WASHINGTON -- Drinking and driving today is taboo, thanks to Mothers Against Drunk Driving. But a generation ago -- in the era of the "cocktail party" -- Americans were less aware of the dangers of drunken driving and more accepting of it, even if it was a misdemeanor in most states.
It's within that context, a MADD spokeswoman says, that voters will likely judge GOP presidential candidate George W. Bush and his running mate Dick Cheney, both of whom were pulled over for drunken driving in the '60s and '70s.
"They are of a generation when cocktail parties were woven into the fabric of our social lives," said Toni Logan, spokeswoman for the Texas chapter of MADD.
"Smoking and drinking were glamorized then. Remember cocktail hour? I mean, women had entire wardrobes with matching shoes," she told WorldNetDaily from her Austin, Texas, office. "And nobody thought much about [getting behind the wheel after a party]. There was no such thing as a designated driver." . . .
Americans have a lot more information now about the safety risks, she added, "and we've adjusted attitudes accordingly."
As Texas governor, Bush has backed lowering the legal limit for blood-alcohol concentration to 0.8 percent and making it illegal for underage drivers to have even a trace of alcohol in their systems. Both are now the law in Texas. The national office of MADD issued a statement today saying, "We appreciate Gov. Bush's support of anti-drunk-driving legislation in Texas."
worldnetdaily.com |
