Loading...
Loading...
Click here if you don’t see subscription options
Jim McDermottJune 15, 2010

On this day 18 years ago, Dan Quayle famously misspelled potato, leading the 12-year-old child whom he "corrected" to later comment to David Letterman, "I know he's not an idiot, but he needs to study more. Do you have to go to college to be vice president?"

Garrison Keillor has the story at the bottom of his Writer's Almanac entry for today. And Youtube (of course) has the clip.

Quayle himself would describe the event in his 1994 memoir as "a defining moment of the worst kind imaginable." But 18 years on, would we still call what was clearly a simple mistake such a big deal?  

Is there room for gaffes in politics?

Jim McDermott, SJ

 

Comments are automatically closed two weeks after an article's initial publication. See our comments policy for more.
Jim McCrea
14 years 4 months ago
Yes, there is room for political gaffes - George W. Bush immediately comes to mind.

The latest from america

As I sit sore and tired, I cannot also help but think that the N.Y.C. Marathon for me is a thin space, a space where I can easily see God’s presence in the world.
Robert McCarthyNovember 04, 2024
Archbishop Domenico Battaglia of Naples has been named as one of the prelates Pope Francis will make a cardinal on December 7th.
“I will not vote for president this year,” Monica Brent writes. “I cannot in good conscience vote for Donald Trump, for many reasons. However, Kamala Harris’s stance on abortion makes her a no-go for me, as well. ”
Our readersNovember 04, 2024
Pope Francis, your encyclical on the Sacred Heart, “Dilexit Nos,” is beautiful and heartwarming. And for Catholics in the United States, the timing was perfect.
Joe Laramie, S.J.November 04, 2024