The 1992 Presidential ElectionIn 1992, incumbent President George Bush was seeking re-election. There was general consensus that he would be “the hands down winner.” Once the smoke cleared and the votes were counted, many were shocked by the results. Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton defeated the incumbent president in a landslide! How is this possible? How did the commander and leader of what could be considered the greatest victory in modern American history defeat the Iraqi army and lose the presidential election a year later? The answers to these questions as well as explanations of the results can be found in the campaign strategies and tactics used by each candidate. Various major political events and public opinion data occurred throughout the general election phase of the campaign. This article will analyze both political events and public opinion data, hoping to better understand what helped shape the overall outcome. There were three candidates running for president: President Bush (right), Bill Clinton (Democrat), and Ross Perot (mine). Each of the three has, to a greater or lesser extent, focused their campaign on the economy. President Bush devoted more of his campaign to criticizing his opponents, primarily Bill Clinton. He often compared the economy to other countries, saying it wasn't that bad, and began attacking his opponents again. Bill Clinton, for his part, focused his campaign strategy on implementing the need for “change”. At that time, the national debt and unemployment were increasing. Clinton is committed to improving the economy and the quality of life of the American people through change. Ross Perot was more of a crusader against Washin...... middle of paper ......al infidelity and dodging. American voters wanted someone who would directly benefit them and they found it in Clinton. We see many similarities in the current presidential campaign. Currently, Al Gore is committed to maintaining a strong economy. He's determined to stop George W. Bush from ruining what he helped create over the past eight years. So we are again faced with the problem of economics. We have also seen negative advertising campaigns from Gore. He released two ads that aired before the start of the Republican National Convention. The ads accused Bush of restricting children's health care and allowing Texas to become the smog capital. It will be very interesting to see how each candidate performs in the debates. Still, the 1992 election provides valuable lessons in campaign strategy that Gore and Bush may want to consider...