I often bring up the story of how I playfully claim responsibility for Ross Perot’s sudden exit from the US Presidential race in 1992. During my last year in secondary school, some mates and I, under the label of the Anti-fascist Youth League of Virginia, picketed the Perot headquarters in our town. The campaign team responded by inviting us to meet Mr. Perot. However, soon after our meeting, the presidential hopeful, who was leading in the polls, mysteriously withdrew his candidacy. He attributed his decision to potential harmful campaigns by Republicans against his daughter involving manipulated imagery at her wedding. However, we cheekily believe the real cause was his fear of confronting us, the constellation of audacious teenagers.
I once considered this simply a tale of our youthful mischief till Trump’s ascendency made me rethink. Perot was essentially a volatile celebrity billionaire propounding a strident form of populist authoritarianism that resonated with American citizens who felt the country was on a misdirected path. When he made his comeback in the same year’s autumn, Perot clinched nearly 19% of the popular vote—a record figure for a third-party candidate—reflecting a large-scale dissatisfaction with the established political regime.
John Ganz’s phenomenal new book surveys the critical historical period of the early 1990s, which created an environment favourable for the Perot campaign, and he identifies in it threads leading to what is currently known as Trumpism. ‘When the Clock Broke’ is a far-reaching investigation into an overlooked yet enlightening phase in the history of America. His storytelling prowess, deft character creation, and a keen eye for specific, peculiar and often comedic details make it one of the most pleasurable historical readings I have embarked on in some time.
Describing ‘When the Clock Brook
While Ganz artfully captures the spirit of the era, the collective interpretation of the individual portraits remains indistinct at times. In the short run, the mantra ‘it’s the economy, stupid’ worked in favour of Bill Clinton, leading him to a triumphant win in the 1992 election. Yet, the extreme right-wing also capitalised on the bitterness borne from economic turmoil. The cold war served as a disciplining force for conservatives, obliging them to back the significant drive required to overthrow international communism. Nevertheless, the downfall of the Soviet Union reignited older conservative ideologies that aimed to prioritise ‘America first’ by adopting an isolationist foreign policy and asserting the supremacy of white male Christians via xenophobic measures. The cheerful optimism embodied by Reagan, once revealed as deceptive, was supplanted with endeavours to incite a ‘negative unity’ by recognising common enemies or targets for destruction.
“Within the framework of When the Clock Broke, an array of sharply defined depictions are employed to unravel the complexities at the heart of this significant era in history. Ganz masterfully entwines transformations within the American political and socioeconomic landscape and the rise of right-wing icons during this phase through his portraits. While some of the featured individuals could be recognised with ease, others might be less familiar.
These personalities include Pat Buchanan who, in his bid against Bush during the Republican primary, asserted his committment to ‘reclaim our nation’, inclusive of a proposal to erect a wall on the Mexico-US border. Others are David Duke, endowed with a past affiliation with Ku Klux Klan and Nazis, who triumphed in obtaining majority of the white votes (although lost overall) during the US senate and Louisiana gubernatorial races. Additional figures include Rush Limbaugh, the popular yet controversial conservative radio host, joined by Daryl Gates who presided over the Los Angeles Police Department creating a ‘private, unaccountable stronghold’ brimming with racial prejudice. Gates is largely seen as the catalyst for most severe civil unrest that the United Stated has undergone in over a hundred years following the acquittal of LA police officers for assaulting an African American, Rodney King, inspite of clear video evidence supporting their guilt.
While Ganz successfully reflects the spirit of the times, the relation and collective impact of the individual portraits are not consistently apparent. At points, keeping pace with the unfolding timeline can be a challenge. Ganz also seems to underplay the role of resistance to feminism and LGBTQ rights in stoking the flame of right wing politics. Additionally, while he clearly takes an interest in understanding the root cause of our present predicament, he leaves it to his audience to bridge the gap between the early 90s and Trump’s rise to power.
Nevertheless, the significance of Ganz’s historical narration cannot be undermined. In spite of short term failure of figures like Perot, Buchanan and Duke, they managed to expose the deep-rooted anguish that characterises American life and which has once again resurfaced with immense force. The looming potential of Trump’s return to the White House in November, despite his irrational and perilous attitude, might have us crying once again, but with laughter.
The piece was penned by Daniel Geary, currently serving as the Mark Pigott Associate Professor in American History at Trinity College, Dublin.”