1988, Bush vs. Dukakis: Character Assassinations

As Barack Obama fends off attacks on everything from his foreign policy to the color of his suits, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney defends his religion and fights his way through a crowded Republican primary to secure the GOP nomination. As the 2012 election takes shape, both sides see a narrow path to victory. In the midst of the divisive campaign, a New York businessman turned reality television star helps reignite an old conspiracy theory in an effort to deprive Obama of a second term.  *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New York Senator and former First Lady Hillary Clinton enters the 2008 election as the presumptive favorite to win the Democratic nomination. But Barack Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, creates a groundswell in the Party and leaves Clinton behind. To win the White House, Obama must overcome racist attacks from both sides, conspiracy theories about his birth, and a veteran Republican senator: John McCain. But as George W. Bush’s presidency comes to an end, an impending financial crisis leaves the Republican party vulnerable and threatens John McCain’s prospects for victory. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As President George W. Bush navigates the challenges of his first year in office, he is confronted by one of the gravest, most horrific tragedies ever to reach American shores. But Bush’s response to 9/11 puts his presidency under fire. In the wake of the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan, Bush’s decision to go to war with Iraq costs him politically, and it leads the Democrats to look for a war hero candidate to lead them through a wartime election: Massachusetts Senator John Kerry. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Bill Clinton’s tenure as president coming to an end, Vice President Al Gore takes up the mantle for the Democrats. Gore tries to distance himself from the Clinton scandals while Republicans look to the son of a former president to get them back into the White House. In November of 2000, Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush find themselves embroiled in one of the most controversial presidential elections in modern history. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bill Clinton bounces back from early problems in his presidency and looks to become the first two-term Democratic president since Franklin Roosevelt. To stop him, Republicans turn to Senator Bob Dole and try to conjure images of a glorious American past that only they can bring back. But Dole won’t be the Democrats’ biggest problem: with re-election on the line, Bill and Hillary Clinton will find themselves at the center of multiple scandals. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President George H.W. Bush tries to shore up his Republican coalition and offer the American people a clear picture of what a second Bush term will look like. Meanwhile, in the South, a young saxophone-playing Democratic governor from Arkansas and an Independent Texas businessman will make a second term for Bush seem like an impossibility. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vice President George H. W. Bush is Ronald Reagan’s heir apparent. But in order to defeat Democratic nominee Michael Dukakis, Bush must embrace Reagan’s conservatism, get the best of a respected primary challenger named Bob Dole, and escape the shadow of what many call the biggest political scandal since Watergate. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a Republican-controlled Senate and a clear mandate from the American people, Ronald Reagan sets out to show American strength abroad and to reduce the role of “big government” at home. The idea that his political future will ever be in question seems impossible, but a widening wealth gap and a lone gunman’s bullet will threaten his first term and his prospects for re-election. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Jimmy Carter fights to keep the White House in a trial by fire of domestic recession and international turmoil. Carter defends his presidency against the rise of a softer, more approachable brand of conservatism embodied by the skillful optimism and powerful charisma of Republican nominee Ronald Reagan. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Nixon gets caught up in the biggest presidential scandal in American History, he enlists the help of a man with unimpeachable character: Gerald R. Ford Jr. In the wake of Watergate, Ford becomes the only man to ever be appointed to the presidency. In his reelection bid for an office he was never elected to, Ford must prove himself worthy of his party’s nomination and fight off a Washington outsider: Georgia Democrat Jimmy Carter. *** To listen to the entire series—all 59 episodes—right now and ad-free, become a subscriber at IntoHistory.com, a channel of history podcasts made just for history lovers like you. Enjoy ad-free listening, early releases, bonus content and more, only available at IntoHistory.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices