In 1988, Vice President George Bush used the escape of Horton, a convicted murderer out on furlough in Massachusetts, to pound Democratic presidential nominee Michael Dukakis. Crime was hot in 1988, and the GOP used it to ride back into the White House for four more years. Click here for the larger picture A nationwide poll this week found voters are seriously considering the impact their vote today will have on the future shape of the court.
Republicans are for tougher penalties.
The court issue often serves as a surrogate for the ongoing nationwide debate over abortion. I think abortion should be outlawed. Democrats' views are just as strong. Again, the survey found widely diverging views. At one point, Vice President Gore and the Democrats were expected to make gun control a cutting-edge issue against Governor Bush.