Standing Firm: Dan Quayle

by Dan Quayle

The former vice president and conservative spokesman offers a personal account of his controversial years in the White House, from helping prosecute the war against Iraq to starting the ""Murphy Brown"" debate over family values. 300,000 first printing. $250,000 ad/promo.

Genres: Biography, Politics, Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Presidents

402 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 1994

About the author

James Danforth "Dan" Quayle is an American politician and was the 44th Vice President of the United States, serving under George H. W. Bush (1989–1993). He served as a U.S. Representative and U.S. Senator from the state of Indiana.

He is most known for misspelling the word "potato."

Reviews

[Edward · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was too young to remember Quayle during his time in public office, but I knew the reputation he had received through the media. I wasn't exactly desiring to read his story, but I was willing to do so anyway. By the time I was done, my impression of him changed, and I feel like the caricature of him was truly an injustice. Overall it wasn't a bad read.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Quayle was no doubt a victim of the media. Today I find it humorous how those who viewed Quayle as an idiot believe Obama is intelligent. Looking back, I think he would have made a better president than Bush Sr.

[Nick Black]

I think someone put this amongst my piles years ago. I've no other explanation for my frankly bewildering ownership, and am really quite embarrassed about this one. Upwards and onwards!

[Fred Arshoff · Rating 4 out of 5]

informative and sounds truthful

[David-jacky Breech · Rating 5 out of 5]

No one could be as dumb as this man was made out to be. He is a lot more inteeligent then most give him credit for.

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dan Quayle, who could have been our Neocon goldenboy in an alternative timeline. To be fair, he had the right idea about reforming divorce laws. Not an especially interesting book aside from the, "newly hatched hawks" line.

[Andrew ✝️ · Rating 1 out of 5]

I definitely feel like this was worth reading. Not to make VEEP Quayle feel old, but I was a month old when he and President Bush (SR) won the 1988 election. I often asked about President Bush while President Clinton was in office. I was given a, pretty much, non-partisan answer. That VEEP Quayle was pretty much murdered by the press and painted as a schmuck. After reading this book, my personal opinion is that Quayle is anything but. I won't paint an image of him being the best politician ever, but the concept of President Quayle wouldn't have frightened me. It would have enlightened me. Well, that is if I wasn't saying goo goo gah gah gee gee at the time he was in office.

I didn't know much about Dan Quayle up until reading this book aside from the caricature the media had painted of him. Something always seemed amiss though. Why would President Bush (SR) have chosen him to be his running mate if he was a nitwit? I will say though, I did find one thing in this book that I disagree with him on (that is if his opinions are still the same. I don't know what he's doing now. This book was written the first year of President Clinton's first term in office) and that is about medications and the FDA. He was saying they shouldn't be testing medications to see if they work, they should be testing them for safety. I think they should be testing them for BOTH. There are many stories out there of the elderly being put on meds only to be given a symptom that becomes permanent. Hardly a promising outcome.

Otherwise though, I have no qualms about this book. It was an interesting insight to the 4 years of Bush/Quayle. I also found it rather dignified that Quayle gave the title of 'Gentleman' to Bush (SR). True, that all VEEPS should respect the President, but I hardly think it was superficial or a formality. Seemed genuine.

I will say that is it a bit sad, I find after finishing this book, that such a politician was not kept as VEEP when the President was not re-elected. Quayle actually exhibits/ed the type of qualities I wish the Republican party would have today. It would have been interesting to see Bush having two terms and seeing if Quayle was President from 1996 to at least 2000.

5 out of 5 stars.

(Update: this was a review I had written when I considered myself a die-hard republican. Not that it matters, but today, I am more of a liberal republican. Years ago, I read this book as both a look at history and to delve into the world of Republicanism. Today, had I not read this year's ago, I would only read it for the look at history. Since I am no longer a republican in the same way that I was, I have reduced my rating by one star, and thus making my rating about history and the author's ability to write and to tell his side of the story; but yes, I am well aware of his gaffes and how he looked stupid back then.)

(Update 3/1/2021: I don't really care who you voted for as long as you support same gender marriage... which he apparently does not and even said on a talk show that he thinks 'homosexual lifestyles' are 'wrong.' I cannot support that in any way, shape, or form. Reducing my rating to 1 star because I cannot give it a 1/2 star. Very disappointed. It now goes into my 'start the fire' folder. Wow! This book has taken a ride down the ratings since I read it. Originally, I gave it 5 stars, then I reduced it to 4 when the republican party started disappointing me and I did research outside of this book, and now it becomes recommended for use starting a campfire. Tisk, tisk, tisk).

[Joshua Casteel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I learned how to do a one-term comb-over.

[Jim Gallen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In preparation for a continuing education class on the vice-presidency that I was going to teach I re-read “Standing Firm”, this being my third reading. I read many biographies and vice-presidential memoirs are within my purview (see my reviews of Richard Nixon's "Six Crises", Hubert Humphrey’s “The Education of a Public Man”, Walter Mondale’s “The Good Fight” and Dick Cheney’s “In My Time”). Dan Quayle gives us an inside perspective on the first Bush administration, which presided over a crucial period in the lives of most readers. It is written in a style that is easy to follow and to understand. I know what some of you are thinking. Of course it is simple, it is written by Dan Quayle. Get off it! It is not written simply, it is written very well!

In "Standing Firm" Former Vice-President Quayle provides the reader with his view of the administration led by George H.W. Bush. While Quayle obviously has very high respect for President Bush, he is hard on others in the administration including, at times, himself. It seems that the only ones above criticism are President and Mrs. Bush and Marilyn Quayle. There is plenty of honest assessment of others to satisfy any but the most sanguine reader.

Mr. Quayle gives us an introduction to his early life, which disposes of the claim that he came was a trust fund baby who rode to school in a limousine. It sounds like he really came from an upper middle-class family.

These are times worth looking back on. He gives us his perspectives on the issues which confronted the administration and him personally. He begins the book with the call to be the running mate and the chaotic rush to get through the crowd to Spanish Plaza in New Orleans for the announcement at which he was, as he admits "too hot." He then steps back to us on a walk along the road leading to his selection. It wasn't something that just happened. He was a carefully thought out choice. After the announcement the press assault immediately began. The first to come to his defense were his neighbors at the "Battle of Huntington." He gives us his own impression of the famous "You're no Jack Kennedy" incident.

With the election won, Quayle started to establish his own role. His analysis of the opportunities for a vice-president and the pitfalls, such as taking a position without the clout to be effective, give the reader a unique perspective on the office. He carved out a particular interest in Latin America. His perspectives on Desert Storm, the Clarence Thomas nomination, the saving of President Aquino and the nailing of Noriega provide up close looks at crucial events of the era. He provides reminders of his prophetic calls for legal reform (some of which have become standard) and recognition of family values. Remember the "Murphy Brown" speech?

With victory won in the Gulf, the political juggernaut, seemingly invincible, started to sputter, stopping before crossing the finish line in 1992. Quayle gives us his viewpoint of what went wrong and why.

Vice-Presidents have unique perspectives on the administrations in which they serve. Whether your interest is in the vice-presidency, the era or Quayle himself, this is a book you will enjoy.

[Michael · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was Dan Quayle's feeler, or one of them, at running for the presidency. As such, it was weak, whether you agreed with his politics or not. He just isn't convincing as a potential president (obviously this was written in the 90's… also when I read it). In fact, I remember feeling that Mr. Quayle seemed more concerned to prove he was one of the big boys during the Bush administration than about showing his ideas for the (then) future. Alas, it's all history now.

[Emily Mares · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was horribly boring. Maybe its because i was born nearly 10 years after the events in the book so i dont have a emotional connection to the events or it was poorly written (probably both). Either way, it was dull. I know i didnt finish it there were pages i only skimmed. I guess if anything good came from this book, i realised that I am not a fan of modern political autobiography, which is awfully specific. It is sort of interesting to read it in this political climate, though.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like Dan Quayle more -- I felt he was unfairly savaged by the press. It was good to read his own story in his own words. But I came away from this book feeling that I could not have supported a Quayle presidential candidacy -- in my opinion, he just didn't seem to have the wisdom, judgment, and discretion needed for the highest office in the land.

[Dj Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memoir of what it was like to be the vice-president with President Bush from 1988 to 1992. The Gulf War and how it affected the government. How government works and can sometimes destroy one's candidacy to get certain things passed through a partisan congress with a line item veto capability.

[Carl Mayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good bio of a man with two sides:
1. smart and thoughtful behind the scenes.
2. stumbling over his own words whenever cameras were present.

Sadly, the media only presented Dan #2. This book gives you a chance to know Dan #1.

[Dawn Wells · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the media was often unfair to Mr Quayle but after reading this book I'm not so sure. He seems to lack the wisdom, courage and strength needed for the job. However, I'm sure he is a different man today.

[Briapedia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read in preparation for my internship

[Justin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I remember this one as boring, with too much time given to explaining gaffes. I don't know care now, and don't know why I did then (but I tried).

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great insight to the behind the scenes view of a good VP.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative

[Terry Conrad · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I think Dan Quayle has great character and the media really gave him a bum rap.

[Violet W.]

Highlights: At the very least, I will now never again forget who George Bush's VP was! It was also cool reading mentions of Joe Biden in politics 20+ years ago (any guesses what the "Joe Biden problem" was then?) And I was pretty struck by the parallels of Desert Storm and current events- it was fought "to defend the principle that one nation cannot simply swallow up another". Wow!

[Jake Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me over two years to finally finish the book—due to my sporadic reading of it. Surprisingly, I met VP Quayle while I was reading it. It was a good account of what political life looked like inside of the Quayle Bush Administration.

[Pmuldary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good historical review of the politics around this time. (the late 1980's & early 1990's). Interesting review of Democrats and Republicans. Things never change.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent biography!

[Kyle Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this book, you begin to realize just how poorly treated Dan Quayle was by the media. He was a young, smart statesman who was railroaded by the media and cast as aloof after specific events or comments, many of which are debunked in this book. Moreover, Mr. Quayle was likely ahead of his time in that he discusses very conservative positions that are uber-relevant in 2023 and are common talking points of common Republican politicians, such as a stable two-parent family with a mother and father, election integrity, term limitation, using the military against the cartels, and fighting against Washington, D.C. insiders. I believe Mr. Quayle would have been an excellent president and could likely slide into the 2023 political environment without much reworking needed. For better or worse, not much could be said about other politicos at that time. As Mr. Quayle has remained out of the spotlight largely since the late 1990s, this book serves excellently in establishing his brand and legacy

[Don Stanton · Rating 1 out of 5]

yes I read it. it was a gift and had Quayle's signature in it.