Presidency
1992 presidential campaign
Clinton's first foray into national politics occurred when he was enlisted to speak at the 1988 Democratic National Convention, introducing candidate Michael Dukakis. Clinton's address, scheduled to last 15 minutes, lasted over half an hour.[2] Toward the end of the speech, conventioneers began chanting Get off! The speech drew cheers only when Clinton uttered the words, in conclusion. Clinton later poked fun at himself on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show by saying that the speech "had not been my finest hour, not even my finest hour and a half."
Four years later, Clinton prepared for a run in 1992 against incumbent President George H. W. Bush. In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, Bush seemed unbeatable, and several potential Democratic candidates notably New York Governor Mario Cuomo passed on what seemed to be a lost cause. Clinton won the Democratic Party's nomination.
Clinton chose U.S. Senator Albert A. Gore Jr. (D-Tennessee) to be his running mate on July 9 1992. Initially this decision sparked criticism from strategists due to the fact that Gore was from Clinton's neighboring state of Tennessee which would go against the popular strategy of balancing a Southern candidate with a Northern partner. In retrospect, many now view Gore as a helpful factor in the 1992 campaign.
Many character issues were raised during the campaign, including allegations that Clinton had dodged the draft during the Vietnam War, and had used marijuana, which Clinton claimed he had pretended to smoke, but "didn't inhale". Allegations of extramarital affairs and shady business deals were also raised. Clinton displayed the resiliency in the face of scandal that would later be pivotal in his presidency. As the candidate with the most money and the best-articulated campaign strategy creating more jobs Clinton was able to stay in the race the longest, fending off all rivals long before the Democratic convention.
Election
Official Presidential Portrait of President Bill ClintonClinton won the 1992 presidential election (43.01% of the vote) against Republican George H. W. Bush (37.4% of the vote) and billionaire populist H. Ross Perot who ran as an independent (18.9% of the vote), largely on a platform focusing on domestic issues; a large part of his success was due to George H.W. Bush's steep decline in public approval. Previously described as "unbeatable" due to his approval ratings in the 80 percent range during the Persian Gulf conflict, Bush saw his public approval rating drop to just over 40% by election time.
Clinton's victory came about for several reasons. The recession of 1992 caused job losses in the white collar sector, and this fueled strong discontent with Bush, who to many voters seemed out of touch, and overly focused on foreign affairs. By contrast, the highly telegenic Clinton appeared to voters as sympathetic, and more in touch with ordinary families.
Bush's reneging on his promise not to raise taxes was exploited by the Clinton campaign. In his acceptance speech at the Republican Convention of 1988, Bush had famously proclaimed: "Read my lips ... No new taxes." Clinton repeatedly condemned Bush's failure to keep this promise. His campaign ran ads hinting that the failure reflected on Bush's character.
Finally, Bush's coalition was in disarray. Ross Perot's independent campaign played to moderates' concerns about the budget deficit, siphoning crucial swing votes from Bush. Previously, conservatives had been united by anti-communism; with the end of the Cold War, old rivalries re-emerged. The Republican Convention of 1992 was dominated by evangelical Christians, and this alarmed some moderate voters, who thought the Republican Party had been taken over by religious conservatives.[4] All this worked in Clinton's favor. Clinton could point to his moderate, 'New Democrat' record as Governor of Arkansas. Liberal Democrats were impressed by Clinton's academic credentials, his 1960s-era protest record, and support for social causes such as a woman's right to abortion. The Reagan Democrats who had supported Reagan and Bush in previous elections switched their allegiance to the more moderate candidate, Clinton.
Clinton was the first Democrat to serve two full terms as president since Franklin D. Roosevelt. His election ended an era in which the Republican party had controlled the White House for 12 consecutive years, and for 20 of the previous 24 years. That election also brought the Democrats full control of the political branches of the federal government, including both houses of U.S. Congress as well as the presidency, for the first time since the administration of the last Democratic president, Jimmy Carter.