HOUSTON NOTEBOOK : Score One for the Opposition

President Bush engaged in the first debate of the general election campaign Tuesday. The opponent: Lydia Moreno, wily cashier at Otto’s, Houston barbecue establishment extraordinaire. Bush, an Otto’s regular when he’s in his adopted hometown, helped himself to a plate of beef and sausage links, with a side of cole slaw and a glass of iced tea. Total charge: $6.82. Bush pulled a crisp $50 from his well-worn brown leather wallet, and handed it to Moreno. She refused his money, trying to stuff it in his shirt pocket instead. The President, in turn, tried to force it into her hand. Back and forth the money went, until Moreno insisted loudly: “no, no, NOPE!” Bush put the $50 into his pants pocket, turned to reporters, and declared “Let the record show--I tried.” The President carried his tray to his table, and apologized to a nearby diner for the interruption. “You thought you were going to have a nice quiet lunch,” he observed. “Sorry about that.”

The GOP Lapel Poll

Dan Quayle will stay on the ticket and the anti-abortion plank is firmly nailed down, but sales of memorabilia at the Republican Convention suggest their depth of support is open to question. At Political Collectibles, one of dozens of vendors inside the Astroarena, owner Mitch Kuhn reported Tuesday that the “Kemp in 96” button was outselling “Quayle in 96” by a 5-1 ratio. At Political Americana, another button booth, buyers can choose from an alphabet soup of possible 1996 candidates: Baker, Bennett, Buchanan, Gramm, Kemp, Limbaugh and Quayle. The winner? “Kemp, hands down,” said salesman Whit Vinsett.