The 1992 Campaign

As we rush headlong into the summer of 2012 and find ourselves deep into the mud and mire that it will undeniably bring along with it, I am reminded of the 1992 campaign between William Jefferson Clinton and George Herbert Walker Bush. As hard as it is to comprehend, that was twenty tears ago so I realize there may be some who do not remember it well.

My son worked in helping carry off the Republican Convention in Houston. It preceded the Democratic Convention and that would play right into their (the Democrats') hands.

As the convention unfolded, Leftists of every special interest flocked to Houston to to protest and become part of the pageant, and the media was more than happy to accommodate them. Instead of focusing on what was actually happening among united Republicans in the convention, the media highlighted the intentionally created disruptive circus outside and commented that this convention was in turmoil and disarray (which it was not).

I didn't worry too much about it. The media had tried this tactic before with minimal success. But this time I should have worried.

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On the other hand, the convention that was truly in disarray was about to be steered by the capable albeit threatening hands of people like James Carville and Dick Morris. They took the bitter losing Democratic candidates into back rooms and warned them that, because of the huge surprising success of Ross Perot's third party campaign, Clinton had a better than even chance of winning. Because of that, the losing candidates had better hush and present a unified front on the campaign floor or they could kiss good-bye to any future they might hope for in the Democratic Party.

Now the DNC coordinated and orchestrated media presented a picture of unified sweetness and light. There were no protests. Bill and Hillary were so totally in love and this was going to be Camelot all over again, just like it was with JFK and Jackie.

As I think about that now, I have to smile. This time, in many ways, they were right. It was exactly like the Camelot JFK and Jackie had, and just as fictional.

But this time the media's spaghetti stuck to the wall, and Bill Clinton was elected with a plurality of the votes.