Sure enough, when the Republicans and Democrats had settled on their candidates, the polls showed that Michael Dukakis had a commanding lead over George Bush Sr. In fact, most voters viewed themselves as conservatives, and were voting for Dukakis cause they thought he was more conservative.
I'm pretty sure there wasn't anyone with half a brain cell who thought that Dukakis was more conservative than Bush (even in the early days of the election).
"So far Dukakis has managed to impress liberals as a liberal and moderates as a moderate. Bush argues that familiarity with Dukakis will breed voter contempt. "When I see one poll saying that two-thirds of the public think Dukakis is more conservative than I am, I say, 'Hey, what in the world goes on here?' I guarantee you nobody will say that when this campaign is over.""
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,967634-2,00.html
