ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060017
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune
Bill Clinton sailed to victory Tuesday and became the first Democrat to win back-to-back terms in the White House in more than half a century.
Clinton's re-election capped a stunning comeback from the political humiliation dealt him midway through his first term, when voters rebuffed his leadership by granting Republicans control of Congress.
``We've got a bridge to build, and I'm ready if you are,'' Clinton said in a victory speech that reflected the slogan of his campaign. ``Today the American people have spoken. They have affirmed our course. They have told us to go forward.''
Clinton said he had spoken to Dole and thanked him for his service to the country and ``for the work we did together for the common cause of America.''
``I am more grateful than I can say,'' Clinton said. ``You have given me an opportunity and a responsibility that comes to few people. I will do my best. And together we will - we will - build that bridge to the 21st century.''
Shortly before Clinton's address, a gracious Dole conceded defeat, telling a vocal crowd in a Washington, D.C., hotel ballroom that he had pledged his support to Clinton.
Declaring that he had never been prouder than to be the Republican nominee, Dole insisted, ``I am still the most optimistic man in America.''
Dole concluded his final political campaign by saying, ``So I leave you all tonight with a full heart and a fervent prayer that we will meet again and we will meet often in this land where miracles are always happening, where every day is a new beginning and every life a blessing from God.''
Four years ago, it was a weak economy that enabled Clinton to beat George Bush. This year, it was a strong economy, leading to voter contentment, that gave Clinton the strength to overcome other, personal vulnerabilities.
Even so, more than half of voters said the president was not honest, according to a survey of voters leaving the polls, and half of Clinton's own supporters said they had reservations about voting for him.
Both Republican Bob Dole and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot tried to profit from those misgivings, raising questions about the president's character and suggesting that he was not fit to occupy the White House.
In the end, though, voters said overwhelmingly that issues were more important to them than character, and that it was Clinton, not Dole or Perot, who shared more of their views.
``His greatest accomplishment was his management of the economy, and his reduction of the deficit without seriously reducing any major social programs,'' said Susan Thompson, 47, a tax accountant in St. Paul, Minn., who voted for Clinton.
At 50, Clinton becomes the youngest president ever to win a second term.
His re-election prevented Dole, at 73, from becoming the oldest man ever to win a first term.
Clinton swept past Dole in the Electoral College vote. He improved on his share of the popular vote Tuesday night over four years ago but was still running short of the 50 percent figure he had hoped to achieve to claim a mandate for his second term. Failing to break the 50 percent threshold would make Clinton the first two-time plurality president since Woodrow Wilson.
Exit polls showed him ultimately winning 49 percent to Dole's 41 percent, with Perot getting 8 percent.
Clinton spent Election Day in Little Rock, Ark., voting with daughter Chelsea by his side as he wrapped up a whirlwind week in which he crisscrossed the country stumping for himself and congressional candidates. The president brunched with a friend, then waited in his hotel for election results to roll in.
Dole voted in his hometown of Russell, Kan., before boarding a plane for Washington. ``We've done the best we could. We worked hard,'' he said. ``And I must say, I voted for myself.''
In many ways, Clinton was an unlikely Democrat to become the first since Franklin Roosevelt to win a second term. From the start, his administration was embroiled in disputes over personal foibles and public behavior.
Now, his second term is destined to be marred by continuing investigations into the Whitewater real-estate deal in Arkansas, the administration's use of FBI files, the dismissal of the White House travel staff and campaign fund-raising.
The president won a second term by scaling back the type of big-ticket items he promised when he ran for his first. Throughout his campaign, he tried to convey to voters a sense of optimism and security.
Now, he will move forward with his more recent, modest plans to continue working toward a balanced budget, cleaning up the environment and improving education standards. This year, Clinton issued a number of small proposals, including the creation of tax breaks for college tuition and for businesses that hire welfare recipients.
Nonetheless, many voters, even Clinton supporters, are looking ahead to a second term with trepidation. More than half the voters who responded to exit polls said they were either scared or concerned about a second term; less than half said they were excited or optimistic.
The key issue on voters' minds Tuesday was the economy and jobs. One-fifth of voters listed that as their top priority; of those, nearly three out five went for Clinton.
Indeed, more than half the voters polled after casting their ballots said they thought the country was ``on the right track,'' a message drummed by Clinton at almost every campaign stop.
Women were particularly instrumental in Clinton's triumph. While men split the bulk of their votes fairly evenly between Clinton and Dole, women - the majority of voters - threw their support overwhelmingly to Clinton, exit polls showed. Blacks and Hispanics also voted for the president in high numbers.
Clinton won among Catholics, voters earning less than $50,000 a year, those who identified themselves as liberals or moderates, those who say they are better off financially than they were four years ago and those who think the country is on the right track.
Dole received solid support from men, voters making more than $75,000 a year, Asian Americans, Protestants and those who like the GOP Congress he once was a part of. He also received the largest share of votes from people who supported Perot four years ago - winning over almost twice as many as Perot himself.
The Washington Post contributed to this story.
LENGTH: Long : 119 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP. 1. President Clinton, daughter Chelsea, Hillaryby CNBClinton and Vice President Al Gore greet an election-night rally in
Little Rock, Ark. (ran in Metro edition). 2. President Bill Clinton
leaves the Union Train Station with Hillary and Chelsea after voting
in Little Rock, Ark., Tuesday. (ran in New River edition). color. 2
color maps. KEYWORDS: ELECTION