The 1992 presidential election resulted in Democrat Bill Clinton defeat sitting president, Republication George H.W. Bush. Clinton was former governor of Arkansas. The third party candidate, Ross Perot, garnered 19 percent of the vote, which ended up being the highest percentage of any such candidate in a presidential election in 80 years (Levy). Both candidates had fundamentally different points of view on the most vital issue of that time: the economy. Bush was saying that the economy was fine and that the government should not interfere and “let the free market thrive” (Rosenbaum par. 1). On the other hand, Clinton was saying the economy had gone sour and that the government should take control to get it back where it should be. Bush pledged to resist any tax changes and made that announcement to delegates at the 1988 Republican National convention. This resulted in Bush’s infamous “read my lips” promise not to raise taxes. However, in 1990, Bush did raise taxes to counter a rising deficit and because he went back on his promise, lost the support of conservatives and those who voted for him in 1988. Bush’s more prominent challenger was Pat Buchanan, a conservative political commentator who captured 37 percent of votes in the crucial New Hampshire primary, but then could not keep up with Bush (Levy). On the Democratic side, while no one came close to Clinton, Senator Tom Harkin from Iowa, Senator Paul Tsongas from Massachusetts and California Governor Jerry Brown were early contenders. One of the most prominent issues coming out of this race was the rumor that Clinton had had affairs outside of his marriage and avoided the Vietnam draft. Clinton and his wife, Hillary, appeared on TV and admitted to problems in their marriage, but his popularity won out and he clinched the Democratic nomination. Because Tsongas won New Hampshire, Clinton captured the Southern primaries in March, thus giving him the nickname “the comeback kid.” (Levy).
With Clinton facing questions about his person indiscretions and Bush dealing with a failing economy, the time was right for a third party candidate to enter the race. Ross Perot, who was a billionaire businessman, said he would enter the race if he could get petitions signed on his behalf in all 50 states. Perot was popular because he challenged party politics -- much like what Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are now doing. Voters who were unhappy with how the government was run, were supporting Perot. In May, Perot was ahead of both other candidates in the polls. In addition, Perot financed his own campaign and created the “United We Stand, America" citizens group that promised to bring honesty to the White House and a balanced budget to the American people (Riley). In addition, Perot was supported by members of both parties.
Even with extramarital scandals surrounding him, as well as his claim that he smoked pot in college but “didn’t inhale” (Riley par. 1), people did not seem to care about the mistakes he made in his personal life. Clinton ran a lively campaign and had his charisma and connections to big money in his favor. Bush had his foreign affairs experience behind him, but his campaign was the opposite of Clinton’s and his broken promise not to raise taxes, effected the American people’s distrust of him. Bush was also mistrusted by middle class Americans because he had not acted aggressively enough to combat the recession. Clinton was able to use Bush’s disadvantage to his own advantage by reiterating how Bush was fulfilling former president Reagan’s handling of supporting the rich while ignoring the middle class. Clinton’s slogan became, “It’s the economy, stupid” (Riley, par. 2). The two also had opposing views on taxes with Bush saying the wealthy were being taxed too much and Clinton stating he would raise their taxes. Bush wanted to cut government programs while Clinton was stressing the importance and benefits of additional government spending on education, public works and job training programs (Rosenbaum). Perot based his campaign on economics by saying he would lower the deficit. "Unless we take action now, our nation may confront a situation similar to the Great Depression -- and maybe even worse," said Perot (Rosenbaum par. 12). Both candidates had different points of view when it came to healthcare. Bush said he would give poor people tax credits so they could buy basic insurance with the goal of making insurance companies compete against each other for the lowest rates. Clinton wanted the government to limit spending on national health, forcing states to restrict prices and make healthcare more affordable, forcing employers to take responsibility. Where both candidates came from and their family backgrounds also were opposites. Bush came from a wealthy oil family in Texas and believed that capitalism should be free of government interference. Clinton was governor of a poor state and believed that government could create programs that “can make the country more prosperous and people's lives better” (Rosenbaum par. 18). In November 1992, Clinton received surpassed the number of electoral votes over Bush by twice the amount. In addition, both parties supported Perot, who won 19 percent of the popular vote but no electoral votes (Riley). Clinton was also successful in winning back Regan Democrats and getting the votes of middle-class Republicans -- something Bush failed to do. Having Perot run as a third-party candidate, capturing a combined 55 percent of the electorate vote along with Clinton, sent a clear message that Americans wanted a change (Riley).
Works Cited
Levy, Michael. “United States presidential election of 1992.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. n.d. Web. 25 May 2016.
Riley, Russell. “Bill Clinton: Campaigns and Elections.” Miller Center, University of Virginia. n.d. Web. 25 May 2016.
Rosenbaum, David. “THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: ISSUES -- Economic Philosophy; Candidates Sharply Divided On Prescription for Economy.” New York Times. 10 Oct. 1992. Web. 25 May 2016.
