`Irish for Dole' group flexes electoral muscle

A GREEN elephant with white shamrocks it looks like something out of Darby O'Gill, but it carries a message. Read on.

A GREEN elephant with white shamrocks it looks like something out of Darby O'Gill, but it carries a message. Read on.

The "Irish for Clinton" group might be getting ready to help put its man back in the White House next November, but this time it has a rival for the Irish American vote.

The "Irish for Dole", founded Only a few months ago, is setting out to prove that there are as many Republicans as Democrats among the estimated 44 million of Irish descent across the US.

Two of the main organisers have friendly links with another Republican Party Fianna Fail. Deirdre Woodbyrne and Patrick Collins have both spent some years as "interns" working with Fianna Fail in Leinster House. They are hoping that there will be a "fraternal delegation" from Fianna Fail at the Republican convention in San Diego in August, but at $4,000 (£1,400) a head, some fund raising will be needed first.

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The "Irish for Dole" is an off shoot of a larger organisation called the National Assembly of Irish American Republicans (NAIAR). For the past year this organisation has been working through Republican congressmen to woo the Irish American vote in the coming elections, presidential as well as for the House of Representatives and the Senate. The NAIAR has got permission to use the Republican elephant as its logo but with the stars replaced by shamrocks.

While Democratic Senators Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd and Daniel Moynihan are long identified with Ireland and the peace process, it is surprising to find that there is an even more energetic Irish lobby among Republican members of the House.

A good number of them turned up this week for a forum on "The Peace Process on Northern Ireland" organised by the NAIAR in the elegant Capitol Hill Club.

Underneath portraits of former Republican First Ladies, Nancy Reagan, Barbara Bush, Betty Ford, Pat Nixon and Mamie Eisenhower, a lively discussion took place on the peace process and how "the next Republican President", former Senator Bob Dole, can play a part in it.

It was pointed out that Bob Dole met the Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, before President Clinton did and promised his support for a peaceful solution in Northern Ireland. Later it was recalled that Mr Dole told Mr Adams, who had to be almost covertly slipped into the White House to meet officials, that if he were president he would not have to come into the White House "by the back door".

Fianna Fail senator Paddy McGowan was at the meeting as he was in Washington with a Donegal Derry cross Border delegation. He later said he was thrilled to hear the strong pledge of support for the peace process from the Republicans who now control Congress and may yet win the White House.

Former US ambassador to Ireland, Margaret Heckler, showed up to say that Mr Dole is "not a late comer to the peace process". Later she told The Irish Times that she had urged the party to go after the Irish American vote. Being a first generation O'Shaughnessy from Ireland had not stopped her rising to Cabinet rank in the Republican Party under Ronald Reagan.

Another prestigious figure in the Republican hierarcy involved in Irish affairs at the meeting was Ben Gilman. He is Jewish and chairman of the House International Affairs Committee, a key position which he uses to help Ireland when the allocation for the International Fund for Ireland comes up.

As a co-chairman of the Congressional Ad Hoc Committee for Irish Affairs, he has been extremely active in the events lead ing up to the IRA ceasefire.

He has also been a tenacious supporter of the MacBride Principles combating anti Catholic discrimination in jobs in Northern Ireland, and has criticised Mr Clinton over his recent veto of a Bill approving the principles. The President's excuse was that the principles were attached to cuts on foreign aid which he could not accept so the whole Bill had to be vetoed.

Congressman Peter King from New York has also been a fervent supporter of Mr Adams in his efforts to take the armalite out of Irish politics. He told the forum that he no longer indulged in anti British speeches".

Republican member Peter Blute said that he likes to tell his fellow Massachusetts congressman, Joe Kennedy, who is, of course, a Democrat, that there are more Republican Irish Americans in the House than Democratic ones. "Kennedy just cannot handle this concept".

The Republicans concede that Mr Clinton has played a blinder in the peace process and some of them accompanied him to Ireland on his triumphal trip last year. But if Mr Dole can be seen a equally enthusiastic for the peace process, Irish American voters will look to other issues, they hope, when electing the next President.

Abortion will be a key issue. The Republicans continue to favour a constitutional amendment to veto abortion while Mr Clinton has been strongly criticised by the Pope and the US bishops for his veto of the Republican Bill to outlaw so called partial birth abortions.

But Mr Dole and the controversial Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, may have miscalculated in not inviting President Robinson to address a joint session of Congress during her State visit here next week. Senator Kennedy had lobbied hard for such an address. Instead, they have given this honour to the Taoiseach, John Bruton, for his visit next September.

Some observers see this as Mr Dole and Mr Gingrich just thwarting Senator Kennedy. Republicans say this is not the case and that the Taoiseach is a more "political" figure and therefore more appropriate to address Congress.

The Irish Americans might yet see it as a slight on the President and express their displeasure. But it is a long time to November.