DOLE BETS ON KEMP'S PIZAZZ : PAIRING OF ANTAGONISTS FRAUGHT WITH RISK, FULL OF OPPORTUNITY.

Byline: Jodi Enda and Steven Thomma Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire

Bob Dole chose Jack Kemp as his running mate Friday, swallowing his distaste for a longtime rival in favor of a bold move designed to attract voters he has been unable to reach on his own.

Dole phoned Kemp late Friday to make it official and offer him the second spot on the ticket. ``Bob Dole made the call and got the answer he was looking for, and we've got a veep,'' said Dole aide Nelson Warfield.

Picking Kemp was Dole's third attempt this year to reinvent himself in the eyes of skeptical voters. Two earlier efforts - his surprise resignation from the Senate and his about-face endorsement of massive tax cuts - failed to win support or improve his standing against President Clinton.

Reports of the Kemp selection sent a buzz of excitement through Republican ranks, as activists and party officials predicted that Kemp would help Dole finally get on track for the fall campaign.

``I don't know of anyone in our party who is more effervescent, more enthusiastic, more rah-rah than Jack,'' said former House Republican leader Bob Michel. ``As dull as the Dole campaign has been so far, it can use all the flash and pizazz it can get. And when Jack gets pumped up, watch out.''

Kemp, who is upbeat, ebullient and assertive, could be a good antidote to Dole's quiet and often dour demeanor. While the former housing secretary, New York congressman and National Football League quarterback has a tendency to try to bulldoze opposition, Dole prefers behind-the-scenes maneuvering. While Kemp prefers the big picture, Dole tends to dwell on details, eyeing grandiose ideas with suspicion.

Dole spokesman Warfield said Kemp would bring ``remarkable popularity throughout the political spectrum'' to the ticket. ``He's one GOP candidate who has broad appeal right off the bat to independents and Democrats,'' Warfield said.

Dole was scheduled to appear in Russell, Kan., with his running mate before flying to San Diego for the opening of the Republican National Convention. Dole aides called runners-up Friday to let them know that Kemp was the choice.

A Dole-Kemp ticket hearkens back to an era when running mates didn't have to like each other or even agree on issues. They just needed one common goal: victory. Such a strategy worked for John F. Kennedy, who chose a man he disdained, Lyndon Johnson, to shore up support in the South.

The pairing also offers a sharp contrast to the Democratic ticket of President Clinton and Vice President Al Gore, two like-minded, Southern politicians whose strength emanates from their compatibility and mutual respect rather than old-fashioned political expediency.

Dole's interest in Kemp is striking because Kemp, a former congressman and star quarterback for the Buffalo Bills and San Diego Chargers, has often been at odds with many in his party. Dole has had a rocky relationship with Kemp.

``They've fought like cats and dogs in the past,'' said former Education Secretary Bill Bennett. ``But this shows, yes, politically speaking, Bob Dole wants to win this.''

Conservative commentator R. Emmett Tyrell Jr. said: ``It shows he's desperate. It shows how concerned Dole is.''

Whether desperate or bold, the news about Kemp excited Republicans who have been lackluster in their enthusiasm for a campaign that continues to trail behind Clinton's by large margins.

Party members and analysts said Kemp would help the party compete for votes among traditionally Democratic voters like African-Americans and Jews and that he would cement Dole's tax-cut message.

``We don't get much of the black vote, the Jewish vote. If anyone can get us more, it's Kemp,'' said Rep. Henry Hyde, R-Ill.

``Jack Kemp has always been a bridge builder. He can talk to white conservatives and black and Hispanic audiences and get a standing ovation from both, with the same speech,'' said Robert Woodson, founder of the National Center for Neighborhood Enterprises and a prominent African-American conservative.

Although Dole himself has a long record of supporting civil rights, he has not won significant support from African-Americans. Last month, he refused to speak to the NAACP and was criticized by Kemp, who has a record both of supporting civil rights and proposing new ideas to help inner cities.

As secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President George Bush, Kemp pushed empowerment zones and housing reform to restore vitality to central cities.

He and Bennett were the most prominent Republicans to criticize California's Proposition 187, which sought to deny government benefits to illegal immigrants and their children. Dole supported the measure.

A Kemp candidacy also could excite the conservative base of the party, which has long been cool to Dole.

When Rep. Bob Walker, R-Penn., telephoned his 81-year-old mother Friday in Pennsylvania to tell her when he would be speaking at the convention, her first question was about Kemp. ``That's the most exciting thing I've heard since the campaign started,'' she told her son.

Walker said there has been a lot of uneasiness among Republicans about Dole's campaign. Republican congressional candidates will be particularly happy with the choice, Walker said.

Many GOP candidates for Congress have been unhappy with Dole's standing in the polls, fearing he could drag them down and cost them control of Congress.

But most Republicans also know that Kemp is a gamble, a loose cannon prone to speak his mind even if it contradicts the views of his own party.

``There is a real paradox to this guy,'' a top Dole aide said. ``He made his name playing professional football, a team sport, but he is really not a team player.''

From his condemnation of California's anti-immigration initiative to his endorsement of magazine publisher Steve Forbes as Dole was sewing up the nomination, Kemp has been willing to knock heads with the party establishment.

``This is the most garrulous vice presidential candidate in history,'' Tyrell said. ``If Dole thinks he can keep Jack Kemp in line, he probably thinks he can keep Bill Clinton in line, too. . . . Between Jack Kemp and Bill Clinton, Dole and Gore won't get a word in edgewise in this campaign.''

Walker acknowledged that Kemp ``has always marched to his own drummer.'' But he said that could be an asset, casting Kemp as a principled leader.

Kemp frequently is credited with leading the charge for large tax cuts as a way to help the middle class and stimulate the economy. Dole has argued such a move would mushroom the deficit. Dole came over to Kemp's side, putting forth an economic proposal that would reduce federal income taxes by a massive 15 percent across the board and rely a great deal on increased investment to shore up the economy.

While Dole is seen as a war hero - he was gravely injured in World War II and still can't use his right arm - Kemp received a medical deferment from his Army Reserve Unit when it was activated during the Berlin crisis in 1961. Despite the deferment for a shoulder injury, he continued to play professional football. He led the San Diego Chargers that season to a division title.

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Photo

Photo: Jack Kemp, officially picked Friday as Bob Dole's ru nning mate, answers a question while reporters trail him down an escalator.

Associated Press