GEORGE H.W. BUSH ADMINISTRATION

Semester 2 Week 15

Election of 1988: The Candidates

George H. W. Bush is Rep. nominee promised “Read my lips: no

new taxes.” Dems promised to help

working-class Americans, minorities, and the poor

Jesse Jackson became the 1st Afr. Amer. to make a serious run for the nomination

The Democrats final choice was MA gov’r Michal Dukakis

Election of 1988: Results

The Bush campaign portrayed him as too liberal, unpatriotic, & “soft on crime”

Dems questioned Bush’s leadership abilities, but Bush had Reagan’s endorsement, and with the economy still doing well, few Americans wanted to switch parties

Bush won 54% of the popular vote & defeated Dukakis 426-111 in the Electoral College

Problems in Panama

1978, U.S. agreed to give Panama control over the Panama Canal by the year 2000

U.S. officials wanted to make sure Panama’s gov’t was both stable & pro-U.S.

1989, Panama’s dictator, Gen. Manuel Noriega, had stopped cooperating with the U.S. He aided drug traffickers cracked down on opponents harassed U.S. military personnel defending the canal

12/1989, Bush ordered U.S. troops to invade Panama who seized Noriega & was sent to the U.S. to stand trial on drug charges

The troops then helped the Panamanians hold elections & organize a new gov’t

Saddam Hussein

8/1990, Iraq’s dictator, Saddam Hussein, sent his army to invade oil-rich Kuwait

U.S. officials feared that Iraq’s ultimate goal was to capture Saudi Arabia & its vast oil reserves

the UN 1st imposed economy sanctions on Iraq & demanded the Iraqis withdraw

Operation Desert Storm

1/16/1991, the coalition forces launched Operation Desert Storm

Dozens of cruise missiles & thousands of laser-guided bombs fell on Iraq, destroying its air defenses, bridges, artillery & other military targets

Waves of tanks and troop carriers smashed through Iraqi lines & encircled the Iraqi forces defending Kuwait

The attack killed thousands of Iraqi soldiers, Hundreds of thousands more surrendered; fewer than 300 coalition troops were killed

Just 100 hours after the ground war began President Bush declared victory: “Kuwait is liberated”

Economic Slow Down

The recession that began in 1990 was partly caused by the end of the Cold War. As the Soviet threat faded, the U.S. began reducing its armed forces and canceling orders for military equipment

Thousands of soldiers were released, and defense industry workers were laid off

The nation’s high level of debt made the recession worse

Americans had borrowed heavily during the 1980s and now faced paying off large debts

Election of 1992

Bush promised to address voters’ economic concerns & he blamed congressional Democrats for the gridlock that seemingly paralyzed

The Democrats nominated AR gov’r Bill Clinton Clinton promised to cut middle class taxes & spending

& to reform the nation’s health care & welfare programs His campaign repeatedly blamed Bush for the recession an independent candidate, TX businessman H. Ross

Perot, made a strong challenge Bill Clinton won the election w/ 370 electoral votes &

43% of the popular vote; Bush received 37%, Perot 19%

PREPARE FOR QUIZ

TAKE OUT A SEPARATE, FULL SHEET OF PAPER

NUMBER 1-5

QUIZ

1. Who were the 2 major candidates for the Election of 1988?

2. Who was the dictator in Panama?3. U.S. officials feared that Iraq’s

ultimate goal was to capture what?4. How many coalition troops were

killed during Operation Desert Storm?

5. Who won the Election of 1992?