The Nineties in America - Salem Press (2009)

the last of the World War II generation to hold the
presidency, and Bill Clinton the first of the baby
boomers to assume that post.

Further Reading
Clinton, Bill.My Life. New York: Alfred A. Knopf,

2004. Though written from an unavoidably
      slanted point of view, the rendition of events sur-
      rounding the 1992 elections in the former presi-
      dent’s autobiography reveals much about the ulti-
      mately victorious strategy of the “Comeback Kid.”
      Germond, Jack W., and Jules Witcover.Mad as Hell:
      Revolt at the Ballot Box, 1992. New York: Warner
      Books, 1993. Written in a lively style, this volume
      views the 1992 elections as something of a sponta-
      neous electoral insurgency, in which anger and
      frustration over what was seen as “politics as
      usual” and a desire for a change of direction were
      at the crux of the popular mood of the period.
      Goldman, Peter, et al.Quest for the Presidency: 1992.
      College Station: Texas A&M Press, 1994. A most
      detailed account of the 1992 elections; at times
      heavy reading, but thorough.
      Greene, John Robert.The Presidency of George Bush.
      Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, 2000. A bal-
      anced work that examines whether the Bush ad-
      ministration was a failure and whether presiden-
      tial miscommunication with the American public
      was a factor in its demise.
      Hohenberg, John.The Bill Clinton Stor y: Winning the
      Presidency. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University
      Press, 1994. A very pro-Clinton work that pin-
      points the New Hampshire race as crucial to both
      major party campaigns. Easy to read and succinct,
      this is a good starting point regardless of its slant.
      Matalin, Mary, and James Carville, with Peter
      Knobler.All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for Presi-
      dent. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1994. The 1992
      presidential election presented as a sort of run-
      ning dialogue between significant operatives in
      the Republican and Democratic camps, respec-
      tively, in a rather intriguing juxtaposition.
      Perot, Ross.United We Stand: How We Can Take Back
      Our Countr y. New York: Hyperion, 1992. Perot’s
      political manifesto, which provides some clue as
      to why his movement gained such support.
      Podhoretz, John.Hell of a Ride: Backstage at the White
      House Follies, 1989-1993. New York: Simon &
      Schuster, 1993. A scathing and humorous insider
      account of the Bush administration. Takes the po-

sition that the Democratic success in 1992 was

more a matter of Bush losing than of Clinton ac-

tually winning.

Schell, Jonathan.Writing in Time: A Political Chronicle.

Wakefield, R.I.: Moyer Bell, 1997. Columns from

NewsdayandThe Atlantic Monthlypicked by the au-

thor and written in a diary style, chronicling and

commenting on election events.

Raymond Pierre Hylton

See also Buchanan, Pat; Bush, George H. W.; Clin-

ton, Bill; Clinton, Hillary Rodham; Conservatism in

U.S. politics; Elections in the United States, mid-

term; Elections in the United States, 1996; Gep-

hardt, Dick; Gore, Al; Health care; Liberalism in

U.S. politics; Perot, H. Ross; Quayle, Dan; Recession

of 1990-1991; Reform Party; Stockdale, James;

Wilder, L. Douglas; Year of the Woman.

 Elections in the United States,

1996

The Event American politicians run for office

Date November 5, 1996

Bill Clinton was reelected to a second term as president in

part because voters thought he was more in touch with

1990’s America than the Republican candidate, Senator

Bob Dole of Kansas. Republicans retained control of Con-

gress. The ideological differences between the Republican-

controlled Congress and the Democratic president led to

stalemate and scandal among the leaders of both parties.

During his campaign, Democratic incumbent Bill

Clinton walked across a catwalk at Arizona State Uni-

versity declaring that his administration’s policies

would lead across “a bridge to the twenty-first cen-

tury.” His successful 1996 reelection bid allowed him

to fulfill that role. He was the first Democratic presi-

dent since Franklin D. Roosevelt and the fourth

Democratic president to ever win reelection. Clin-

ton’s opponents, Republican Bob Dole of Kansas

and Texas billionaire H. Ross Perot of the Reform

Party, appeared out of touch or paranoid to many

Americans. While voters reelected Clinton, they also

elected a conservative Republican Congress. The

differing personalities and governmental styles of

the two parties slowed political and policy responses

throughout the remainder of the decade.

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Elections in the United States, 1996 The Nineties in America