Toward A Transnational America

Since 1988

“A Kinder, Gentler Nation” VP George Herbert Walker Bush rode on Reagan’s

coattails in the 1988 election, getting 40/50 states and 56% of the popular vote over Mass. Governor Michael Dukakis

Bush carried over many policies of the Reagan administration such as the war on drugs, culminating in the US capture of Gen. Manuel Noriega of Panama

Bush described himself as a “compassionate” republican; he signed the Americans With Disabilities Act into law in 1990 (employers cannot discriminate against qualified disabled workers)

The Persian Gulf War As the Cold War ended, and the “old geopolitical order”

disappeared, ideological rivalry shifted to the Middle East, where Islamic militants had forcefully turned against the West

Aug. 2, 1990: Iraq, under the leadership of Saddam Hussein, invaded Kuwait and seized its oil fields

President Bush reacted swiftly, and the US led a UN coalition into the Persian Gulf, known as Operation Desert Shield, to protect ally Saudi Arabia

The strategy shifted its focus to an offensive military action, known as Operation Desert Storm, and on Jan. 16, 1991, the US began a 42-day airstrike campaign; ground forces entered Iraq on Feb. 24, and the ground war lasted only 100 hours; victory was swift

Bush stopped short of removing Hussein from power, trade sanctions did little to weaken his rule; and the war, combined with continual US military presence in Saudi Arabia, only intensified Muslim hatred of the US

The Economy and the Election of 1992 The Gulf War swelled Bush’s popularity to 90%, however

the economy ran into a recession, the national debt grew to $4 trillion, and Bush offered little except the promise of not raising taxes: “Read my lips, no new taxes.” His approval rating dropped to about 51%

The Democrats chose William Jefferson Clinton (Bill) and Al Gore to challenge Bush; Clinton adopted many conservative themes: “responsibility” in social welfare programs, stable families, law and order, reduce government regulation and create jobs,

H. Ross Perot, a billionaire from Texas, ran as an Independent, he would capture about 19% of the popular vote

Clinton won the election with 43% of the popular vote and carried 32 states

A “New Democrat” in the White House Clinton and other democrats, after Reagan’s dominance in the 1984 election, began

shifting Democratic policies away from the FDR days, focusing now on balancing the budget, reducing crime, promoting economic growth, shrinking the size of the federal bureaucracy, ensuring a strong national defense, and promoting free markets worldwide

With the Cold War over, Clinton shifted from containment to humanitarianism, focusing on transnational human rights (similar to Carter’s morals): i.e. globalization

The prodemocracy protest at Tiananmen Square in China that led to the killing of 3000 protesters (1989) led to uneasy trade relations with China, but Clinton kept diplomatic relations with them

NAFTA and GATT: trade agreements to benefit all of North America; critics argued that that jobs were being sent abroad while environmental standards were being weakened at home

Clinton expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit; and the Brady Bill that limited handgun sales

Clinton appointed First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to lead a plan for national healthcare reform, which was criticized and shot down

The UN humanitarian mission to Somalia was a failure and US soldiers being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu was seen as an embarrassment

Unrest in the Balkans due to heightened ethnic nationalism and religious fundamentalism led to a civil war in Kosovo between Serbians and Albanians, the worst foreign crisis of Clinton’s presidency, which needed NATO airstrikes and US ground troops to force the withdrawal of Serbian troops (1999)

Clinton v. the Republicans In the midterm elections of 1994, the Republicans retook

control of both houses of Congress Led by Speaker Newt Gingrich, the young conservative

Republicans promoted the “Contract with America” promising to cut welfare and eliminate affirmative action

Though some Republican legislation was passed, conflict over the budget with the president led to the forced government shutdown in 1995—a PR disaster for the Republicans

Clinton used this momentum to undercut the Republicans by adopting their policies as his own

The Welfare Reform Act (1996) restricted welfare to individuals, a more “responsible” social program

Though Clinton won a relatively easy reelection in 1996, the Republicans still controlled Congress

Speaker Newt Gingrich and Kansas Sen. Bob Dole, Clinton’s 1996 opponent

The Tech Boom Clinton presided over one of the strongest and largest

economic booms in American history (1992-2000); the unemployment rate was under 4%, over 20 million new jobs were created, and prices remained low; oil production kept energy prices down

“Tech” stocks led the way, with a soaring stock market, and by the end of the century about 60% of Americans had made some form of investment in the markets

The downside of the boom was nearly invisible: the income of corporate executive v. blue collar employee was over 200 times greater; and industrial jobs disappeared as production shifted overseas (outsourcing)

By 1999, Internet stocks began to tumble

High Crimes and Misdemeanors Clinton’s morality was always in question since his

1992 presidential bid Both Bill and Hillary were named, but no evidence

involved them in real estate fraud deals known as the Whitewater scandal

In 1998, a sex scandal engulfed the White House, leading to impeachment inquiries

Clinton denied the accusations under oath, and when it was found to be true, the House voted to impeach; the Senate voted to acquit

Though his rep was hurt, most Americans felt that the impeachment was politically motivated, and it hurt the Republicans in the 1998 midterm elections; New Gingrich resigned as Speaker

Silicon Valley The capital of America’s computer industry A sprawl of two dozen cities between San Francisco

and San Jose that expanded rapidly as the computer industry grew

White males dominated the managerial positions as non-unionized Latinos and Asians lived in poorer communities

New computer and telecommunications technologies transformed American cultural life

VCRs, cable TV, and the Internet revolutionized the entertainment industry and gave rise to a media community that transcended national boundaries

The New Immigrants and their Communities The 2000 census showed that the US

population had experienced greater growth than any other decade

1/3 of the population increase came from foreign immigration: the Latino and Asian populations increasing by 70%; the Asian population being the fastest growing

Most immigrant groups formed their own communities and maintained their ethnic identities, struggling in low-paying, often dangerous jobs

Continent of Birth for Immigrants (2000)

The Racial Divide 1992: riots broke out in LA as 4 police officers

were acquitted in the beating of Rodney King, a black motorist, despite the beating being recorded on film

The rioting revealed the animosity between Korean storeowners and African American customers who targeted the stores for destruction

The racial divide was made clear as African Americans saw the desperation as White America was indifferent

The widening racial divide was also shown by the percentage of racial minorities in prison, primarily African American males (1999)

The “Culture” Wars Culture wars erupted over a struggle to define American values

that pitted conservative Republicans v. Clinton Democrats Conservatives held on to the “traditional family values” as

Democrats supported the idea of “multiculturalism” Conservatives and liberals argued over the issues of gay rights,

women’s rights, immigration, affirmative action, stem cell research, abortion

The Defense of Marriage Act (1996) specified that gay couples would not be eligible for spousal benefits

Prop 187: 1994 California legislation that cut off state-funded social welfare programs to undocumented or illegal immigrants; the USSC in 2001 argued that immigrants are entitled to the same protection by the Constitution as afforded to citizens

Global warming was a controversial international issue; the US did not sign the Kyoto Protocol (controlling emissions) in 1996, though 169 nations did

Terrorism Abroad and at Home Feb. 26, 1993: terrorists under Bin Laden’s Al

Qaeda network bombed the WTC underground parking garage killing 6 and injuring a 1000

April 19, 1995: The Oklahoma City Bombing of the Federal Building killing 168 (including 19 children) by Aryan cultist Timothy McVeigh

Aug. 7-8, 1998: Car bombings of US embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Tanzania injured over 5000, killed 225

October 12, 2000: USS Cole was the victim of a terrorist bombing attack in Yemen that killed 17 sailors and injured 39

Election 2000 The election campaign was deadlocked, dull

and featured Republican George W. Bush v. VP Al Gore

Al Gore won the popular vote, but George W. Bush won the electoral vote after a disputed decision in Florida

The USSC ordered (5-4) the voting to stop, and on Dec. 12, 2000 Al Gore conceded defeat; Bush took office without much fanfare in 2001, some attendees pelted the incoming president’s car debris

A Global Community? Bush opposed the Kyoto Protocol and did not

participate with the other 178 nations, and instead launched an internal investigation on emissions

Bush overturned Clinton’s economic policies Globalization was distinct due to the absolute

volume and character of the exchange between multinational corporations, with 90% of them centered in North America, Europe, and Japan—though only accounting for 15% of the world’s population, they collectively produced 75% of the world’s goods

September 11, 2001 Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda terrorists crashed

planes into and WTC; similarly damaging the Pentagon; a 4th plane failed to reach its target due to the heroism of its passengers; about 3000 people died

The horror and devastation of the day’s events played out on TV and Internet in real-time as people went to work, or were getting ready for work; it continued to play for months

Bush declared the attacks as an act of war and received Congressional approval to take any action necessary to capture the responsible parties

Reshaping US Foreign Policy Bin Laden was thought to be hiding in Afghanistan

and supported by the Taliban government Bush began airstrikes on Afghanistan, as partisan

bitterness dissolved and Bush was able to push new legislation through Congress

The USA Patriot Act (2001) gave the federal government greater powers and broader discretion in intel gathering and law enforcement at the expense of civil liberties

Patriot Act II (2003) authorized further intel and law enforcement powers and permitted secret arrests

Bush created a new Cabinet position: Secretary of Homeland Security to coordinate intel gathering in protection of US borders

“Compassionate Conservatism” Bush was able to win sweeping tax cuts The No Child Left Behind education law in

2001 and an expanded Medicare prescription drug benefit in 2003 proved popular and effective

Bush’s attempts to privatize

The Iraq War Bush believed that a regime change was necessary in Iraq,

citing Saddam Hussein had connections with the 9/11 attacks, and a democratic government in the Middle East would redefine the region

Though there was stiff opposition to the invasion, the US sought UN approval, giving evidence of the development of WMDs, the UN refused; the US went ahead with the invasion

Hussein was removed in Dec. 2003, but resistance to US presence in Iraq bogged the US into a long drawn-out conflict through Bush’s second term; by 2005, 1500 troops were dead and the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison caused world-wide outrage

Bush identified himself as a “wartime” president for the 2004 campaign; Bush narrowly defeated opponent John Kerry with 51% of the popular vote and 279 electoral votes

Katrina 2005 Bush also had to face controversy with his

response to Hurricane Katrina Rescue operations were stalled due to

bureaucratic foul-ups (FEMA) Bush excused FEMA’s poor response, as again

the racial divide was exposed by the after-effects of the natural disaster—one year after the storm New Orleans still wasn’t fully recovered

Divided Government, Divided Nation Bush continued to defend his foreign policies

as the 2006 midterm elections brought a return of divided government, as well as a divided nation

A controversial troop surge in 2007 helped to slow resistance, and focus on Afghanistan, but the region remained unstable

2008: the national debt reached $1.3 trillion, with foreign governments holding large shares of American securities—the IMF warned that US deficits posed a serious threat to the global economy

The Election of 2008

The Election of 2008 The 2008 election came in the midst of financial

crisis and widespread doubts about America’s future Though Hillary Clinton emerged as the frontrunner

for the Democrats, Barack Obama, and IL Senator, won the nomination with his “audacity of hope”

Obama’s appeal for hope and change appealed to young people, minorities, who turned out in record numbers

Republican nominee John McCain, and his running mate Sarah Palin posed a moderate threat to Obama’s growing support

Obama won a solid victory and became the first African American president in US history

The Great Recession The collapse of the housing bubble in 2007 led to

a stock market panic and banking crisis by the fall of 2008

Congress passed legislation to bail out banks and brokers, but the economy slid as home foreclosures and unemployment mounted

Congress passed a $787 billion stimulus bill in 2009, with tax breaks, welfare and unemployment benefits, and additional infrastructural spending, which did little to improve the economy

Critics denounced the stimulus as wasteful, and economists warned it was too small to help

Obama’s Foreign Policy Obama sought to reverse the foreign mistrust

of America leftover from the Iraq war Obama removed combat troops from Iraq, and

shifter them to an expanded war in Afghanistan

Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, critics denounced this award as premature

Navy SEALs killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 Obama has allowed the extension of many of

the policies of the Patriot Act Despite promising to close the military prison

in Guantanamo Bay in 2009, it remains open still

Obama’s Domestic Policy Obama’s main domestic initiative was his

comprehensive health care reform passed in 2010 with no Republican support

Congressional battles occurred after the 2014 midterm elections as Republicans retook Congress; despite calls for bipartisanship, the divide between Republicans and Democrats echoed a growing polarization in America about the role of the government in daily life

Obama appointed Elena Kagan (staunch liberal) and Sonia Sotomayor (first Hispanic) to the USSC (both approved) to counter Bush’s appointments that had strengthened the conservative resolve of the Court

Obama was able to win a solid reelection in 2012 against Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney