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- GRAPEVINE, Page 17
-
-
- By JANICE CASTRO
-
- Lowlier Than Thou
-
- The less viewers expect, the more impressed they are
- likely to be. That was the theory, anyway, as DAN QUAYLE and AL
- GORE prepared for their debates, each vying for the label of
- most humble candidate. After Quayle pointed out that Gore went
- to fancy schools, Gore one-upped him: "While he is preparing
- for the debates in the center of the Federal Government, inside
- the Beltway, I'm going to do my preps in a barn." Gore's aides
- tend to run around in polo shirts and jeans. On Air Force Two,
- Quayle's aides are often seen in stocking feet.
-
- Pays to Know Your Sources
-
- ABC has captured the most seats (four) on the debate
- panels, and some people in Washington wonder if it's a
- coincidence that the network also seems to enjoy the coziest
- relations with the Administration. White House correspondent Ann
- Compton, who has arranged blind dates for White House counsel
- C. Boyden Gray, was chosen for the Oct. 11 session. ABC
- political director Hal Bruno and correspondent Carole Simpson
- will be on later panels. NBC, the Washington Post and the Wall
- Street Journal have declined to participate, objecting to the
- protocol giving the candidates a say in choosing panel
- reporters.
-
- How's That Again?
-
- As Congress wrapped up its business last week, effusive
- farewells were given for Senators and Congressmen who will not
- be returning to Capitol Hill. Some kudos fell a little flat.
- Congressman Bill Dannemeyer, improbably lauded as "the
- conscience of the House," will long be remembered for inserting
- into the 1989 Congressional Record a description of homosexual
- lovemaking so meanspirited that it was later excised from the
- permanent text. Senator Steve Symms, praised for bravely
- defending the rights of gun owners, is notable for little else.
- Senator Alan Dixon was lionized as "one of the most fiercely
- independent Democrats" in Congress. Funny. He is noted for being
- so chummy with lobbyists that he is known around the Hill as "Al
- the Pal."
-
- The Limbaugh State
-
- Michigan Democrats want to know why their state has spent
- $55,000 in taxpayer funds to publish 1.3 million tourism
- brochures featuring not fall foliage but attack-radio host RUSH
- LIMBAUGH. His photo is on the front and back, and a guide inside
- tells visitors where to find him on the dial in almost any part
- of the Wolverine State. Limbaugh, a Missouri native who spends
- much of his time on the air praising Bush and attacking Clinton,
- says he hasn't any idea.
-
- Charity Does Not Begin at Church
-
- The Roman Catholic archdiocese in Turin, Italy, has
- stirred up a fuss by printing signs for all its churches in an
- effort to drive away beggars. Printed in Italian as well as
- Arabic -- the language of many of the city's poor -- the signs
- read, in part: We don't want to buy useless, superfluous goods,
- or see you begging. Explains Father Gianni Sangalli: "Every
- Sunday large crowds of immigrants gather at the doorstep of many
- churches in Turin asking for charity or peddling useless
- objects."
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