Word: heitger
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That certainly was the impression formed in one west Toledo household, where Betty and Raymond Heitger invited about a dozen of their friends and neighbors over to watch the heartbeat-away sweepstakes. Betty, a registered nurse, and Raymond, a high school math teacher, were Bush backers. Many of their guests were the kind of blue-collar voters and nominal Democrats who may swing the election. Typical was Greg Kretz, a 30-year-old carpenter, who said before the debate, "I like the job Reagan has done, but I don't think that Bush has the same kind of leadership...
Beginning with their criticism of Quayle's failure to answer the opening question, the 15 voters in the Heitger living room provided play-by-play commentary. As soon as Quayle mentioned the pollution in Boston Harbor, Donna McManus, the wife of a policeman, exclaimed, "That's the same as the campaign ad." After an artful Bentsen attack on Bush's ties to Panamanian General Manuel Noriega, Betty Heitger whispered to her husband, "You've got to admit, this guy is very skilled." Halfway through the debate, even the strong Bush partisans were dismayed as Quayle seemed to derail. Die-hard...
Bentsen dominated the postdebate sound bites with his attack on Quayle: "You're no Jack Kennedy." But these angry words triggered an audible intake of breath in front of the Heitger TV set. "That's really low," said Betty. Her neighbors agreed. Bush stalwarts like Mike McManus and Ray Heitger saw in Bentsen's remark evidence that the Texas Senator too was a flawed candidate. This allowed them to reconcile their discomfort over Quayle with their backing of Bush...
...many at the debate party, Quayle again became an object of derision. As he was being asked what books or movies had influenced him, Betty Heitger, referring to Quayle's meager war record, cracked, "If he says Platoon, I'll knock him down." Afterward, she volunteered that her newfound admiration for Bentsen and her deep concerns that Quayle "just wasn't adequate" had moved her from the Bush column to undecided. "I just don't know," she said. "I'm going to have to look at this more closely." But 90 minutes in front of a TV screen helped Greg...
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