Lloyd Bentsen "You’re no Jack Kennedy" remark
E178183
The Lloyd Bentsen "You’re no Jack Kennedy" remark was a famous put-down delivered by Democratic vice-presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen to Republican Dan Quayle during the 1988 vice-presidential debate, widely remembered as one of the most devastating debate lines in U.S. political history.
All labels observed (2)
| Label | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| 1988 vice presidential debate "Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy" remark | 1 |
| Lloyd Bentsen "You’re no Jack Kennedy" remark canonical | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
debate remark
ⓘ
political gaffe (by opponent) ⓘ political quotation ⓘ |
| addressedTo | Dan Quayle ⓘ |
| associatedWithTheme |
comparisons to John F. Kennedy
ⓘ
experience in public office ⓘ political image ⓘ |
| broadcastOn | television ⓘ |
| comparisonTarget | Dan Quayle ⓘ |
| context | 1988 United States presidential election ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| culturalImpact | entered American political lexicon as a stock phrase for rejecting comparisons ⓘ |
| debateModerator | Judy Woodruff ⓘ |
| describedAs |
memorable debate moment
ⓘ
one of the most devastating lines in U.S. political debate history ⓘ |
| fullText | Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy. ⓘ |
| genre | political rhetoric ⓘ |
| hasAftermath |
became a defining moment of the 1988 vice-presidential debate
ⓘ
widely replayed in news coverage after the debate ⓘ |
| hasLegacy |
frequently cited in analyses of political debates
ⓘ
used as a reference point for sharp debate comebacks ⓘ |
| includedIn | compilations of famous political quotes ⓘ |
| language | English ⓘ |
| location | Omaha, Nebraska ⓘ |
| medium | live debate ⓘ |
| notableFor |
concise and cutting phrasing
ⓘ
undermining Dan Quayle’s self-comparison to John F. Kennedy ⓘ |
| occursInEvent | 1988 United States vice-presidential debate ⓘ |
| occursInYear | 1988 ⓘ |
| perceivedEffect |
humiliation of opponent
ⓘ
strengthening of speaker’s debate performance ⓘ |
| relatedToEvent |
1988 United States vice-presidential debate
ⓘ
surface form:
1988 United States presidential election debates
|
| relatedToPerson |
Dan Quayle
ⓘ
John F. Kennedy ⓘ Lloyd Bentsen ⓘ |
| rhetoricalType |
put-down
ⓘ
rebuttal ⓘ |
| shortForm | You’re no Jack Kennedy ⓘ |
| speakerRoleAtTime | Democratic vice-presidential nominee ⓘ |
| spokenBy | Lloyd Bentsen ⓘ |
| subjectOfComparison | John F. Kennedy ⓘ |
| targetRoleAtTime | Republican vice-presidential nominee ⓘ |
| ticketOfSpeaker |
Lloyd Bentsen
ⓘ
surface form:
Michael Dukakis–Lloyd Bentsen ticket
|
| ticketOfTarget | George H. W. Bush–Dan Quayle ticket ⓘ |
| timePeriod | late 20th century American politics ⓘ |
| triggeredBy | Dan Quayle comparing his political experience to John F. Kennedy’s ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
1988 United States presidential election
→
notableDebateMoment
→
Lloyd Bentsen "You’re no Jack Kennedy" remark
ⓘ
this entity surface form:
1988 vice presidential debate "Senator, you are no Jack Kennedy" remark