|
|
|
|
|
|
Resources |
|
|
|
The Home Stretch
| Article
# : |
14715 |
|
|
Section : |
CURRENT ISSUES
|
| Issue
Date : |
11 / 1988 |
3,474 Words |
| Author
: |
Bill Whalen
Bill Whalen covers the campaign trail for Insight Magazine. |
While the American public was celebrating summer's end with shopping, picnics, or a last trek to the shore, the two presidential tickets spent Labor Day unveiling what lies in store through November 8. And if the holiday sneak preview gives a true picture, the remainder of the presidential campaign boils down to a fight over two states, a regional "belt," and one candidate's personality.
Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis spent the first Monday in September barnstorming across the Rustbelt states of Pennsylvania and Ohio, with an additional stop in the swing state of Missouri. Republican nominee George Bush traveled up and down the coast of California. Dukakis' running mate, Sen. Lloyd Bentsen, spent the day deep in the heart of his native Texas. Bentsen's Republican counterpart, Indiana Sen. Dan Quayle, traveled to New York's Liberty Island where, in the shadow of the Statue of Liberty, he once again assailed Dukakis for vetoing a bill requiring Massachusetts schoolchildren to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
After taking a long look at the dynamics of this election and their candidates' strengths and weaknesses, voters can surely expect to see more of the same style of campaigning until November 8. The Dukakis campaign, for example, spent August looking at polls indicating that the Democratic ticket leads in New York, trails in Texas, and runs even in California. If, indeed, Dukakis trails in Texas—and the conservative Bentsen was chosen to secure Texas' 29 electoral votes—then the Democratic nominee must win most, if not all, of the populous Rustbelt, which includes Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois. The prospects of a clean sweep across the Rustbelt are all the more difficult since Dukakis must also pay attention to
... (1999 of 21214 Characters)
Read Full Article
|
|
