#election1988

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Jesse Jackson 1988 Democratic National Convention Speech

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Biden’s First Run for President Was a Calamity. Some Missteps Still Resonate.

In 1988, Joe Biden was prone to embellishment. Hints of that linger today. But unlike then, his message to voters is clear: He’s a stabilizing statesman in a tumultuous time.

“When I marched in the civil rights movement, I did not march with a 12-point program,” Mr. Biden thundered, testing his presidential message in February 1987 before a New Hampshire audience. “I marched with tens of thousands of others to change attitudes. And we changed attitudes.”

More than once, advisers had gently reminded Mr. Biden of the problem with this formulation: He had not actually marched during the civil rights movement. And more than once, Mr. Biden assured them he understood — and kept telling the story anyway.

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Gallup Poll of Democrats at this point before the 1988 presidential election: Gary Hart 25 percent (even though he had withdrawn three months earlier), Jesse Jackson 13 percent, Paul Simon 6 percent, and Al Gore, Dick Gephardt, and Michael Dukakis (the eventual nominee) tied at 5 percent. Also Joe Biden with 3 percent.

Rick Perlstein

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Oh yeah, I mean my decision not to respond to the Bush attack campaign was as it turned out the dumbest thing I ever did. No question about it. I should have been ready and had a carefully thought-out strategy for dealing with it, which quite frankly would not have been difficult. But we didn’t do it. By the time the damage was done, it was a little late in the day. And it was my fault. Nobody else’s. I made that decision.

Michael Dukakis