Remember gun control? Bush would prefer you forgot it. After all, he is the President who defended the sale of AK-47's on the grounds that they could be used for legitimate hunting. This issue works in much the same way as crime: popular fear=Democratic success. And who could possible disagree with banning semi-automatic weapons? Bush tried, and he sounded like an idiot. No doubt, NRA funding will force Bush to continue to try to defend what is popularly indefensible, leaving this issue solely for the Democrats. Even Ronald Reagan supported the Brady Bill, which Bush opposed.

Taxes. Well, this one can never work for the Democrats--not with their spend, spend, spend reputation--but at least this time it will not work against them either. Bush's rather sudden post-election flip-flop from "Read my lips: No new taxes" to "Just ignore this tax increase" has robbed him of legitimacy on this very touchy subject. America is not likely to forget the greatest campaign lie in recent history.

Then there's abortion. Bush used to be totally anti-choice. Now, with Republicans looking for a younger voter base, Bush is only mostly anti-choice. But a pro-choice Democrat could still milk this issue for all it's worth.

And, ah yes, the big one, the economy. Reagan's favorite question in 1984 was "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" That will hardly work for Bush with the American economy floundering as it is. He's trying for an election-year recovery, of course, with the tiresome executive tradition of asking the Fed to lower interest rates every four years, but quick improvement is unlikely, and the recession has dragged on for so long that it has become a part of the American mindset. (The recession is not completely the President's fault, of course, but that never stopped the American public from blaming it on him before.)

THERE ARE OTHER issues that the Democrats can exploit, but these are the top ones. The deteriorating educational system is a fair attack on the "education President," but it's unclear how much Americans care about education. Ditto for the environment. The budget deficit is a traditional attack, but it doesn't stir up passion, either. Emphasizing crime, gun control, taxes, abortion and the economy is the best bet.

There isn't much to debate on the upcoming election. If the focus is on foreign policy, Bush will win, few questions asked (the few being those mentioned above). But if voters come to believe that domestic issues take precedence, Bush has nothing to say.

Contrary to popular belief, the Democrats have a chance in '92. What they need to do now is believe it. If a Democrat can convince Americans to look at America, he just might win.

Tom Hixson '94 predicts a Cubs/Red Sox World Series for '92.