The 1992 presidential election was the first in my lifetime that I can remember. I vividly recall trying to convince my 2nd grade classmates to cast a vote for Bill Clinton in our Weekly Reader student election because "I heard that he said he's going to put more toys in toy stores if he becomes president." I'm not sure where I came up with that particular lie, but it seemed reasonable enough. In truth, I probably just thought the idea of having a new president was neat. Although, I doubt I really understood what a president actually was. Later, I remember taking time out of our music class to watch his first inauguration in January of 1993. That is when I became aware of politics and of Bill Clinton. However, his rise to the presidency began some 30 years earlier. In 1963, a 16 year old William Jefferson Clinton found himself standing in the White House Rose Garden, a representative of the American Legion Boys Nation, preparing to meet President John F. Kennedy. The encounter was brief but impactful. Later that year, he found himself mesmerized by the words of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream Speech". Being inspired by great men was nothing new for young Bill. At the age of 11, his Sunday School teacher took him to a BIlly Graham Crusade. Clinton was so moved by Graham's message and by his insistence that his crusade by fully integrated in a segregated state, that he began sending small amounts of his allowance to Graham's organization. By the end of 1963, young Bill Clinton, long inspired by great men in public service, decided that he wanted to become one. His natural charisma and overwhelming ambition gave him an advantage afforded to very few. The Presidency, not simply public service, became Bill Clinton's ultimate goal. However, the some of the character traits that made him a rare political talent, also proved to be some of his greatest stumbling blocks. Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe III in 1946 in Hope, AR. His parents marriage was controversial because his father had married his mother before his divorce to his previous wife was finalized. Bill never met his father because he died in a car accident shortly before Bill's birth. For several years, Bill was raised by his grandparents while his mother moved away to study nursing. When she returned home, she married the man that would become Bill's stepfather Roger Clinton Sr. The entire family moved to Hot Springs, AR where Clinton owned a car dealership. Eventually, Bill would take his stepfather's surname, but their relationship was very strained as his stepfather was an alcoholic and abusive toward his mother. Later in life, shortly before Roger's death, the two repaired their relationship. Clinton was a gifted student. His academic prowess opened many doors for him in life including earning a scholarship to Georgetown University. While there he had his first taste of politics. Later he would earn a Rhodes Scholarship which allowed him to study at Oxford University in England. After a year of studies at Oxford, Clinton return to the United States to study law at Yale University. At Yale, Clinton shared the classroom with students that would go on to be some of the most influential political figures of the late 20th century: future Secretary of Labor Robert Reich, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and future Secretary of State, Senator, and First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In 1978, at only 32 years of age, Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas. His administration focused on education reform. However, a rocky term led to his defeat in 1980 after only two years. In 1982, Clinton completed the first of what would be many political comebacks, winning a second term as governor. Clinton would hold the office for 10 years. This time around, Hillary would be a very active and public part of his administration. Hillary was named the chair of the Arkansas Educational Standards Committee at a time when the Clinton administration was seeking to reform Arkansas struggling education system. When Clinton's reform package passed, it was viewed as a major achievement and solidified Hillary as an effective, capable, and valuable partner for Bill. Throughout the 1980s, Clinton was viewed as a rising star within Democratic politics. This was at a time when the national Democratic Party was in desperate need of rebranding. After passing on a presidential run in 1988, the ever ambitious Clinton was ready to enter the national arena in 1992. Success in 1992 was anything but a forgone conclusion for Bill Clinton. Other Democratic politicians including California Governor Jerry Brown were leading him in the polls. The Republican President George Bush, fresh off an overwhelming successful military effort in Iraq, was well-liked even as the economy began to struggle. Perhaps most importantly, Clinton's personal life and character were coming under fire. Reports surfaced in early 1992 of an extramarital affair that Clinton had with Gennifer Flowers while governor of Arkansas. The news was devastating to Clinton as he began to fall in the polls. However, as would often prove to be the case, Hillary Clinton stepped up. BIll and Hillary sat for an televised interview with 60 Minutes in which the two addressed the allegations and Hillary offered strong support for her husband. The interview had its desired effect as Clinton began to rise in the polls, earning Clinton the moniker "The Comeback Kid". In June of '92, Clinton had secured the Democratic nomination for President. Clinton may have weathered the storm of marital infidelity accusations during the Democratic Primary, but his sexual peccadilloes would prove to be his greatest liability throughout the remainder of his public life.
Another such example happened in the summer of 1993, when Clinton won passage of a budget bill that cut taxes for low income families while raising taxes on the super wealthy. Such actions helped to lay the foundation for the balanced budgets, budget surpluses, and strong economic growth that defined the 1990s. On the judicial front, in 1993 and 1994, Clinton appointed two justices to the United States Supreme Court. Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Stephen Breyer have been the foundation of liberal wing of the Court for the better part of 30 years. Ginsberg in particular, has achieved an iconic level of stature rarely seen in American politics, particularly among unelected officials. During his first term, Clinton also signed into law the Brady Bill which mandated background checks and waiting periods for most firearm purchases throughout the country. The Brady Bill was the kind of common sense gun safety legislation that would be unthinkable in the NRA funded feckless Congresses that have ruled Washington for much of the past 20 years. Despite his many successes, Clinton had a number of high profile failures, embarrassments, and scandals that plagued his first term as president. On the legislative front, Clinton set his sights on the white whale of progressive politics: healthcare reform. Since the days of Theodore Roosevelt, progressives had sought to address the inequities within the American healthcare system. There had been some significant achievements throughout the years, but by the early 1990s new problems were developing. Most notably, skyrocketing healthcare costs. In 1993, President Clinton announced his plans for reforming the American healthcare system. To lead the effort, Clinton selected his one of his most valuable advisors to serve as the chair of the taskforce responsible for developing the plan: First Lady Hillary Clinton. The goal was to achieve universal coverage for all Americans by ensuring that everyone was enrolled in a health insurance plan. Most plans would be provided through private employers, but the federal government would play a large role in providing funding to low income families by assisting individual states. As is often the case with healthcare legislation, the individual provisions to the bill were rather popular with voters. However, the Clinton Administration, for whom the game of politics was a strength, failed to sell the plan to the public. A barrage of attacks and lobbying efforts by insurance and pharmaceutical companies bombarded Congress and the airways. Despite having Democratic majorities in Congress, Clinton's high profile health care overhaul went down in flames. It was the most significant legislative defeat of the young presidency and a very public failure for Hillary Clinton as well. Clinton was also dogged by scandals and investigations. For a man who had already had high profile accusations of marital infidelity, his political opponents and the rapidly growing 24 hour news networks had an appetite for more and more scandals. Sadly, more often that not, Clinton gave them ammunition. From Whitewater, "Travelgate," and "Troopergate", to a sexual harassment lawsuit brought by a woman named Paula Jones, Bill Clinton seemed to have a knack for putting himself in situations and taking actions that were at best shady and at worst unethical and borderline criminal. Such controversies would haunt his presidency and contribute to the Republican Resurgence of 1994.
Now that the Republicans controlled Congress, they pledged a bold conservative agenda that they called the "Contract with America." The House GOP was led by the new Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. In Gingrich, Clinton now had a nemesis, someone that he could paint as standing between middle class America and the policies he hoped to pass. In short, without Democratic control of Congress, all of the nation's attention was no longer on Clinton. now Gingrich and his GOP majority would be under public scrutiny. Clinton wisely made a move toward the political center, seeking to work with Congress to do the people's business. Clinton was positioning himself to be viewed as the responsible, moderate, adult in the room in the face of unwavering Republican obstruction. This strategy would service him well. There are several areas in which Clinton, acting as a moderate, worked with Republicans to pass legislation that served him well politically even if they have come to hurt his legacy with the left wing of the Democratic Party in subsequent years. One such area was gay rights. In the early 1990s, gay and lesbian Americans were banned for serving in the military. As a candidate, Clinton supported lifting the ban. However, once in the White House, Clinton, relying on public opinion as his guide, chose a third way that upset both the right and left. Clinton instituted a policy known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In short, the controversial policy allowed for gay and lesbian Americans to serve in the military so long as they kept their sexuality a secret. The GOP was angered because they felt that under no circumstances should gays and lesbians be allowed to serve in the armed forces. The left was upset because they believed Clinton didn't go far enough. They argued, accurately, that as commander-in-chief, Clinton could have ended the ban by executive order much in the same way that President Truman used his pen to integrate the military in the 1940s. In the end, regardless of anyone's personal beliefs about the ethics of the issue, Clinton's third way was far more in line with the general public than either of the positions taken by the far right and left. Public opinion polls at the time showed that only 44% of American supported lifting the ban, while more than 60% supported a position more in line with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Over the next 15 years, public opinion shifted dramatically and the ban was lifted, therefore ending the Clinton era policy. The issue of LGBT rights wouldn't go away with "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In 1995, members of the Republican majority in Congress introduced legislation known as the Defense of Marriage Act, better known as DOMA, which proposed to allow individual states to ignore the marriage status of same-sex couples who were originally married in a different state. The act stood on dubious legal grounds at best, essentially ignoring the Full Faith and Credit clause of Article IV of the Constitution, but nevertheless passed both chambers of Congress with a veto proof majority. There was little Clinton could do. He called the bill "unnecessary and divisive" but quietly signed it into law nevertheless. Many, particularly on the left, look back at this act as a stain on Clinton's progressive legacy. While this position is understandable, one must also consider the politics of the day. Same-sex marriage was not supported by anywhere near a majority of Americans. Clinton argued that, had he vetoed the bill, it would have only been symbolic and easily overturned by Congress. The GOP, he argued, would then run on the issue in 1996 and, if successful, perhaps push for something more significant such as a constitutional amendment outlawing same-sex unions. To Clinton, DOMA was the third way. Years later, as public opinion changed, a then ex-president Bill Clinton called for the repeal of the law. Ultimately, the Supreme Court found that the law was, and always had been, unconstitutional. There are other areas, where Clinton's willingness to work with Republicans served him well, despite not aging well in the eyes of many liberals. There is probably no greater issue than the Violent Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, better known as the Crime BIll. If one spends any time following the circus that is the 2020 Democratic Primary race, they are sure to hear many references to the Crime Bill and the long term consequences of the law; most notably the mass incarceration of African American men. It is still politically relevant today because it was supported by 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton when her husband signed it into law. Two of the leading Democrats in the field, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, also voted in favor of the bill. Reacting to an increase in violent crime, Democrats and Republicans came together to pass the largest law enforcement act in American history. The bill had some positive provisions including a ban on assault weapons and the Violence Against Women Act. However, its "three strikes" provision and reliance on mandatory minimum sentencing led to an huge increase in the prison population throughout the country that disproportionately impacted communities of color. Many on the left have also criticized Clinton for his support of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996. The Republican Congress had made welfare reform a signature part of their "Contract with America" that helped sweep them into office in 1994. Clinton signed the law that replaced the older, perhaps outdated, welfare system by granting more flexibility to states, instituting work requirements, and limiting the amount of time an individual could receive welfare benefits. Critics on the left argued that the act did nothing to address poverty, often pushing recipients toward low paying service jobs that did nothing to help them move up the economic ladder. However, by working with Republicans and acting as the moderate that he was, Clinton prevented the Republicans from successfully labeling him as a big government economic and social liberal. The strategy worked as he was overwhelming reelected in 1996. President Clinton soared to reelection in 1996, winning more than 70% of the electoral vote and besting his Republican opponent by nearly 9 points in the popular vote. Why such a resounding victory? There are several reasons. First, a number of high profile, perhaps more exciting, potential GOP candidates declined to run. This included Gen. Colin Powell, Texas Governor George W. Bush, and Senator John McCain. The GOP was left with a slate of uninspiring candidates to choose from, eventually settling on conservative stalwart, former presidential candidate, Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole of Kansas. Dole, a WWII veteran and long time Senator, was well respected, but at 73 years old was past his political prime especially when compared to the youthful, energetic Clinton. I remember my father remarking that he was concerned that Dole wouldn't survive 4 years in the White House had he been elected. Similar concerns by other voters probably caused quite a few to cast votes for Reform Party candidate Ross Perot rather than Dole. For what it's worth, Bob Dole is still alive and well in 2019 at the age of 95. A second factor contributing to Clinton's reelection was his history of moderation. Painting Democrats as radical liberals and socialists is one of the oldest and most effective tools in the GOP's toolbox. With Clinton, however, the accusations simply didn't stick. Clinton had worked with the GOP on a host of social and economic issues convincing voters that he was a reasonable, middle of the road, administrator. During the budget negotiations of 1995, which led to a government shutdown, Clinton was able to effectively portray the Republican majority in Congress as the radicals in their attempt to make large cuts to education and Medicare. Clinton's approval rating began to rise as a result of the shutdown, while the Congressional Republicans took the majority of the blame for the crisis. However, the major reason for Clinton's reelection was the economy. It is said that voters vote with the pocketbooks. In 1996, most Americans felt that their pocketbooks were a bit heavier than in years past. Clinton was elected in 1992 following a recession by focusing on "the economy, stupid." In 1996, it was the economy that did the trick again. This time, Clinton wasn't promising how he would fix the economy, he was taking credit for the booming economy. The stock market was doing well, unemployment was low, and so was inflation. All of these numbers were great, but most importantly, the benefits of the booming economy were being felt by a wide swath of the electorate. Most notably the middle class, the backbone of the Clinton coalition, were seeing their incomes rise. Over the course of the Clinton presidency, the median household income rose by roughly 15%. In short, the economy seemed to be working for everyone, not just the rich. Does Clinton deserve credit for the booming economy? For that matter, does any president deserve the credit or blame for the health of the economy? The answer is complicated. In truth, all probably receive too much credit when economic times are good and too much blame when things turn south. As for Clinton, there certainly were steps that he took that contributed to the positive economic numbers. The tax plan he and the Democratic Congress passed which cut taxes for lower income workers while making modest increases for the wealthiest of Americans, put the federal government on a sure financial footing which lead to a balanced budget and eventually a budget surplus. Such fiscal responsibility increased the confidence of investors and the business world. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by Clinton early in his administration lead to overall economic growth for the nation, even if its negative impact would be disproportionately felt years later by textile and manufacturing communities suffering from job outsourcing. However, Clinton also happened to be the beneficiary of economic forces outside of his control. The internet was in its infancy and was growing by leaps and bounds throughout the '90s. New "dot com" businesses, as they were known, were springing up left and right. It seemed as if millionaires were being created overnight. The ripple effect throughout the economy was significant. In short, Bill Clinton just so happened to be president at the right time. When the "dot com" bubble would burst years later, Clinton was on his way out of office.
During the 1995 government shutdown, most of the paid White House staff was sent home. This allowed an unpaid intern named Monica Lewinsky to get unusually close to the President. It was during this time that Clinton and Lewinsky engaged in a consensual, but ultimately inappropriate, affair. The affair demeaned the office of the presidency, was morally wrong, and was an egregious violation of ethics regarding relationships between those in power and their subordinates. There was no excuse. If this affair had happened in 2019, I am confident that political leaders of both parties would, rightly, call for Clinton to resign. However, it didn't happen in 2019. It occured over the course of nearly two years between 1995 and 1997 and became caught up in the partisan circus that would come to define the final two years of Clinton's time in office. In truth, no one would have known about the affair had it not been for an unrelated wide ranging investigation into Clinton regarding a sexual harassment lawsuit filed by Paula Jones years earlier and Clinton's financial dealings while governor of Arkansas. However, during the discovering phase of the investigation, Independent Counsel Ken Starr learned about the affair. Clinton originally, famously, denied the relationship. But when evidence surfaced proving otherwise, Clinton came clean. In a prime time address to the nation, Clinton admitted that there had, in fact, been a relationship with Lewinsky that was "inappropriate" and "wrong." He admitted that he had been dishonest. He admitted that he was solely responsible for his actions and had mislead many people, including the First Lady Hillary Clinton. A funny happens throughout American history when politicians admit wrongdoing. The American people become rather forgiving. Polls showed that, while most Americans profoundly disagreed with what the President had done, they were also ready to move on.
Having been rejected at the ballot box, the Republicans in Congress played their final hand in December of 1998. Voting along party lines, the House impeached Bill Clinton for perjury and obstruction of justice. The trial then moved to the Senate which would required a vote of guilty by a 2/3 majority to convict the President and remove him from office. Congressman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina led the prosecution, arguing to Senators that impeachment wasn't about punishing criminal acts, it was about "cleansing the office." It was "about is about restoring honor and integrity to the office." In the end, Graham would be partly correct. It wasn't about punishment, but it wasn't about restoring honor to the presidency either. It was about partisanship plain and simple. After several weeks of Republican prosecution by House members before the Senate, a vote was called. Several Republicans joined with Democrats to cast a "not guilty" vote acquitting the president. A bipartisan majority of Senators and the American people felt that the President lying about his sex life, although inexcusable and unethical, did not meet the standard of "high crimes and misdemeanors" required by the Constitution in order to remove an elected official from office. Bill Clinton would quietly remain in office for the next two years. The nation moved on, the economy continued to expand, his presidency had been saved, but his legacy had forever been tarnished. If a bipartisan group of Senators acquitted Clinton, then how can one claim that his impeachment was little more than a partisan circus? With the luxury of time, we can see what has become of Washington in the years since Bill Clinton left office. It is impossible to fairly analyze the Clinton scandals and impeachment, without examining the alleged crimes of the current occupant of the White House. Many of the same Republicans who pursued impeachment charges against the President for his deception regarding the Lewinsky affair are still in Congress today. Lindsey Graham, the man who led the prosecution of Clinton, is now a Senator from South Carolina. Mitch McConnell, Mike Crapo, Mike Enzi, Chuck Grassley, and until recently Orrin Hatch and Jon Kyl, are still serving in the U.S. Senate. These men, all voted to convict Bill Clinton on both articles of impeachment. These men claimed that Bill Clinton's affair with Lewinsky wasn't just immoral and worthy of condemnation, it was in fact criminal. They claimed that Clinton's improper behavior was so egregious that the Constitution required that they remove him from office. And yet, over the course of the past 3 years, they have looked the other way when more than a dozen women have made credible claims accusing President Donald Trump, a member of their own Republican Party, of sexual harassment and assault. When they received the Mueller Report outlining 10 instances in which President Donald Trump obstructed justice, they dismissed it. They have demonstrated over the past three years, that their actions to remove Clinton from office were not based in principle or fidelity to the Constitution, they were about political power. In many ways, the Clinton presidency was the beginning of the hyper-partisan political world in which we, unfortunately, currently find ourselves. Bill Clinton left office in 2001 still a polarizing figure. He enjoyed approval ratings in the mid 60s. Though many Americans disapproved of his behavior, they largely were able to seperate that from his role as President of the United States. He presided over the greatest period of economic expansion in American history at a time when there was a relative level of peace in the world. The 1990s have been called by some the "last great decade". Americans felt confident in their country, confident in the economy, and confident that the United States had emerged from the Cold War the unquestioned leader of the free world. It was an exciting time in which the world was changing as we approached the dawn of a new millenium. The Clinton Presidency, both the bad and the good, seemed to fit rather well in a culture that was moving toward a new century.
In the years since leaving office, Bill Clinton has stayed very active. After some major health scares in his early post-presidency years, Clinton was back in the arena. He partnered with former political rival George Bush to raise money for the victims of natural disasters. In doing so, he and Bush formed a close personal friendship. The Clinton Foundation has been active in addressing education, environmental, economic, and healthcare challenges throughout the world. And of course, Clinton has stayed politically active in support of his wife, Hillary Clinton. The same year that Hillary Clinton was preparing to end her tenure as First Lady of the United States, she was elected to represent the state of New York in the United States Senate. She then went on to serve as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama. In 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to receive the nomination of a major party in her run for President of the United States. During this time, Bill Clinton once again was able to exercise his substantial stump speech skills becoming a valuable campaign surrogate for his wife. She would go on to receive substantially more votes than the eventual winner who was awarded the presidency by the Electoral College. William Jefferson Clinton's presidency is difficult to assess. He signed into law a significant amount of meaningful and valuable legislation. He also lent his support to a number of laws that, overtime, have come to be seen as problematic at best. At times, his skill as an orator, political messenger, and consensus builder helped the country address some difficult challenges. At other times, his personal behavior made citizens grimince with discomfort. For most presidents, rightly or wrongly, the economy is the measuring stick by which they are assessed. During the 1990s, the nation's economy was as strong as it has ever been at any time in the history of the republic. For this, Clinton deserves some measure of credit. During the Clinton years, the United States was at relative peace with the world. The Cold War was over and the War of Terror, with its many complexities, had yet to begin. Under Clinton's leadership, the United States sat squarely and assuredly in its role as the undisputed economic, military, and political leader of the free world. Yet, despite these many successes, Bill Clinton was never ever to achieve the presidential greatness which his unique talent seemed to have equipped him. For Clinton, it wasn't an unforeseen economic or international crisis beyond his control that stood between him and the rarefied air of great presidents. Rather, it was the many unfortunate personal choices he made that tarnished his reputation and provided ample fodder for his enemies. In the final assessment, Bill Clinton was an effective, talented, capable President of the United States. And yet, one can't help but think that his presidency is a story of unfulfilled potential.
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