Editorial
| Nebraskan
:> University of Nebraska-LIncoln
Curl Wagner, Editor, 472 1766
Mike Reilley, Editorial Page Editor
Diana Johnson, Managing Editor
Lee Rood, Associate News Editor
Bob Nelson, Wire Page Editor
Craig Heckman, Columnist
Andy Pollock, Columnist
A mediocre Quayle
Bush’s running mate a useless addition
When the media went Quayle hunting last week,
most of the stories missed their mark.
But some of the stories flushed out other interest
ing tidbits on his not-so-illustrious past.
The jury is still out on whether or not Dan Quayle used
family ties to enter the National Guard. He may or may
not have attempted to cover the truth about his service
record, even though early quotes from him about his
record changed from “I don’t know,” to “I don’t remem
ber” to “maybe.”
l^uayle may not even be a hypocrite tor sporting
warhawk political sentiments with a lawchicken past
None of that matters, though.
Quayle should not be the vice presidential candidate
because he’s a lightweight in the biggest chug-a-lug
contest in the United States.
his record speaks tor itseit. At oest, vjuayie was a me
diocre high school student who used family clout, green
backs and posterior kissing to swindle his way into
DePauw University.
Once at DePauw, Quayle mustered a D average in his
political science major and earned the nickname Eddie
Haskell (of “Leave it to Beaver” fame) for his growing
expertise in posterior kissing.
Quayle then pulled more strings to get accepted into
; Indiana University law school were he once again proved
himself the epitome of mediocrity.
After graduation from law school, Quayle moved on to
the family business. After a few years, he was asked to
run as a Republican candidate for Congress. He surpris
ingly won against an eight-term Congressman and moved
to Washington D.C., where he spent two terms building
up his reputation for mediocrity.
As a senator, Quayle, with the help of a strong Senate
staff, improved his political record and began to show
promise that someday, possibly while still in his 70s, he
migni oc aoie to command respect.
But now Quayle stands a coattail ride and a gunshot
wound away from the U.S. presidency.
George Bush has made a monumental mistake. In his
attempt to draw on a larger voting base, Bush has nar
rowed his support to the right. He’s also catering to those
people who prefer candidates who most resemble their
favorite soap-opera stars.
s \ i ne vice presidential candidates should provide a presi
dential candidate a slight voting advantage in some
region.
The vice-presidential candidates should also provide
the promise of acceptable leadership in the absence of that
president. Lloyd Bentsen does this for the Democrats.
Quayle does nearly the opposite for the Republicans.
Bush made a mistake. If he will not admit his error,
then Quayle should.
Quayle, for the good of his party, should remove
himself as the Republican vice-presidential candidate.
— Bob Nelson
for the Daily Nebraskan
opiftMMfc
Reader supports Contras
1 m writing in response to Jim
Anderson’s letter (Daily Nebraskan,
Aug. 29) that referred to whata failure
the funding of the Contras has been.
I wonder who has been giving
Anderson the information he has.
What you need, Anderson, is some
real information on the happenings in
Nicaragua.
May I suggest a book? Please read
“Requiem in the Tropics”.
Daniel Ortega is a Marxist-Lenin
isl and is very open about being one.
No, the Contras haven’t overthrown
the evil Sandinista government, but
they have slowed them down. Com
munism is real in Central America. If
aid is stopped we may end up with a
war in Central American countries.
Anderson staled that the United
Slates is “extremely paranoid” about
communism. But how can that be
when people like you shrug commu
nism off as a regular type of govern
I
mcnt! How can you say you believe in
freedom? I don’t wantcommunism in
Central America — it’s too close to
home. Look on a map, Anderson, and
open your eyes to die truth. Daniel
Ortega is a very evil man and sees
Marxist-Lcninistasa popular tool for
himself and his brother.
Aid to the Contras is the only way
for the United States to prevent war. If
this aid is stopped, the communists
will take over Central America. Then
the death of young American soldiers
can be laid upon your conscience.
You’re the one who said the Contras’
cause was a failure. Time to stop
spreading propaganda. Get the facts
Mr. Anderson and stop believing
what you’vc been hearing and find the
truth yourself.
Annette Dyrda
freshman
pre-medical technology
iBUSl NESS AS USUAL IN YELLOWSTONE 1
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1tu6 looks
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Columnist sees through media glitter
Americans should look beyond television for important issues
I’m sick of hearing about the
Dan Quayle saga, as most
people are by now.
So why am I bringing it up again?
It’s not to talk about Quayle, but
rather to talk about us. You know,
“we, the people.”
But first and, I promise, briefly,
about Quayle’s service in the Na
tional Guard — that’s perfectly hon
orable by my standards. About family
influence to get him there — that
causes some question in my mind
about his credibility.
Because he supported U.S. in
volvement in Vietnam and then did
what he could to avoid combat makes
him a hypocrite. I place his alleged
affair with lobbyist Paula Parkinson
in the stupid and tasteless category.
What really bothers me about the
whole affair is that Bush even chose
him in ihc 1st place. Was it his expe
rience, his opinions on current issues,
his ideas for the future of America?
Apparently not. I’m sure they had
something to do with his choice, but
from what I have read and heard, I
can’t find much evidence.
During what I watched of the
Republican National Convention, the
commentators repeatedly remarked
about how Quaylc, being young and
attractive, would appeal to baby
boomers and women.
Itcould be that I too easily trust the
judgment of the commentators, but I
was stunned by their discussion. “Is
that why he was chosen?” I asked
myself. They certainly implied it.
How demeaning and backwards
this theory of choosing a vice presi
dential nominee seems; especially
coming from one of the two major
political parties.
During times when people are fi
nally beginning to realize that
women, and yes, even young people
have minds of their own that can see
through more than a pretty, young
face, why must this type of theory be
reverted to?
But do we sec beneath the face?
And by “we” I mean not only young
people and women but most Ameri
cans.
Do we sec through the glitter, and
the grime, that appears on our televi
sion sets?
cn
Surely Bush and his campaign
staff are not completely ignorant
about the way people think and what
they think about. Unfortunately, and
oddly enough to most thinking
Americans, Bush and staff probably
do know what they arc doing in this
case.
Throughout all the fuss about this
hypocritical hawk and his National
Guard duly, I have not heard much
about his past experience, his opin
ions on current issues, his ideas for the
future of this country. Surely these
come into play with the job for which
he’s campaigning?
But for the most Americans, in
But for most Americans, including
the average University of Nebraska
Lincoln student, they arc boring and
irrclevent issues. The hot issues, the
real issues, are those scandalous love
affairs, those tokes of tea 20 years ago
and those efforts to dodge the draft.
And who’s lo blame? Americans
shouldn’t be lynched for failing to
know or care about what really makes
the nation tick. They should be yelled
at, yes, but the real blame goes to the
press.
That includes the print media. But
it’s the broadcast media, television in
particular, that bothers me the most.
As 1 have learned in various jour
nalism courses, the media, while not
specifically telling us what to think,
tells us what to think about. It sets the
agenda for our thoughts, discussions,
decisions.
I don’t criticize the print media so
much. If people want to understand a
story, all they have to do is read the
fine print below the headline. And
I ’ vc read stories about Quay le’s ex pe -
rience, or lack of, in newspapers and
a couple magazines.
Television, the pop media that has
entranced America with its shallow
coverage, leads us astray and leaves
us susceptible to the vice-president
choosing theories of Bush and staff,
and Dukakis and staff.
As the 1988 piesidcntial, and vice
presidential, election draws near ‘‘we.
the people” need to smile or laugh at
the great "headline news" we’re
bombarded w uh, or simply turn the
damn stuff off. We need to avoid this
trap that holds us as bait for hungry
political candidates.
We need to investigate each candi
date and decide for ourselves who
best represents our opinions and atti
tudes, not just who smiles best in front
of television cameras.
Now all we need is the opportunity
to do so.
Pollock I* a senior news-editorial major
and is a Daily Nebraskan editorial columnist
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Signed staff editorials represent the
official policy of the fall 1988 Daily Ne
braskan. Policy is set by the Daily Ne
braskan Editorial Board. Its members are
Curt Wagner, editor; Mike Reilley, edito
rial page editor; Diana Johnson, manag
ing editor; Lee Rood, associate news
editor; Andy Pollock, columnist; Bob
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