No Day in Court for Incumbents

--Rep. Dave Diamont of the General Assembly in North Carolina contends that state voters should start showing a little more sophistication in the polling booth. Leadership and a grasp of issues may be legitimate concerns, but faking, dribbling and shooting are equally important, says the coach of the legislative basketball team. Diamont realized his worst fears when he lost his top rebounder and top scorer after last month’s election. Rep. Bobby Etheridge, the 6-foot, 6-inch center and ace rebounder, was elected state superintendent of public instruction; Rep. Bill Alexander, the leading scorer, was defeated in his reelection bid, and Rep. Richard Wright, the team’s general manager, did not seek reelection. And, heaven forfend, Rep. Martin Nesbitt Jr. is reportedly losing interest in the game. “Voters have got to be a little better informed about who they’re voting for,” Diamont said. “They’re not looking for quickness and youth and jumping ability. . . . We need to do some recruiting, find some ex-basketball players and get them to run for the General Assembly.”

--The Bush-Bentsen ticket may not have captured the White House in 1988, but it did score big in the voting among the nation’s tailors and designers. President-elect George Bush was selected by the Fashion Foundation of America as the best-dressed statesman in 1988, and Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen was named the best-dressed man in government. They “came through a grueling race with flying colors and form a fine fashion ticket,” said John Tudor, head of the foundation. In the civic affairs category, Tudor said that winner Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley is “ever appropriately dressed for the environmental demands of the West Coast.”

--Dan Quayle knows a little something about the ups and downs of political life. So it follows that the ski slopes of Colorado may not prove too treacherous for the vice president-elect and his family, who on Wednesday will fly to Vail for a 12-day ski vacation. Then, on Jan. 2, Quayle, his wife, Marilyn, and their three children will travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the Fiesta Bowl, starring No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 3 West Virginia. But it is unlikely that the Quayles will see the final minutes of the game, Quayle spokesman David Beckwith said. “The kids have to get to school” the next day, Beckwith explained. And while the children are in school, Quayle will be walking down the Senate aisle for the swearing-in ceremony for his successor, Republican Rep. Dan Coats. Quayle’s resignation from the Senate becomes effective on Jan. 3.