Word: trivialities
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...brink of a breakdown because of carbon-dioxide loads, chlorofluorocarbon residues and forest destruction. The earth and its atmosphere are drowning in man-made wastes, a situation that has become so critical it may soon make other political issues -- even budget deficits and military needs -- seem trivial. Yet the dire nature of the danger, if properly approached, also presents the glimmer of a great opportunity: the planet's problems could become so paramount they would force a new spirit of international partnership, one that could serve as a model for cooperation on political, economic and military matters. "We're talking...
...which, sober analysts contend, has trivialized the political process. A debatable proposition, but never mind; let's get trivial. Candidates who shape their campaigns for TV deserve to be judged, for a few moments anyway, by TV standards. Some themes that have emerged on the road to the November sweeps...
...midsummer, even before the Republicans gathered in New Orleans, these attacks had effect. Dukakis' negatives began to rise, and his lead over Bush shrank. The Democrat had allowed his hold on voters to remain so frail that even trivial events damaged him. His standing slipped in early August, for instance, after Reagan called him an "invalid" while Republicans floated a rumor that Dukakis had once sought psychological counseling. Reagan retracted his remark, and the gossip proved unfounded, but it left a scar. Bush planted what might be a more durable brand; in TIME's poll, 40% of likely voters agreed...
...iron law of scandal is that no matter how grave or trivial the initial offense, the press will inevitably reduce the issue to a simple question of honesty. By traditional, George Washington cherry-tree standards, Quayle appears to be guilty only of shading the truth. But there has also been a troubling pattern of lapses of memory surrounding Quayle's public statements since he was tapped by Bush. Initially, Quayle claimed he could not remember if anyone helped him get into the Guard. In an NBC interview Wednesday night, he conceded that "if phone calls were made...
...crucial respect, Quayle may be much like Bush. Deferential and eager to please, Quayle is more likely to be the kind of No. 2 Bush was and yearns to clone now: blindly loyal and deeply grateful. Already the exuberant Quayle seems willing to run on the list of trivial traits the Bush camp keeps hailing him for: youth (if elected, he will be the third youngest Vice President, behind John Breckinridge and Richard Nixon); good looks (made for TV, not the silver screen -- Robert Redford may have had a point when he wrote to Quayle complaining about the overdone comparisons...