It was presidential candidate George H.W. Bush’s greatest campaign moment, and the occasionally stumble-worded candidate delivered speechwriter Peggy Noonan’s words of his 1988 Republican National Convention acceptance speech flawlessly.
“My opponent won’t rule out raising taxes,” he thundered. “But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I’ll say no. And they’ll push, and I’ll say no, and they’ll push again, and I’ll say to them, “Read my lips: no new taxes.”
At that moment, many of the doubters of Bush’s ability to wear President Ronald Reagan’s vaunted mantle became convinced. By invoking the tough Clint Eastwood-esque language, he convinced Republicans he was a true believer. They could now in good conscience vote for him.
The 17-point lead in the race held by Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis at the end of the previous month’s Democratic National Convention would soon wither to nothing. By September, the then-vice president was up in the polls, and he won the race easily.
In 1990, with the country in a brief recession and the Democrats in control of Congress rejecting steep spending cuts, Bush felt he had to break his promise and agreed to what were euphemistically called “tax revenue increases.” The broken pledge followed him as he campaigned for re-election in 1992 and is cited by historians as one of the causes of his loss to Democrat Bill Clinton.