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H.W. Bush vs. Clinton 1992

While Gerald Ford is often referred to as the first pop-culture president, the Presidential election of 1992 was arguably the first pop-culture election. Cable television was beginning to gain popularity in America, and with the number channels available for consumption increasing, the opportunities for candidates to connect with the public would also increase. The popularity of President Bush was on the decline, as broken promises, and a poor economy would negatively impact the incumbent. Enter an incredibly charismatic candidate from Arkansas who would again mark a shift in the political opinion of the country. Just like with Carter in 1976, Bill Clinton, the former Governor of Arkansas would defeat the incumbent George H.W. Bush. 

Clinton was in an interesting place when it came to how he would be viewed through the scope of popular culture. As the first candidate for president from the baby boomer generation, Clinton was much more equipped and much better prepared for the ever-changing media landscape that would shape how he would be remembered in popular culture. This first memorable moment of the Clinton campaign that would foreshadow future events, came in a 60 Minutes interview that would air immediately after the Super Bowl giving it a large audience. In the interview, Clinton would appear with his wife Hillary, and he would face questions about an alleged affair, that he would deny but they still would make a negative impact on the voters.

As the Clinton campaign progressed, polls throughout the country were not looking good for the former Arkansas Governor. This would prompt an all-out media assault by the campaign, putting Clinton’s face on as many television screens, and magazine covers as possible. In an effort to identify with young voters, Clinton would make appearances on the late-night Arsenio Hall show, as well as on the very popular channel, MTV. Both of these appearances were tremendous successes. In his appearance on the Arsenio Hall show, Clinton would display his talents on the saxophone, playing the Elvis Pressley hit “Heartbreak Hotel” which would lead to a huge bump in the polls for Clinton. However, it would be Clinton’s appearance on MTV that would mark the major pop culture moment of his campaign. Taking questions from the crowd that ranged from asking about his brother, to his alleged marijuana use, it would be a question about Clinton’s underwear preference that would make the most memorable moment. Clinton would be asked by a young voter, “Is it Boxers or Briefs?” which would make Clinton chuckle before responding with “Usually Briefs”.

Unlike his 1988 campaign, the 1992 campaign of George H.W. Bush would have a couple of moments that would become a part of popular culture in 1992. While Bill Clinton was out campaigning, and doing whatever he could to identify with young people, the then President Bush was looking for a way to shed the career politician label that had been following him around, so that he could better identify with the middle-class voter. To achieve this, Bush would take a trip to the National Grocers Association convention, and the trip would have the opposite effect. Enamored by the electronic signature pads, and the electronic scanners, Bush appeared to be in awe of the technology that had been in grocery stored throughout the country, showing that he had no real connection with middle-class Americans. Bush would also be mocked throughout popular culture, after vomiting on the lap of Japanese PM Kiichi Miyazawa during a visit to Tokyo. The event would also be mocked by The Simpsons some years later, and Robin Williams would also mention it during his Golden Globes acceptance speech in 1993.

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Kruse, Michael. "The TV Interview That Haunts Hillary Clinton." POLITICO Magazine. N.p., 23 Sept. 2016. Web. 05 May 2017.
 
McDaniel, Ann. "George H.W. Bush Barfed on the Prime Minister of Japan 25 Years Ago Today." Newsweek. N.p., 13 Jan. 2017. Web. 05 May 2017.
 
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Rosenthal, Andrew. "Bush Encounters the Supermarket, Amazed." The New York Times. The New York Times, 04 Feb. 1992. Web. 05 May 2017.