His campaign promise to reform the nation's health care system was soundly defeated. For the first time in forty years, both houses of Congress were controlled by Republican lawmakers. Midway through his first term in office, Clinton's reelection prospects were dim, given the stunning victory of Republicans in the 1994 off-year elections. And when the Clinton and Perot popular vote totals are combined (62 percent), the 1992 election amounts to a dramatic vote for change. On the other hand, a larger percentage (55 percent) of the electorate voted in 1992 than in 1988, 1984, and 1980. However, when his vote is compared to the combined Bush and Perot totals in 1992, it is clear that Clinton was a minority President. Clinton had delivered on his promise to do well in traditional Democratic strongholds, to win back large numbers of Reagan Democrats, and to attract middle-class Republicans. Perot drew support from both parties, winning approximately 19 percent of the popular vote but no electoral votes. On November 3, Clinton received more than twice the number of Electoral College votes than did Bush. But ultimately Perot's candidacy was damaged beyond repair by his own inconstant commitment to running-a posture that benefited the Clinton challenge. Although Perot drew support from both Republicans and Democrats, he probably hurt Bush disproportionately more than Clinton, owing to his harsh attacks against the incumbent and the timing of both his departure and re-entry into the 1992 campaign. Dissatisfied voters of all stripes flocked to his call, creating one of the most powerful third-party movements in American history. His "United We Stand, America" citizens group promised a White House dedicated to patriotism, candor, honesty, and a balanced budget. The Bush campaign was not helped by the emergence of billionaire Ross Perot's independent candidacy, which Perot personally financed. His campaign handlers, led by political strategist James Carville, posted a sign at Clinton headquarters that sprightly summarized the Clinton message: "It's the economy, stupid." Middle-class Americans, moreover, had grown increasingly upset over Bush's refusal to act on the economic recession that had settled on the nation.Ĭlinton pounded hard on the advantages given to the rich by the Reagan revolution, the Reagan-Bush $300 billion deficit, and the dire economic prospects that faced America's younger generation. Republican die-hards never forgave Bush for having broken his 1988 promise to not raise taxes. Bush, ran a lackluster campaign that failed to convert his great successes in foreign affairs into a convincing argument to reelect him. Most voters seemed unconcerned with his private life or his stand on a war that had ended many years before. Although he said he had smoked pot as a college student, he added that he "didn't inhale," which struck his critics as disingenuous. He dealt with the infidelity issue on national television in an interview in which he admitted to having caused "pain" in his marriage. Bill Clinton easily defeated the leading Democratic contenders in the 1992 primaries, despite charges about having avoided the Vietnam draft and his rumored affairs with women.
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