How Dan Quayle saved democracy. Yes, really.
You probably haven’t given Dan Quayle much consideration in a long time.
It’s okay; neither have I.
After all, the Indiana senator-turned-much-maligned-vice-president under George H.W. Bush departed national politics with just one blemish on his record: he couldn’t spell “p-o-t-a-to.” Quayle will now be remembered in history for something a bit more positive: assisting in the preservation of democracy.
In the closing days of the Trump administration, Quayle acted as a kind of sounding board for Vice President Mike Pence as President Donald Trump relied heavily on him to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“Peril,” a soon-to-be-released book by Washington Post writers Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, chronicles the back-and-forth.
Here’s the important part:
“Pence repeatedly inquired whether there was anything he could do.”
‘Mike, you don’t have any leeway on this. There isn’t any. Forget about it. ‘Put that away,’ Quayle instructed.
ALSO, YOU CAN READ:
CELEBRATE MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY IN LAS VEGAS
Pence pushed the button once more.
“According to the writers, he replied, “You don’t realize the situation I’m in.” “‘I am aware of your situation,’ Quayle replied. ‘I’m also aware of the law.’ You pay attention to the legislator. All
you do is that. You have no authority.'”
If you believe I’m exaggerating about Quayle’s involvement, imagine how things could have gone if he had
approached Pence differently, asking him to do what Trump requested.
(Through Indiana politics, Pence and Quayle are acquainted.) Pence served in the House of Representatives for
several years before being elected governor of Indiana in 2012.
Quayle also served in the House of Representatives before electing to the Senate in 1980.)
At the very least, this would have resulted in a slew of lawsuits challenging Pence’s authority to reverse the election.
That procedure would have taken weeks, if not months, and would have left the nation in uncertainty, perhaps leading to further bloodshed.
At worst, we might have seen the genuine collapse of American democracy, with a single man overturning the people’s expressed will.
Think about it. Then give a quiet thank you to Dan Quayle, yes DAN QUAYLE, for preserving our country.
MORE, ALSO, AS WELL AS:
CELEBRATE MEXICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY IN LAS VEGAS
SOURCE:
