To this day, it's not Reagan's policies that folks have problems with. It's Bush 41 and Bush 43's policies that have cost them their jobs to the "global economy".
It didn't just begin in 1989-1993, but rather as early as the 1950s when electronics moved overseas to Japan. The shifting manufacturing landscape didn't become a problem until the early 1980s, which was when more manufacturing jobs were being outsourced than jobs in other sectors (steel, autos, consumer appliances, furniture, textiles, etc.) were being created, and then those latter sectors started going abroad. Reagan's massive deficits cause investors to borrow against the dollar, increasing its value, and helping make foreign imports even cheaper. There was some manufacturing employment growth 1983-1989, but it was all wiped out by the 1990 recession (which also had to deal with a real estate bubble that raged from 1984-1989, hence the S&L Crisis peaking in 1989 and requiring bailouts). NAFTA also originated in 1986 under Reagan, Bush and Clinton then re-signed it in 1992 and 1993 as the treaty required after an election.
I don't mean to detract from the rest of your post (which was on point), but under Reagan the manufacturing sector was not at all healthy.
Back to OP: It doesn't really matter all that much, as the crap economy would've sunk the GOP either way in 1992. It would be like Obama dumping Biden in 2012: viewed as an act of desperation (the difference in these elections is that the 1990 recession originated under Reagan & HW Bush, while the 2008 recession originated entirely under Bush II, not Obama). Quayle wasn't even that controversial (like Palin), he was more like Biden in that he said some dumb stuff that could be chalked up to his awkward personality rather than sheer stupidity or outright lying.
In the end, those superficial details did not and would not matter, as the election was still about George Bush vs. Bill Clinton vs. Ross Perot and the economy.
This. There are plenty of reasons why George Bush lost--Dan Quayle may have been on the list, but he definitely wasn't very high up.
