Warm-up

• List the things that a Democrat usually supports.

• List the things that a Republican usually supports.

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The 21st-Century United States

Politics & Leaders

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The Presidency of

Bill Clinton

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During the 1992 election, voters responded by nominating a centrist candidate, Democrat William Jefferson Clinton.

• The U.S. economy had gone into recession

• The federal deficit rose

• Bush broke his promise to not increase taxes

• Saddam Hussein was still in power and threatening the Middle East

President George H.W. Bush could not sustain his popularity after the Gulf War.

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In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected President, defeating the Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush.

• From humble roots, Clinton worked his way up to become Governor of Arkansas.

• He labeled himself a “New Democrat,” and his campaign focused on policies to satisfy both liberals and conservatives

• Promoting himself as a "centrist" helped attract voters

• He ran against independent candidate H. Ross Perot, a self-funded businessman who promised to run the government like a business

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When Clinton took office, the Democrats also took control of both houses of Congress.

One of his first acts was to sign the Family Medical Leave Act, guaranteeing employees unpaid leave in the event of a health crisis still in effect today

He also increased the minimum wage, made college loans easier to obtain, and expanded tax credits for higher education.

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A priority was health care reform buthis administration failed to reform healthcarebecause he could not get Congress’s support

Clinton & Congress• Democrats had controlled the House of

Representatives for 58 of the past 62 years• Republicans goal was to gain control of the House• Newt Gingrich came up “the Contract With America”–

a plan that attacked big government and emphasized patriotism and traditional values– Term limits in congress, reduction of federal bureaucracy, a

balanced budget amendment to Constitution, large tax cuts & increased defense spending

• Republicans won control of the House in the 1994 election

Clinton used some conservative Republican ideas, such as balancing the federal budget and reducing the deficit, during his 1996 bid for reelection.

A sustained period of economic growth in the mid-1990s helped Clinton win re-election in 1996 by a wide margin against Republican Bob Dole & Independent Ross Perot.

1996 Election Results

• Voter Turnout: 49.0%• Nominee: Bill Clinton Bob Dole Ross Perot• Party: Democratic Republican

Reform• Home state: Arkansas Kansas Texas• Electoral vote: 379 159 0• Pop vote: 47,401,185 39,197,469 8,085,294• Percentage: 49.2% 40.7% 8.4%

• In 1998, Clinton was investigated again regarding his relationship with a White House intern. Under oath, he denied that the two had an affair. Later, he admitted he lied. The House impeached him in 1998 because he lied under oath.

But Clinton’s presidency was also marred by scandal.

• In 1994, Clinton was investigated by a special federal prosecutor, Kenneth Starr, regarding an Arkansas real estate investment-”White Water”

• It was evident from early on that there would not be enough votes in the Senate to find Clinton guilty, so after a Senate trial in early 1999, Clinton was acquitted on both counts.

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Activity

• Clinton and His Policies: liberal or conservative?

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