President Clinton Notes

The presidency of Bill Clinton 1st term

   1992 to 2000

 

Bill Clinton

• Born 1946 in Hope, Arkansas
• Third youngest President
• 1st Baby Boomer President (Born After WWII)

• Attended Georgetown University, Yale Law School, Oxford University (England)

• Married Hillary in 1975 
  
• Daughter Chelsea born in 1980
   

• At age 32, Elected Governor of Arkansas, 1978

• Defeated in 1980
• Re-elected Governor in 1982 and served 10 years
• Ran for President in 1992 for the Democratic Party
• The 1st Democrat President in over 12 years-Defeated incumbentRepublican George H.W.Bush and Independent Ross Perot--won 43% of the vote

• Pushed for Homosexual men and women to be allowed to serve in the military---Congress later implemented "Don't ask,Don't tell" Policy

• Created first official website in 1994 
• Signed the Brady Bill  (Gun Control) into law 
• Clinton supported the Controversial North America Free-Trade Agreement (NAFTA)  allowing for free-trade between the U.S.,Canada and Mexico: This Bill passed the house and senate

• Scandal-White House "Travel Gate" --Inappropriate use of travel funds

• Perhaps the most controversial of Clinton's Domestic Legislature Agenda was pushing for a National Healthcare Plan -The task force would be led by First Lady, Hillary Clinton

• 1994 Congressional Elections---Republicans win big in the House and Senate 

Bill Clinton-2nd term

 

-The end of Clinton's first term

 saw the Republican Party win a

majority in the House and Senate

 

-Democrat Bill Clinton began to drop

more of his liberal agenda

• National Health Care
  
• adopted more moderate positions
• Welfare reform
• Tax cuts for lower income families & small businesses

 

-In 1996 - Clinton ran for re-election

 defeating Republican Bob Dole

Overwhelmingly with 70% of the Electoral vote

 

Scandals

 

-"White Water" Scandal - Faulty real-estate

dealings in the 1970's & 1980's by both Bill and Hillary

-Voted to impeach Clinton (only the 2nd U.S. President to be)

-Charges of Perjury and Obstruction of Justice (Starr report) 

 

-Lied about relationship to Monica Lewinsky

in a sworn deposition during a sexual

harassment lawsuit ( Paula Jones)

 

The Senate

-Concluded the 21 day trial

on Feb.12,1999 voting 'No'

to impeachment

 

Foreign Policy

-The U.S. intervened in many areasof the Globe (militarily) during the 1990's 

 

-Clinton's Foreign Policy was based on

Wilsonian "Idealism", or Collective Security  (as opposed to Balance of Power)

(Former President Woodrow Wilson)

• -Somalia 1993 (begun by George H.W.Bush) "Black Hawk Down" 
• -Used U.S. Troops to keep Peace in the former Yugoslavia
• -Bosnia (1995)
• -Kosovo(1995) 
• -Haiti-1995

 

Other details of the Clinton Presidency

• -Appointed 2 Judges to Supreme Court (Breyer/Ginsberg)
• -China most favored Nation trade Status-1996
• -Clinton issues 144 Pardons & 36 commutations on his last day of office 
• -Budgetary Surplus  under President Clinton