why did George HW bush lose his reelection in 1992?

Slick Willy could talk the talk

Ross Perot

There was a small recession going on and he promised not to raise taxes and flip flopped and did. BC hung that around his neck. Oh and Ross Perot.

I clearly remember that it was because GHW Bush was too globally involved while our economy struggled. He was more concerned with foreign affairs than that of America. THIS IS THE REASON.

That he won in 88 was a testiment to how lousy a candidate Dukakis was.

Since WWII, Americans have always given a party AT LEAST a second term. Bush was Reagan’s third term. The only exception was Carter getting run after 4 years.

It won’t be any different this year either.

Multiple reasons.

1. The media went all out to castrate him. He went from 90% approval during the first Gulf War to being severely underwater due to constant attacks.

2. The first recession since 1982 happened, which barely qualified as a recession, and people lost their shite and blamed him.

3. Dems screwed him through the deal to pass a luxury tax in exchange for other changes. Tax passed, other changes didn’t happen, and they shoved “Read my lips, no new taxes” straight up his arse.

4. Ross Perot entered the race and made it the biggest three-candidate election since probably 1968, which helped make Bill Clinton a minority president, no pun intended.

5. Bush ran a halfassed and weak campaign, apparently thinking he could play defense the whole election and still win. Not gonna do it.

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why did George HW bush lose his reelection in 1992?

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Ross Perot offered an anti-globalist alternative and garnered 18.9% of the popular vote. Only 43% of voters backed Clinton.

Also, Blue Dog Democrats were still a thing. My father, before his hard lurch to the right, had been a populist, New Orleans Democrat all his life and proudly voted for Clinton.

If you were to use the 1996-2016 theoretical electoral map, you could flip 66 easily from Clinton to GHWB, making the final count 304-234, roughly the same as Trump's win and far less of the blowout it appears.

Clinton gets hosed if not for Perot. Perot showed how a strong third party just clears the way for the other major party.