Ahead of the 1988 US presidential election, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck revealed in an interview that he had been gripped by outrageously dark and violent thoughts about the prospect of a Republican victory. He described feeling murderous impulses, including saying "I feel like shooting people", reflecting the despair many liberal-leaning Americans felt as polling day approached with the outcome seemingly a foregone conclusion.

The 1988 race pitted Republican nominees George H.W. Bush, the sitting vice-president, and Dan Quayle against Democratic challengers Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen. With Ronald Reagan barred by constitutional term limits from running again, pundits at the time gave Dukakis little realistic chance of victory, making the campaign a dispiriting period for left-leaning voters such as Buck, who ultimately saw Bush elected as the 41st President.