The crucial final three weeks in the race for the presidency were kicked off at Washington University Sunday, Oct. 11. With the world watching, all the preparations, security, media and audience came together at 6 p.m. in the Athletic Complex Field House to see who would be the winner.
During the debate, President George Bush, Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton and independent candidate Ross Perot addressed topics ranging from patriotism to military conversion. In one of the more spirited exchanges of the evening, Bush questioned Clinton's judgment in organizing anti-war demonstrations "on foreign soil" during the Vietnam War. "I just think it's wrong," Bush said.
Clinton countered by charging that attacks on his patriotism were similar to the red-baiting tactics by former Sen. Joseph McCarthy, R-Wis., in the 1950s. Clinton said Bush's father, the late Sen. Prescott Bush, R-Conn., "stood up" to McCarthy. Then, looking directly at the president, Clinton continued, "Your father was right to stand up to Joe McCarthy and you were wrong to attack my patriotism."
For most of the debate, Perot and Clinton took turns attacking the policies of the Bush and Reagan administrations. Bush frequently responded with the phrase "tax and spend" as he compared Clinton's proposed policies to those of former President Jimmy Carter, former Vice President Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis, the Democrat who unsuccessfully ran for president in 1988. Bush also stressed his experience in the international arena and often spoke about America's victory in the "Cold War."
Meanwhile, Clinton emphasized the need for change. "I offer a new direction," he told the audience. "I want the future of this country to be as bright and brilliant as its past and it can be if we have the courage to change."
But the president warned against change for its own sake. He said the election "is about trust and character" and asked for another four years "to finish the job."
Perot, on the other hand, depicted himself as an individual who can get things done. He said too many plans have been proposed in Washington. What the government needs is more action -- even if it is unpopular -- and less talk, he said. He also warned that "a period of shared sacrifice" would be necessary. "I'm not playing Lawrence Welk music tonight," he said.
Displaying folksy humor and wit throughout the debate, Perot even poked fun at himself. Referring to his proposed plan to introduce a 50-cent-a-gallon tax on gasoline over five years, he said, "I know it's not popular ... If there's a fairer way, I'm all ears."
Perot's argument for votes occurred when he responded to a question about his lack of political experience. "I don't have any experience in running up a $4 trillion debt," he said. "I don't have any experience in gridlock government where nobody takes responsibility for anything and everybody blames everybody else."
Bush's recent proposal to sell F-15 Eagles to Saudi Arabia, positively affecting many McDonnell Douglas Corp. workers, also was discussed during the debate. Panelist John Mashek of the Boston Globe quoted a question in the Oct. 11 St. Louis Post-Dispatch from 75-year-old Marjorie Roberts, a retired saleswoman from Kirkwood, Mo. Roberts wanted to know how much the candidates were willing to convert from the military budget to peacetime manufacturing.
Bush said his administration already had a retraining program. But Clinton said the program was ineffective, because 200,000 people in California alone were out of work due to the fact that the defense budget had been cut without effective planning for displaced workers.