Surprise Question Doesn’t Tax Clinton: ‘Read My Lips,’ He Says

Democratic presidential nominee Bill Clinton had a surprise questioner at his televised “town hall” meeting here Monday night: Vice President Dan Quayle. And he answered Quayle’s question with one of Quayle’s boss’s most famous lines.

Quayle, who taped the query during a visit to Louisville last week, asked Clinton about his proposal to increase taxes on Americans making more than $200,000.

“Now I know you’ll say you’re just going to tax the wealthy,” Quayle said. “Well, we’ve heard that before. When you Democrats start defining wealthy, it’s defined as anyone who has a job.”

With a comic’s timing, Clinton responded: “Read my lips.”

After the audience’s laughter subsided, he added: “No responsible person would ever do what George Bush did (in 1988) and say, ‘Read my lips. (No new taxes.)’ You can’t possibly foresee all the circumstances that will come before you.”

Then, as he does daily, Clinton criticized Bush for vetoing a bill that would have raised taxes on high-income Americans. He said he would take care to insulate the middle class from any tax hikes.