Clinton's Elections: 1992, 1996, and the Birth of a New Era of Governance

American Presidential Elections

by Michael Nelson

In the presidential elections of 1980, 1984, and 1988, the three Democratic nominees won an average of about 10 percent of the Electoral College vote--a smaller share than any party in any three consecutive presidential elections in US history. In the next seven elections, Democrats won the popular vote in all but one (2004), a feat not achieved by a political party since the Democratic Party's inception in the 1820s. What separated these record-setting runs was the election and presidency of Bill Clinton, whose pivotal role in ushering in a new era of American politics--for better and for worse--this book explores.

Perhaps because Clinton's presidency was hobbled by six years of divided government, ended in a sex scandal and impeachment, and was sandwiched between Republican administrations, it is easy to forget that he revived a presidential party that had become nearly moribund. In Clinton's Elections Michael Nelson describes how, by tacking relentlessly to the center, Clinton revived the Democrats' presidential fortunes--but also, paradoxically, effectively erased the center, in the process introducing the new political reality of extreme partisan divisiveness and dysfunctional government. Tracing Clinton's place in American politics from his emergence as a potential nominee in 1988 to his role in political campaigns right up to 2016, Nelson draws a deft portrait of a savvy politician operating in the midst of divided government and making strategic moves to consolidate power and secure future victories. With its absorbing narrative and incisive analysis, his book makes sense of a watershed in the modern American political landscape--and lays bare the roots of our current era of political dysfunction.

Genres: Politics, History, American History

312 pages, Hardcover

First published March 20, 2020

About the author

Michael Nelson is the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College. He has published multiple books, the most recent of which is Resilient America: Electing Nixon, Channeling Dissent, and Dividing Government (2014). Other recent books are The American Presidency: Origins and Development, 1776–2014, with Sidney Milkis (2015); The Presidency and the Political System, 10th ed. (2014); and The Elections of 2012 (2013). He has published numerous articles in scholarly journals such as the Journal of Politics and Political Science Quarterly and in periodicals such as Virginia Quarterly Review, the Claremont Review of Books, and the Chronicle of Higher Education. Although most of his articles have been about American politics and government, he also has written about C. S. Lewis, Frank Sinatra, Charles Dickens, Garrison Keillor, football, and baseball. More than 50 of these articles have been reprinted in anthologies of political science, history, and English composition. He is editor of the American Presidential Elections book series for the University Press of Kansas and is currently writing a book about the 1992 election.

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Reviews

[Earl Ecklund III · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Clinton era is one still greatly in need of proper historical examination, in this volume Michael Nelson looks at Bill Clinton's electoral success in 1992 & 1996 and how he managed to succeed despite the divided government that has become commonplace since the late 1980s.

Nelson begins by examining the legacy of the 1988 campaign in terms of key players including George Bush, Bob Dole, Jack Kemp, Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Dan Quayle. Each of these men played a role in 1988 and would be on at least one Presidential ticket in 1992 or 1996.

George Bush's 1988 victory was followed up by tremendous success in foreign policy but struggles at home within the Republican party over economic policy including Bush's reversal of his most famous campaign promise on taxes. With the Cold War over and Kuwait liberated Bush looked unbeatable so many leading Democrats chose to not run for President in 1992. This opened the door for a more moderate candidate to emerge. Bill Clinton took advantage of this to run as a centrist candidate and capture the nomination.

On the Republican side Bush was challenged in the primaries by protest candidate Pat Buchanan while also trying to find off the independent campaign of Ross Perot, both of which weakened Bush heading into the fall campaign.

In the end Clinton ran a well managed and highly competent campaign to capture the presidency. Over the next two years Clinton tried to govern as a liberal before being returning to his centrist roots when the Republicans took control of Congress in the 1994 midterms. For the next four years Clinton was able to largely succeed in achieving some legislative goals which limited the ability of the Republicans to defeat him in 1996.

Nelson shows the reaction of both parties to the Clinton era and the backlash that resulted in the Democratic party in the last chapter, highly recommend this book for anyone interested in American history and politics.