What was that election desperation crap Bush senior pulled in Fall, 1992?

[sofa king]

Can someone help me out with this?

I remember back in September/October of 1992, when the election increasingly began to read Clinton's way, the Bush campaign unleashed a tirade of smears, dirty tricks, and questionable maneuvers.

Unfortunately, the only thing that I can remember for sure is that the Republicans sold their souls to the... Lord, I guess, by combining forces with the religious right in a last-ditch voter turnout drive. (Which may be why we are where we are today.)

But wasn't there a bunch of other nonsense tossed out all of a sudden? Didn't the Bushies try to beat the war drums over Somalia, for example?

By Fall of 1992, I'd already sent in my absentee ballot and was busy drinking beer through a funnel, which explains my poor recollection. But today's Bush campaign has been modeling a lot of its slime machinery on previous Nixon/Reagan/Bush hijinks, so I think it would be a good idea to refresh my nonexistent memory.

Thanks in advance for your help.

[murielm99]

1. There was a pre-election gambit by the Bush White House

and justice department to implicate the Clintons in a criminal investigation over Whitewater. This is according to the final Whitewater report published in 1992.

The first Whitewater article appeared in print in March of 1992.

I know there was something else, though. I will keep wracking my brain.

[HarveyBriggs]

2. As I recall, on national TV ...

On national TV, he picked up his Springer Spaniel, put a gun to her head and said, "Vote for me, or I'll shoot this dog!"

Honest. At least that's what I remember.

HB

[politicat]

4. that was one of his "silly" moments....

Though the more I watch bunnypants, and the more I read books written by political critics during the elder's presidency, the more I'm convinced there is a serious neurological impairment in that family. Something in the speech and language processing centers of their brains, and probably Y linked.

Bunnypants makes a lot of the same public mistakes his father made, but to a greater degree (perhaps we're looking at a pre-computer version of Ausperger's, where the sufferers fixate on politics, not on tech.... they can be equally soulless, after all...); his gestures rarely match up - when he uses them at all, KKKaren has been good at making him keep his hands still; Poppa was famous for using body language that was not accurate. Junya has the same difficulties with unscripted, complete sentences that are coherent that his father had... Remember "the vision thing?" The Manhood thing? The problems he had thinking is comments through for context.... While Junya has yet to make a gaffe as amusing as Pop's when he offered to compare "manhoods" with Walter Mondale, he's made some good ones.

Alcohol will exacerbate a neurological issue, especially one that seems to have some temporal lobe involvement (which is must, if Bunnypants thinks god talks to him...) While the family has many, many issues, many of which are environmental and are related to emoting, there may be some genetic components involved, as well.

Pcat

[politicat]

3. Looking at my copy of Living History...

There was a Weekly World News Article entitled "Hilary gives birth to Alien baby"... Is that what you meant? :silly:

Looking at Who Let The Dogs In? from Molly Ivins, the summer before the 92 election was when Poppa Doc Bush either went on or went off his Halcion (which ever, it was NOT an improvement....) That was also the point where the dumb sumbush son came to Washington. Even My Man George is distressed. He sent for his son George the Younger, called Shrub, to fix his campaign. Shrub Bush told friends his daddy thinks "the speeches are not too good and no one is bringing him any initiatives." One is left with an image of the presidence sitting in the Oval Office, pounding both fists on his desk like a hungry camper, crying, "Bring me initiatives, bring me initiatives." Twenty-six years in government, and he hasn't a single though of his own about what might usefully be done to fix things."

Bush Pere also tried to swipe Clinton's USSR initiatives and education initiatives and got caught at it both times. In August, he told the story about the gladiator who bit the lion's testicles....

In September, the Rs set up the incredibly badly thought out, in the worst possible taste campaign sweep through Texas known as ... the September Storm, with the pol ops and advance to be called... *wince*.... Stormtroopers. AKA one of the most insensitive moments in political history....

Dan Quayle's Nat. Guard record came into prominence AGAIN.... (someday, we really will get over Vietnam and stop living in the shadow of The Wall.... right? Someday, we will have the time and peace to heal?)

The Family Circle cookie-gate thing happened.... and the Rs went into blood in the water attack mode on her because she wouldn't sit down, shut up and go up in the nosebleed section with the rest of the wives.... (I hate Tom Tancredo, but I am half in love with his wife, Jackie....)

Clinton pissed oxy-Rush off by inferring that he was a *gasp* (oh, the horrors!!) RACIST... thus setting the tone for 8 years and more of hate radio.... Such fine sensibilities from that sack of sexist shit....

I'm sure there was more, but I don't have the right books right now...

PCat

[OilemFirchen]

5. A bit OT, but

'member this?

[politicat]

6. Vaguely....

I admit to being young and stupid in those days... I won't say how young and stupid, but....

Pcat

[bleowheels]

7. He started calling Gore "Ozone Man" because of Gores...

pro-environmental stance.

[Yupster]

8. The October Surprise in 1992 was

when the Independant Council indicted the Secretary of Defense, Weinberger, the Friday before election day.