Redban
Sr. Member
Posts: 3,004
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« on: August 08, 2016, 07:39:05 AM » |
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I was not alive at the time, so I may only offer an answer based on what I have read:
In 1988, Reagan had extremely high approval ratings; his charm was still indefectible; the economy was healthy; and foreign relations were, for the first time in a long time, stable (i.e. the end of the Cold War).
As Reagan's VP, George H.W. Bush had those benefits in his arsenal, which means the answer to your question is no; Dukakis couldn't have won against the popular, successful Reagan Revolution.
Bush wasn't a great candidate, as indicated by Dukakis's significant gains over Mondale and Carter (i.e. the Northeast) as well as Clinton's big victory 4 years later. Thus, you can probably surmise that Reagan was the sole reason for which George H.W. Bush became President.
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