Richards ' keynote address to the 1988 Democratic National Convention put her in the national spotlight . The speech was highly critical of the Reagan Administration and then-Vice President George H. W. Bush . Her address was notable for including several humorous remarks displaying her down-home Texas charm such as : " I 'm delighted to be here with you this evening , because after listening to George Bush all these years , I figured you needed to know what a real Texas accent sounds like " , " Poor George , he ca n't help it . He was born with a silver foot in his mouth " , " … two women in 160 years is about par for the course . But if you give us a chance , we can perform . After all , Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did . She just did it backwards and in high heels . " and " When we pay billions for planes that wo n't fly , billions for tanks that wo n't fire , and billions for systems that wo n't work , that old dog wo n't hunt . And you do n't have to be from Waco to know that when the Pentagon makes crooks rich and does n't make America strong , that it 's a bum deal . " Richards ' convention address has been cited by rhetorical experts as a historically significant speech . The speech set the tone for her political future . In 1989 , with co-author Peter Knobler , she wrote her autobiography , '' Straight from the Heart : My Life in Politics and Other Places ''
1988 Democratic National Convention
1988 Democratic National Convention
Ann Richards