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One Possible Explanation: McCain's Opinion of Dan Quayle's Looks

Fri, 2008-08-29 16:27 — figleaf

Here’s an interesting problem with Wikipedia, websites, and reliability. Near as I can tell, sometime back in January someone added a John McCain quote to the Wikipedia entry on former Vice President Dan Quayle (emphasis mine.)

At the 1988 Republican National Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, George H. W. Bush called on Quayle to be his running mate in the general election. Quayle was chosen to appeal to a younger generation of Americans and his good looks were praised by Senator John McCain, who said “I can’t believe a guy that handsome wouldn’t have some impact.“

Source: Wikipedia

There’s a citation for the quote that points to an MSNBC page that was updated last August 11th to include information about former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards’ recent alleged-paternity scandal. The great thing about Wikipedia is that you can track when a change was made. The tough thing about most other pages, however, is that you can’t. That’s not necessarily a bad think that MSNBC updated its page, and the timestamp on the page clearly predates any news of McCain’s vice-presidential picks. But I’d really love to find the original source for the McCain quote.

At any rate, if the quote pans out it would suggest that McCain had a superficial but straightforward and relatively non-gendered reason for picking the conventionally attractive Palin, a former Miss Alaska runner-up, over other, equally or more qualified Republican women.

Looks aren’t everything, so good luck with that selection criteria, McSame.

Update In comments Sungold of Kittywampus reports on the sources.

...the quote looks legit. It appears nearly verbatim in a story in the St. Petersburg Times, August 17, 1988 (“Bush surprises GOP, picks Quayle as running mate // Passes over big names for ‘unknown’”): “‘I can’t believe that a guy that handsome wouldn’t have an impact’ on women voters, said Sen. John McCain of Arizona.”

It also shows up, slightly modified, in an AP article from September 27, 1998, “Quayle’s Looks: Do Women Care?” by Jill Lawrence: “‘I can’t believe a guy that handsome wouldn’t be attractive in some respect’ to women, said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the GOP convention in August.”

She said it here.

I don’t have LexisNexis so it’s great that others do. Thanks, Sungold!

Fri, 2008-08-29 17:54 — 2363 (not verified) #permalink

I’m such a research nerd I checked it out on LexisNexis – and yeah, the quote looks legit. It appears nearly verbatim in a story in the St. Petersburg Times, August 17, 1988 (“Bush surprises GOP, picks Quayle as running mate // Passes over big names for ‘unknown’”): “‘I can’t believe that a guy that handsome wouldn’t have an impact’ on women voters, said Sen. John McCain of Arizona.”

It also shows up, slightly modified, in an AP article from September 27, 1998, “Quayle’s Looks: Do Women Care?” by Jill Lawrence: “‘I can’t believe a guy that handsome wouldn’t be attractive in some respect’ to women, said Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., at the GOP convention in August.”

Note the context in both cases. As if women (but not men!) will be swayed by the candidate’s looks. I don’t remember being much impressed by Quayle’s sex appeal (too plastic) but then again I would’ve thought he was old at 41. Now, that’s younger than Gov. Palin. (And me.)

I’m pretty sure Palin is brighter than Quayle. But I still cringed when she said “nucular” in her speech today.

Recaptcha: Co voter (!)

[At this point I’m pretty sure “nucular” is ‘winger gang slang, sort of like when they say “Democrat party.” Thanks for verifying the quotes, Sungold, you’re totally awesome! —fl]

Sat, 2008-08-30 12:59 — 2363 (not verified) #permalink

You’re very welcome, figleaf. I have free access to LexisNexis and a whole bunch of other databases. It’s my best job perq and I think it ought to be a human right (just after health care). So I’m glad to share some research-nerd love. Especially with someone who’s enough of a research nerd himself to appreciate it. :-)

I think you’re right about nucular. That’s how you can show you’re not “elite” even if you do own seven houses. Or was it eight?

And dangit, you’re pretty awesome too, figleaf.

[Thanks again, Sungold. —fl]

Sat, 2008-08-30 17:19 — 2363 (not verified) #permalink

As if women (but not men!) will be swayed by the candidate’s looks.

I don’t think it’s so much about appearance in this case as it is about sex appeal. I don’t think straight men (the only kind, apparently, that count) would find much sex appeal in Danny-boy. Hmm. Is there something McCainey’s not telling us?

[Actually I think what he was doing is sort of what Blues did in 2004: picked someone they thought everyone else would go for (i.e. “electability”) rather than what they wanted. Same here and his body language seems sort of resigned. Thanks, Nightfall. —fl]

Sat, 2008-08-30 17:30 — 2363 (not verified) #permalink

The context in the original news articles, back in 1988, was the idea that Quayle would corral additional votes for the ticket because ditsy women would vote for his Ken-doll looks. So yeah, women voters did count. That was right around the time that pollsters were noting a gender gap in voter patterns, and I’m sure Republicans must have been trying to find ways to lure women back.

If Palin’s looks are part of the political calculus, I’m guessing McCain’s advisers think she’ll attract both women and men – just as “hawt” women are used to sell products to both women and men.

[I think Palin’s looks were probably part of the calculus for McCain’s campaign. Whether it’s an issue for anyone else is sort of beside the point. Something to keep in mind when making one’s own choice in November, eh? Thanks, Sungold. —fl]

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