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 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?