Sep 24, 2026 · 46 min · 12 segments
The 1990s began with a recession that helped make the economy central to the 1992 presidential election. What followed was a long expansion, falling unemployment, and eventually federal budget…
No, I think you hit all the, when I think about like, I know we're focused on the 90s and, you know, the 80s portion is I always think about stagflation.
And so is coming out of that, this sort of like long decline back towards what you said is normal.
So in terms of like numbers, yeah.
the beginning of the decade in the 90s is different than the end of the decade.
I guess, I don't know if it's worth focusing on sort of what was happening in those first two years, but I mean, sort of the driver
is.
Yeah, I mean, so unemployment increases a little bit in the first couple of years and then just sort of, slow decline
down to 4% or so.
Well, where I think the big part is that we did have a recession along with the Gulf War.
And, you know, where the economy and politics kind of are tied together with that first Gulf War, George H.W. Bush... probably had the highest approval, I think at that time, had the highest approval rating ever recorded by a U.S. president.
Because
And looked like a year and a half out, looked like it was going to be a shoo-in that he might win the re-election, but the economy was in the first recession basically in a decade.
So what did the peak unemployment rate hit in the early 90s?
A little over seven.
I'm just looking at, I have a chart that has unemployment rates, growth rates, and
inflation
rates.
So a little over seven in like 1992.
Yeah, that was enough though, where in the early 90s, so Bill Clinton- It was Bill Clinton in a weird presidential race.
But Clinton's line in there, that I think it might have been James Carville, who's still a political commentator even to this day, would say, it's the economy, stupid.
That was the entire focus of... of the race.
They, you know, Bill Clinton might be young, but he knows how to think about the economy.
That's why you should elect me.
No, I think you hit all the, when I think about like, I know we're focused on the 90s and, you know, the 80s portion is I always think about stagflation.
And so is coming out of that, this sort of like long decline back towards what you said is normal.
So in terms of like numbers, yeah.
the beginning of the decade in the 90s is different than the end of the decade.
I guess, I don't know if it's worth focusing on sort of what was happening in those first two years, but I mean, sort of the driver
is.
Yeah, I mean, so unemployment increases a little bit in the first couple of years and then just sort of, slow decline
down to 4% or so.
Well, where I think the big part is that we did have a recession along with the Gulf War.
And, you know, where the economy and politics kind of are tied together with that first Gulf War, George H.W. Bush... probably had the highest approval, I think at that time, had the highest approval rating ever recorded by a U.S. president.
Because
And looked like a year and a half out, looked like it was going to be a shoo-in that he might win the re-election, but the economy was in the first recession basically in a decade.
So what did the peak unemployment rate hit in the early 90s?
A little over seven.
I'm just looking at, I have a chart that has unemployment rates, growth rates, and
inflation
rates.
So a little over seven in like 1992.
Yeah, that was enough though, where in the early 90s, so Bill Clinton- It was Bill Clinton in a weird presidential race.
But Clinton's line in there, that I think it might have been James Carville, who's still a political commentator even to this day, would say, it's the economy, stupid.
That was the entire focus of... of the race.
They, you know, Bill Clinton might be young, but he knows how to think about the economy.
That's why you should elect me.
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