RIP, Jack Kemp

Jack Kemp, who died today at the age of 73, was an uncommonly decent man. I disagreed with his economic ideas, but Jack Kemp was truly committed to making the Republican Party once again "The Party of Lincoln". He was a voice of racial sanity and moderation in an increasingly ugly and intolerant party. Kemp genuinely sought to help improve the lot of our nation's poorest inner city residents when he was HUD Secretary, and he was the only candidate in 1996 that was out on the trail talking about the concerns of African-Americans and urban residents. He was gracious and a true gentleman, and the nation and his party are poorer for his loss.