The 1992 Campaign & Debates

An Interview with President Bush

An Interview with President Clinton

An Interview with Vice President
Quayle

An Interview with Admiral Stockdale

MR. LEHRER: Now some voter reaction to the final presidential debate. Throughout the past week we have heard from a group of voters we assembled in New York City to listen to each debate. It's time for their verdicts now on the candidates after all four. They gave them to Charlayne Hunter-Gault right after last night's debate. Among the topics discussed was President Bush's strategy of attack.

DR. WILLIAM EURE, Retired Physician, Republican, Hattiesburg, MS: I think the president was very effective in calling into question his integrity. Gov. Clinton appears to be rehearsed, packaged and presented like a box of soap. I think the president's weakness tonight was the fact that he was -- it was off the cuff. I don't think he spoke from his heart. I think that translated into a weaker performance, but I think that's exactly what we got from Gov. Clinton's performance.

SCOTT MacCORMACK, Computer Consultant, Republican, Denver: The more I hear Bush bring up this issue of trust. The more I don't trust Bush, it seems like that's the only thing he has to hold onto.

ROBIN GANZERT, Accountant, Democrat, Winston-Salem, N.C.: Quite frankly, during Bush's administration you've had the BCCI scandal, you've had savings and loan scandal, you have Iraqgate, you have Irangate, some of the major scandals in this century have rocked our country during the Bush administration. And quite frankly, that shows for me a question of Bush's credibility. Keep in mind I voted for Bush in '88, and there's been a turnaround in these four years for me to go to Clinton's side.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Let's take a look at Perot. I mean, there were a lot of -- well, maybe not a lot, but I did see some suggestions that maybe Perot should have pulled out of this debate and should have let the two Democrat and Republican candidates go at each other. Let's talk about Perot. How did he do? And should he have pulled out? You've been the big Perot person.

ANNE GREER, Real Estate Agent, Republican, Columbus, OH: Well, I think Perot did very well tonight. He presented himself as a man that had substance to his plan, and that he had a workable plan. I mean, he's not sitting there saying, if you elect me president, I'll do this, I'll only go this far. He's saying, this is what we all have to do.

DR. WILLIAM EURE: If Ross Perot had not pulled out in July and had not chosen Adm. Stockdale as a running mate, he would be a formidable force right now.

JAMBEY CLINKSCALES, Computer Technician, Democrat, New York City: Ross Perot raises the specter of a viable third party in this country. If he had stayed in, I think the polls would be more like 33-33-33 than the way they are now. And for African Americans and people who are out of the main power stream, they need the possibility of a viable third party. So he makes that more realistic again. So for that reason, it's good that he's back in the process.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Let me ask you this. Obviously we have in this room some people who are committed Republicans who are still committed to George Bush, right? Or have you -- has your mind started to change?

DR. WILLIAM EURE: I'm -- at this point in time, Charlayne, I'm intending to vote for George Bush but I am reassessing what Ross Perot offers, and I'll have to decide in the next two weeks if I'm going to change my mind. But right now I'm still going to vote for George Bush.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Jason.

JASON CONLEY, College Student, Republican, Wake Forest University: Still going to vote for Bush.

STEPHEN HERRING, Substitute Teacher, Republican, Hattiesburg, MS: I feel the same way. Perot made some good points tonight. And I have never even considered him up to this point, but he said some things tonight that -- like Scott said, I thought he won the debate.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Is there anybody who -- here whose mind was made up that this debate may have changed a bit, or has it pushed any of you into a definitive position, Martha?

MARTHA MacCORMACK, Teacher, Democrat, Denver: I guess I'm back to where I was after the other debate when I said I'm confused. Perot is saying some things that intrigue me. I'm young. I can afford to take a risk. I would like to see the nation come back to its people. I would like to see a future where my husband and I can start a family and feel good about not having to spend 18 years hoping that we raise enough thousands of dollars to send our kids to college. It's a scary world out there. And the only person, the biggest issue for me, even though I'm a teacher, the biggest issue is economy, because without an economy, no matter what education you have, you can't get what you need to survive. And Perot is the only one who his giving me a viable economic base to think about for my future.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: What do you think, Scott? I know you --

SCOTT MacCORMACK: I have just the opposite problem of what you suggested. Rather than this getting things clearer, if anything, it tightened it up for me.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: In what way?

SCOTT MacCORMACK: Coming into tonight I think I was probably as - - I sort of scored it out and Clinton had a pretty good lead when I looked at all the issues and rated him. And as I said, I thought Bush did a little better tonight. And so it tightened up with Clinton still in the lead. But if I look at the whole debates, Perot has come from way out in left field for me and come into it, and is a tight viable candidate for me right now.

ALLEN RAMSAY, Graduate Student, Independent, Wake Forest University: I would say that I'm as confused as Scott and Martha, that I'm having trouble -- having trouble between -- picking between, you know, untrustworthy and ineffective. I, you know, and I include Perot in that. I don't think Perot can work within the bureaucracy of government. I really don't know at this point what I'll do.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: What's it going to take?

ALLEN RAMSAY: Closing the curtain behind me on my way into the booth.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Jambey Clinkscales, you've been leaning towards Clinton but --

JAMBEY CLINKSCALES: Yeah, but, and the reason that I've been hesitant is that I feel that the Democratic success this year has been because they have distanced themselves from the labor unions and from African American concerns, and they have gone out after the Southern Reagan Democrats, and have been trying to bring them back into the party. And they've been effective to do that, and they've also created the Clinton Republicans. And in doing that, he has shown that he really doesn't want to go too far towards the issues that concern me. So that was where my hesitancy has been, but, this weekend, he showed up at a -- at a Baptist church in Detroit with Ron Brown beside him. When he was asked a specific question about when and minorities in his party, he mentioned that he had an African American man as the head of his economic policy and things like that. So he's made at least, verbally, some movement towards the issues that concern me, erasing some of my doubt.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Gwen Clinkscales.

GWEN CLINKSCALES, Teacher, Independent, New York City: I -- I'm - - right now, as I said the last time, I'm for Clinton by default. I still think that Perot, although these issues are very interesting and it was exciting to hear about them and for covert things to come out in the open, but I just after listening to Adm. Stockdale, the person that he's picked to run with him, I just could not stand behind Perot. So I'm with Clinton by default.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Let me just ask you, Jason, I mean, was your mind open to change, and could Clinton have done anything to have changed your mind, or were you going to be --

JASON CONLEY: Clinton would have presented a viable way of -- of paying for his program if he would have -- if he would have said that he would have spent -- been spending less money and taxing less, then, yes, I would have voted for Clinton because there are some things that Bush has done in the past that have upset me. But I am picking the lesser of two evils, three evils.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: All right, folks. This is the last debate. Obviously, there are other factors that are going to enter into your -- some of your minds -- to help you decide -- those of you who haven't decided -- but let me just take a quick poll now around the room, not your own personal inclinations, but just what you think in your gut. Dr. Eure, who's going to be president on November 4th?

DR. WILLIAM EURE: Bill Clinton.

MARTHA MacCORMACK: I would say Bill Clinton.

SCOTT MacCORMACK: Clinton.

ANNE GREER: I don't know. It's going to be Clinton or Perot.

JASON CONLEY: Unless Perot surges in the polls and divides the anti-Bush vote, I would have to say, alas, Bill Clinton.

ALLEN RAMSAY: Clinton.

ROBIN GANZERT: Clinton.

JAMBEY CLINKSCALES: Clinton, but closer than the polls show now.

GWEN CLINKSCALES: Bill Clinton.

STEPHEN HERRING: Clinton.

MS. HUNTER-GAULT: Well, that was very interesting, as has been all of your analysis throughout this ten-day period. Thank you so much for joining us, for taking this exercise seriously, and I know that you will take what you do on November 3 seriously as well. Thank you again for joining us. And good luck on your way back home.