Election '96: Democracy Comes to the Internet

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With all of the stress and rending of garments on both sides of the political spectrum this year and with the exclamation of THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ELECTION OF OUR LIFETIMES being said every ninety seconds (and rightfully so), isn't it strange to think that one of the seemingly least important elections in our lifetimes was no less than eight years ago?

This comes from Custos' comment from the RNC thread about how Robert Dole was nominated in 1996 because "it was his turn." Bill Clinton seemed to have had the exact opposite of a first term as George W. Bush has now: Seemed vulnerable and doomed to lose in the middle of it only to seem invincible by election day. For many in my age group, 1992 was the first time they voted and 1996 was the first time that they blew it off.

Clinton was unopposed in the primaries, but campaigned anyway. Dole was nominated over such sparkling opponents such as Lamar Alexander and his red flannel shirt, Steve Forbes and his flat tax rates, the unfortunately named Dick Lugar, and some weirdo named Alan Keyes.

As pointed out in the other thread, Election '96 stands out for many banal reasons. It was just another election with America going through the motions. The economy was up and running, the military wasn't losing a soldier a day, and the worst domestic terrorist act had "only" taken 168 people. Dole could take his turn at running for president, but he wasn't going to be able to take his turn at running the country.

This election for me was memorable for the fact that I was living back in Little Rock for the first time in many years, so I got to enjoy the in-street Election Night celebrations that I had missed four years before. I had schnageled some press passes for my roommate and I claiming that we were cameramen for the station where I worked. Nevermind that my camera was a cheap Sony homecam and that I worked for a radio station. I still have my passes hanging behind me on my bookcase.

I just remember that there didn't seem to be that much at stake, therefore, there wasn't as much tension in the air. Whenever I saw a Dole/Kemp yardsign on a walk through the neighborhood, I didn't get all panicky and analytical like I do now.

It was also the first campaign to use the internet. Now, let me cue up The Cardigans while you tell me your memories of this mediocre election.

http://www.s-t.com/daily/08-96/08-17-96/jerseys.jpg http://democraticbuttons.freeservers.com/ClintonSet3-1x1.jpg

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Monday, 6 September 2004 19:28 (twenty years ago)

Convincing a 'Christian punk' friend to support Clinton over Dole (this was eighth or ninth grade, not exactly a great victory for democracy) during PE. That's about it.

― miloauckerman (miloauckerman), Monday, 6 September 2004 19:56 (twenty years ago)

"Dole and Kemp. Two 4-letter words you can teach your children."

That was a fine, nostalgic look back PP. Although Dole didn't get his ass stomped as bad as Mondale did by Reagan in 84, Dole could be said to be the GOP's version of Mondale; a candidate less promising in victory than deserving for past allegiance.
This election also came and went just as Fox News was beginning, which I imagine would have benefitted Dole had it been up and running sooner.

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Monday, 6 September 2004 19:58 (twenty years ago)

And Norm MacDonald as Bob Dole on "The Real World." Eight years later, and I'm still saying "That's Bob Dole's peanut butter" when making a sandwich.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Monday, 6 September 2004 20:17 (twenty years ago)

Kemp was expected to energize Dole's campaign but his debate with Al Gore is remembered solely for being boring and unmemorable. I wonder what influenced Kemp towards bringing the suck?

Milo A. needs to elaborate a bit on exactly how he persuaded his punk rock for Christ friend toward switching allegiancies from Dole to Clinton.

― herbert hebert (herbert hebert), Monday, 6 September 2004 21:24 (twenty years ago)

i don't really remember that US election, beyond being relieved Clinton won, buuuuuut i will never forget Blair getting in. It's kind of hard to remember Blair as a bright hope, but I think that;s what we were all thinking - i was at an election party/gig at the astoria, my life story were playing and martin fry was the guest and they had swingometers onstage, and it seemed like so many years of decrepit and damaging tory rule were *finally* coming to an end, and it was the first election i'd voted in. i vaguely remember hearing from the stage that portillo had lost his seat, a huge cheer-winner, though i don't think we would've gotten to hear that Blair won. i was there with my new girlfriend of a couple of weeks, who was only 17 (i was 21). we walked to the tube station, and she said she wanted to stay the night, so i called up my dad, who i was living with and caring for at the time, at near midnight from a payphone to make sure that was okay; he laughed and wished us a good night.

we changed at waterloo but our train was delayed by about an hour. we got home hellishly late, i pulled open the sofabed i was sleeping on then, and made love, her first time. and it was *wonderful*. woke up to find Blair the prime minister, felt an overwwhelming sense of joy and relief and hope, with a wonderful, beautiful girl asleep beside me. i made my dad his breakfast, and then breakfast for kate, and got ready to go to work. it was a *good* day.

if Bush wins this year, i'll probably feel the same sense of dismay at such an obviously poor candidate winning what seems an 'obvious' election, just as i did in '92, frustratedlty discovering that *somehow* Major had got back in. there'll also be a sense of apocalyptic foreboding which Major's re-election failed to stir in me.

― stevie (stevie), Monday, 6 September 2004 22:48 (twenty years ago)

The best thing about that My Life Story gig is that my sister was there and fell down some stairs and twisted her ankle. I didn't go because everybody on my course had a French assignment to complete by midday the next day, and the next afternoon was spent skipping lectures sitting in a park being silly and tired. Frankly, I was a little scared that the country now had a Labour government - the only previous time they'd been in power in my lifetime was for the first 21 days of it - rather than a Conservative one and everybody told me not to be so silly, as it wouldn't make a difference. And they were right.

― James Mitchell (James Mitchell), Monday, 6 September 2004 23:35 (twenty years ago)

I had forgotten that Blair had become the PM in '96. I remember rooting for him to win, and we he did, I was happy that the UK had finally gotten a good guy, too.

I will never understand what happened to Tony Blair.

http://www.brandonblog.homestead.com/blair_clinton.jpg

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 01:28 (twenty years ago)

Blair became prime minister in May 1997.

― Bumfluff, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 01:35 (twenty years ago)

I'll have to admit, Bumfluff, that the mid-90's were sort of a blur for me.

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 02:06 (twenty years ago)

Word.

I'd imagine most brits would have trouble forgetting it.

― Bumfluff, Tuesday, 7 September 2004 02:11 (twenty years ago)

I was irked by the fact that I was still 17 and couldn't vote, but at the same time, there was so little urgency to this election that I didn't care that much. I invested a lot more time watching the 1992 race than the 1996 one -- although part of that was surely due to me being so busy with my first term of college.

The first thing I thought of when I saw this thread, btw, was the Simpsons "Treehouse of Horrors" episode that year, where Kang and Kodos played the parts of Clinton and Dole.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 04:16 (twenty years ago)

The Bob & Norm Show

http://www.fakenews.net/archive/impressions/i/norm_meets_dole_96_11_16_c.jpg http://www.fakenews.net/archive/impressions/i/norm_meets_dole_96_11_16_e.jpg http://www.fakenews.net/archive/impressions/i/norm_meets_dole_96_11_16_f.jpg

Dole: I got a job, uh, answering, uh, phones down at the Red Cross. My wife pulled some strings.

Norm: Wow, tha- that's great! That's great!

Dole: Well, that's not brain surgery, you know. [picks up imaginary phone] "Hello, Red Cross. How may Bob Dole direct your call?"

― Pleasant Plains (Pleasant Plains), Tuesday, 7 September 2004 17:00 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

Jack Kemp, dead at 73.

― •--• --- --- •--• (Pleasant Plains), Sunday, 3 May 2009 02:35 (sixteen years ago)

Our middle school did a mock election in 1996. Bob Dole won about 70% of the votes.

FUCK YOU FARMINGTON MISSOURI

― loaf man (Z S), Sunday, 3 May 2009 02:42 (sixteen years ago)

three years pass...

My sympathies Z S

― Raymond Cummings, Friday, 26 October 2012 04:01 (twelve years ago)

seven years pass...

The Least Important Election of Our Lives

― pplains, Monday, 31 August 2020 18:07 (five years ago)

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