PAT BUCHANAN CAMPAIGN IN 1992

PATBUCHANAN CAMPAIGN IN 1992

Thecelebrity media columnist turned politician had his mind set on thebiggest seat in the world, the American presidency, even when alleyes thought he was a joke. Regardless, he remained courageous andunperturbed by any political opinions and realized there was a needto challenge the American imperialism. His biggest success was duringthe primaries, and as evidence points out, he sent a strong messageto the White House under Bush. Buchanan campaign success in 1992 wasfirst his ideology on taxes and regulation which made severalAmericans lose their jobs, especially in New Hampshire. Second,foreign aid was very high and was affecting the domestic economy.Lastly, he was selling the Republican Party as a conservative onethat was buried in universal values against gay unions, abortion andalso on freedom to worship for schools.¹These ideas, among others, made his campaign trail a success evenwhen he had limited experience in politics, and they guided thecountry into realizing what changes were needed. His beliefs lead tothe unseating of the then president, Bush, resulting in the Democratwins, later, that year by Bill Clinton.

1. Campaign Success

Buchananpolitical campaign success can be traced to the beliefs about theincumbent President Bush over the loss of jobs in companies such asthe James River Paper Mill. His win in the primaries led to thepresident admitting that he had understood the dissatisfaction of NewHampshire people.²The biggest challenge in this arena was the issue of Over-taxationand over-regulation at the expense of upcoming firms. Together withthe foreign policy, especially in regard to so much foreign aid andlimited immigration laws formed the basis of Buchanan campaign. Hefelt that the president was handling such problems of internationalattention with so much mediocrity while the American public continuesto suffer.

Hepointed out that the incumbent President is a lifelong protector ofJudeo-Christian values which, America was entirely made of such asthe right to life.³In this regard, he felt that abortion should be abolished in Americaat all cost regardless of who is in danger. Policies favoringabolition of pregnancy termination are what he stood for, and thismade his campaign much successful although, America was undergoing aradical transition in this regard.

BillClinton and Al-Gore all believed in pro-lesbian and pro-gay unionswhich by Buchanan’s standards were eroding the real values thatAmerica fought for during its independence. Although he was a socialconservatism, this issue made the Republican Party to realize theareas that needed attention going into the future. Although theyretained their position over LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual andTransgender) abolition, it led to the demise of the party’s controlof the White House for almost a decade.

2.His influence on Republican Future

Beinga self-proclaimed superstar, Buchanan success in the primaries withinNew Hampshire, opened a new opportunity for the Democrats to takecontrol of the campaign leading to the election. It was the secondtime after Nixon Carter was removed in office by another Republican,Ronald Reagan, that, America was seeing a seating president removedin his position in his reelection. Bush was then defeated in theNovember elections that year, giving rise to Democrats in power underthe stewardship of young and vibrant President Bill Clinton.⁴Clinton realized that America had achieved the cultural war wasshifting to LGBTs power, and abortion was a matter to be legalized.The economy had to be revived especially manufacturing firms thatgave room to so much employment and that, is how Republicanssuccumbed.

Conclusion

HistoricallyAmerican elections are always decided by two main issues that comeinto play. The first is the economy, since, America is a superpowerand the next one is foreign policy. Whether an incumbent leader isinfluential or not, as long as he steps on either of these twoissues, he should be prepared to lose his seat in the upcomingre-election battle. Buchanan made it true in Bush’s eyes, but hewas too late to change when Clinton came with his democratic force inthe 1992 elections.

Bibliography

Buchanan,Patrick, J. 1992 Republic National Convention Speech. Buchanan.org,1992. http://buchanan.org/blog/1992-republican-national-convention-speech-148

Stardling,Richard. Pat Buchanan’s Awkward ’92 Run. BostonGlobe,2015. https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/07/30/pat-buchanan-awkward- run/hK4AIOSeYreYil4mcdb48O/story.html

Toner,Robin. The 1992 Campaign: New Hampshire Bush Jarred in FirstPrimary: Tsongas Wins Democratic Vote. NewYork Times,1992. http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/19/us/1992-campaign-new-hampshire-bush-jarred- first-primary-tsongas-wins-democratic.html?pagewanted=all

1 1. Buchanan, Patrick, J, “1992 Republic National Convention Speech,” Buchanan.org, 1992,http://buchanan.org/blog/1992-republican-national-convention-speech-148.

2 2. Toner, Robin, “The 1992 Campaign: New Hampshire Bush Jarred in First Primary: Tsongas Wins Democratic Vote,” New York Times, 1992, http://www.nytimes.com/1992/02/19/us/1992-campaign-new-hampshire-bush-jarred- first-primary-tsongas-wins-democratic.html?pagewanted=all.

3 3. See note 1, above.

4 4. Stardling, Richard. “Pat Buchanan’s Awkward ’92 Run,” Boston Globe, 2015, https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2015/07/30/pat-buchanan-awkward-run/hK4AIOSeYreYil4mcdb48O/story.html.