8. Don’t Shoot Yourself in the Foot
Just a year before incumbent President George H. W. Bush was to lock horns with his Democratic opponent Bill Clinton for the 1992 presidential elections, his approval rating was very high. However, by the time the election came around the American public began to focus more on domestic policies, most the failing economy. Suddenly, this elite New England Republican was not exactly seen as a ‘man of the people.’
The younger candidate from a humble background in Arkansas not only played to that strength but the power of television and what NOT to do on it would help secure his victory. Candidates plowing their political wares on TV is now an important and ubiquitous part of the campaign trail and while Bill Clinton talked with an audience member during the country’s first town-hall debate in 1992, Bush did the unthinkable. He looked at his watch.
