Comeback Kid Faces New Challenges

Bill Clinton said the election was about change. George Bush said it was about trust. Ross Perot said it was about the economy. In the end, all three were right, and the American people made Clinton the 42nd President of the United States.

To the very end, polls showed Clinton still struggling to prove to the American people that he could be trusted. But such concerns were not enough to outweigh the reigning sentiment that the President had lost touch with the nation he governed.

Clinton will likely have more success than Bush in implementing his agenda, particularly with the solid Democratic makeup of the new Congress. The only question is how strong a mandate Clinton will carry from the American people.

Clinton became the first president since Richard M. Nixon to win without obtaining a majority of popular votes last night.

But other key factors may strengthen his mandate. Clinton won states in all parts of the country and, most critically, in states that by traditional standards Bush should have won like New Hampshire and Louisiana.

And the Arkansas Governor showed strongly in all demographic groups, gaining support from women and minorities, from the cities and the suburbs.

Perhaps most importantly, the clear lines drawn between the status quo and the alternative in yesterday's election will boost Clinton's charge for change.

Clinton was successful because he--with the unrequested help of independent Ross Perot--turned the election into a national referendum on the state of America.

In many ways, Clinton can add to his electoral mandate all of Perot's votes; while it is true many Perot voters disliked Clinton, their clearest message was a rejection of the existing Bush administration. Clinton carries that torch for them.

Exit polls showed that nearly 80 percent of voters thought the economy was poor or not good. Two-thirds disapproved of Bush's handling of the economy.

The message to Clinton is simple, like the placard in the conference room at his Little Rock campaign headquarters: "It's the economy, stupid."

Clinton now faces the challenges the task of pushing his campaign proposals through congress. Clinton has pledged to present much of his economic plan to congress in his first 100 days.

And his strong showing in the polls will likely help him to push through many of those goals although the democratic congress could drag its heals on several issues.

The president elect's proposals for a middle class tax cut will likely be stalled by congress unless Clinton can convince legislators that the revenue can be made up by tax hikes on the wealthy.

Congress will also be skeptical of Clinton's proposed payroll tax but should be more receptive to his call for investment tax credits for business which will create jobs.