🚀 go-pugleaf

mspayer@pbhya.PacBell.COM (Mike Payer) writes:

>When you combine the votes for Bush and Perot 57% of the American people
>voted against Bill Clinton.

>Question has any other President since, say FDR, ever won the Presidency 
>when more than 50% of the electorate voted against him?

Yes, Richard Nixon received only 44% of the popular vote in 1968.
Reagan received a majority in 1980, but barely.  (50.7%)  JFK did
not get a majority either.  It's actually very common when a strong
3rd candidate is in the race.  

There are a few positives for Clinton:

1) According to polls, he would have received 53% of the popular
vote if Perot hadn't been in the race

2) His support was strong in all regions of the country


>It would seem to me that Mr Clinton will have a problem in that he does
>not come to Washington with a mandate to govern. ( comments )

A "mandate" is what you make it.  Not getting a majority did not
bother Wilson, JFK, or Nixon.


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Randall Rhea                                        Informix Software, Inc. 
Project Manager, MIS Sales/Marketing Systems    uunet!pyramid!infmx!randall