Video: '1988 Presidential Candidates Debate 2 - October 13, 1988'

(Thursday, October 13, 1988, 9:00-10:30 p.m. EDT; during the United States presidential election, 1988 campaign) — Republican presidential nominee George H.W. Bush and Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis quarreled tonight over which of them was responsible for the shrill tone of the presidential campaign, while trading sharp words on Social Security, abortion, military policy and the basic values that each would bring to the White House.

The most memorable moment of the debate came when moderator Bernard Shaw, the moderator of the debate, asked Dukakis, “Governor, if Kitty Dukakis [his wife] were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?”

Dukakis replied, “No, I don’t, and I think you know that I’ve opposed the death penalty during all of my life”, and went on to explain his stance.

While some criticized the fairness of the question, to viewers, Dukakis’ answer seemed both dispassionate and dismissive.

The second and final debate between Bush and Dukakis before the general election on Nov. 8, 1988, was held at Pauley Pavillion, University of California at Los Angeles.