1996 Clinton VS. Dole

"The Threat"

Transcript

Museum of the Moving Image
The Living Room Candidate
"The Threat," Dole, 1996


FEMALE NARRATOR: Thirty years ago, the biggest threat to her was nuclear war. Today the threat is drugs. Teenage drug use has doubled in the last four years. What's been done? Clinton cut the Office of National Drug Control Policy by 83 percent. And his own Surgeon General even considered legalizing drugs. Bill Clinton said he'd lead the war on drugs and change America. All he did was change his mind. America deserves better.

Credits

"The Threat," Dole Kemp '96, 1996

Original air date: 08/26/96

From Museum of the Moving Image, The Living Room Candidate: Presidential Campaign Commercials 1952-2012.
www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1996/the-threat (accessed May 28, 2025).

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1996 Clinton Dole Results

Thanks to a robust economy and the absence of divisive foreign-policy issues in the presidential election, Bill Clinton enjoyed a relatively trouble-free ride on his way to becoming the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be elected to a second full term. Clinton’s victory represented an impressive political comeback. In 1994, Republicans had won control of both houses. Wielding enormous influence, House Speaker Newt Gingrich had forged the Republicans' "Contract with America," a conservative legislative agenda. During intense budget battles between the president and Congress, the federal government was shut down twice. Clinton blamed this on the Republicans, which enabled him to position himself in the center and portray the Republicans as extremists. The Clinton campaign repeatedly linked his opponent Bob Dole to Gingrich, while championing mainstream causes such as the Family Leave Act, college tuition credits, and a ratings system for television. Dole tried, without much success, to use the "character issue" to his advantage. Yet the public showed little interest in Clinton scandals such as "Whitewater," "Filegate," and "Travelgate," and allegations of campaign-finance abuse.

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