Horton fled, kidnapped a young couple, stabbing the man and repeatedly raping his girlfriend. Despite a life sentence, Horton received ten weekend passes from prison. One was Willy Horton, who murdered a boy in a robbery, stabbing him nineteen times. Dukakis not only opposes the death penalty – he allowed first degree murderers to have weekend passes from prison. Bush supports the death penalty for first degree murderers. Campaign ads said Dukakis had not been tough enough with criminals.ĪNNOUNCER: “Bush and Dukakis on Crime. The candidates heavily attacked each other through campaign advertising on television.ĭukakis also came under attack from the Bush campaign, targeting his record as a governor. Many observers said he had waited too long to launch a nationwide campaign. In public opinion surveys Dukakis looked like a strong candidate after the party conventions. George Bush and Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis at their final debate His running mate was Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas. The Democrats chose Michael Dukakis, the governor of Massachusetts. He had also sought the nomination four years earlier. He won about twenty-five percent of the delegates. One of the candidates was Jesse Jackson, a black minister and political activist. The delegates accepted his choiceĮight candidates competed for the nomination of the Democratic Party. Bush was nominated on the first vote at the party convention. Neither Dole nor Robertson won enough votes in the primary election season to be a threat. Ronald Reagan's popularity helped George Bush gain the Republican nomination. Robertson was a conservative Christian who had his own television program. Dole was the top Republican in the Senate. Bush had just served eight years as Reagan's vice president. They were George Herbert Walker Bush, Bob Dole and Pat Robertson. There were three main candidates for the Republican Party nomination. So, in nineteen eighty-eight, the country prepared to elect a new chief executive. The Constitution limits presidents to two terms. The possibility of nuclear war with the Soviet Union did not seem as great a threat as it had in the past. Many felt more secure about the future of the nation and the world. During his eight years in office, many Americans did well financially.
He was America's fortieth president and one of the most popular. Ronald Reagan was finishing his second term.
This week in our series, we look at the presidential election of nineteen eighty-eight. STEVE EMBER: Welcome to THE MAKING OF A NATION – American history in VOA Special English.
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