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===// The 1988 Election- After 153 years a Vice President would be running. Senator Robert Dole and Pat Robertson challenged former Vice President George H. W. Bush. Bush chose Senator J. Danforth Quayle as his running mate. Democrats found more than a half dozen candidates who were eager to challenge Bush. Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis and Reverend Jesse Jackson led the group. Jesse Jackson got huge support from the African Americans. The 1988 contest played itself out on the television. The short films showed the candidates appearance and manner. The short films didn't show any of the serious issues. On election day Bush received 53 percent of the popular vote to Dukakis's 46 percent. // ===

===//The New President- When Bush came to the White House he also brought along a wide range of experience. He won a medal for Bravery in World War II as a pilot. He started a successful oil business in Texas. He served as a member of congress, ambassador, and as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Bush told the people that he would not follow the old ideas and attitudes of the Reagan era. Bush promised the people a kinder, gentler nation. Bush always acted with caution. he stressed a moderate course.// ===  === //Drugs, Education, and the Environment- President bush had spoken out strongly on the spread of illegal drugs. he appointed William Bennett to be a special "drug czar" to oversee the nation's war on drugs. In 1989, Bush called a conference of the nation's governs to set goals for education. He made it clear that to put these standards in affect the schools were going to have to raise money. Bush also appointed William Reilly as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. The new regulations were the first to be passed since the Carter years. Nuclear wastes posed a special threat to the environment. When Bush took office 17 of these Nuclear Plants were closed. They estimated that about $200 million might be the cost of cleaning up and repairing the plants, but as of yet no solution has been found.// ===  === //The Savings and Loan Crisis- Rash of savings bank failures put even more pressure on the nation's finances. They were basically loans for Americans who were buying homes. The government insured the deposits in S&Ls to encourage people to save money//. They have been doing this since the times of Franklin Roosevelt. Many S&Ls went out of business because they were so much in debt they couldn't loan anything to the people. Still some S&Ls made huge profits. Then the Bush administration set up a federal agency to take over the failed banks, sell them, or sell off their assets. Reagan and Congress was criticized and blamed for the collapse. By the 1990s, the collapse of many S&Ls had weakened the nation's banking system in general. ===

=== //Reducing the Deficit- The crisis with the savings and loans added to the growing deficit in the federal budget. They decided to either cut spending or raise more money. George Bush vowed to the people that he would not raise taxes no matter what they had to do to fix the situation. The "capital gains" tax cut would stimulate the economy. Democrats thought differently, that this would only benefit rich investors. After bargaining on what to do they finally came up with a plan to increase taxes on cigarettes, alcohol, and gasoline. This cut spending in many areas.// ===

===//The Election of 1990- The new budget plan had really reduced the deficit. This was good for the government and Congress. The people started to become mad. Mad because it seemed like the President and Congress wasn't doing what they were suppose to. They had difficult decisions to make and it seemed like neither one of them could make them, so the people started very getting upset. The people reelected most Congress members but with little enthusiasm. With the economy heading into a recession, political leaders faced an angry public. //===

=== //Flags and Supreme Court- Bush became angry with the Supreme Court decisions. They made it where if you burned and American flag it was a crime. then justices said that burning the flag was just another form of free speech. This was protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution. Bush didn't like this so he called for a new amendment that allowed the states to outlaw defacing the flag. This issue was a made a heated debate. Supporters said that burning the flag was a insult to the nation not free speech. Opponents replied it was more important to protect basic freedoms than symbols. Different cases involving race, sex discrimination, abortion, and the death penalty have divided liberal and conservative Justices on the Court. David Souter joined the Supreme Court in 1990. //===