1992 Clinton VS. Bush VS. Perot

"Presidency: Plain Talk"

Transcript

Museum of the Moving Image
The Living Room Candidate
"Presidency: Plain Talk," Bush, 1992

[TEXT: Plain Talk. On the Presidency.]

GEORGE BUSH: In a few days you'll make the choice for president of the United States and it's a serious choice, the most important democracy asks us to make. There are many times that the president alone must make tough decisions that affect people's lives. He is the commander in chief and I want you to think about this. He must have the resolve, the maturity, the moral authority to lead the nation in times of crisis. In the White House, in the Oval Office you cannot be on both sides of every issue. You must make the call. You must lead. And that's what the American people expect from their president. Our economic future here at home depends more than ever on competing in a global economy, seizing new opportunities and opening new markets. And that's how we can create more jobs and economic strength. America must have a leader who understands the world and who is prepared to act. Leaders of other nations, people all over the world, judge America by the character of the president and the president's word that he gives. People around the world expect that of the United States. The person you choose to lead America must have certain qualities: decisiveness, honesty, integrity, persistence. All of you know that the presidency is the most serious job in the world and we simply cannot put America's future at risk with a person who is wrong for the job and with policies that are wrong for America. When you make your choice, choose the right man. I need your support and I ask for your vote.

[TEXT: President Bush. Commander in Chief.]

Credits

"Presidency: Plain Talk," Bush-Quayle '92 General Committee, Inc., 1992

Maker: The November Company

Original air date: 10/26/92

Video courtesy of the George Bush Presidential Library.

From Museum of the Moving Image, The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2012.
www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1992/presidency-plain-talk (accessed July 18, 2025).

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1992 Clinton Bush Perot Results

George Bush, the incumbent president, enjoyed approval ratings near 90 percent following America’s decisive military victory in Operation Desert Storm in 1991. Many leading Democrats, including New York Governor Mario Cuomo, declined to run, and the party’s nomination went to Bill Clinton, governor of Arkansas. By early 1992, the U.S. economy was faltering, and Clinton’s campaign decided to focus almost exclusively on this issue. A prominently placed sign in Clinton’s campaign headquarters read "It’s the economy, stupid!" Ironically, because of the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, which the Republicans took credit for, the Cold War was not an important issue during the campaign, and the Democrats were able to keep the emphasis on domestic concerns. The importance of the economy as an issue was amplified by the surprisingly successful third-party candidacy of billionaire Ross Perot, whose campaign concentrated on deficit reduction.

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