Divisive Issues
Simpson, in his words, has "flunked the conservative test" in other areas.
Simpson is pro-choice and predicts that until the Republican party successfully deals with the issue of abortion, a GOP President will not be elected by the American people.
Campaigning with George Bush in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996, Simpson said he saw "thousands of women in my presence [jump] ship and would not have supported either one of them because of the issue of abortion."
Last week, Republican National Committee member Tim Lambert's controversial proposal to deny funding to pro-choice Republican candidates was defeated.
Simpson advised the Republican party to handle abortion like the state GOP party did in Wyoming, adopting a resolution that acknowledges the divisiveness of the issue and agrees to remove it entirely from the party platform.
Besides Gov. George W. Bush Jr. of Texas, Simpson sees Colin Powell as a possible Republican candidate for president in 2000.
Minority leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) will be a strong but highly partisan candidate for the Democrats, Simpson predicts.
"I don't believe Al Gore ['69] will be the nominee," he said. "I know I have my personal thoughts. about his voting during the Gulf War," Simpson said.
Former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, who serves with Simpson as a co-chair of Project Independence, a campaign reform initiative, could also be a strong Democratic candidate, Simpson said.
In and Out
Don't expect to see Simpson in the national political arena, however.
He said he's out of politics for good, and looks forward to the challenges of teaching and the IOP.
Simpson and his wife Ann will live in Eliot House, as they did last year when Simpson taught at the Kennedy School.
The students he's met at Eliot House "are some of the finest young people I know."
To those, however, who disagree with him and his politics, Simpson says the door to his office on the second floor at the Institute of Politics is always open.
"When I disagree with someone, and it's very important for this campus to understand, give me a call!" he says.
"And we'll sit down. And we'll talk.