Still, the Right continued to build on its political/media advantages. So, even as American workers struggled in the face of globalization and suffered under GOP hostility toward unions, the Right convinced many middle-class whites, in particular, that their real enemy was "big guv-mint."
It became harder and harder for liberals to make the case for an economic role for government, as they were marginalized in the national debates. Many Democrats repackaged themselves as pro-business centrists, triangulating toward some "third way," an approach that had some superficial appeal even as it further alienated and isolated the party's liberal "base."
For Democrats to win in this hostile political/media climate, they needed a number of outside factors to break their way. In 1992, for instance, Bush-41 was staggered by a severe recession, burdened by a record federal debt and undercut by independent candidate Ross Perot, who siphoned off a share of conservative votes.
Still, Bush-41 ran a competitive re-election race largely by smearing Democrat Bill Clinton with innuendos suggesting Clinton may have tried to renounce his citizenship as a young man or may have betrayed his country during a student trip to Moscow. [For details, see Robert Parry's Secrecy & Privilege.]
The War on Clinton
Despite Bush's loss, the Republicans and the Right recognized that there was still a promising future in taking advantage of their lead in media outlets and attack groups.
Rush Limbaugh and dozens of other right-wing radio voices demonstrated their new muscle during Clinton's first term, escalating the personal attacks on Bill and Hillary Clinton, while Rep. Newt Gingrich and his hyper-partisan Republican allies savaged the ethics of the Democrats in Congress.
By 1994, these assaults had broken down the walls of the Democratic Congress, leading to Republican control and leaving Clinton to insist that he was still "relevant." Though the President managed to win re-election in 1996, the GOP war against him led to the impeachment battles of 1998-1999.
Though Clinton survived that humiliation, the Republicans and the Right applied similar tactics in Campaign 2000 against Al Gore, who was mocked as "Lyin' Al." To prove the point, apocryphal quotes were put into his mouth, such as his supposed claim to have "invented the Internet." The mainstream media merrily went along.
By this stage in the Republican evolution toward being the party of nasty, many U.S. media figures had shifted to the GOP side, partly for survival against right-wing attacks on "liberal" journalists and partly because there were so many lucrative career opportunities in the Right's burgeoning news media, which now included Fox News.
So, joining in bashing Gore was a win-win for many reporters, including those at the New York Times and the Washington Post. You could shed the career-threatening tag of "liberal" journalist and you could position yourself for monetary gain as a TV pundit.
Still, Gore benefited from the booming economy in 2000 and managed to eke out a narrow victory in the national popular vote. But Bush held a tiny lead in Florida, whose electoral votes would decide the outcome. Gore pressed for an examination of votes that had been rejected by counting machines. He asked the state courts to enforce Florida's laws allowing for recounts in close elections.
At this key juncture, the two parties again showed their contrasting approaches to winning. Gore urged his supporters to stay out of the streets and trust the rule of law, while Bush's campaign recruited political operatives in Washington and flew them to Florida, where they rioted in Miami to prevent the counting of votes.
Ultimately, five Republican partisans on the U.S. Supreme Court handed Bush the victory, while suggesting that their ruling was influenced by the need to keep the political peace. After all, Republicans had shown a readiness to resort to violence and hooliganism if they weren't pacified by being given the White House. Democrats politely accepted Bush's "legitimacy." [For details, see Neck Deep.]
Bush's Hardball
While in office, President George W. Bush continued to play hardball, especially after the 9/11 attacks. He exploited the nation's fears during the 2002 elections by portraying the Democrats as soft on terror. Then, on May 1, 2003, after the initial U.S. victory in Iraq, Bush flew onto the aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, in a flight suit and spoke under a giant banner reading "Mission Accomplished."
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