What was the white man's problem with Clinton in 96?

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

He didn't even get 40% nationwide, and had we been the only voters, it would have been a 400+ electoral vote blowout. I know this is the most Republican voting demographic, but my question is still: why?

1.Crime was a big issue for the gop in the 80s, Clinton was for the death penalty, and received a police endorsement.

2.Welfare has always hurt the democrats, Clinton went out of his way to be moderate on this issue, and even signed reforms a few months before the election.

3.Taxes were a big issue, but Clinton campaigned on a capital gains cut.

4.Defense was not really an issue in the 90s.

5.Most importantly, the economy was much better than in 92.

What happened?

[Lief 🗽]

Republican-leaning voters will always pick the real Republican over the faux-Republican.

[phk]

If White turnout had been higher it would have been more favorable to Bill.

[Stranger in a strange land]

a bunch of reasons, but what it really boils down to is that it was the era of the angry white male, and probably the height of the culture wars.

almost as importantly, the election result was widely thought to be a foregone conclusion, so a lot of soft voters on both sides didn't turn out. Hardcore Clinton haters turned out in droves though, and as a result he significantly underperformed. Still, there weren't enough of them for the Republicans to win.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

I wonder of Hillary would have gotten less of this vote than Obama. He got 41%, and at the very most I see her getting around 44%, no more.

[Nicodeme Depape]

Everything you just listed just reinforces my hate of Bill.

.... And yet I support his wife. xD

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

1992

1996

2004

2008

Some interesting transitions here.

[Barack Hussian YO MAMA!!!!]

1992

1996

2004

2008

Some interesting transitions here.

thats only among white men right,intresting, I think as somebody said before that was still part of an era where the angry white male was dominate, there was an irrational hatred of bill Clinton back then even though in many way's  he was conservative.  sadly I think there will also be a widespread irrational angry white male hatred of barrack obama, for obvious reasons time will tell if he will survive it the way Clinton did.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

I've always wondered what the hell the point in nominating Clinton was. He ws supposed to be a more conservative democrat that could appeal to moderates and lite dems, but he somehow pissed off the conservative crowd more than mondale and dukakis ever did.

[phk]

I've always wondered what the hell the point in nominating Clinton was. He ws supposed to be a more conservative democrat that could appeal to moderates and lite dems, but he somehow pissed off the conservative crowd more than mondale and dukakis ever did.

The other 2 didn't win.

[Scam of God]

I've always wondered what the hell the point in nominating Clinton was. He ws supposed to be a more conservative democrat that could appeal to moderates and lite dems, but he somehow pissed off the conservative crowd more than mondale and dukakis ever did.

To be blunt, it was a stupid strategy. The South will always, always coalesce around the more socially conservative of the two parties; the Democrats would have been better off nominating an economically libertarian, socially liberal Western candidate, to begin making inroads in the mountain West and "Whistling Past Dixie", ala Theodore Roosevelt in 1904. Clinton was economically conservative enough to appeal to some of these voters, but culturally he was worlds away.

[LanceMcSteel]

White men, Southern one's especially are a generally xenophobic reactionary bunch who wouldn't dare vote Democratic due to them being the Party of African Americans, Feminists and other minority groups. Their fierce desire to maintain the system of white privilege will leave them bitter old men, voting straight ticket GOP until the day they die.

Not even a pragmatic centrist Democratic with a booming economy, peaceful international situation and pandering to the right wing could win their vote, which says how stupid most white men are.

[LBJ Revivalist]

My dad was an ''angry white man'' but voted for Clinton twice.

[Bo]

Whites typically vote more Republican than the nation as a whole. I'm guessing many white people opposed Clinton's stances on many wedge issues (such as abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc.) and thus decided not to vote for him, since Clinton was essential a Republican in terms of economics.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Whites typically vote more Republican than the nation as a whole. I'm guessing many white people opposed Clinton's stances on many wedge issues (such as abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc.) and thus decided not to vote for him, since Clinton was essential a Republican in terms of economics.

Clinton was against gay marriage and signed the Defense of Marriage Act. He opposed gay marriage on a federal level, which is about as conservative as you can get.

Clinton did very well with white women, who are more likely to vote on issues like abortion, so I don't think that explains white men.

[Bo]

Whites typically vote more Republican than the nation as a whole. I'm guessing many white people opposed Clinton's stances on many wedge issues (such as abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc.) and thus decided not to vote for him, since Clinton was essential a Republican in terms of economics.

Clinton was against gay marriage and signed the Defense of Marriage Act. He opposed gay marriage on a federal level, which is about as conservative as you can get.

Clinton did very well with white women, who are more likely to vote on issues like abortion, so I don't think that explains white men.

I guess I wasn't specific enough. I meant Clinton was pro-gay rights, which unfortunately many voters oppose. I still think many white men voted against Clinton because they oppose abortion, gay rights, affirmative action, or some other of Clinton's policies.

[segwaystyle2012]

Whites typically vote more Republican than the nation as a whole. I'm guessing many white people opposed Clinton's stances on many wedge issues (such as abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc.) and thus decided not to vote for him, since Clinton was essential a Republican in terms of economics.

Clinton was against gay marriage and signed the Defense of Marriage Act. He opposed gay marriage on a federal level, which is about as conservative as you can get.

Clinton did very well with white women, who are more likely to vote on issues like abortion, so I don't think that explains white men.

I guess I wasn't specific enough. I meant Clinton was pro-gay rights, which unfortunately many voters oppose. I still think many white men voted against Clinton because they oppose abortion, gay rights, affirmative action, or some other of Clinton's policies.

DOMA and DADT are very pro-gay.

[#CriminalizeSobriety]

wouldn't DADT be the more liberal proposal at the time? i think he gets lambasted for DADT because it "didn't go far enough."I could be wrong though.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Whites typically vote more Republican than the nation as a whole. I'm guessing many white people opposed Clinton's stances on many wedge issues (such as abortion, gay marriage, affirmative action, etc.) and thus decided not to vote for him, since Clinton was essential a Republican in terms of economics.

Clinton was against gay marriage and signed the Defense of Marriage Act. He opposed gay marriage on a federal level, which is about as conservative as you can get.

Clinton did very well with white women, who are more likely to vote on issues like abortion, so I don't think that explains white men.

I guess I wasn't specific enough. I meant Clinton was pro-gay rights, which unfortunately many voters oppose. I still think many white men voted against Clinton because they oppose abortion, gay rights, affirmative action, or some other of Clinton's policies.

Affirmative action and gay rights have been bringing the Democrats down amongst white men since the 70s, so I guess you're right on that. But white women are much more likely to vote on the issue of abortion, at least from my experiences.

[minionofmidas]

The thread makes it very clear how far we've come on gay rights in the past two decades.

Clinton received death threats over DADT. Including one by a sitting Senator. But none from the left.

Oh, and Clinton never inhaled, remember? You sure he was oh so far away from those Californians? He was the first Democrat they voted for in ages.