Bill Clinton selects Al Gore 4

Bill Clinton selecting Al Gore was, at the time, greeted with mixed reviews. Bill Clinton, the Arkansas governor known for his charisma and long-winded oratory (and sometimes-outlandish tastes), being paired with Al Gore- a lifelong politician who was said to be a policy wonk. Both young and articulate, Gore was said to shore up Clinton's perceived weakness in foreign policy knowledge. And it didn't hurt that Gore, a man who perpetually reminds people of a Cigar Store Indian, was a polished debater who had a knack for minute detail. Looking back at it, though there was little geographical balance to Clinton-Gore, it did provide a stark contrast to President George H.W. Bush (widely considered indifferent and aristocratic) and the (but not intentionally) bumbling Vice-President Dan Quayle as the Clinton-Gore team sought to show the electorate that they were the better alternative. Arguably, it was a good move on the part of Clinton, as he was able to seal the deal against the Bush-Quayle team in 1992.