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On Aug. 15. 1988, the Republican National Convention began in New Orleans. 

Then-Vice President George H.W. Bush, in accepting the party’s nomination, provided the convention’s most memorable moment, delivering the most famous (some would say infamous) quote of the election. 

“My opponent won’t rule out raising taxes, but I will, and the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again, and I’ll say to them, ‘Read my lips: no new taxes,’” Bush said. 

It was a line that Bush repeated throughout the campaign, and it may have won him the election over Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis. But when faced with the reality of the federal budget and growing deficits, it was a promise he found he couldn’t keep. 

“If Bush wins, he will regret this. He can’t possibly keep this promise,” Howard Gleckman, who covered the speech for Business Week, recalls thinking. 

The Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 that Bush signed raised many taxes, including the top individual income tax rate, the individual alternative minimum tax rate, and payroll taxes. TV host David Letterman joked that Bush’s new catchphrase should be “Read my lips: I was lying.” 

Roger Ailes, who went on to become CEO of Fox News, was Bush’s media consultant. Ailes explained to Time magazine that, when Dukakis said he would raise taxes only as a last resort, he gave Bush an opening. 

“When a guy like Dukakis says what he says, no matter how responsible it may be, the people take it to mean that he’ll raise taxes as a first resort,” Ailes said. “What you have to say to get on top of an issue like taxes is that you’d rather see your kids burned in the street than raise them. It wasn’t the easiest case to make to Bush, but he understood the stakes. We did what we had to do.’’

Republicans chose New Orleans in part because of the availability of hotel rooms and the size of the Superdome venue. The location also reflected the GOP’s desire to make further inroads in the South. 

The convention’s opening night was distinguished by a speech from outgoing President Ronald Reagan. The Gipper’s enduring popularity likely had a lot to do with his vice president’s election victory. 

As the convention began, Bush’s running mate remained a mystery. He would select then-U.S. Sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana. 

Pat Buchanan went after Bush for hiking taxes during the 1992 Republican primaries, and the Bush-Quayle ticket would go on to lose reelection to then-Gov. Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Clinton’s campaign made sure voters remembered the broken promise of “read my lips.” 

The Louisiana Restaurant Association was formed in 1946 and serves its members by advancing and protecting Louisiana’s restaurant and foodservice industry.

This piece first ran in the Aug. 15, 2024 edition of LaPolitics Weekly. Wish you could have read it then? Subscribe today!

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