Former Republican presidential nominee Bob Dole is telling Republicans to put a "closed for repair" sign on the door until 2014 so that the party can develop a "positive agenda."
In an interview that aired on Sunday, Dole told Fox News host Chris Wallace that "there was no doubt about it" that Republicans were abusing the filibuster because motions for cloture had increased from seven in 1969-1970 to 115 in last year's 112th Congress.
"There's some cases where it's probably justified," the war veteran explained. "But not many."
"I think they ought to put a sign on the national committee doors that says closed for repairs until New Year's Day next year," he added. "And spend that time going over ideas and positive agendas."
Dole said that he doubted that he and even former President Ronald Reagan could survive in today's Republican Party.
"Reagan couldn't have made it. Certainly, Nixon couldn't have made it because he had ideas," he pointed out. "I just consider myself a Republican, none of this hyphenated stuff. I was a mainstream conservative Republican."
The former presidential nominee also damned President Barack Obama with faint praise.
"What do you think of Barack Obama," Wallace wondered.
"Great golfer," Dole quipped. "Very articulate. I think, as a president, he lacks communications skills with his own party, let alone the Republican Party. And he's on the road too much."
