I cannot bring myself to change my view that I think abortion is the unjustified taking of life, but I will do this. I will say it's a matter of personal conscience and I will cease any effort to pass any further legislation in Congress. Now third I've discovered that my good trusted friend Jim Baker. Wants to run for the senate in Texas for the position that Senator Tower is departing and he is leaving with my good grace wish and I'm appointing Jill Ruggles house in his position 4th. Ed. Meese has decided to leave and and I am appointing you can pick whatever name you want and what he announces it right then in ones who on live television if he believes it and at the end of that meeting he would have a standing ovation from a group that had booting and it would be a stunning reversal and I think it would make an extraordinary effect on the people in this country because we are one thing if we are nothing else we are very very forgiving Up until a couple of months before the president and the President Nixon resigned. I think you probably could have said yeah, I did it my fault. I thought I was so desperate for the country. I ordered it. I asked the American public to forgive me. We was at Josh or we understand that's okay. If he (00:22:02) said If he if he said it in a very sincere efashion, will the president do this. I don't know if I've got the nerve to (00:22:08) go back and lay out the scenario for him. What'd (00:22:12) he do it? I don't know. I often find if you can present something in a factual basis. (00:22:18) It may work on the other hand if he won't then for the moment, I see (00:22:23) no serious likelihood (00:22:26) of change (00:22:26) Nationwide because by and large people get their concept that are then identification of the party from the president and everything that all of the rest of us do put together. Probably doesn't amount to as much as what the president does (00:22:42) singly in terms of public impression of the president's party. If he would do it, I think he could literally turn around the gender gap if he believed it because he would sell it like no one else can ever sell it if he didn't believe it. He shouldn't try it because there's nothing worse than trying something you don't believe in it will fall on its face. If he doesn't do it, he'll run for re-election. I expect he would be re-elected because I find a reservoir of Goodwill for him around the country people AC decent fellow you kind of he comes on. He's Frankie taught us. You know, he he tells the problems with a congress. That's the problem. Alright Congress and they will vote for him. But that would be the end of their voting Republican because they won't be voting for him because he's a republican even though we voting for him because he seemed like a decent Chap and then down the line. They're going to go voting Democrat Democrat Democrat. And the reason I'm convinced of that is because you see these poles it said you like the present. Yeah, you like his policies on education know like his policies on the environment know like his foreign policy. No defense policy know you like the present. Yeah, like the present and you see it. You see it Time After (00:23:52) Time and consequently when they say no, I don't like any of those Republican policies about (00:23:57) women or War defense or whatever don't like any of those. I'm going to vote democratic. For the most important office in the country. Now, I'm going to vote for Ronald Reagan. They don't say Ronald Reagan Republicans are going to vote for Ronald Reagan. We'll know pretty much within the next month or so, I think is rather he's going to run I expect he's (00:24:13) going to run. (00:24:15) And he does you'll have no serious (00:24:17) opposition other than other than Larry Flynt who was seeking the nomination. I don't know which parties filing and I've kind of lost track. But anyway for better for worse. If you runs you'll be our candidate and I think he will win and it will delay (00:24:35) the decision that all of us have to (00:24:36) make is do not we have to make but the party is going to have to make is to what they want to do and we have one or two choices. We can go the way of the wigs fortunately. This is a free country and if by chance we disappear another party will come along to take our place in a free country one party cannot exist one party dominant forever. If nothing else, they'll fracture split apart and they'll become two parties (00:24:59) or we can seize the opportunity to (00:25:00) Democrats. Give us Because they are marvelous they have more opportunities to make themselves and even more enduring majority and they are they will flub it and they will make mistakes and they have many of the same answers with the same problems, which didn't work. I'll come back again to what I said earlier. Given a choice between at least somebody who offers a solution at the federal level that maybe inept that doesn't work very well and someone who offers you no solution. Which do you choose? Yeah, as far as the Republican party is concerning the time is short. The choice is ours. I hope we survive. I hope we Thrive I hope we grow but we cannot do it by getting 10 percent of the black vote 20 percent of the Hispanic vote 25% of the Jewish vote and 47% of the women's vote. If you think that you can build a majority party in this country on the basis of 40 year old white males you cannot do it. There are not enough left friends will and I fit into that category, that's me, but for what it's worth. Those are my philosophies. I will continue to act on them. I may or may not encourage the president to follow that scenario and I go back to see you next week. I go back and giving that scenario you may never see me again. I know but I think it would work whether he would do it too. Who knows. I appreciate the chance very much to be with you. Thank you.