Politics

Sen. Smith Goes For GOP Gold

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 18, 1999 / 2:37 PM EST / CBS

Sen. Bob Smith says he stands with the little guy, paying no attention to pundits and pollsters. As he announced Thursday that he was seeking the Republican presidential nomination he promised, "It's not going to be a campaign for the faint of heart."

Smith is the first Republican to formally declare his candidacy for the GOP presidential nomination.

Speaking at Kingswood Regional High School, where he once taught civics, Smith mentioned two ships the Mayflower and the Titanic to describe his vision for the nation. The Pilgrims on the Mayflower followed their compass and founded a new nation, he said, while the Titanic crew went off course, hit an iceberg and sank.

"I am asking all of you to join me today to chart the right course for America and sail safely into the 21st century with a commitment to keep America strong and free for millions yet unborn," he said.

Smith said one of his first priorities as president would be pushing Congress to define life as beginning at fertilization.

"In the 1860s, Lincoln ended the moral outrage of slavery because he knew it was wrong. Abortion is the moral outrage of the 20th century, and I will end it because it, too, is wrong," he said.

Smith said he also would seek a thorough review of the armed services to correct problems that threaten to weaken them. The Air Force will face a shortage of 2,000 pilots by 2002, he said, and there is a shortage of parts for military equipment throughout the other services.

As he kicked off his campaign, Smith, 57, brushed aside criticism about whether he had the message or the money for a successful run.

He has spent the last year and a half expanding the grass-roots network that has served him well in New Hampshire and says he listens to voters, not polls.

"I'm tired of pollsters, consultants and talking heads telling us how to vote, telling us who will win," he said in an interview Wednesday. "It's important we act for ourselves. I'm a country music Republican, not a country club Republican. I want the little guy to know he has a chance."

Smith, who takes it as a compliment to be compared to conservative Republican Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, supports beefing up national defense, ending abortion and strengthening constitutional rights.

During a 1995 Senate debate on late-term abortions, Smith waved a plastic fetus, showed pictures of a baby that had survived an abortion and described late-term abortion in bloody detail.

Last year, Smith was one of five conservative senators who nearly blocked passage of the Senate's $1.7 trillion budget because it included only $30 billion in tax cuts over five years. Smith and the others, who wanted $101 billion in cuts, voted for the plan only after GOP leaders promised the House-Senate compromise budget would boost the amount.

Smith placed near the bottom in a poll of New Hampshire Republicans released thi month by the independent American Research Group. Four percent of 454 Republicans surveyed said they would vote for Smith in the primary; 25 percent said they would support Elizabeth Dole.