Alternatives to Dan Quayle.

I have often heard that Dan Quayle was nothing but an anvil tied around George H. W. Bushs' neck, so what other candidates presented themselves? Haig, Dole, anybody with two brain cells to rub together?
 
Both Haig and Dole despised Bush. Quayle was a sop to the right-wing true believers; in the same vein you could have Jack Kemp, Dick Cheney, or Pete du Pont. John McCain was a bit too enmeshed in the Keating 5 scandal at the time, but he was still 12 years younger than Bush, and a war hero; he could have worked. It does depend a bit on who Dukakis picks. If he chooses Glenn, then McCain could work to counter that; if he chooses Martha Layne Collins, Bush could choose Lynn Morley Martin.

Or, alternately, he could go the 'reinforcing' route, unlike choosing such a bizarre contrast as Quayle (who merely reinforced that Bush was old, moderate, and not particularly attractive.) Richard Lugar, Dick Thornburgh, or Arlen Specter could be competent, intelligent, reasonable choices.
 

Xen

Banned
I vote Dick Lugar. (But its not like he has to compete in Indiana, so I'd doubt it)

Quayle was from Indiana so its not too much of a stretch! Hmm if Lugar is nominated and the 88 elections go as per OTL, then Lugar could be a favorite candidate in 1996 or possibly even 2000.

A Bush-Cheney ticket would be somewhat humorous all things considered.
 

HueyLong

Banned
Quayle was from Indiana so its not too much of a stretch! Hmm if Lugar is nominated and the 88 elections go as per OTL, then Lugar could be a favorite candidate in 1996 or possibly even 2000.

A Bush-Cheney ticket would be somewhat humorous all things considered.

Wow. I honestly did not know Dan Quayle was from Indiana. That makes me kind of sad, to tell you the truth.

Meanwhile, everyone knows who Dick Lugar is. (Obama campaigned in Indiana in part on his projects with Dick Lugar)
 

HueyLong

Banned
Bush/Specter sounds ominous..... almost like a porno. One problem though: Specter is labelled as pro-choice. I know it was big in the 90s, was it in the 80s?
 
I only wish he'd picked Jack Kemp. Kemp had cabinet-level experience during the Reagan years; he struck a reasonable balance between conservatism and pragmatism; he was popular and good with the public, given his years in the NFL before entering politics.

And I could sure have gone for Pete duPont: solid record as governor (albeit of a small state); credentials acceptable to all, including many Democrats; not a whiff of any corruption (who would have enough bucks to buy a du Pont, for crying out loud?); estimable experience in Congress as well as at the executive level.

Frankly, a duPont/Kemp (or Kemp/duPont) ticket would have been a dream for me 20 years ago. Assuming the former, Kemp would likely have succeeded duPont with Christine Todd Whitman (governor of NJ) as his running mate...and today, we might be looking at President Whitman running for re-election.
 
Or, alternately, he could go the 'reinforcing' route, unlike choosing such a bizarre contrast as Quayle (who merely reinforced that Bush was old, moderate, and not particularly attractive.) Richard Lugar, Dick Thornburgh, or Arlen Specter could be competent, intelligent, reasonable choices.

The week before Quayle was selected, the newspaper leaked Bush's top three contender's for the Veep spot; presumably it was an accurate list, since Quayle was on it. I remember Richard Lugar was also on it. I forget who the third guy was.
 
Bob Dole likes this idea! No, Bob Dole doesn't! Bob Dole! Bob Dole. Bob..... Dole. <breaks into sobs>

Perhaps we're missing the boat in this thread. How about a Bob Dole candidacy in 2008?

"Senator Dole, I must say, I'm rather surprised to hear you're running for President again."

"Why the Hell not? I'm Bob Dole, ain't I?!?"

Lesson: When Bob Dole claims to be Bob Dole, you'd better not dispute it, if you value you for life.

On second thought, perhaps McCain should pick Dole as his running-mate. They could make this their official slogan:

McCain/Dole: Why the Hell Not?
 
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