August 18, 1988: The Republican Convention is held at the Superdome in New Orleans. President Ronald Reagan, limited to 2 terms by the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, could not run again. Vice President George H.W. Bush is nominated for President, and Senator Dan Quayle of Indiana, at 41 the 1st "Baby Boomer" to appear on a major party's national ticket, is nominated for Vice President.
The conservative movement, which had nominated and elected Ronald Reagan as President in 1980 and 1984, had never fully trusted Bush. Among their criticisms of him at the time: He wasn't tough enough -- the words "The Wimp Factor" were sometimes used -- and he wasn't as dedicated to conservative principles as the outgoing President.
So Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan wrote him the best speech of his career, including the promise that essentially won him the election. Comparing himself to the Democratic nominee, Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts, who had raised taxes so much Republicans called the State "Taxachusetts," Bush said:
I'm the one who will not raise taxes. My opponent now says he'll raise them as a last resort, or a third resort. But when a politician talks like that, you know that's one resort he'll be checking into.
My opponent won't rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say, "No." And they'll push, and I'll say, "No." And they'll push again, and I'll say to them, "Read my lips: no new taxes."
It was definitive. And it was tough-sounding. And it made those Delegates cheer.
It was also monumentally stupid, because the federal budget had a pretty big deficit, thanks to "Reganomics." Richard Darman, an economic adviser to Bush who had been Assistant Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan, called the pledge "stupid and dangerous."
Certainly, the pledge was better-remembered than Bush's call for more civility: "I want a kinder and gentler nation." After all, that went out the window when he ran an incredibly dirty campaign against Dukakis.
It was also better remembered than another high-sounding phrase Bush used, which Noonan borrowed from a science-fiction story written by Arthur C. Clarke back in 1946: "A thousand points of light":
We're a nation of community, of thousands and tens of thousands of ethnic, religious, social, business, labor union, neighborhood, regional and other organizations, all of them varied, voluntary and unique.
This is America: The Knights of Columbus, the Grange, Hadassah, the Disabled American Veterans, the Order of Ahepa, the Business and Professional Women of America, the union hall, the Bible study group, LULAC {League of United Latin American Citizens}, Holy Name. A brilliant diversity spreads like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky.
Bush won the election easily, and, among the Reagan holdovers he appointed, one was Darman, as Director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Two years later, the Reagan economic policies continued, and the federal budget deficit got seemingly out of control. He realized he had to do the right thing: He compromised with the Democratic leaders of Congress, and raised taxes. The next day's headline in the arch-conservative New York Post:
You'll notice there's a subheadline: "DONALD DOES IT." I don't remember what this refers to. I do know that, many years later, Donald Trump mocked the "thousand points of light" line: At a rally in Montana on July 5, 2018, he said, "Thousand points of light, I never quite got that one. What the hell is that? Has anyone ever figured that one out? And it was put out by a Republican, wasn't it? I know one thing, 'Make America Great Again,' we understand. 'Putting America first,' we understand."
In the 1992 election, with 12 years of Reagan-Bush in the books and the nation in deep trouble, Bush ran a campaign for re-election, not on the economy, which was deep into recession, but on "character" and "trust." The nation decided Bill Clinton was worthier on those scores, in large part because Bush had failed on the economy and, in the process, broke his promise.
Eight years after that, the 41st President's son became the 43rd, running on a promise of, "This is not just, 'No new taxes,' This is, 'Tax cuts, so help me, God.'" Five years after that, Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans, and the very building where the father had accepted the nomination, the Superdome, became the most obvious domestic failure of the son. Until the Crash of 2008, when the Bush Tax Cuts made it obvious that conservatism doesn't work.
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August 18, 1988 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:
* The New York Yankees lost to the California Angels, 7-1 at Yankee Stadium. Chuck Finley, who usually pitched well against the Yankees, outpitched 45-year-old Tommy John, who had also pitched for the Angels. Mark McLemore and Brian Downing hit home runs for the Halos, while the only Yankee run came on a solo home run by Dave Winfield. He went 2-for-4. Don Mattingly went 0-for-4. Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4.
* The New York Mets lost to the San Francisco Giants, 4-1 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Mike Krukow held the Mets to 5 hits, 2 by Keith Hernandez, while Bob Ojeda only lasted 4 innings. Matt Williams hit a home run.
* The Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox, 6-1 at Fenway Park in Boston. Mark Langston outpitched Mike Boddicker. Jay Buhner, newly acquired in a trade from the Yankees, hit a home run for the M's.
* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-1 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Eddie Murray went 0-for-1 with 3 walks. Cal Ripken went 3-for-4 with a walk and 2 RBIs.
* The Cleveland Indians beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 4-3 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Robin Yount went 2-for-4. Paul Molitor went 1-for-4.
* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Chicago Cubs, 9-1 at Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati.
* The Detroit Tigers beat the Chicago White Sox, 6-4 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit.
* The Texas Rangers beat the Minnesota Twins, 4-2 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.
* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Houston Astros, 2-1 at Busch Memorial Stadium.
* The San Diego Padres beat the Montreal Expos, 5-4 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. The Expos tied the game in the top of the 9th, on a home run by Andrés Galarraga. But in the bottom of the 9th, Carmelo Martínez singled Stan Jefferson home with the winning run. Tony Gwynn went 1-for-3 with 2 walks.
* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Mike Schmidt did not play.
* And the Kansas City Royals, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Atlanta Braves and the Pittsburgh Pirates were not scheduled.
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