The Ultimate American Presidential Election Book: Every Presidential Election in American History (1788-2024) is now available! https://amzn.to/4jTGlPt Mr. Beat's band: http://electricneedleroom.band Donate to Mr.Beat for perks: https://www.patreon.com/iammrbeat The 51st episode in a very long series about the American presidential elections from 1788 to the present. In 1988, Paul Simon and the rest of the 7 Dwarves try to take down a Bush after their Hart is lost. #mrbeat #presidentialelectionsinamericanhistory #elections Feeling dorky? Visit here: http://www.countingthevotes.com/1988 The 51st Presidential election in American history took place on November 8, 1988. It was the earliest one I remembered. By many accounts, Ronald Reagan had a solid Presidency. He helped end the Cold War, and the economy remained strong. But there was some bad stuff, too. Like the Iran Contra Affair, in which the Reagan administration secretly sold weapons to Iran in exchange for hostages, but also to pay the Contras, a rebel group in Nicaragua. Oh yeah, and it was later revealed the C.I.A. was also sneaking in and selling millions of dollars worth of cocaine and sending the profits it made also to the Contras. But most Americans didn’t know about that, and when Reagan appointed George H.W. Bush, his Vice President, as the best man to be his successor, many Republicans were on board. Bush did face some challengers, though. One that stood out was Bob Dole, the Senator from Kansas who was Gerald Ford’s running mate back when they failed to win the election of 1976. Another was, believe it or not, Pat Robertson, the former Southern Baptist minister and media mogul. (clip?) In the Iowa caucus, Bush came in third, behind both Dole and Robertson. But Bush rebounded, eventually taking a strong lead to easily win the Republican nomination, with Dan Quayle, a young Senator from Indiana. Quayle was a controversial pick among Republicans, though, because he was criticized for his lack of experience and sometimes stumbled over his words. The Democrats had the 7 Dwarfs. No, not those 7 Dwarfs. These 7 Dwarfs. Ok, that was sort of mean, but it’s what critics called the seven leading contenders for the Democratic nomination. They included Jesse Jackson, who was back for a second try, Al Gore, another young Senator from Tennessee, Bruce Babbitt, the Governor of Arizona, Joe Biden, a Senator from Delaware. Dela WHERE? Hahaha, Sorry Delaware. Then there was Richard Gephardt, a U.S. Representative from Missouri, Paul Simon. No, not that Paul Simon. Yes, that one, a Senator from Illinois who looked very good in bow ties, and finally Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts. Now, the Democrats tried to recruit New York Governor Mario Cuomo to run, but he declined. Then there was Gary Hart, who at first seemed destined to become nominee and the party’s leader of the future. However, the media all of sudden decided to pry into his personal life, and, as it turns out, he was cheating on his wife. Many of his supporters turned against him after they found this out, and he ended up suspending his campaign because of it. With no clear frontrunner, the Democrats had a long and exciting primary race. In the end, it was Governor Dukakis who got the nomination. Jesse Jackson finished second, and his supporters argued he should be Dukakis’ running mate, but Dukakis disagreed, instead choosing Lloyd Bentsen, a Senator from Texas. The Bush campaign aggressively attacked Dukakis. Bush capitalized on the word “liberal,” which was now considered by many a dirty word to call a politician. He called Dukakis a liberal when it came to everything. A guy named Lee Atwater helped circulate rumours to the media that Dukakis’s wife Kitty had burned an American flag to protest the Vietnam War, even though it wasn’t true. Bush argued Dukakis was ignorant when it came to the military. And Dukakis responded poorly to these criticisms and rumours. I mean, he staged a photo op where he road around in a tank to try to prove he knew military matters, and it backfired horribly. That, a poor debate performance, and the fact that Bush was capitalizing on a good economy and Reagan’s popularity all greatly hurt Dukakis.