Bill Clinton's presidency had been largely successful, but scandals such as the Monica Lewinsky affair late in his second term hurt Clinton's reputation and caused him to lose some of his supporters. For the Vice President, Al Gore, this would prove a problem in one of the closest elections ever. There was never much doubt who the Democrats would nominate in 2000, choosing Al Gore, the sitting Vice President, to carry the banner, choosing Senator Joe Liebermann of Connecticut to run as vice president. As for Republicans, close to 10 candidates lined up to challenge Gore. The frontrunners were Texas Governor George W. Bush and Senator John McCain of Arizona. Even though McCain managed to win a couple of primaries, Bush proved to be the more conservative candidate and the Republicans nominated Bush to run against Gore. Former Defense Secretary Richard Cheney was chosen to run for vice president. Heading into the campaign season, Bush and the Republicans challenged Gore on Clinton's scandals and criticizing some the administration's military affairs in Somalia and the Balkans. Bush promised to restore dignity to the White House after the Clinton sex scandals, much the same way Jimmy Carter promised to restore honor to the White House after Watergate. Gore tried to distance himself from Clinton, largely due to the scandals, which probably hurt Gore with die-hard Clinton supporters. Gore also challenged Bush on competence and questioned if he could really handle being president. The nation's map on election day told the story of where the political lines had been drawn, with Bush carrying the entire South, Midwest, and some of the upper Northwest. Gore managed to win almost all of New England and the West Coast. Even though Bush won 10 more states than Gore, Gore managed to win some of the large electoral vote states, such as New York and California. The one state in question, and would later prove vital in the electoral college, was Florida, whose votes were in question. In Palm Beach County specifically, outdated voting machines reportedly caused confusion for some voters, saying they thought they were voting for Gore but instead they voted for Bush. Since Florida's vote was too close to call, it seemed chaos may break out. Eventually, after recounts and court decisions, the votes were awarded to Bush, giving him a 271-266 win in the electoral college. However, in the popular vote, Gore won by almost 500,000 votes, or a percentage point. But in election history, this was not the only election in which the winner in the electoral college lost the popular vote. It also happened in 1876 and 1888, in which the candidate who won the Presidency did not win a higher percentage of popular votes than the loser. When the dust settled, Bush started off his term quite well, and America was running smooth, and Bush enjoyed a high approval rating. On September 11, 2001, just 9 months into office, terrorists attacked New York and Washington, D.C., killing close to 4,000 Americans. In what is likely the worst attack ever, America was totally caught off guard, and the world would never be the same. Soon after, Bush ordered the military into Afghanistan, where it is believed most of the terrorists work from, including Osama Bin-Laden. In 2003, Bush went before the nation and told the citizens that Iraq, under Saddam Hussein, had weapons of mass destruction, and he needed to be taken out before he could use them to harm others. After an invasion of Iraq, Hussein was eventually captured and executed, though any proof of WMD's has been highly controversial. Bush also managed to pass tax cuts and reform some programs at home as well, as Republicans won many seats in the 2002 mid-term elections, especially in the House. Campaign items from this election are very common and readily available. Bush-Cheney pins and Gore-Liebermann buttons can be found in many places, and most for under $5. Being such a recent election, the only items of real value are ones that were very limited in number or specific event buttons. I have pictured some of my most favorite items from this campaign, mostly Bush buttons, and a debate pin from Winston-Salem, NC.
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