1988 United States presidential debates

Part of the 1988 U.S. presidential election

1988 United States presidential debates

* * *

| <- 1984 | September 25, 1988
October 13, 1988 | 1992 ->

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Nominee  | George H. W. Bush | Michael Dukakis |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Home state  | Texas | Massachusetts

1988 United States vice presidential debate

|  | October 5, 1988 |

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Nominee  | Dan Quayle | Lloyd Bentsen |
Party  | Republican | Democratic
Home state  | Indiana | Texas

The 1988 United States presidential debates were a series of debates held during the 1988 presidential election.[1]

The Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), a bipartisan organization formed in 1987, organized two debates among the major party candidates, sponsored two presidential debates and one vice presidential debates. Only Republican nominee George H. W. Bush and Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis met the criteria for inclusion in the debates, and thus were the only two to appear in the debates sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates. The CPD-sponsored vice presidential debate took place between their respective vice presidential running mates, Dan Quayle and Lloyd Bentsen.

## Debate schedule

[edit]

There were two presidential debates and one vice-presidential debate.

1988 United States presidential election debates

No. | Date & Time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants
Key:
P Participant.  N Non-invitee.  | Republican | Democratic
Vice President
George H. W. Bush
of Texas | Governor
Michael Dukakis
of Massachusetts
1 | Sunday, September 25, 1988,

8:00 – 9:30 p.m. EDT[2]

| Wake Forest University | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Jim Lehrer of PBS | P | P
2 | Thursday, October 13, 1988,

9:30 – 11:00 p.m. EDT[2]

| University of California | Los Angeles, California | Bernard Shaw of CNN | P | P
1988 United States vice presidential debate
No. | Date & Time | Host | Location | Moderator | Participants
Key:
P Participant.  N Non-invitee.  | Republican | Democratic
Senator
Dan Quayle
of Indiana | Senator
Lloyd Bentsen
of Texas
VP | Wednesday, October 5, 1988,

9:00 – 10:30 p.m. EDT[2]

| Omaha Civic Auditorium | Omaha, Nebraska | Judy Woodruff of PBS | P | P

## September 25: First presidential debate (Wake Forest University)

[edit]

First presidential debate

Date(s)| September 25, 1988 (1988-09-25)
Duration| 90 minutes
Venue| Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University
Location| Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Participants| George H. W. Bush
Michael Dukakis
Moderator(s)| Jim Lehrer of PBS

The first presidential debate between Vice President George H. W. Bush and Governor Michael Dukakis took place on Sunday September 25, 1988, in the Wait Chapel at Wake Forest University.

The debate was moderated by Jim Lehrer of PBS with John Mashek of Atlanta Constitution, Peter Jennings of ABC, and Anne Groer of Orlando Sentinel as panelists. Questions divided between foreign and domestic policy.

Voters were split as to who won the first presidential debate.[3]

### Transcript

[edit]

* [1] from the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 65.1 million viewers tuned into the debate.

## October 5: Vice presidential debate (Omaha Civic Auditorium)

[edit]

Vice presidential debate

Date(s)| October 5, 1988 (1988-10-05)
Duration| 90 minutes
Venue| Omaha Civic Auditorium
Location| Omaha, Nebraska
Participants|

* Dan Quayle
* Lloyd Bentsen

Moderator(s)| Judy Woodruff of PBS

The only vice presidential debate between Senator Dan Quayle and Senator Lloyd Bentsen took place on Wednesday, October 5, 1988, in the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska.

The debate was moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS moderated the debate with Tom Brokaw of NBC, Jon Margolis of Chicago Tribune, and Brit Hume of ABC.

### "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"

[edit]

Judy Woodruff set the stage by addressing the audience: "Based on the history since World War II, there is almost a 50–50 chance that one of the two men here tonight will become President of the United States." She was referring to the probability that the man elected vice president would later become president, either by succession or by a presidential bid. In Quayle's response to Woodruff's question he stated "I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency." Bentsen then responded to Quayle's remark with "Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy,'' which was followed by shouts and applause.

Quayle had routinely been comparing himself to Kennedy in his stump speech.[4] Quayle did not directly compare himself with Kennedy in terms of accomplishment, but in terms of length of Congressional service; Quayle served for 12 years while Kennedy served for 14. When Kennedy successfully sought the Democratic nomination in 1960, he had less experience than his primary opponents, most of whom had more seniority in the Senate. While it was a statement of fact, some of Quayle's advisors suggested that this comparison could cause trouble.[5]

Bentsen's remark has become a part of the political lexicon as a way to deflate politicians or other individuals perceived as thinking too highly of themselves. The phrase was almost never uttered, as Bentsen was so nervous that he pleaded with his staff to cancel the debate altogether.[6]

### Transcript

[edit]

* [2] from the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 46.9 million viewers tuned into the debate.

## October 13: Second presidential debate (University of California)

[edit]

Second presidential debate

Date(s)| October 13, 1988 (1988-10-13)
Duration| 90 minutes
Venue| University of California
Location| Los Angeles, California
Participants| George H. W. Bush
Michael Dukakis
Moderator(s)| Bernard Shaw of CNN

The second and final presidential debate between Vice President George H. W. Bush and Governor Michael Dukakis took place on Thursday, October 13, 1988, at the Pauley Pavilion at University of California in Los Angeles, California.

The debate was moderated by Bernard Shaw of CNN with Andrea Mitchell of NBC, Ann Compton of ABC, and Margaret Warner of Newsweek as panelists.

Bush improved in the second debate; Dukakis had been suffering from the flu and spent much of the day in bed. His performance was generally seen as poor.

### Kitty Dukakis

[edit]

Bernard Shaw opened the debate by asking Dukakis whether he would support the death penalty if Kitty Dukakis, his wife, were raped and murdered; Dukakis answered "no" and proceeded to discuss the statistical ineffectiveness of capital punishment. Some commentators thought the question itself was unfair, in that it injected an overly emotional element into the discussion of a policy issue; Many observers felt Dukakis's answer lacked the normal emotions one would expect of a person talking about a loved one's rape and murder, which played to his reputation of being intellectually cold.[7]

### Results

[edit]

Tom Brokaw of NBC reported on his October 14 newscast, "The consensus tonight is that Vice President George Bush won last night's debate and made it all the harder for Governor Michael Dukakis to catch and pass him in the 25 days remaining. In all of the Friday morning quarterbacking, there was common agreement that Dukakis failed to seize the debate and make it his night."[8]

### Transcript

[edit]

* [3] from the Commission on Presidential Debates website.

### Viewership

[edit]

An estimated 67.3 million viewers tuned into the debate.

## See also

[edit]

* George H. W. Bush 1988 presidential campaign
* Michael Dukakis 1988 presidential campaign
* 1988 United States presidential election

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "CPD: 1988 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
2. ^ a b c "CPD: 1988 Debates". www.debates.org. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
3. ^ After The Debate; Round One Undecisive [sic] Dionne, E.J. New York Times. September 27, 1988.
4. ^ "'Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy' almost didn't happen. How it became the biggest VP debate moment in history". Los Angeles Times. October 4, 2016.
5. ^ "Vice President Dan Quayle Interview - Debating Our Destiny". www.pbs.org. PBS. December 2, 1999. Retrieved September 19, 2018.
6. ^ "'Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy' almost didn't happen. How it became the biggest VP debate moment in history". Los Angeles Times. October 4, 2016. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
7. ^ Hirshson, Paul (October 19, 1988). "Editors on Dukakis: Down, but not out". The Boston Globe. p. 29\. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016.
8. ^ Death Penalty, Dan Quayle Are Subjects of Bush-Dukakis Debate Archived December 10, 2019, at the Wayback Machine NBC Nightly News. October 14, 1988. Retrieved August 25, 2016.

* v
* t
* e

United States presidential debates

General election debates|

* 1960
* 1976
* 1980
* 1984
* 1988
* 1992
* 1996
* 2000
* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024
* Biden–Trump

Primary election debates|

| Republican|

* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

|

Democratic|

* 2004
* 2008
* 2012
* 2016
* 2020
* 2024

Other parties|

* Libertarian
* 2016
* Green
* 2016

Related debates and forums|

* 1948
* Dewey–Stassen debate
* 2008
* Civil Forum on the Presidency
* CNN/YouTube presidential debates
* Science Debate 2008
* Visible Vote '08: A Presidential Forum
* 2012
* The Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium

Organizations|

* Citizens' Debate Commission
* Commission on Presidential Debates
* Free & Equal Elections Foundation
* League of Women Voters

Phrases|

* "There you go again"
* "Where's the beef?"
* "Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy"
* "Binders full of women"
* "Nasty woman"
* "We finally beat Medicare"
* "They're eating the dogs"

* v
* t
* e

(<- 1984) 1988 United States presidential election (1992 ->)

Republican Party|

* Convention
* Primaries
* results

Candidates|

* Nominee: George H. W. Bush
* campaign
* VP nominee: Dan Quayle

* Other candidates: Bob Dole
* Pete du Pont
* Ben Fernandez
* Alexander Haig
* Jack Kemp
* Paul Laxalt
* Isabell Masters
* Pat Robertson
* Donald Rumsfeld
* Harold Stassen

Democratic Party|

* Convention
* Primaries
* results

Candidates|

* Nominee: Michael Dukakis
* campaign
* VP nominee: Lloyd Bentsen

* Other candidates: Douglas Applegate
* Bruce Babbitt
* Joe Biden
* campaign
* positions
* David Duke
* Dick Gephardt
* Al Gore
* campaign
* Gary Hart
* Jesse Jackson
* campaign
* Lyndon LaRouche
* campaign
* positions
* Andy Martin
* Patricia Schroeder
* Paul Simon
* James Traficant

Third-party and independent candidates

Libertarian Party|

* Convention
* Nominee: Ron Paul
* campaign
* positions
* VP nominee: Andre Marrou
* Other candidates: Jim Lewis
* Russell Means

New Alliance Party|

* Nominee: Lenora Fulani

Populist Party|

* Nominee: David Duke

Prohibition Party|

* Nominee: Earl Dodge
* VP nominee: George Ormsby

Socialist Equality Party|

* Nominee: Edward Winn

Socialist Party|

* Nominee: Willa Kenoyer
* VP nominee: Ron Ehrenreich

Socialist Workers Party|

* Nominee: James Warren
* VP nominee: Kathleen Mickells

Workers World Party|

* Nominee: Larry Holmes
* VP nominee: Gloria La Riva

Independents and others|

* Jack Herer
* Lyndon LaRouche
* Herbert G. Lewin
* William A. Marra
* Eugene McCarthy

* Other 1988 elections: House
* Senate
* Gubernatorial

* v
* t
* e

George H. W. Bush

* 41st President of the United States (1989–1993)
* 43rd Vice President of the United States (1981–1989)
* Director of Central Intelligence (1976–1977)
* UN Ambassador (1971–1973)
* U.S. Representative for TX–7 (1967–1971)

Presidency|

* Transition
* Inauguration
* Timeline
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* January 1993
* Environmental policy
* Soviet Union summits
* Malta
* Helsinki
* Invasion of Panama
* Chemical Weapons Accord
* Gulf War
* 1991 Madrid Conference
* National Space Council
* New world order
* Somali Civil War
* Unified Task Force
* Negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement
* Cannabis policy
* Vomiting incident
* Broccoli comments
* White House horseshoe pit
* Presidential pardons
* International trips
* Oval Office desk
* Cabinet
* Quayle vice presidency
* Judicial appointments
* Thomas
* Supreme Court candidates
* controversies
* Executive orders
* Presidential proclamations

Life|

* Presidential Library
* Bush School of Government and Public Service
* Walker's Point Estate
* Post-presidency
* Death and state funeral

Speeches|

* Joint session of Congress (1989)
* State of the Union addresses
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* Chicken Kiev

Elections|

| U.S. Senate|

* 1964
* 1970

|

U.S. House|

* 1966
* 1968

Vice Presidential|

* 1980 campaign
* selection
* convention
* election
* transition
* 1984 campaign
* convention
* election

Presidential|

* 1980 campaign
* primaries
* 1988 campaign
* primaries
* running mate selection
* convention
* "a thousand points of light"
* "Read my lips: no new taxes"
* debates
* election
* 1992 campaign
* primaries
* convention
* debates
* election
* Clinton transition

Public image|

* Saturday Night Live parodies
* The X-Presidents
* Presidential Reunion (2010 short film)
* The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear (1991)
* What It Takes: The Way to the White House (1993)
* The Silence of the Hams (1994)
* George Bush: The Life of a Lone Star Yankee (1997)
* The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty (2004)
* George H.W. Bush (2008)
* Bad for Democracy (2008)
* Family of Secrets (2009)
* 41: A Portrait of My Father (2014 book)
* Destiny and Power (2015 book)

Books|

* A World Transformed (1998)
* All the Best (1999)

Legacy|

* Bibliography
* Presidential Library
* George H. W. Bush Monument
* Medal of Freedom
* Bush School of Government
* Reagan Award
* George Bush Intercontinental Airport
* USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)
* Official White House portrait

Family|

* Barbara Bush (wife)
* George W. Bush (son
* presidency)
* Pauline Robinson Bush (daughter)
* Jeb Bush (son)
* Neil Bush (son)
* Marvin Bush (son)
* Dorothy Bush Koch (daughter)
* Barbara Bush Coyne (granddaughter)
* Jenna Bush Hager (granddaughter)
* George P. Bush (grandson)
* Lauren Bush (granddaughter)
* Pierce Bush (grandson)
* Prescott Bush (father)
* Dorothy Walker Bush (mother)
* Nancy Walker Bush Ellis (sister)
* Jonathan Bush (brother)
* William H. T. Bush (brother)
* Samuel P. Bush (grandfather)
* George Herbert Walker (grandfather)
* James Smith Bush (great-grandfather)
* Obadiah Bush (great-great-grandfather)
* Millie (family dog)
* Sully (service dog)

* ← Ronald Reagan
* Bill Clinton →

* ← Walter Mondale
* Dan Quayle →

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Dan Quayle

* 44th Vice President of the United States (1989–1993)
* U.S. Senator from Indiana (1981–1989)
* U.S. Representative for IN–4 (1977–1981)

Electoral history|

| U.S. House|

* 1976
* 1978

|

U.S. Senate|

* 1980
* 1986

Vice presidential|

* 1988 campaign
* selection
* convention
* debate
* election
* transition
* 1992 campaign
* convention
* debate
* election
* Clinton transition

Presidential|

* 2000 campaign

Legacy and
public image|

* Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy
* Vice presidency
* Murphy Brown speech
* Gaffes
* Danny Goes to Mars
* Quayle Vice Presidential Learning Center

Related|

* Cerberus Capital Management

Family and
personal life|

* Eugene C. Pulliam (grandfather)
* James C. Quayle (father)
* Nina Mason Pulliam (mother)
* Marilyn Quayle (wife)
* Ben Quayle (son)

* ← George H. W. Bush
* Al Gore →

* * *

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