Select Quayle Topics: Politics and Policymaking

One learns every day. Experience is a great teacher. By experience you learn. But as I enter office, I'm prepared now. Obviously, I will be more prepared as time goes on. I will know more about the office of the presidency. But I'm prepared now and I will be more prepared as time goes on.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle (reported in the NY Times, 1/14/89)

I am now cashing in on being vice president for others. They'll remember me. I'll remember them.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle

America is great, because America is free.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle

One thing we're able to do is raise money.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle on the Republican Party

This is not a bipartisan issue.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle noting that Democrats and political independents join Republicans in endorsing term limits, while speaking before supporters of term-limitation proposals in 15 states, 8/20/92 (reported in the NY Times, 8/21/92)

What you guys want, I'm for.
-- Senator Dan Quayle to farmers on a local pork issue (8/25/88) (from the Book 'The Clothes have No Emperor')

I am not part of the problem; I am a Republican.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle

[I support efforts] to limit the terms of members of Congress, especially members of the House and members of the Senate.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle, 9/26/90 (reported in Esquire, 8/92)

The message of David Duke, is this, basically: Big government, anti-big government, get out of my pocketbook, cut my taxes, put welfare people back to work. That's a very popular message. The problem is the messenger.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle

We are doing the right thing and we do not see the bad things.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle pretending he is one of the wise monkeys.

We shouldn't have to be burdened with all the technicalities that come up from time to time with shrewd, smart lawyers interpreting what the laws or what the Constitution may or may not say.
-- Vice-President Dan Quayle, addressing a police academy in Knoxville, Tennessee in August 1992 (from the AP wire)

I, I can't tell you exactly what we do on that pain and suffering in the --
[He then looked off-stage to Kevin Moley, the deputy secretary of the Department of health, for advice]
Kevin, what do we do on the pain and suffering on our malpractice proposal?
[He listened briefly to Moley's explanation]
So, it doesn't address it specifically. The state -- the states could in fact -- what we basically do is -- try to do -- is get the states to come up with medical malpractice legislation. We have, I think it's five criteria in our suggested recommendations. But once they meet the five criteria, then they get a favorable distribution from us if they meet -- basically forcing the states to adopt this medical malpractice legislation, and that's the way that you do it.
-- Vice-President Dan Quayle in Phoenix, Arizona, answering a question on Bush's malpractice reform bill. One of the five malpractice measures would actually require states to place a cap of $250,000 on damages for pain and suffering to avoid a cutoff of federal financing. (reported in the NY Times, 10/7/92)

Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children. It's a unique profession and, by golly, I hope when they go into the teaching field that they do have that zeal and they do have that mission and they do believe in teaching our kids and they're not getting into this just as a job or a way to put food on the table.
-- Vice President Dan Quayle, 9/18/90 (reported in Esquire, 8/92, and 'What a Waste it Is to Lose One's Mind')