Favorable or Unfavorable #244: Elizabeth Dole

[vcczar]

Elizabeth Dole (NC-R) was, like Hillary Clinton, initially a political spouse. She started out as a Democrat and was somewhat liberal on some issues, but by the time she was a US Senator, she was considered more conservative than Bob Dole. At one point she was considered one of the top cabinet officers in US history (like top 25), but I fail to find any specific actions that warrant that, although she doesn't seem to have any glaring flaws either. More actions might be added if I find some. 

Strangely, her husband was basically absent from her 2000 campaign. He probably felt he had to be impartial in the primaries, which is odd. It could have been her decision to seem like her own person, considering her husband was the previous election's GOP nominee. 

She was defeated for reelection in 2008 during the Obama wave. 

Her actions:

Dole, Elizabeth	1975	As member of the FTC, marries Sen. Bob Dole, switching parties from Dem to GOP
Dole, Elizabeth	1983	confirmed Sec of Transp for Reagan, 1st woman to hold this office
Dole, Elizabeth	1984	Gives up trying to get Reagan to support the Equal Rights Amendment after several attempts
Dole, Elizabeth	1989	Confirmed Sec of Labor for Bush
Dole, Elizabeth	1996	Gives well-received GOP Conv speech; Aids her husband's GOP campaign for pres against Clinton
Dole, Elizabeth	2000	Rep Pres cand; considered for VP
Dole, Elizabeth	2003	1st woman US Sen for NC; 1st spouse of fmr US Sen to serve in a different state

[OrangeP47]

I mean, it's even enough to make me a cautious favorable when I'm unfavorable on Bob, but it's not so much any one specific thing she did, but just the fact that she's a super competent adult.  Yeah, it sounds like the bare minimum, but because of how elections work, it's rare to actually get them.  Being specifically in Transportation and Labor, kind of the more policy focused instead of ideology focused (though Labor can be ideology focused), that's where that type of person can really shine too, rather than partisan bickering of the legislative branch.  I'd argue Biden is the same type of person, albeit one who's been elected rather than in the cabinet.  In his case, it may not be natural talent, but the decades of experience that put him there though, so perhaps that's a difference.  These people are more like the natural policy wonks I'm talking about.