The Presidential Election of 1992

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in light of his post-war approval rating, a win for Bush should have been an easy victory; however, William Clinton, the Democratic challenger, brought to the campaign a straightforward economic campaign, which appealed to the voters because, following the Iraq war, the United States was in a deep recession. The author points out that Bush's campaign of focusing on his experience and trust used by incumbents throughout history; furthermore, Bush brought Clinton's credibility into question, in terms of his lack of military service and other issues. The paper relates that Bush refused to believe that an economic recovery was not occurring, despite higher unemployment and the lowest interest rates since the Kennedy presidency; the result was one of the closest elections: Clinton was elected president.

From the Paper:

"It is important to first understand the incumbent's reliance on his popularity in the era of a victory in Iraq, and in the post-cold war atmosphere. In 1992, the American population found themselves in a changed world, where the Berlin Wall and intercontinental missiles no longer existed. The Soviet Union was no longer united, Germany had become united, and the threat of nuclear conflict, so long a staple of the American psyche, had disappeared. Bush had recently completed a successful military attack in Iraq, showing the power and force of the American military."

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