"Read my lips: no new taxes" was a famous phrase spoken by American
Republican presidential candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988
Republican National Convention in his acceptance speech on August 18.
Written by speechwriter Peggy Noonan, the line was one of the most
prominent soundbites from the speech. The impact of the pledge was
considerable, and many believe it helped Bush win the 1988 United
States presidential election. Once elected, however, Bush agreed to
raise several taxes as part of a 1990 budget agreement. This has been
attributed to a declining economy, ballooning budget deficits, and the
need to compromise with the Democrat-controlled Congress. This
reversal caused great controversy, especially in the more conservative
wing of the Republican Party. In the 1992 presidential election
campaign, Pat Buchanan made extensive use of the phrase in his
surprisingly strong challenge to Bush in the Republican primaries. In
the election itself, Bill Clinton also pointed to the quote as
evidence of Bush's untrustworthiness, contributing to Bush losing his
bid for reelection.
Read the rest of this article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Read_my_lips%3A_no_new_taxes
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1881:
The International Federation of Gymnastics, the world's oldest
international sport federation, was founded in Liège, Belgium.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F%C3%A9d%C3%A9ration_Internationale_de_Gymnast…)
1952:
King Farouk of Egypt was forced to abdicate by army officers in the
Free Officers Movement.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farouk_of_Egypt)
1967:
The 12th Street Riot began in the predominantly black inner-city area
of Detroit, Michigan, United States.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12th_Street_riot)
1970:
Qaboos (pictured) overthrew his father Said bin Taimur to become
Sultan of Oman.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qaboos_of_Oman)
1986:
Sarah Ferguson married Prince Andrew at Westminster Abbey, joining the
British Royal Family as the Duchess of York.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah%2C_Duchess_of_York)
2001:
Megawati Sukarnoputri became the first female president of Indonesia.
(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megawati_Sukarnoputri)
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Wikiquote of the day:
"Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is
neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective must be a complete man and
a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather
weathered phrase, a man of honor. He talks as the man of his age
talks, that is, with rude wit, a lively sense of the grotesque, a
disgust for sham, and a contempt for pettiness." -- Raymond Chandler
(
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Raymond_Chandler)