Context
The debate was held on October 5, 1988, at the Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Nebraska. One of the moderators, Judy Woodruff, set the stage by addressing the audience: "Based on the history since World War II, there is almost a 50-50 chance that one of the two men here tonight will become President of the United States." She was referring to the probability that the man elected Vice President would later become President, either by succession or by a presidential bid.
At the time of the debate, three vice-presidents had succeeded to the Presidency due to death or resignation since World War II (nine in total), and one sitting vice-president had gone on to be elected President since World War II (four in total; then-Vice President George H. W. Bush would be the fifth).
After Quayle became Bush's vice presidential running mate, questions were raised in the press about his age (he was 41 at the time); his limited term of service in the Senate; his grades in college; his National Guard duty (which Democrats claimed helped him avoid serving in the military during the Vietnam War); and his overall ability to lead the nation in the case of the incapacitation of the President, which became a central issue in the 1988 debate.
As Quayle had routinely been comparing himself to Kennedy in his stump speech, many people believed that Bentsen's remark had been scripted beforehand. Bentsen did casually remark in a mock debate with Dennis Eckart, "you're no Jack Kennedy and George Bush is no Ronald Reagan."
Quayle did not directly compare himself with Kennedy in terms of accomplishment, but in terms of length of Congressional service; Quayle served for 12 years while Kennedy served for 14. When Kennedy successfully sought the Democratic nomination in 1960, he had less experience than his primary opponents, most of whom had more seniority in the Senate.
Read more about this topic: Senator, You're No Jack Kennedy
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