Commentary / PERSPECTIVES ON THE SEMI-ANNOUNCED CANDIDATE : Who Is The Real Pete Wilson? : He Reads Well the Mood of California--and the Country

Former Vice President DAN QUAYLE was a colleague of Gov. Pete Wilson in the U.S. Senate. Quayle was interviewed by Op-Ed page articles editor Mary Heffron Arno.

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Question: Pete Wilson, throughout his career, has made a name as a moderate Republican. Can he get the support of conservatives?

Answer: If he’s the nominee, he’ll have the strong support of conservatives. He is moderate on many issues, but he’s also conservative on a number of important issues. On defense, he is conservative. On fiscal matters, he is conservative. On monetary matters, he is conservative. On issues like legal reform, affirmative action, immigration, I would put him in the conservative camp. I’m not sure you can stereotype him as just a moderate. The one issue where he’s a moderate is the abortion issue. But that’s just one issue.

Q: An issue that became your issue in 1992--family values vs. Hollywood values--is something that Sen. Bob Dole seems to have taken over this time. Has this issue vaulted him out in front and made Pete Wilson an afterthought?

A: Bob Dole is trying to speak about what impacts our culture. My encouragement to Bob Dole is, as we say in Indianapolis, to keep the pedal to the metal. He’s going to find a lot of controversy, a lot of ridicule on this. I’ve been there. It may be a little different today. Maybe we were out a little bit ahead of our time. . . .

Bob Dole is clearly the front-runner right now. He’s got the endorsements, the money. This is the third time that he’s run for President. He has a significant lead. But things change very quickly in politics. Pete Wilson’s problem is, he’s got to get started. He is starting quite late. The governor of California has, certainly, a base of support, but the election will begin in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Q: Some people have said that Wilson has a “coreless problem,” that he doesn’t really have any core beliefs, as evidenced from his first being a moderate and then embracing Proposition 187 and now the fight against affirmative action. Do you agree with that?

A: I don’t think that’s accurate. He understands government, he understands people. He understands how to get change. Pete Wilson is not the type of leader who’s going to be a stereotype, because he may be moderate on some issues, he may be conservative on other issues. I disagree with those who make that claim.

Q: Are Pete Wilson’s more conservative stands--on immigration, on affirmative action--what the country wants?

A: I think he’s reading, certainly California, and the country quite well. The Supreme Court [Adarand] case that was overturned will have a dramatic impact on the legal standing of affirmative action. The court, in a way, is following the people on this. Pete Wilson has been out in front on this issue, and I think it is very important.

Q: If you were in Pete Wilson’s position now, what would you do?

A: I’d get out there and get going. I’d be traveling. I would recognize that the financial support in California is very important in helping get my message out, but he’s going to have to travel extensively to Iowa and New Hampshire, get known in those states, put an organization together, because those states are going to be very key. You can’t skip those states, you can’t marginalize those states.

Q: What would or would not make Pete Wilson a good President?

A: He is decisive. He has a habit of putting very good staff around him. He understands the country. He has been a very good governor of California, which is sort of like running the country almost. I think that Pete Wilson is fully qualified to be President.

The court, in a way, is following the people on [affirmative action.] Pete Wilson has been out in front on this issue, and I think it is very important.

The Line on Wilson

The Times sought comment on Gov. Pete Wilson’s 1996 presidential ambitions from several political figures who have had a relationship--personal or professional, friend or foe--with Wilson over the years.