Clinton Whispered, But Voters Roared

A race that was supposedly tightening turned to solid victory

HE LOST HIS VOICE BUT WON JUST ABOUT EVERYthing else. On Sunday morning, speaking in Cincinnati, Bill Clinton could manage only 21 seconds of half whisper, half gasp; even on Tuesday night, making his victory speech, he still sounded strained and hoarse. It hardly mattered. By then the voters had spoken, and the election that briefly looked close had become anything but.

Clinton's plurality in the popular vote, 43% -- vs. 38% for George Bush and 19% for Ross Perot -- was solid rather than spectacular. But his victory nonetheless was sweeping. Geographically, the Arkansas Governor showed enough strength in every...

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