Quayle’s a Winner for Bush, America : After the Furor, Voters Will See Man of Ideas for 21st Century

Michael S. Dukakis says that this election is about competence, not ideology. Perhaps the governor thinks that we should dispense with elections and set up a bipartisan review board to select the most competent person in the land to be President.

George Bush understands that elections are about ideas. The vice president believes that this election is about the ideas that will determine the future direction of the country. That is why he chose Sen. Dan Quayle as his running mate; that is why Dan Quayle is an outstanding choice.

Quayle agrees with the vice president on the issues. They share the same values and the same vision for the future of the country. Both believe in peace through strength. The historic intermediate-nuclear-forces treaty, Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, a lower level of tensions generally in the world and the most constructive relationship between thesuperpowers in decades would seem to support their position.

Both are proud of the record of the Reagan-Bush Administration, which has produced the longest period of economic growth in modern history and has slashed inflation, interest rates and unemployment compared to the Jimmy Carter years.

The vice president and the senator don’t say that the world is perfect; they want to build on the successes of the Reagan years. But their fundamental agreement on issues, their shared view of our government and the world, is in stark contrast to the Democratic ticket.

Quayle is one year younger than John F. Kennedy was when Kennedy ran for President. Quayle has served in the House and the Senate almost exactly the same length of time as Kennedy did. Quayle has built a legislative record that surpasses Kennedy’s on the issues, ranging from job creation to national defense to the congressional budget process.

Once the furor that this nomination has caused dies down, I believe that the nation will reach the same conclusions about Dan Quayle that the Almanac of American Politics expressed:

“Dan Quayle brings to the Senate sunny good looks, a cheerful temperament and an inclination that many observers found surprising to dig into issues, do his homework and come up with workmanlike legislative solutions to problems of government . . . . In the Senate, Quayle has been one of the most active and successful members of the Republican class of 1980. With choice committee assignments--Budget, Armed Services, Labor and Human Resources--he has worked harder and accomplished more than almost anyone expected.”

There has been a frenzied quality to the media coverage of the Quayle nomination;I think that the frenzy probably will prove to be a tempest in a teapot.

Quayle served in the Indiana National Guard during the Vietnam War. He did not run off to Canada or Sweden. He did not hide in divinity school. He is not a draft-dodger. Service in the National Guard is no disgrace.

The media want to know: Did Quayle’s family help him to get into the National Guard or into law school? Quayle is a fortunate young man. His family does have influence. The question should not be: Did his family help him? All parents try to help their children. The question should be: Did his family use undue influence? The senator says that he and his family did not break any rules, and I believe him.

I have campaigned with Dan Quayle in his congressional district and in his state.I know that he will be a very formidable addition to the Republican team. Quayle reaches out and appeals to people from all walks of life. He won the votes of men and women, working people and farmers, as he piled up a record majority in his last Senate race.

Clearly, Bush hopes that Quayle will have the same broad appeal nationally. Surely nobody can fault the vice president for choosing a running mate who can help win the election.

As a Republican I am proud to say that the vice president had an extraordinary field from which to make his vice presidential choice. Our party has produced so many men and women of stature, so many men and women who are better known nationally than Dan Quayle is, that this nomination came as something of a surprise. I predict, however, that this will turn out to bea pleasant surprise.

Bush passed over outstanding men and women of his own generation. He chose instead a leader for the future.

George Bush believes that ideas do matter. He believes that this election is about the ideas that will guide the future of this great nation of ours. He chose a man who shares his own vision of that future, a man whose ideas and values the vice president feels confident can help to build and continue a very important legacy into the next century. Did he make the right choice? I believe that he did.