The Election of 1988

Thursday - May 8, 2025

Who was Ronald Reagan’s former (Republican) VP running for President in 1988’s Election?

George HW Bush

What was George HW Bush like personality/appearance wise?

old & boring

Where was George HW Bush from?

Texas

What kind of former impressive occupations did George HW Bush have?

8 years as VP, 20 years in House of Representatives, CIA member, oil businessman, & WW2 veteran

Who was George HW Bush’s VP? How old was he?

Dan Quayle (39)

Where was Quayle from?

Indiana

What was Don Quayle famous for supporting?

“family values” (code for pro-life)

Who was the Democratic Party’s representative in the Election of 1988?

Michael Dukakis, aka “The Duke”

What former political experience did Democratic representative Dukakis have?

Governor of Massachusetts

Who was Michael Dukakis’ VP? How could you describe him?

Lloyd Bentsen - excellent

How many bad events ultimately led to Dukakis’ political demise?

3

What was Dukakis’ 1st “Bad Event”?

Despite having 0 military experience, he wore a military outfit & rode inside a TANK for a commercial

What did Gov. Dukakis’ Furlough Program do?

gave criminals a “weekend pass” to get outside of jail

What was Dukakis’ 2nd “Bad Event”?

Willie Horton’s Incident

How did Dukakis’ Furlough Program backfire?

Willie Horton murdered someone while he was out for the weekend, making Dukakis look ‘soft of crime’

What was Dukakis’ 3rd “Bad Event"?

During his 2nd Debate, Dukakis said he wouldn’t give someone the death penalty for abusing & raping his wife, instead spewing a bunch of details & statistics about crime being lower in his state

What word became a common way of describing Dukakis because of his cold, heartless response during his 2nd Debate?

technocrat

What kind of commercial footage “gold” did George Bush find?

A video of himself during WW2

What one word could be used to describe 1988’s Election results?

Blowout

How many EC votes did Bush have? How many states? What percentage of popular voters?

426, 40, & 54%

How many EC votes did Dukakis have? How many states? What percentage of popular voters?

111, 10, & 46%

What was significantly noticeable about Dukakis’ Southern votes?

500 Southern counties who voted for Reagan before had voted for him

Dukakis winning 500 Southern counties foreshadows which Democratic candidate’s upcoming?

Bill Clinton