In 1990, President George HW Bush was riding high with a nearly 90% approval rating – unheard of in presidential polling numbers. He was coming fresh off a smack-down of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, and the economy was in pretty good shape. Plus, he seemed a likable enough guy.
All that changed in 1991 when a recession hit and Bush suddenly seemed unable to do anything right. A young Governor and Senator pounced. Bill Clinton was the Governor of Arkansas, who picked as a regional running mate, Senator Al Gore of Tennessee. Both were young (Clinton, 46 and Gore, 44), energetic, and seemed to be pretty centrist for Democrats. They began to appeal to blue collar workers with the messaging, “It’s the economy, stupid!”
Clinton/Gore were not Bush’s only opponents in the 1992 race. IBM CEO Ross Perot decided to get into the fray and had definite ideas on how to improve the economy. By the time the debates rolled around, Bush was truly flustered. An unfortunate moment caught on camera during one of the debates showed Bush looking at his watch as if to say, “When is this thing gonna be over?” In the end, Clinton/Gore defeated Bush/Quayle pretty handily; however, if Perot hadn’t entered the race, Bush might still have won.