In the presidential election of 1992 where Bill Clinton took on George H.W. Bush for the position of commander-in-chief, the turnout was not what many people expected by the end of election day. After a period of conservative dominance in the federal government, few expected Bush to lose out on a second term, but he was ultimately taken down by the underdog from the Democratic Party: Bill Clinton. While this occurred for many reasons, it was in large part due to the frustration of the American people with what they perceived president Bush's dishonesty during his presidential term as well as the promise for massive change brought forward by Clinton.
During his presidency, while Bush was often viewed positively by the majority of the public, especially after the Persian Gulf War where he experienced a skyrocket in popularity, the public began to distrust him as his economic policies prompted the creation of new taxes, something that he repeatedly emphasized preventing during his election campaign. This angered many people and especially frustrated the lower and middle class, so when Bill Clinton began promising a "new age" of prosperity for the "forgotten middle class" of America, Bush lost many potential voters to the Democratic party and mostly retained only his wealthier supporters. Furthermore, Clinton attacked Bush relentlessly during the election for breaking his promises against creating new taxes, reminding the American people constantly of the fact that their president had lied and causing many to feel as if they had been tricked into previously voting for Bush.
Clinton was also more appealing personality-wise during the election. Then only 46 years old, he was a fresh and youthful face with a positive mindset and a kind appearance that reminded many of John F. Kennedy. This appearance symbolized a potential for change and an "in with the new" America after a 12 year period of Republican domination in the White House. Beyond this, Clinton's promises to put a large amount of focus on domestic programs and the economy was of high appeal to many American citizens who were frustrated with the less effective economic policies passed by the Republicans and the ever-rising national debt which had spiked during the presidency of Ronald Reagan. Clinton vowed to install a more liberal economic program which focused on benefiting America's less wealthy and ensuring that the rich pay their fair share, giving him a large percentage of the popular vote as the majority of American citizens were a part of the middle and working classes.
Overall, the election of 1992 was arguably a surprising result, but understandable given reasons such as Clinton's more appealing domestic program and Bush's representation of an age that many Americans wanted to leave behind. It was a decision made by the American people which represented a desire for reform and a new age in American society, so while Clinton was the underdog, he won because he symbolized what the people wanted.
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/11/04/us/1992-elections-president-overview-clinton-captures-presidency-with-huge.html?pagewanted=all
http://www.270towin.com/1992_Election/
http://www.historycentral.com/elections/1992.html
https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1992
Great post, the graphic makes it really easy to see the results. Your analysis on Clinton representing a new era, while Bush represented the old are echoed throughout many elections. Many criticize the lack of voters during the election, do you know why this is?
ReplyDeleteFor more information on Clinton:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/presidents/williamjclinton
This is a very thought provoking post. I learned a lot from it. To answer Sohail's question, I did some research. Like the election of '16, part of the reason there was a low turnout rate was because people weren't expecting the result. Like the moderate democrats of the recent election, the moderate republicans thought Bush would be elected again because of the achievements and honor he'd received in his service. However, the need for economic improvements were so strong that more Democrats showed up to vote than normally would. Had all the unexpecting conservatives shown up, the election would have had a much different result.
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