THE PRESIDENCY OF BILL CLINTON

From the beginning Clinton strove to create an administration different than the one that had preceded it. He appointed minorities and women to his Cabinet. During his first term there were several legislative successes, such as the Brady bill, which created a waiting period for handgun purchases and the 1994 Anti-Crime bill, which provided federal funds to hire more policemen. However, several of issues Clinton attempted to tackle during his first term drew the ire of many. His attempt to legislate the proper status of gays in the military caused many in all branches of the military service to distrust him. His attempt to legislate a national health insurance plan was defeated by a combination of effective lobbying by the American Medical Association and intense advertising paid for by the health care industry. In addition, the fact that Hillary Rodham Clinton was actively involved in the formulation of health care policy caused debate over the proper role of a First Lady.

Many also began to question the Clintons concerning their financial dealings. Investments in a failed savings and loan company and in a land development called “Whitewater” caused much controversy; in August of 1994 Kenneth Starr became the independent counsel in charge of investigating the Whitewater Affair, Many Clinton supporters felt that Starr moved too vigorously and was out to “get” the Clintons.

The 1994 Congressional elections appeared to be a sweeping rejection of the presidency of Bill Clinton. Republicans, led by new Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, supported the Contract with America, and promised to get rid of many social programs long supported by liberals. Republicans soon learned that the political skills of Bill Clinton were formidable, however. In an attempt to lessen the size of the federal government, there were brief shutdowns of the federal government in 1995 and 1996; on each occasion public opinion polls stated that the American public strongly sided with the president in his argument that all of this was the fault of the Republicans.

Clinton’s popularity rose further as the economy improved steadily in 1995 and 1996, The values of stocks rose, economic growth continued at a steady rate, and inflation remained low (many credited Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve, for his ability to skillfully maneuver interest rates to keep inflation low and growth high).

Clinton’s role as a “New Democrat” was again demonstrated when he supported passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996, This legislation more carefully regulated the welfare system, cut the food stamp program, and gave the power to the states to organize their own “welfare-to-work” programs. This program, which ended “welfare as we know it,” was hailed by Clinton supporters as a sign of his pragmatism; many liberals were appalled that he so easily “sold them out.”

In foreign policy Clinton faced some of the same criticisms that Bush had: Many claimed that the United States still did not have a post-Cold War foreign policy “focus.” Many debated the appropriate role for the U.S. military. A humanitarian mission to Somalia led to the death of 18 American soldiers in 1992. The U.S. military was sent in to restore the government of Jean-Bertrand Aristide in Haiti; Clinton also supported NATO air and military efforts to protect Muslims from the “ethnic cleansing” policies of President Slobodan Milosevic of Serbia. Americans remain as peacekeepers in Bosnia to this day.

President Clinton also favored the continued globalization of the economy, which included the lowering of tariffs and the expansion of global markets. Clinton worked with many Republicans to secure the passage of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) in Congress. The goal of NAFTA was to gradually remove all trade barriers between the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As with welfare reform, a segment of the traditional Democratic base was infuriated by one of Clinton’s policies: In this case it was the labor unions who felt betrayed.

In 2000 Clinton unsuccessfully attempted to broker a peace between the Palestinians and Israel. He increasingly became aware of the threats of fundamentalist Muslims against the United States, In 1993 bombings took place at the World Trade Center in New York City; American embassies were bombed in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998, and a United States naval ship docked in Yemen was bombed in 2000. Clinton attempted several bombing missions in response to these terrorist attacks, and in one instance came fairly close to killing Osama bin Laden, leader of the Al-Qaeda terrorist network.

Campaigning on the continued strength of the American economy, Clinton became the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win back- to-back terms when he defeated long-time Senator Robert Dole of Kansas in the 1996 presidential election. Early in Clinton’s second term the era of gridlock appeared to be over, as both parties joined in passing legislation to reduce the federal budget. Yet it was the Whitewater Affair that consumed the most political energy in Washington during the last years of Clinton’s second term.

As was stated previously, Kenneth Starr and the Whitewater investigation was originally charged with analyzing the financial dealings of the Clintons in Arkansas. However, the investigation soon delved into other areas of the president’s life. It was revealed that he had an affair with a White House intern, Monica Lewinsky. Clinton boldly proclaimed on television that he had never had “an affair with that woman.” In a lawsuit brought against the president by Paula Jones (for alleged sexual harassment when Clinton was governor of Arkansas), Clinton denied, under oath, having an affair with Lewinsky. Physical evidence obtained from Lewinsky seemed to prove otherwise. Talk show hosts and other opponents stated that the case had long gone beyond merely the matter of the president having an affair; he had actually lied under oath about it.

Clinton’s approval ratings remained high throughout his second term; his approval was especially strong in black districts across the country. In the 1996 congressional elections the Republicans lost five seats in the House of Representatives. Congressional calls for impeachment began; others wondered whether the actions of the president were actually the “high crimes and misdemeanors” the Constitution stated were grounds for impeachment. On December 19, 1998, the House of Representatives passed two articles of impeachment (obstruction of justice and perjury), thus preparing the way for a trial in the Senate. Two-thirds of the Senators had to vote for an article of impeachment in order to remove him from office. Senate voting took place on February 12, 1999; neither article of impeachment even got a majority. Many Clinton supporters that spoke during the congressional proceedings noted that despite millions of dollars being spent and years of investigation, the Special Prosecutor was unable to uncover any illegal actions by the president or his wife. After the hearings, several of the president’s most vocal adversaries became politically discredited. Popular support for the president remained high, and economic prosperity and expansion continued.