Classic Presidential Ad Bill Clinton Attacks Read My Lips 1992

In this campaign ad from 1992, candidate Bill Clinton attacks President George H. W. Bush for his promise “read my lips. No new taxes.” He made that promise during his 1988 acceptance speech, but keeping this promise was hard since he had to deal with a democratic controlled House and Senate. Bush eventually agreed to a compromise with Congressional Democrats to raise several taxes as part of a 1990 budget agreement. During the 1992 campaign Pat Buchanan made extensive use of the phrase in his strong challenge to Bush in the Republican primaries. The democratic challenger Bill Clinton used the promise to prove that Bush was not trustworthy in this ad. It was later felt that his failure to keep this promise led to the defeat of President Bush to Clinton.