Michael Dukakis 1988 presidential campaign
| Michael Dukakis for President 1988 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Campaign | 1988 Democratic primaries 1988 U.S. presidential election |
| Candidate | Michael Dukakis 65th and 67th Governor of Massachusetts (1975–1979, 1983–1991) Lloyd Bentsen U.S. Senator from Texas (1971–1993) |
| Affiliation | Democratic Party |
| Status | Announced: March 16, 1987 Presumptive nominee: June 7, 1988 Official nominee: July 21, 1988 Lost election: November 8, 1988 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Key people | Susan Estrich (campaign manager) Paul Brountas (campaign chair)[1] John Sasso (campaign manager; resigned on October 1, 1987; returned as vice chairman on September 3, 1988)[2][3] Paul Tully (political director; resigned on October 1, 1987)[2] Donna Brazile (deputy field director; resigned on October 20, 1988) |
| Slogan | We're on your side Good jobs at good wages Because the Best America has yet to Come |
The 1988 presidential campaign of
Background
Initial announcement
On March 16, 1987, Dukakis, then the Governor of
Democratic primaries
By May 1988, Dukakis had become the Democratic Party's front-runner for their nomination in that year's election, thanks to his victories in the
Endorsements
- Celebrities
- Karen Allen, actress[16]
- Woody Allen, filmmaker[16]
- Teri Austin, actress[17]
- Lauren Bacall, actress[16]
- Doug Barr, actor[16]
- Jeff Berg, actor[16]
- Ruben Blades, musician[16]
- Peter Boyle, actor[16]
- Cher, singer[16]
- John Davis, producer[16]
- Michael Douglas, actor[16]
- Richard Dreyfuss, actor[16]
- Griffin Dunne, actor[16]
- Mia Farrow, actress[16]
- Sally Field, actress[16]
- Carrie Fisher, actress[16]
- Jane Fonda, actress[17]
- Art Garfunkel, singer[16]
- Richard Gere, actor[16]
- Harry Hamlin, actor[16]
- Arthur Hiller, director[16]
- Don Johnson, actor[17]
- Joanna Kerns, actress[16]
- John Lithgow, actor[16]
- Rob Lowe, actor[17]
- Leonard Nimoy, actor[16]
- Ken Olin, actor[16]
- Elizabeth Perkins, actress[16]
- Sydney Pollack, director[16]
- Alan Rachins, actor[16]
- Tony Randall, actor[16]
- John Ratzenberger, actor[16]
- Judge Reinhold, actor[16]
- Telly Savalas, actor[16]
- Cybill Shepherd, actress[16]
- Carly Simon, singer[16]
- Paul Simon, singer[16]
- Sissy Spacek, actress[16]
- Maureen Stapleton, actress[16]
- Oliver Stone, director[16]
- Meryl Streep, actress[16]
- James Taylor, singer[16]
- Christopher Walken, actor[16]
- Raquel Welch, actress[16]
- Patricia Wettig, actress[16]
- Bruce Willis, actor[17]
- Shelley Winters, actress[16]
- Moon Unit Zappa, actress[17]
- Individuals
- Barry Diller, businessman[16]
- Tom Hayden, activist[17]
"Massachusetts Miracle"
Dukakis' campaign was focused on his experience as Governor of Massachusetts, during which time Massachusetts had emerged from an economic depression and had become a "bastion of prosperity and full employment".[18] Commentators had described this as the "Massachusetts Miracle", a term Bush dismissed as the "Massachusetts mirage".[19]
Running mate selection
On July 12, 1988, Dukakis announced he had chosen Texas senator Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate, in the hopes of garnering more support in the South.[20] Dukakis compared his pick to John F. Kennedy's pick of Lyndon B. Johnson as his running mate in the 1960 election.[21] As a result, his ticket became known as the "Boston-Austin axis", as Bentsen himself described it.[22][23] Shortly after Dukakis made the pick, a Time cover story dubbed Dukakis and Bentsen "the odd couple", and Richard Stengel noted in 1988 that Bentsen was "...more Bush's twin than Dukakis'".[24] James J. Kilpatrick called the pair "The Sominex Twins".[25]
Acceptance of the nomination
After winning the primaries in 30 states against Jesse Jackson and
Television advertising
During the campaign, Dukakis was the target of several now-infamous attack ads by individuals supporting the Bush campaign, most infamously the "Willie Horton" ad produced by the pro-Bush National Security Political Action Committee. Although the Bush campaign disavowed the ad,[26] it still played a major role in Dukakis' defeat.[27] The Dukakis campaign was mired in confusion during the general election, as exemplified by "the Handlers", a series of unintentionally confusing commercials that the campaign produced and aired at a cost of $3 million. Dukakis also erred in not responding to the Horton attack until late in the campaign.[28]
Donna Brazile resignation
On October 20, 1988,
Polling
A poll conducted on July 21 and 22 of 1988 found that Dukakis had expanded the size of his lead over Bush to 17 points, with 55% of voters surveyed saying they would prefer Dukakis to win, compared to 38% for Bush.
Transition planning
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| Transitions | ||
Planned transitions
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A presidential transition was contingently planned from President Reagan to Dukakis.
Dukakis' transition planning efforts' activities were largely undertaken in secrecy.
The transition planning was formally chaired by campaign chairman Paul Brountas.[36] However, Marcia Hale was overseeing much of the effort out of an office in Boston.[36] One of the individuals involved in the transition planning was Harrison Wellford, who had been involved in the pre-election transition planning of Jimmy Carter in 1976, and would later go on to play a role in the presidential transition of Bill Clinton.[37]
In September, campaign spokesman Mark Gearan stated, "It's a very quiet operation housed separately from the campaign.[36]
Despite having a pre-election transition planning effort of their own, the Bush campaign took a shot at Dukakis for having a transition effort, with Bush spokesperson Mark Goodin remarking, "As usual, they have the cart before the horse. If they spend less time planning for transition and more time campaigning, they would not be behind in the polls. Our position is you need to win the election before you worry about the transition."[36]
If Dukakis had won, he would not only have a presidential transition, but also a gubernatorial transition, as he would be transitioning out of the Massachusetts governorship, handing over that position to his lieutenant governor Evelyn Murphy.[36] Had he won, he would have been the first sitting governor to transition into the presidency since Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected in 1932.[36]
References
- ^ Welch, William M. (13 July 1988). "Paul Brountas: Dukakis' Friend and Adviser". apnews.com. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Two Top Aides to Dukakis Resign As One Admits Role in Biden Tape". New York Times. 1 October 1987. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ "Sasso Offers A Familiar Hand To A Political Friend". Associated Press. 3 September 1988. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ a b "Finding aid for Michael S. Dukakis Presidential Campaign Records". Northeastern University. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "United States presidential election of 1988". Encyclopedia Britannica.
- ^ ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ King, Josh (2013-11-17). "Dukakis and the Tank". Politico. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ a b "How Bush Beat Dukakis". Politico. 2013-11-14. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ Butterfield, Fox (1988-05-08). "Dukakis". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ^ Margolis, Jon (1988-06-08). "Dukakis Clinches Nomination". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq "Campaign '88 Gets the Star Treatment". 7 June 1988.
- ^ a b c d e f g "STARS FOR DUKAKIS BLITZ PACIFIC COAST". 10 October 1988.
- ^ Coakley, Michael (1987-05-31). "Dukakis Hopes 2nd 'Massachusetts Miracle' Is In The Making". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ Toner, Robin (1988-07-13). "Dukakis Picks Bentsen for Running Mate; Texan Adds Conservative Voice to Ticket; A Regional Balance". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ^ Haggin, Patience (2012-08-11). "A History of Vice Presidential Picks, from the Pages of TIME". Time. Retrieved 2018-03-20.
- ^ Kilpatrick, James J. (1988-07-16). "What's Bentsen Doing Here?". The Winchester Star. Vol. 93, no. 11. p. 4 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ^ Raphael, TJ (2015-05-18). "How one political ad held back a generation of American inmates". Public Radio International. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
...Horton...became a decisive part of George H.W. Bush's campaign against Democratic contender Michael Dukakis.
- ^ "Commercials - 1988". The Living Room Candidate. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ISSN 0882-7729. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2017-10-31.
- ^ "How Bush Beat Dukakis (Slide 6)". Politico. Retrieved 2017-09-16.
- ^ "Top 10 Debate Moments". TIME. TIME Magazine. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Eyes on the prize: Duke plans transition period". Newspapers.com. North Adams Transcript. Associated Press. 19 Sep 1988. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ISBN 1555879160.