From the archives…
A newspaper story:
Flags are still flying along the neat blocks of bungalows on the border of Cleveland and Euclid. Shops still carry signs urging all who pass to “support our troops.”And for the moment, at least, George Bush seems to be a part of the patriotic tableau, an ominous sign for the Democrats. Even some who yearn for a stiff challenge to President Bush are hard put to name the Democrats who could provide it.
“He stood up for what I would have done,” said Michael Brewer, a 48-year-old technician in Euclid who did not vote for Mr. Bush in the last Presidential election. Cary Wayne, a 42-year-old executive recruiter, a Democrat who voted for both Ronald Reagan and Mr. Bush, said the President “made me very proud to be an American, not that I wasn’t before.”
…
Interviews with about 20 people in this working-class area found an edginess about the faltering economy, but also the expectation that Mr. Bush would now turn his attention to problems at hoe.
Richard Stegh, 33, who was laid off from his job at a fiberglass products factory, said he understood that the war “had to take a front burner.”
But Mr. Stegh, whose house was decorated with one of the larger flags in the neighborhood, said he hoped that now “things are stable enough in the Middle East that he can start in on unemployment and education.” And the father of two children — “I’m playing Mr. Mom,” he said, watching the children while his wife was at work — had nothing but praise for Mr. Bush.
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The Democrats, Mrs. Barry said, seemed “passive.’
Mike Lynch, a 22-year-old employee of an appliance service shop, said of Mr. Bush: “I think he’s shown his ability to lead. Everything else, I really haven’t thought that much about.”
This is an area where many people are accustomed to voting Democratic in state and local races and Republican for the President. Tim Hagan, a Democrat who is a Cuyahoga County Commissioner, said, “These people are very, very patriotic and would rally to the flag and to the President.” The glow from the war, he said, “has not diminished dramatically.”
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And many people here voiced the discontent with conditions on the the home front.
Ed Savol, a 40-year-old manager of a Sunoco service station who voted for Mr. Bush, said the allied success left a lot of good feelings here. But he was quick to respond when asked what Mr. Bush should be doing now.
“Take care of his own,” Mr. Savol said. “Take care of his own people. Come up with an educational program, a job program. Take care of the people here.”
This excerpt is from an April 4, 1991 New York Times article, following President George H.W. Bush’s wildly popular military success in the Persian Gulf (thanks, Lexis/Nexis!).
Saddam Hussein’s captured. This is an unqualified Good Thing. However, in no way whatsoever does this mean that George W. Bush is guaranteed four more years in office. Remember what happened twelve years ago, and pay attention to the rumblings as discontent with domestic politics begin once again to crowd in on the administration’s foreign policy successes.