European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 5, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Thursday november 5,1992 i a a i commentary the stars and stripes b Page 33 Clinton s challenges have Home grown look an anxious american electorate has entrusted the White House to the first president of the baby Boom generation choosing Bill Clinton to confront economic and social problems As daunting As the global crises that preoccupied the presidents of the cold w8f Clinton has the advantage of leading the first government in 12 years with a Congress and executive of the same party. But the democrats failed to make the gains they hoped for in the Senate despite electing four new women members and Early wednesday they were headed for a loss of 20 to 25 seats in the House As their incumbents ran into the same voter rest Veness that bounced Bush out of his Job. Clinton a who told an ebullient crowd in Little Rock ark., that his Victory marked the birth of a a new democratic party comes to Washington with accolades even from his opponents for the tactical skill and sheer Energy of his nomination and election campaigns. Still Clinton has the task of rallying Broad support after drawing a smaller share of the popular vote than any Winner since Richard m. Nixon in the three Way 1968 race. And he has to reckon with the fact that one sixth of the american electorate by voting for free spending self financed Independent Ross Perot signal edits deep scepticism about the honesty and Efficacy of the political system that produced both Clinton and Bush. The realization of the task ahead sobered democrats even in their moment of Celebration with some recalling How Short a honeymoon their last Winner Jimmy Carter of Georgia was Given by a democratic Congress. But a note of optimism came from an unexpected source vice president Dan Quayle who told Republican partisans in Indianapolis that if Clinton a runs the country As Well As he ran his Campaign Well be All there was Iwason for caution for the 100 million or so americans who gave the democrats Only their second Victory in the past seven elections were sending Many messages with their ballots. The clearest was an expression of dissatisfaction with the country a economic performance a a slow crawl out of a recession that left Bush with what Clinton repeatedly called the a worst economic record since Herbert but equally they seemed to be saying that they wanted the president to focus on Domestic needs noted Bush and in nations Iso David s. Broder the International problems that r. Of predecessors since Pearl Harbor nation. In interviews outside the polls where Many had waited for Long periods to cast their ballots twice As Many voters named the Economy and jobs As their main concern As mentioned any other topic. Among those voters Clinton had an absolute majority and Bush Only a Quarter of the vote. A intone a margin was even higher for those focused on health care education and the environment. Only eight voters in 100 mentioned foreign policy As the main concern and they went overwhelmingly for Bush. In that sense history May have done More to undercut Bush a chances of re election than did Clinton and Perot. The world War u aviator had focused his political career on National Security policy prepping for the presidency in sensitive diplomatic posts Ana As director of the Central intelligence Agency. The main achievement of his term a which for a time seemed Likely to Seal his second term Victory a was his leadership of the victorious International coalition in the 1991 persian Gulf War. But the very Triumph Over communism that a sequence of presidents from Harry s. Truman through Ronald Reagan had Laboured to achieve a symbolized by the fall of the Berlin Wall and the breakup of the soviet Union during Bush a tour of duty a sent a message to the american people that it was time to focus on the problems at Home. That was something Bush seemed painfully slow and reluctant to do. Thomas m. Rath a former new Hampshire attorney general and adviser to the Bush Campaign said that Republican bastion which Clinton carried easily tuesday was a sending exactly the same message we sent last february in our primary a when Bush struggled to defeat the Challenge of conservative commentator Patrick j. Buchanan a a protest against administration inaction in the face of continuing hard times. A this was not a mistake of campaigning a Rath said. A it was a mistake of governing. They made a decision a year and a half ago to let the Economy right itself. The american people wanted the recession attacked the same Way we attacked Saddam Hussein and when Bush did no to do it they looked for someone who Clinton was As eager to tackle those problems As Bush was reluctant. As governor of Arkansas for 10 of the past 12 years As a Leader of the National governors association and the democratic leadership Council he had Cut his Teeth on the issues of economic development education welfare Reform and child care on which the voters were focused. Helped by the decision of Many better known democrats to Duck challenging a War hero incumbent Clinton withstood a withering set of challenges to his personal integrity and came out of the democratic convention with a Lead he never relinquished a and a running mate in Tennessee sen. A1 Gore who at 44 reinforced the tickets Youthful image. What they do with this qualified gift of Trust will determine whether this election proves to be an important turning Point a or just another twist in the Road. Former vice president Walter f. Mondale the loser of the 1984 presidential race hailed the election results that he said a signal the end of 12 years of Reagan Bush economic policy that the american voters have judged a but in almost the next breath he cautioned a if Congress treats Bill Clinton the Way it did Jimmy Carter we wont be out of Power for 12 years but for 28 years next Harry Macpherson counsel in Lyndon b. Johnson a White House and adviser to Many democrats since that time offered a minimalist interpretation of Clinton s Victory. A what i really think a he said a is that Bill Clinton beat the weakest democratic Field in be Ever seen and then beat a president who get it together a president with a quarrelling staff and a laughed at vice president. What people have decided is that they done to want George Bush or Tom Harkin the senator from Iowa who was one of Clinton a five opponents in the Early primaries or Ross Perot or those other Guys they be decided to take a Chance on Bill Clinton.�?�. C the Washington Poa democrats richly rewarded by poor Economy by Robert Shogan los Angeles times the Reagan Bush Era in american politics ended tuesday just As it began 12 years ago a with the massive repudiation of a president undone by economic distress. A a it a 1980 Over again a said University of Pittsburgh presidential scholar Bert Rockman co editor of the Bush presidency recalling Ronald Reagan a Victory Over president Carter in that election a a contest that also elevated 1992�?Ts toppled incumbent George Bush to the vice presidency. Thus despite All the Odd twists and turns taken by the 1992 Road to the White House the ending was shaped by the oldest Law of presidential politics. A whenever you have an incumbent president running for re election its always a referendum on him a said Austin Ranney a political scientist at the University of California at Berkeley a when things Are going Good people say a Why change but if things Are not going so Good particularly with the Economy people say a do i want want another four years of this Guy a and the answer that comes Back under those circumstances is almost invariably what it was on tuesday a no Arkansas gov Bill Clinton a Victory also seemed to contradict claims advanced by republicans and generally conceded by democrats a As explanations for gop domination of presidential politics for More than a decade. The gop strategists contended that their party had assured itself a permanent lease on the White House by fashioning a message that appealed to the electorates aversion to government a particularly the threat of higher taxes and increased spending a Ana its reverence for traditional values. Bush and his team expended everything they had in time Energy and Money to Pound those themes Home against Clinton As the gop effectively did against democratic rivals Walter f. Mondale in 1984 and Michael s. Dukakis in 1988. But these time tested Battle cries failed to arouse voters preoccupied with the nations prolonged economic slump. Still another sign of the discontent with Bush was the emergence of Independent candidate Ross Perot. A you done to usually get such candidates when the country is satisfied a said Alan j. Lichtman a political analyst at american University in Washington , tabulations from a los Angeles times exit poll of More than 10,000 voters around the country etched the National mood roughly seven out of 10 voters said the nation was on the wrong track and close to 40 percent reported that their own finances were worse now than they were four years ago a a it a very hard to re elect an incumbent when you have so Many people saying the country is All screwed up a said Republican pollster William Mcinturff who was part of Bush s 1988 Campaign Saul Shorr a Philadelphia based democratic consultant contrasted the economic atmosphere in 1992 with the favourable conditions in 1988. For ail the criticisms of the Campaign Dukakis ran that year Shorr contended that any Democrat a including Linton a would have had a hard time winning then a i think to most americans in 1988, Bill Clinton would have been Dukakis with a Southern accent and a draft deferment a Shorr said a and in 1992, Dukakis would have come across much like Linton a Only a bit More severe a 1u Sii Erre 11 to wait things out As the Economy languished in 1991 and to this year lulled by optimistic forecasts of his advisers and his own disinclination to use Federal Power to prime the economic pump. He argued that conditions were not As Baa As critics contended even though his presidency saw the slowest economic growth of any such four year period in the Post world War ii Era and promised they would get better soon these efforts backfired their main result was to make the president seem either uninformed or insensitive or both. A Bush suffered politically a Mcinturff said a because in voters minds he did not recognize the problem fast enough and was t aggressive enough in dealing with by the time Bush finally unveiled a blueprint for recovery a his Agenda or economic renewal a it was too late to alter the voters judgment on him As a negligent economic manager
