Judy woodruff on behalf of the commission on president ial debates, i am pleased to welcome you to this Vice President ial debate. Im Judy Woodruff of pbs macneillehrer news hour and frontline. My colleagues on the panel are John Margolis of the chicago tribune, tom brokaw of nbc news, and brit hume of abc news. The importance of tonights debate is underscored by two facts. Both george bush and Michael Dukakis said their selections of a running mate would reveal a lot about themselves. And based on the history since world war ii, there is almost a 5050 chance that one of the two men here tonight will become president of the United States. The candidates are senator dan quayle, the republican nominee, and senator Lloyd Bentsen, the democratic nominee. [applause] Judy Woodruff for the next 90 minutes, we will be questioning the candidates following a format designed and agreed to by representatives of the two campaigns. However, there are no restrictions on the questions that my colleagues and i may ask this evening. By prior agreement between the two candidates, the first question goes to senator quayle, and you have two minutes to respond. Senator, you have been criticized, as we all know, for your decision to stay out of the vietnam war, for your poor academic record. But more troubling to some are some of the comments that have been made by people in your own party. Just last week, former secretary of state haig said that your pick was the dumbest call george bush could have made. [laughter] [applause] Judy Woodruff your leader in the Senate Bob Dole said that a Better Qualified person could have been chosen. Other republicans have been far more critical in private. Why do you think that you have not made a more substantial impression on some of these people who have been able to observe you up close . Senator quayle the question goes to whether i am qualified to be Vice President , and in the case of a tragedy, whether im qualified to be president. Qualifications for the office of Vice President or president are not age alone. You must look at accomplishments, and you must look at experience. I have more experience than others that have sought the office of Vice President. Now lets look at qualifications, and lets look at the three biggest issues that are going to be confronting america in the next presidency. Those three issues are National Security in terms control, jobs and education and the federal , budget deficit. On each one of those issues i have more experience than does the governor of massachusetts. In National Security and arms control, you have to understand the relationship between a ballistic missile, a warhead, what throwweight, what megatonnage is. You better understand about telemetry and encryption. And you better understand that you have to negotiate from a position of strength. These are important issues, because we want to have more arms control and arms reductions. In the area of jobs and education, i wrote the Job Training Partnership act, a bipartisan bill, a bill that has trained and employed over three million economically disadvantaged youth and adults in this country. On the area of the federal budget deficit, i have worked eight years on the Senate Budget committee. And i wish that the congress would give us the line item veto to help deal with that. And if qualifications alone are going to be the issue in this campaign, george bush has more qualifications than Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen combined. [applause] Judy Woodruff senator bentsen, im going to interrupt at this point and ask once again that the audience please keep your responses as quiet as possible. We know that many of you here are for one candidate or another. But you are simply taking time away from your candidate, and more likely than not, youll be causing the partisans for the other candidate to react again when their candidate speaks. So please. Senator bentsen, you have one minute to respond. Senator bentsen this debate tonight is not about the qualifications for the vice presidency. The debate is whether or not dan quayle and Lloyd Bentsen are qualified to be president of the United States. Because judy, just as you have said, that has happened too often in the past. And if that tragedy should occur, we have to step in there without any margin for error, without time for preparation, to that take over the responsibility for the biggest job in the world, that of running this great country of ours, to take over the awesome responsibility for commanding the Nuclear Weaponry that this country has. No, the debate tonight is a debate about the presidency itself, and a president ial decision that has to be made by you. Judy woodruff senator bentsen, a question for you, and you also have two minutes to respond. What bothers people is not so much your qualifications but your split on policy with gov. Dukakis. He has said that he does not want a clone of himself, but you disagree with him on some major issues aid to the nicaraguan , contras, the Death Penalty, gun control, among others. If you had to step into the presidency, whose agenda would you pursue, yours or his . Senator bentsen well, i am delighted to respond to that question, because we agree on so many things and the vast majority of the issues. We agree on the fact that we have to cut this deficit. And governor dukakis has been able to cut that deficit ten budgets in a row in the state of massachusetts, while he lowered the tax burden on their people from one of the highest to one of the lower in the United States. That is a major sense of achievement. And i admire that. And im just delighted to be on the ticket with him. Governor dukakis and i agreed that we ought to have a trade policy for this country, that weve seen this administration more than double the national debt, that, theyve moved this country from the number one lender nation in the world to the number one debtor nation in the world under their administration, that they have not had a trade policy, that they have let trade be a handmaiden for their Foreign Policy objectives of the country, that this country has exported too many jobs and not enough products. And as i worked to pass a trade bill through the United States senate, they threw roadblocks in the way every step of the way. But we passed a trade bill that has this premise, that any country that has full access to our markets, were entitled to full access to their markets. Now, that means that were going to stand tough for america, and were going to protect those jobs, and were going to push american products, and were going to open up markets around the world. Well show leadership in that respect, and turn this deficit and trade around. Thats the sort of thing that Michael Dukakis and i will do to bring about a better america for all our people. Judy woodruff senator quayle, a minute to respond. Senator quayle as you notice, senator bentsen didnt tell you very much about what governor dukakis would do. Governor dukakis, one of the most liberal governors in the United States of america the one thing he tried to point out about governor dukakis is that hes cut taxes. The fact of the matter is, senator bentsen, hes raised taxes five times. He just raised taxes this past year. And thats why a lot of people refer to him as taxhike mike. Thats why they refer to the state of massachusetts as taxachusetts. Because every time theres a problem, the liberal governor from massachusetts raises taxes. I dont blame senator bentsen for not talking about governor Michael Dukakis. Hes talking more about his record. If i had to defend the liberal policies of gov. Michael dukakis, i wouldnt talk about it either. Judy woodruff John Margolis, a question for senator bentsen. Jon margolis senator bentsen, you have claimed that Vice President bush and the republicans will raid the Social Security trust fund, and you have vowed to protect it. But as chairman of the Senate Finance committee, you must know that there is something to the argument of your fellow democrat bob strauss that some restraint on Social Security growth may be needed, or at least some decision to tax most Social Security benefits as regular income. In fact, you once voted for and spoke for a sixmonth delay on cost of living adjustment increases for Social Security. Senator, arent you and governor dukakis using this issue politically, rather than dealing with it responsibly . Senator bentsen well, i must say i hate to disappoint my good friend bob strauss, but we have a contract with the American People on Social Security. And Social Security is an issue where senator quayle voted eight times to cut the benefits on Social Security, where this administration came in and tried to cut the benefits, the minimum benefits, 122 a month for widows, for retirees, tried to cut the benefits for 62yearold retirees by 40 , tried to do an end run on Social Security when they first came in after promising not to cut it to cut it by some 20 billion, and while we were working together to reform the Social Security system and to be certain that that money was going to be there for people when they retired. At that point, they tried a 40billion end run to cut Social Security. Now, the record is clear. And we saw Vice President bush fly back from the west coast to break a tie in the United States senate. He doesnt get to vote very often in the senate, but he made a special trip to come back and vote against a costofliving increase. Now, when you talk about Social Security, the people that are going to protect it are the democrats that brought forth that program. And i think its very important that we not see these kinds of end runs by this administration. When they talk about the fact that they are going to continue to cut this budget, i know too well what their track record is. And we should be concerned with that kind of an effort once again after the election is over. Judy woodruff senator quayle, your response . Senator quayle senator bentsen, you know that i did not vote to cut Social Security benefits eight times. What i have voted for and what senator bentsen has voted for is to delay the costofliving adjustments. Senator bentsen two times in the United States senate voted to delay the costofliving adjustments. The governor of massachusetts at a governors conference supported a resolution to delay the costofliving adjustment. And, john, you are right they use this for political advantage. What they try to do time and time again is to scare the old people of this country. Thats the politics of the past. In 1983, republicans and democrats dropped their political swords and in a bipartisan effort saved the Social Security system. Republicans and democrats banded together because we know that this program is not a republican program, its not a democrat program, its a program for older americans. And that program is actuarially sound to the turn of this century. Judy woodruff jon, a question for senator quayle. Jon margolis senator, since coming to the senate you have voted against Environmental Protection legislation about twothirds of the time. This includes votes against pesticide controls, the toxic waste superfund, and health and safety protection from nuclear wastes. Senator, do you consider yourself an environmentalist, and, if you do, how do you reconcile that with your voting record . Senator quayle i have a very strong record on the environment in the United States senate. [laughter] senator quayle i have a record where i voted for the superfund legislation. I have a record where i voted against my president on the override of the clean water act. I have voted for the major pieces of environmental legislation that have come down and been voted on in the United States senate. This administration, and i support this administration and its environmental efforts, has moved in the area for the first time to deal with the ozone problem. We now have an international treaty, the treaty that is commonly referred to as the montreal treaty. For the first time, we are talking about the impact of co2 to the ozone layer. Thats progress with the environment. We are committed to the environment. I take my children hiking and fishing, walking in the woods, in the wilderness. Believe me, we have a commitment to preserving the environment. You bring up the environment, you cant help but think about the environmental policy of the governor of massachusetts. He talks about being an environmentalist. Let me tell you about his environmental policy. The Boston Harbor. The Boston Harbor, which is the dirtiest waterway in america, tons of raw sewage go in there each and every day. What has the governor of massachusetts done about that . Virtually nothing. And then he has the audacity to go down to new jersey and tell the people of new jersey that hes against ocean dumping. This is the same governor that applied for a license to dump massachusetts sewage waste off the coast of new jersey. Who has the environmental record . Who has the environmental interest . George bush and i do. Judy woodruff senator bentsen. Senator bentsen this late conversion is interesting to me. [laughter] [applause] senator bentsen i must say, when they talk about Boston Harbor and he says he hasnt done anything, the facts are he has a 6billion Program Underway on waste treatment. And it was this administration, their administration, that cut out the money early on to be able to clean up water, and made it impossible to move ahead at that time on Boston Harbor. We are the authors, the democratic party, of clean air, of clean water, of the superfund. I am one who played a very major role in passing the superfund legislation. And every Environmental Organization that i know, every major one, has now endorsed the dukakisbentsen ticket. And i am one who has just received the environmental award in texas for the work ive done to clean up the bays, to clean up the water, off the coast of texas. No, i think we know well whos going to help clean up this environment. The record is there, the history is there. And dukakis and bentsen will be committed to that. [applause] Judy Woodruff tom brokaw, a question for senator quayle. Tom tom brokaw thank you, judy. Tom brokaw thank you, judy. Senator quayle, theres been a lot of talk during the course of this campaign about family. It was a principal theme, as i recall, in your acceptance speech in new orleans. Tonight id like to ask you about the 65 million American Children who live with their families in poverty. Id like for you to describe to the audience the last time that you may have visited with one of those families personally and how you explain to that family your votes against the School Breakfast program, the school lunch program, and the expansion of the child immunization program. [applause] senator quayle i have met with those people, and i met with them in fort wayne, indiana, at a food bank. You may be surprised, tom, they didnt ask me those questions on those votes, because they were glad that i took time out of my schedule to go down and to talk about how we are going to get a food bank going and making sure that a food bank goes in fort wayne, indiana. And i have a very good record and a commitment to the poor, to those that dont have a family, that want to have a family. This administration, and a George Bush Administration, will be committed to eradicating poverty. Poverty hasnt gone up in this administration. It hasnt gone down much either, and that means we have a challenge ahead of us. But let me tell you something, what we have done for the poor. What we have done for the poor is that we in fact, the homeless bill, the mckinney act, which is the major piece of legislation that deals with homeless, the congress has cut the funding that the administration has recommended. The poor and the poverty, the biggest thing that we have done for poverty in america is the tax simplification act of 1986. Six million working poor families got off the payroll. Six Million People are off the taxpaying payrolls because of that tax reform, and they are keeping the tax money there. To help the poor, well have a commitment to the programs and those programs will go on. And we are spending more in Poverty Programs today than we were in 1981. That is a fact. The Poverty Program we are going to concentrate on is creating jobs and opportunities, so that everyone will have the opportunities that they want. Judy woodruff senator bentsen, your response. Senator bentsen i find that very interesting, because he has been of no help at all when it comes to passing the most major welfare reform bill in the history of our country, one where we are working very hard to see that people can get off welfare, break that cycle, take a step up in life, doing the kinds of things that we did there to let them have medicaid for a year. Thats a positive thing thats done. What also frustrates me with the kind of report that i have just heard here is the kind of votes that he has cast against child nutrition programs, the fact that he has voted against money that we needed for further immunization, the denial of polio shots to kids where the parents couldnt afford to get that kind of a shot. Now, i dont really believe that that is identifying with the concerns of people in poverty. Judy woodruff tom, a question for senator bentsen. Tom brokaw senator bentsen, id like to take you back to the question that judy asked you about your differences with Michael Dukakis on contra aid. After all, the contra aid is one of the cutting issues of Foreign Policy of this country in the last eight years. You and Michael Dukakis seem to be diametrically opposed on that. 1 have been told that in a closed session of the u. S. Senate you made one of the most eloquent and statesmanlike speeches in behalf of contra aid that anyone had made in the eight years of the reagan term, that in fact you alluded to the threat that the sandinista regime could pose to your own state of texas. Governor dukakis, on the other hand, has described the contra aid policy as immoral and illegal. Is he wrong . Senator bentsen governor dukakis and i have disagreed on the contra program, no question about that. But my big difference with this administration is, they look at the contra aid program as the only way to resolve that problem. They concentrate on that. And i really think we have to give peace a chance. And thats why i have been a strong supporter of the arias plan, a plan that won the nobel prize for president arias, the president of costa rica. I believe you have to work with the leaders of those other Central American countries to try to bring about the democratization of nicaragua by negotiation, by pressure, by counseling, by diplomatic pressure, that we ought to be trying that first. But in concentrating so much just on the contras, this administration has not paid enough attention to the rest of central america. The concern i have is that we have a country with 85 Million People sharing a 2,000mile border with us, with half of those people under the age of 15, a country thats had its standard of living cut 50 in the last six years. Now we ought to be concerned about that, and we ought to be involved. I was born and reared on that mexican border. I speak their language. Ive spent a good part of my life down there. Governor dukakis speaks spanish, too. Hes spent a good deal of time in central and south america. And we believe that we ought to be working with a new alliance for progress, bringing in other countries to help, bring in europeans, the spanish, who have a real affinity for that area, bringing in the japanese who have a great surplus now and are looking for places to invest it. Those are the positive things i think we could do to bring about peace in that area, to help raise that standard of living and give them the kind of stability where democracy can proceed and can prosper and bloom. Those are the kinds of things that wed be committed to in a dukakisbentsen administration to try to make this world a better place in which to live. Judy woodruff senator quayle, your response. Senator quayle theres no doubt in a Dukakis Administration that the aid would be cut off to the democratic resistance in nicaragua, and that is unfortunate. The reason it is unfortunate, because it is beyond me why its ok for the soviet union to put in billions of dollars to prop up the communist sandinistas, but somehow its wrong for the United States to give a few dollars to the democratic resistance. Theres a thing called the monroe doctrine, something that the governor of massachusetts has said has been superseded. I doubt if Many Americans agree with that. I think they believe in the monroe doctrine. Senator bentsen talked about the entire central america. Theres another issue that Michael Dukakis is wrong on in central america, and thats grenada. He criticized our rescue mission in grenada, according to a upi report. Criticized that, yet 85 of the American People supported our rescue mission, and we turned a communist country into a noncommunist country. The governor of massachusetts is simply out of step with mainstream america. Judy woodruff brit hume, a question for senator bentsen. [applause] brit hume good evening, senator bentsen, senator quayle. Im sort of the cleanup man in this order, and ive been asked by my colleagues to try to deal with anything thats been left on base. Senator, i have a follow up question for you, senator quayle. But senator bentsen, i first want to ask you a question about pac money, a thing im sure youre prepared to talk about. Governor dukakis has tried to make ethics a major issue in the campaign. And he has you as a running mate, a man who leads the league at last count in the receipt of pac money, that being the money raised by the special interest organizations. That is a kind of Campaign Financing which governor dukakis finds so distasteful that he has refused to accept any of it. Do you find that embarrassing, senator . Senator bentsen no, i dont find it embarrassing at all. Because you have to remember that pac money is the result of the last Campaign Reform bill, one that talks about employees having greater participation. And what ive done in pac money is just what my opponent in my campaign has done in his campaign. He has been raising pac money, too. So what you have to do is comply with the laws as they are, whether youre paying taxes or youre playing a football game. Whether you like those laws or not, you comply with them. Now, i have been for Campaign Reform, and have pushed it very hard. I believe that we have to do some things in that regard. But ive noticed that the senator from indiana has opposed that Campaign Reform and voted repeatedly against it. The things we have to do, i believe, that will cut back on soft money, for example, which i look on as frankly one of those things that weve had to do because the republicans have done it for so long. But i think its a loophole, frankly. But Campaign Reform, changing the rules of the game, is something we tried repeatedly in this session of the congress, but only to have the republicans lead the charge against us and defeat us. And i wish that senator quayle would change his mind on that particular piece of legislation and give us the kind of a Campaign Reform law that i think is needed in america. Judy woodruff senator quayle, your response. Senator quayle senator bentsen is the number one pac raiser. As a matter of fact, he used to have a 10,000 breakfast club. 10,000 breakfast club. It only costs high paid lobbyists, special interests in washington, to come down and have breakfast with the chairman of the Senate Finance committee, the one that oversees all the tax loopholes in the tax code, 10,000. Im sure they werent paying to have cornflakes. [laughter] senator quayle well, ill tell you the kind of Campaign Reform im supporting, senator bentsen. I think its time we get rid of pac money. Support our legislation where we totally eliminate contributions by special interests and Political Action committees, and lets have the individual contribute and the Political Parties contribute. Thats the kind of Campaign Reform that republicans are for. They want to get rid of this special interest money and rely on the individuals, and also, the Political Parties. Judy woodruff brit, your question for senator quayle. Once again, let me caution the audience, please, keep your reactions as quiet as possible. Brit . Brit hume senator, i want to take you back if i can to the question judy asked you about some of the apprehensions people may feel about your being a heart beat away from the presidency. And let us assume if we can for the sake of this question that you have become Vice President and the president is incapacitated for one reason or another, and you have to take the reins of power. When that moment came, what would be the first steps that youd take, and why . Senator quayle first, id say a prayer for myself and for the country that im about to lead. And then i would assemble his people and talk. And i think this question keeps going back to the qualifications and what kind of Vice President in this hypothetical situation, if i had to assume the responsibilities of president , what i would be. And as i have said, age alone, although i can tell you, after the experience of these last few week in the campaign, ive added 10 years to my age, age alone is not the only qualification. Youve got to look at experience, and youve got to look at accomplishments, and can you make a difference. Have i made a difference in the United States senate where ive served for eight years . Yes, i have. Have i made a difference in the congress that ive served for 12 years . Yes, i have. As i said before, looking at the issue of qualifications and i am delighted that it comes up, because on the three most important challenges facing america, arms control and National Security, jobs and education, and budget deficit, i have more experience and accomplishments than does the governor of massachusetts. I have been in the congress and ive worked on these issues. And believe me, when you look at arms control and trying to deal with the soviet union, you cannot come at it from a naive position. You have to understand the soviet union. You have to understand how they will respond. Sitting on that Senate Armed Services committee for eight years has given me the experience to deal with the soviet union and how we can move forward. That is just one of the troubling issues thats going to be facing this nation, and im prepared. Judy woodruff senator bentsen. Senator bentsen well, i cant leave something on the table that hes charged me with, and so lets get to that one. When you talk about the breakfast club, as you know, that was perfectly legal. And i formed it, and i closed it down almost immediately because i thought the perception was bad. [laughter] senator bentsen but it is the same law that lets you invite high priced lobbyists down to williamsburg. And bring them down there and entertain them playing golf, playing tennis, and bringing republican senators down there, to have exchanged for that contributions to their campaign. Its the same kind of law that that lets you have honorariums and youve collected over a quarter of a Million Dollars of honorariums now, speaking to various interest groups. And theres no control over what you do with that money. You can spend it on anything you want to. You can spent it on golf club dues, if you want to do that. [applause] senator bentsen now, thats what ive seen you do in this administration. And thats why we need Campaign Reform laws, and why i support them. And you in turn have voted against them time and time again. [applause] Judy Woodruff jon margolis, question for senator quayle. Jon margolis senator quayle, in recent years the Reagan Administration has scaled back the activities of the Occupational Safety and health administration, prompted in part by Vice President bushs task force on regulatory relief. The budget for the agency has been cut by 20 and the number of inspections and manufacturing plants has been reduced by 33 . This has had a special effect in this area where many people work in the meat packing industry, which has a far higher rate of serious injuries than almost any other injury, a rate which appears to have been rising, although were not really sure, because some of the Largest Companies have allegedly falsifying their reports. Would you acknowledge to the hundreds of injured and maimed people in nebraska, iowa and elsewhere in the midwest that in this case deregulation may have gone too far and the government should reassert itself in protecting workers rights. Senator quayle the premise of your question is that somehow this administration has been lax in enforcement of the osha regulations. And i disagree with that. And ill tell you why. If you want to ask some Business People that i talk to periodically, they complain about the tough enforcement of this administration and, furthermore, let me tell you this for the record. When we have found violations in this administration, there has not only been tough enforcement, but there have been the most severe penalties, the largest penalties in the history of the department of labor have been levied when these violations have been found. There is a commitment and there will always be a commitment to the safety of our working men and women. They deserve it and were committed to them. Now, the broader question goes to the whole issue of deregulation and has deregulation worked or has deregulation not worked. In my judgment, deregulation has worked. We have a deregulated economy and we have produced through low taxes, not high taxes, through deregulation, the spirit of entrepreneurship, the individual going out and starting a business, the businessman or women willing to go out and risk their investments to start up a business and hire people. We have produced 17 million jobs in this country since 1982. Deregulation as a form of political philosophy is a good philosophy. Its one that our opponents disagree with. They want a centralized government. But we believe in the market, we believe in the people and yes, theres a role of government and the role of government is to make sure that those safety and health and the welfare of the people is taken care of. And well continue to do that. Judy woodruff senator bentsen . Senator bentsen well, i think you see once again a piece of democratic legislation thats been passed to try protect the working men and women of america. And then youve seen an administration that came in and really didnt have its heart in that kind of an enforcement. A good example of that is the Environmental Protection laws that we were talking about a moment ago. This administration came in and put in a james watt, an ann gorsuch, now thats the bonnie and clyde, really, of Environmental Protection. And thats why its important that you have people that truly believe and trying to represent the working men and women of america. Most employers do a good job of that, but some of them put their profits before people and thats why you have to have osha and thats why you have to have tough and good and fair enforcement of it. And thats what a Democratic Administration would do to help make this working place a safer and better place to be employed. Judy woodruff jon margolis, another question for senator bentsen. Jon margolis senator bentsen, since you have been in the senate, the government has spent increasing amounts of money in an effort to protect the family farmer. Though most of the subsidies seem to go do go to the largest and richest farmers who presumably need it least, while its the smaller farmers who are often forced to sell out, sometimes to their large farmer neighbor whos gotten more subsidies to begin with. Despite the fact that i believe you, sir, are a rather large farmer, yourself, do you believe that its time to uncouple the subsidy formula from the amount of land the farmer has and target federal money to the small and medium size farmer . Senator bentsen well, ive supported that. I voted for the 50,000 limitation to get away from the Million Dollar contributions to farmers. You know, of the four that are on this ticket, im the only on that was born and reared on a farm and still involved in farming, so i think i understand their concerns and their problems. Now, i feel very strongly that we ought to be doing more for the American Farmer and what weve seen under this administration is neglect of that farmer. Weve seen them drive 220,000 farmers off the farm. They seem to think the answer is move them to town, but we ought not to be doing that. What you have seen them do is cut the farm assistance for the rural areas by over 50 percent. Were seeing rural hospitals close all over the country because of this kind of an administration. Weve seen an administration that has lost much of our market abroad, because they have not had a trade policy. We saw our market loss by some 40 percent. And thats one of the reasons that weve seen the cost of the farm program, which was only about two and a half billion dollars when they took office, now go to about 25 billion. Now, we can bring that kind of a cost down and get more to market prices if well have a good trade policy. I was in january visiting with mr. Takeshita, the new Prime Minister of japan. I said, youre paying five times as much for beef as we pay for our in country pay for it in our country, six times as much for rice. You have a 60 billion trade surplus with us. You could improve the standard of living of your people. Of yourpending 27 disposable income. We spend 14 or 15 percent. When you have that kind of barrier up against us, thats not free and fair trade and we dont believe that should we would be pushing very hard to open up those markets and stand up for the American Farmer and see that we recapture those foreign markets and i think we can do it with the dukakisbentsen administration. Judy woodruff senator quayle . Senator quayle senator bentsen talks about recapturing the foreign markets. Well, ill tell you one way that were not going to recapture the foreign markets and that is if, in fact, we have another jimmy carter grain embargo. [cheering and booing] jimmy carter grain embargo set the American Farmer back. You know what the farmers interested in . Net farm income. Every one percent in increase in Interest Rates, a billion dollars out of the farmers pocket. Net farm income, increased inflation, another billion dollars. Another thing that a farmer is not interested in and thats supply management that the democratic platform talks about. But the governor of massachusetts, he has a farm program. He went to the farmers in the midwest and told them not to grow corn, not to grow soybeans, but to grow belgium endive. Thats what he and his harvard buddies think of the American Farmer, grow belgium endive. To come in and to tell our farmers not to grow corn, not to grow soybeans, thats the kind of farm policy youll get under a Dukakis Administration and one i think the American Farmer rightfully will reject. Judy woodruff tom brokaw, a question for senator bentsen. Tom brokaw senator bentsen, you were a businessman before you entered the u. S. Senate. Let me offer you an inventory if i may lower Interest Rates, lower unemployment, lower inflation and an arms control deal with the soviet union. Now two guys come through your door at your business and say, wed like you to change, without offering a lot of specifics. Why would you accept their deal . Bentsen you know, if you let me write 200 billion worth of hot checks every year, i could give you an illusion of prosperity, too. [laughter and applause] this is an administration that has more than doubled the national debt, and theyve done that in less than eight years. They have taken this country from the no. 1 lender nation in the world to the no. 1 debtor nation in the world. And the interest on that debt next year, on this reaganbush debt of our nation, is going to be 640 for every man, woman, and child in america because of this kind of a creditcard mentality. So we go out and we try to sell our securities every week, and hope that the foreigners will buy them. And they do buy them. But every time they do, we lose some of our economic independence for the future. Now theyve turned around and theyve bought 10 of the Manufacturing Base of this country. They bought 20 of the banks. They own 46 of the commercial real estate in los angeles. They are buying america on the cheap. Now, when we have other countries that cant manage their economy down in central and south america, we send down the american ambassador, we send down the International Monetary fund, and we tell them what they can buy and what they can sell and how to run their economies. The ultimate irony would be to have that happen to us, because foreigners finally quit buying our securities. So what we need in this country is someone like mike dukakis, who gave ten balanced budgets in a row there, and was able to do that, meet that kind of a commitment, set those tough priorities. We need an administration that will turn this trade policy around and open up those markets, stand tough with our trading partners to help keep the jobs at home and send the products abroad. Judy woodruff senator quayle. Senator quayle senator bentsen talks about running up the debt. Well, the governor of massachusetts has run up more debt than all the governors in the history of massachusetts combined, going back to the days of the pilgrims. I dont believe that thats the kind of policy that we want. The question went to the heart of the matter, tom. You asked the question why would we change. Well, we have changed since 1980. Weve got Interest Rates down, weve got inflation down, people are working again, america is held in respect once again around the world. But we are going to build on that change. And as we made those positive changes of lower Interest Rates, lower rate of inflation, the governor of massachusetts fought us every step of the way. We are proud of the record of accomplishment and the opportunities and the hope for millions of americans. Hope and opportunity of these americans is because of the policies that we have had for the last eight years, and we want to build on that and change it for even the better. Judy woodruff tom, a question for senator quayle. Tom brokaw senator quayle, as you mentioned here tonight, you actively supported the invasion of grenada, which was a military operation to rescue some american medical students and to rescue an island from a marxist takeover. If military force was necessary in that endeavor, why not use the military to go after the south American Drug cartels and after general noriega, for that matter, in a surgical strike, since drugs in the minds of most americans pose a far greater danger to many more people . Senator quayle you are absolutely right that the drug problem is the no. 1 issue. Tom brokaw but would you please address the military aspect of it. Senator quayle i will address the military aspect, if i may respond. The military aspect of the drug problem is being addressed. As a matter of fact, we are using the department of defense in a coordinated effort, in reconnaissance. But i dont believe that we are going to turn the department of defense into a police organization. We are using our military assets in a prudent way to deal with interdiction, and weve made some success in this area. Seventy tons of cocaine have been stopped. But, you know, when you look at the drug problem and it is a tremendous problem, and there are no easy solutions to it. Its a complicated problem, and its heading up the effort to try to create a drugfree america, which is a challenge and a goal of all of us. Not only will we utilize National Defense and the department of defense, but weve got to get on the demand side of the ledger, weve got to get to education. And education ought to begin at home, and it ought to be reinforced in our schools. And theres another thing that will be more important than the premise of this question on a hypothetical of using troops. We will use the military assets, we will use military assets but we need to focus on another part of this problem, and that problem is law enforcement. And here is where we have a major disagreement with the governor of massachusetts. He is opposed to the Death Penalty for drug kingpins. We believe people convicted of that crime deserve the Death Penalty, as does the legislation thats in the congress that is supported by a bipartisan, including Many Democrats of his party. He also was opposed to mandatory drug sentencing for drug dealers in the state of massachusetts. You cannot have a war on drugs, you cannot be tough on drugs and weak on crime. Judy woodruff senator bentsen. Bentsen its interesting to see that the senator from indiana, when we had a resolution on the floor of the United States senate sponsored by senator dole, that this government would make no deal with noriega that the senator from indiana was one of the dozen senators that voted against it. Its also interesting to see that one of his Campaign Managers thats trying to help him with his image was also hired by noriega to help him with his image in panama. What we have seen under this administration we have seen them using eight cabinet officers, twentyeight different agencies, all fighting over turf and that is one thing we would correct under a dukakisbentsen administration. We would put one person in charge in the war against drugs, and we would commit the resources to get that job done. Now, mike dukakis has been able to do that type of thing in the state of massachusetts by cutting the drug use in the high schools while its going up around the rest of the country, by putting in a drug Educational Program that the Drug Enforcement agency said was a model to the country. We would be doing that around the rest of the country. Thats a positive attack against drugs. Judy woodruff brit hume, a question for senator quayle. Brit hume senator, i want to take you back to the question that i asked you earlier about what would happen if you were to take over in an emergency, and what you would do first and why. You said you would say a prayer, and you said something about a meeting. What would you do next . [laughter] senator quayle i dont believe that its proper for me to get into the specifics of a hypothetical situation like that. The situation is that if i was called upon to serve as the president of this country, or the responsibilities of the president of this country, would i be capable and qualified to do that . And ive tried to list the qualifications of twelve years in the United States congress. I have served in the congress for twelve years, i have served in the congress and served eight years on the Senate Armed Services committee. I have traveled a number of times. Ive been to geneva many times to meet with our negotiators as we were hammering out the inf treaty, ive met with the western political leaders , margaret thatcher, chancellor kohl. I know them, they know me. I know what it takes to lead this country forward. And if that situation arises, yes, i will be prepared, and i will be prepared to lead this country, if that happens. [applause] Judy Woodruff senator bentsen. Senator bentsen once again i think what we are looking at here is someone that can step in at the presidency level at the moment, if that tragedy would occur. And if thats the case, again you have to look at maturity of judgment, and you have to look at breadth of experience. You have to see what kind of leadership roles that person has played in his life before that crisis struck him. And if you do that type of thing, then you arrive at a judgment that i think would be a wise one. And i hope that would mean that you would say we are going to vote for mike dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen. [applause] Judy Woodruff brit, question for senator bentsen. Brit hume senator, i want to take you back if i can to the celebrated breakfast club, when it was first revealed that you had a plan to have people pay 10,000 a plate to have breakfast with you. You handled it with disarming, not to say charming, candor, you said it was a mistake, and you disbanded it and called the whole idea off. And you were widely praised for having handled it deftly. The question i have is if the Washington Post had not broken that story and other media picked up on it, what can you tell us tonight as to why we should not believe that you would still be having those breakfasts to this day . [laughter] bentsen i really must say, brit, i dont make many mistakes, but that one was a real doozy. And i agree with that. And, as you know, i immediately disbanded it. It was perfectly legal. And you have all kinds of such clubs on the hill and you know that. But i still believe that the better way to go is to have a Campaign Reform law that takes care of that kind of a situation. Even though its legal, the perception is bad. So i would push very strong to see that we reform the entire situation. Id work for that end, and thats what my friend from indiana has opposed repeatedly, vote after vote. Judy woodruff senator quayle. Senator quayle he disbanded the club, but hes still got the money. He is the number one. He is the number one receiver of Political Action committee money. Now, senator bentsen has talked about reform. Well, let me tell you about the reform that were pushing. Lets eliminate Political Action committees, the special interest money. Theres legislation before the congress to do that. That way, we wont have to worry about breakfast clubs, or whos the number one pac raiser. We can go back and get the contributions from the working men and women and the individuals of america. We can also strengthen our two party system and it needs strengthening and rely more on the Political Parties than we have in the past. Thats the kind of Campaign Reform that im for, and i hope the senator will join me. Judy woodruff John Margolis, a question for senator bentsen. Jon margolis senator, weve all just finished most america has just finished one of the hottest summers it can remember. And apparently this year will be the fifth out of the last nine that are among the hottest on record. No one knows, but most scientists think, that something were doing, human beings are doing, are exacerbating this problem, and that this could, in a couple of generations, threaten our descendants comfort and health and perhaps even their existence. As Vice President what would you urge our government to do to deal with this problem . And specifically as a texan, could you support a substantial reduction in the use of fossil fuels which might be necessary down the road . Bentsen well, i think what you can do in that one, and which would be very helpful, is to use a lot more natural gas, which burns a lot cleaner. And what mike dukakis has said is that hell try to break down those regulatory roadblocks that you have in the Regulatory Agency that denies much of the passage of that natural gas to the northeast, where you can, in turn, fight against acid rain which is another threat, because its sterilizing our lakes, its killing our fish. And its interesting to me to see in the resume of senator quayle that he brags on the fact that hes been able to fight the acid rain legislation. I dont think that thats a proper objective in trying to clean up this environment. But the greenhouse effect is one that has to be a threat to all of us, and we have to look for alternative sources of fuel. And ive supported that very strongly. The department of energy is one that has cut back substantially on the study of those alternative sources of fuels. We can use other things thatll help the farmer. We can convert corn to ethanol, and i would push for that very strong. So absolutely. Ill do those things that are necessary to put the environment of our country number one. Because if we dont protect that, well destroy the future of our children. And we must be committed to trying to clean up the water, clean up the air, and do everything we can, not only from a research standpoint, but also in the applied legislation to see that thats carried out. Judy woodruff senator quayle . Senator quayle Vice President george bush has said that he will take on the environmental problem. He has said further that he will deal with the acid rain legislation and reduce millions of tons of the s02 content. That legislation wont get through the congress this year. But it will get through in a George Bush Administration, a George Bush Administration that is committed to the environment. Now the greenhouse effect is an important environmental issue. It is important for us to get the data in, to see what alternatives we might have to the fossil fuels, and make sure we know what were doing. And there are some explorations and things that we can consider in this area. The drought highlighted the problem that we have, and therefore, we need to get on with it, and in a George Bush Administration, you can bet that we will. Judy woodruff john, a question for senator quayle. John margolis senator, as Vice President your most important contribution would be the advice you gave the president. One of the most troubling facts thats going to face the new administration is the fact that the United States has now become the Worlds Largest debtor nation. In 1987, foreigners underwrote our debts to the tune of about 138 billion. Last week a top official of the Japanese Economic Planning Agency bragged that japan now is in a position to influence the value of the dollar, of our Interest Rates, and even our stock prices. And he warned that one day maybe theyd do just that. If you were Vice President of the United States and japan did that, what would you tell the president to do . Senator quayle when you look at dealing with this total problem, not just with the japanese, but the underlying question on this total world debt problem you have got to see, why are we a debtor, and what is attracting the Foreign Investment into our country today, whether its japanese or others. I would rather have people come over here and to make investments in this country, rather than going elsewhere. Because by coming over here, and making investments in this country, we are seeing jobs. Do you realize that today we are producing hondas and exporting hondas to japan . We are the envy of the world. The United States some of senator bentsens supporters laugh at that. They laugh at that because they dont believe that the United States of america is the envy of the world. Well, i can tell you, the American People think the United States of america is the envy of the world. [applause] Judy Woodruff senator oh, im sorry, go ahead. Senator quayle we are the greatest nation in this world, and the greatest economic power. Now, theres been some talk in congress about forgiveness of debt. Forgiveness of debt is wrong. Forgiveness of International Debt would be counterproductive. And i would like to see those that talk about forgiving debt, senator bentsen, go out and talk about a farmer thats in debt that doesnt have his forgiven. Thats not the kind of policy george bush will have. Judy woodruff senator bentsen. Bentsen well, ive told you what id do about trade and trying to help turn that situation around. But what we also should do is get them to give us more burden sharing when it comes to National Defense. We have a situation today where, on a per capita basis, people in western europe are spending about onethird as much as we are in our country. And then when you go to japan, where were spending 6. 5 on defense of the democracies, there spending 1 . I met with some of the Japanese Business leaders, talking to them about it. And i said, you know, we have 50,000 troops here in japan, protecting the democracies of asia. And it costs 3. 5 billion a year. Youre the number two economic power in the world. You ought to measure up to that responsibility and carry some of that cost. I said, if we were not doing what were doing, wed have a big budget surplus. And i said, youd have chaos, because you get 55 of your oil from the persian gulf, and you wouldnt have the u. S. Navy down there to take care of that. Now, the senator from indiana, when we passed a resolution in the United States senate to ask for burden sharing on that cost to keep those sea lanes open from the japanese, he votes against that. I dont understand that. Judy woodruff tom brokaw, a question for senator quayle. Tom brokaw senator quayle, i dont mean to beat this drum until it has no more sound in it. But to follow up on brit humes question, when you said that it was a hypothetical situation, it is, sir, after all, the reason that were here tonight, because you are running not just for Vice President [applause] tom brokaw and if you cite the experience that you had in congress, surely you must have some plan in mind about what you would do if it fell to you to become president of the United States, as it has to so many Vice President s just in the last 25 years or so. Senator quayle let me try to answer the question one more time. I think this is the fourth time that ive had this question. Tom brokaw the third time. Senator quayle three times that ive had this question and i will try to answer it again for you, as clearly as i can, because the question you are asking is what kind of qualifications does dan quayle have to be president , what kind of qualifications do i have and what would i do in this kind of a situation. And what would i do in this situation . I would make sure that the people in the cabinet and the people that are advisors to the president are called in, and i would talk to them, and i will work with them. And i will know them on a firsthand basis, because as Vice President i will sit on the National Security council. And i will know them on a firsthand basis, because im going to be coordinating the drug effort. I will know them on a firsthand basis because Vice President george bush is going to recreate the space council, and i will be in charge of that. I will have daytoday activities with all the people in government. And then, if that unfortunate situation happens , if that situation, which would be very tragic, happens, i will be prepared to carry out the responsibilities of the presidency of the United States of america. And i will be prepared to do that. I will be prepared not only because of my service in the congress, but because of my ability to communicate and to lead. It is not just age, its accomplishments, its experience. I have far more experience than many others that sought the office of Vice President of this country. I have as much experience in the congress as jack kennedy did when he sought the presidency. I will be prepared to deal with the people in the bush administration, if that unfortunate event would ever occur. Judy woodruff senator bentsen. Senator bentsen senator, i served with jack kennedy, i knew jack kennedy, jack kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you are no jack kennedy. [applause] sen. Bentsen what has to be done in a situation like that taking time away from your own candidates. Sen. Quayle that was really uncalled for senator. [applause] sen. Bentsen you are the one who was making the comparison, senator and i am a one who knew him a well. Think the objectives you choose for your country i did not think they comparison was well taken. Judy woodruff i question for senator bentsen a question for senator benson. How about the captives in the middle east . You have been could goal of the irancontra affair. Does the dukakisbenson to get have a plan for getting those hostages leased . Released . Tough. Ntsen that is you cannot help but have a sympathy for that family and for the hostages themselves. The one thing we ought to know by now is that you can go out and make secret deals you cannot go out and make secret deals with the ayatollah. There is no question but that you just encouraged more taking of hostages and that has been the result of this dumb idea that was cooked up in the white house basement. George bush attending a of those meetings and having no meetings 17 of those and having no recollection. If Lloyd Bentsen attended those meetings, you would have no one asking where is lloyd . I would speak up on that type of thing. All you can do is continue to push, use every bit of diplomatic pressure you can, which you can do with economic pressure in addition to that. That is what you must do to have a successful release of hostages but not encourage more taking of hostages. Judy woodruff senator quayleJudy Woodruff . Sen. Quayle it is wrong. Butearn by our mistakes, there have been a number of successes in foreign in this administration. The question goes to a difficult one how do you do it . No one has the answer. If we did we would certainly do it. We will keep trying. We will keep the doors open and hopefully someday i ran and iran and those who have the hostages were can return to civilized community. They can do that starting now by releasing those hostages that are being held illegally. Senator, much of the dukakisbenson campaign as of late has been devoted to the notion that senator quayle is not ready for the vice presidency or presidency. Is it fair for you to advance that view in light of the fact that you ran for the presidency in 1976 having not finished one full term in the senate . When in fact your time in washington was about equal to what he has now . Sen. Bentsen what you have to look at is the record. A man who has served his country in war, headed up a squadron in combat, a man who built a business, new what it was to , anda payroll, create jobs to serve in the United States senate and one who has been able to bring about some of the types of legislation i have been able to bring about in my service there. I did not do good job of running for the presidency, but what we are looking at today is trying to judge once again the brett of erience bretz of breadth of experience. It is a president ial question you are facing and it is an important one. We are talking about who will lead this country into its future and you cannot have a more important responsibility than that one. Judy woodruff senator quayle . At. Quayle when you look qualifications, you look at accomplishments as well as experience. One of the accomplishments i am proudest of is the Job Training Partnership act, that has employed trained and 3 million young people and adults who are economically disadvantaged. We did it in a way that we got the private sector to involve. Tself in the Public Sector private Industry Councils throughout america who serve over the Service Delivery areas, we have 51 of that Industry Council that are businessmen and women. We have communitybased organizations, we have community leaders. We have been able to establish a program that is working, that is putting people back to work. That is an accomplishment i will take with me into the white house. Judy woodruff a question for it senator quayle. Im it trying to get out what kind of person you are i am trying to get at what kind of person you are. Can you identify a film or piece of literature that you have experienced in the last two years that has had a particularly strong effect on you and why . Sen. Quayle in the last six are threehink there very important books that i read that have had an impact. One richardoks are nixon nixons victory in 1999, senator Richard Lugars letters to the next president , bob ,asseys nicholas and alexandra which deals with the fall of the russian empire and to the coming of leninism in 1917. Those three books, which i read over the last spring vacation and early summer had a definite formerbecause what president nixon and Richard Lugar were talking about was policy as we move towards the 21st century. The historical book about the coming of leninism, combining those three books together gave me a better appreciation of the challenges that we have ahead of us. Senator lugar talks about the advancement of human rights around the world. He talks about his leadership efforts in the philippines and south africa where we now see human rights advancement on the reagan agenda. Former president nixon talked about what we are going to do about arms control and how we will pursue new arms control with the soviet union. He talked a little bit about how we deal with the soviet union into this is one of the differences between george bush and Michael Dukakis. George bush understands you must deal from a position of strength. The governor of massachusetts does not understand that. I understand it and the George Bush Administration will pursue that policy. Judy woodruff senator bentsen . Readingtsen i think guns of august, that really shows you how we make the same mistakes too often over and over again. It seems to me that the senator is beginning to do that one. When i look on the progress done towards our disarmament and cutting back on nuclear weapons, i see what Ronald Reagan has been able to do with the imf treaty and i think he deserves credit. I think a situation where the senator from indiana has now rep jumped off the reservation when we talk about building on what Ronald Reagan has done and opposes what Ronald Reagan wants ondo and says lets go slow doing further disarmament and trying to get to the next treaty, i think that is a mistake. You have to deal with the russians from flank and you have to understand you need a strong modernized Nuclear Deterrent but we can make substantial progress and we should take advantage of it. The matter of war and appeasement concerns me very much because i saw him try to sabotage thy enough treaty when it was on the imf treaty when it was on the floor of the senate. Jon margolis, question for senator quayle. Jon margolis i will go back to the question of qualifications, which i think for most people is more than how long you have been in office. Can you hear me now . Sen. Quayle i can hear you. [laughter] backargolis i want to go to the question of the qualifications, which i think for most people is more than how long you have been in office. Several of the things you have said have raised some reasonable questions. On their own they might seem trivial, but together they create a pattern. You have talked about the Job Training Partnership act, which you authored. I believe you coauthored it with another senator you almost never name. Earlier in the campaign and asked why you got a desk job in the national guard, you said you had a strong background in journalism, which at that time was a summer job at your familyowned newspaper, which you have not been very forthcoming about what they were as you have not been very forthcoming about your college record. Ales on this panel have agreed your record is probably comparable to ours. [laughter] this overstatement has led a lot of people to question this part of your qualifications, not your experience, but your character. Would you like to set some of these things straight as to what you did in your summer jobs in college, what your grades were like and would you like to identify your cosponsor of the . Ob sponsorship act sen. Quayle in two minutes . Let me deal with the premise that i havent been straightforward. Lets go to the op Training Partnership act. The coauthor in the u. S. Senate was senator kennedy. I was the chairman of the employment subcommittee. Chairman of the committee writes that legislation. They go out and get cosponsorship. When you are the chairman of the committee and you sit down and you write the legislation, you are the author of that. I am proud to have been the author of that because you know what we had daca we had a seat appropriate that spent 50 to 19 82 and1973 when we concluded that program, unemployment was higher than when it began. It was a program that did not work and the Job Training Partnership act does work. Now the issue of releasing all i am, and i stand before you tonight as the ever toestigated person seek public office. [applause] thousands of journalists have asked every professor i have had, all my iachers, and they know, and have never professed to be anything but an average student. I have never said i was anything ife than that, but it is not you are an average student, it is what you are going to do with your life. I have committed to Public Service since i was 29 years of age, elected to the house of representatives, elected to the senate when i was already three, and now at 41 i seek the office of the vice presidency. Judy woodruff senator bentsen . Sen. Bentsen i have no quarrel militarytor quayles record, but i disagree with him on some issues. Make great, patriotic speeches and i enjoy them but i do not understand your vote on veterans issue. Senator quayle has one of the worst voting records in the u. S. Senate on Veterans Issues and one that particularly bothers me sponsoring legislation to put a tax on disability pay for fighting men and women of america, tax on their disability pay when they are lying there in the hospital, people who have sacrificed for our country. You ought to explain that to them American People the American People and you want to do it tonight. Generally considered an orthodox conservative on fiscal matters. With everyone in politics even afraid to mention taxes or restrained defense spending, would you list a few specific programs, which would reduce you would reduce to cut the beicit, which is expected to 135ndred 35 billion billion . Paymentse seen subsidy double. The way i have accomplished that was with opening up the markets, getting prices back up to market prices. We can do that if we have an aggressive trade policy for our country, if we make trade in number one priority. That means we have to stand up for the American Farmers and cut back on the regulation on American Farmers. That is a positive way to accomplish that. We do some of the things i think have to be done and so far is doing a better job of procurement. Particularly when we are talking about some of our military things we should buy. I have fought hard to put in an independent inspector for the defense department, but the senator from indiana opposed me on that. We were finally able to put that in effect and we saved a quarter of a Million Dollars this year, almost enough to buy a squadron of seven sixteens. The things i learned in business is you can inspect what you you can expect what you inspect. Addition, those things would bring the Interest Rate down. We can try to turn this trade deficit around. I would get rid of some things that thethat are administration once that will fly from new york to tokyo. I do not think we can afford a piece of technological elegance like that. I would strike that thing from the ticket. I dont know how many people ridden then concorde, but its a financial disaster. Those are the sort of things i would work on. Judy woodruff senator quayle . Sen. Quayle the way we are going to reduce this budget deficit is to stick to the grand redmond targeted grand redmond targets. We have reduced to the federal budget deficit by 70 billion. Againstbentsen voted her and redmond, the very full that tool that has been used to bring the deficit down. Of a line itemls veto. 43 governorso that in this state had in this country has but the president doesnt. The president needs a line item veto when the house puts in unnecessary spending. Let the president put a line through that and let Congress Vote on it again. Congress has got to help out in reducing this budget deficit as much as the executive branch. Judy woodruff tom brokaw, alas question about tim benson a last question for senator bentsen. Man inkaw youre a favor of gun control and at the same time you are running for the u. S. Senate in the state of texas where your position on many of those things is wellknown and opposed. How can you explain to the people of texas how you can be a social conservative and still run with michael to caucus . Sen. Bentsen Michael Dukakis was reaching out. He want someone that will speak out, and that i will do. I have seen many chief executives come into my office and to say they will pound the desk and go into that office and turned to jello. I do not hesitate for a moment to speak up. When you are talking about Something Like the Death Penalty where Michael Dukakis and i disagree, what you ought to get at is what is being done against crime and the progress he has made. In massachusetts he has the homicide rate down to the lowest in any any industrialized state. He was able to do that with an educated program for the people of that state by adding some 1500 neyo police officers. He has done it in turn by the leadership he will bring to the ticket when he becomes president 1500 new police officers. He has done the intern by the leadership he will bring to the ticket when he becomes president. That is why i am proud to be on the ticket with him. Sure we have some differences, but we have things we agree on. Trade policy, cutting back on the deficit this is our positive things those are positive things and issues facing our nation. Judy woodruff senator quayle . Sen. Quayle one thing they dont agree on is National Defense and how we will preserve freedom in this country. Michael dukakis is the most liberal National Democrat to seek the office of the presidency since george mcgovern. He is against the mx missile, the midget man, cutting two aircraft carriers. He is opposed to many defense programs that are necessary to defend this country. That is my former secretary of defense and former Energy Secretary in the Carter Administration in an open letter to Time Magazine asked governor dukakis are you entire military . Jim and or never got an answer jim andhing her he never got an answer. Judy woodruff last question for senator quayle. All of us have an experience that shapes our adult philosophy. Can you describe for the audience tonight what experience you hadnt how it shaped your political philosophy . Tom brokaw and howerience you had it shaped your political philosophy . Sen. Quayle there are a lot but the one i keep coming back to time and time again, and i talk about it at commencement addresses, i talk about it when i visit job training centers, and it is the advice my maternal pulliam, whoartha , we are a modern foufor generation family r generation family. The advice she gave me when i was growing up is advice i have given my children and i have given to a number of people. It is very simple. It is very common sense. Anythingyou can do you want to, if you just set your mind to it and go to work. The dukakis supporters sneer at that because it is common sense. [applause] [laughter] sneer atle they common sense advice, midwestern midwestern advice from a grandmother to a grandson, important advice. Something we ought to talk about because if you want to you can make a difference. America, can make a difference. You will have that choice come this election. Everyone can make a difference if they want to. Judy woodruff senator bentsen . Sen. Bentsen i was born and reared on the rio grande. I spent part of my life seeing some of the struggles that have taken place in one of the Lowest Per Capita incomes in the u. S. And that is one of the reasons i worked so hard to assist education. When bankers in the area found they could not handle the loans because of some of the details they couldnt make a profit on it, i helped form a Nonprofit Organization to buy up the loans from them, manage them, and do it in a way where they continue to make those loans. Now they have educated more than 20,000 students, loaned out over 100 million and it has not cost the taxpayers of this country one sent. I have seen in the way of poverty down there in that area and the lack of medical attention that has turned around. Why i worked so hard on the welfare reform bill, to give them the chance to break the cycles of property, the chance cycles of poverty, the chance to step up in life. Judy woodruff thank you, senator bentsen. Thank you, senator quayle. Before i ask the candidates to make their closing remarks, i would like to thank you all for joining us. Senator quayle, yours is the First Closing statement. Sen. Quayle tonight has been a very important evening. You have been able to see dan , and how i really am george bush and i want to lead. His country into the future thank you, america, for listening, and thank you for your fairness. Now you will have a twist to make on election day choice to make on election day. Choice inave a whether america chooses the road of michael to caucus or the road of George Bush Michael the caucus or the road of they have always believed in higher taxes. They always have and they always will. Cuts to National George bush will lead us to the 21st century. A fifth century that will be of hope and peace. Ronald reagan and george bush saved america from decline. We changed america. Michael dukakis fought us every step of the way. Its not that theyre not sympathetic. Its simply that they will take america backwards. George bush has experience. And with me, the future. A future committed to our family. A feature committed to the freedom. Thank you. Good night, and god bless you. [applause] Judy Woodruff senator benson, your closing statement . Days,entsen in just 34 america will elect a new leadership for our country. Thats the most important decision because theres no bigger job than governing this great country of ours and leaving it into its future. Mike dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen tempered,experienced, capable leadership to meet those challenges of the future. Propositions. Says lower your sites, rest on your laurels. Mike dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen think america can do better that , america cant just coast in future clinging to the past. This race is too close, the competition is too tough. And the stakes are too high. Michael dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen think america must move into that future united in a commitment to make this country of ours the most powerful, the most prosperous nation in the world. As americans, we honor our past and we should. But our children are going to live in the future. And mike dukakis says the best of america is yet to come. But that wont happen taking care of our economy just putting it on automatic pilot. It wont happen by accident. Its going to take leadership and its going to take courage and the commitment and a contribution by all of us to do that. I have worked for the betterment of our country both in war and pilot, as oneber who has been a businessman and a United States senator, working to make this nation the most fair and the strongest and the most powerful in the world. Help us bring america to a new era of greatness. The debate is ours. But the decision is yours. God bless you. [applause] Judy Woodruff thank you, both. Thank you. [applause] [indistinguishable conversations] you are watching American History exploring our nations past every weekend on cspan3. This week, we are looking back to the state this date in history. Meredith is formally enrolled at the university of mississippi, ending one chapter in the federal governments efforts to desegregate universities. Of eigha negistration egro in his history. Must have the footage much of the footage was destroyed when our photographer was attacked. The governor vote the court order before modifying his stance saying mississippi was overpowered by the federal government. President kennedy appealed to the students and people of the state to comply peacefully with the law and bring the crisis to the end. Even as he talked, riots were breaking out. Follow us on social media for more clips and posts. The contenders, about the men who ran for the presidency and lost but changed political history. Monday, he helped found both the National Republican party and the whig party and was known as the great compromiser, henry clay. The contenders, this week on cspan3. Each week until the 2020 election, American History tv brings you archival coverage of president ial races. Next, the Vice President ial debate from the 1992 campaign between incumbent Vice President dan quayle, senator al gore, and retired admiral james stockdale. They answered questions on abortion, taxes, and the defense budget. Defeatedratic ticket president bush and dan quayle in the general election winning 43 of the popular vote to bush and quayles 37 . Perotndent candidate ross and admiral stockdale finished third. This debate from atlanta is about 90 minutes. Mr. Bruno good evening from atlanta and welcome to the Vice President ial debate sponsored by the nonpartisan commission on president ial debates. Its being held here in the theater for the arts on the campus of georgia tech. Im hal bruno from abc news, and im going to be moderating tonights debate. The participants are republican Vice President dan quayle. [applause]
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