The Clinton YearsPresident of Bill Clinton- 1990s

Election of 1992

Objectives: 1. Who were the three major presidential candidates

in the 1992 election?2. What was their individual “angle” to winning the

election?3. Why did it seem very favorable for President Clinton to make good on most of his campaign

promises?

Arkansas Launching Pad

• Attorney general of Arkansas at 30 years of age

• Governor of Arkansas– Nation’s youngest governor at

32 years• Chaired the National Governors

– Association in the late 1980s• Chaired the Democratic Leadership

Council– An organization of Moderate

Democrats • Democratic nomination for the

presidency in 1992

Election of 1992• Clinton’s running mate was

Senator– Al Gore of Tennessee

• Three way race between – Clinton( Democrat)– President George H.W. Bush– H. Ross Perot(Independent)

• Major Issues– USA WAS GOING THROUGH A

RECESSION– HEALTH CARE– HUGE USA DEBT- BALANCE THE

BUDGET- STOP SPENDING MORE THEN WE MAKE

Three Different Angles• Three Different Angles

– Clinton• “NEW DEMOCRAT”

– Pushed for middle-class tax cuts

– National health-care system

– Blend of both Republican and Democrat ideas

– President George H.W. Bush• Winner of the Cold War and

Gulf War– H. Ross Perot(Independent)

• Texas Billionaire• Not a Politician- Spoke in

simple terms

Bush and Clinton

Perot

Outcome of Election

• Outcome–Clinton won 370

electoral votes to–Bush’s 168, • Clinton won less

than 50 percent of the popular vote• Perot won 19

percent of the popular vote

Clinton’s “Perfect Storm”- 1992

• President- Democrat• Senate- Democrat Majority• House of Representatives- Democrat Majority• What does this mean?– Democrats are in charge of the government– Democrats can make and passes laws easily

+ + =

President SenateHouse of Representatives

Democrats InCharge

Domestic Issues

Objectives:1. What was the Dilemma Clinton faced concerning his campaign promises and

presidential solutions?2. What was the “Contract to America”? 3. How did the President Clinton handle the tough issue of Gays in the Military

The Clinton Dilemma

• Campaign Promises1. Universal Healthcare –

Everyone gets healthcare

2. Balance Budget3. End Recession4. Cut Taxes

• How to solve ProblemA. Raise Taxes B. Increase Gov’t SpendingA. Raise Taxes B. Cut Gov’t SpendingA. Increase Gov’t Spending B. Cut ProgramsA. Cut Taxes B. Cut Government

Spending

What is the Dilemma?

Give to Peter to Pay Paul

• Clinton had conflicting promises and solutions• You need to Raise Taxes and Cut Taxes• You need to Raise Government Spending and

Cut Government Spending

1994 Election- Democrats Take a Hit

• The 1994 Election (Election in-between Clintons 1st term)– Democrat Woes

• Clinton failed to deliver on campaign promises

• Health Car Plan Fails• Clinton Raises Taxes

– Republicans gained 54 seats in the House

– Republicans gained 8 seats in the Senate

– This gave them control of both houses. • No more “Perfect Storm”

Republican Fight Back

• Birth of Newt Gingrich– Contract with America– Contract Plan = • Balance the budget• Fight crime• Provide tax cuts• Reform Welfare- Limit time

people can be on it

Contract with America Clip

Domestic Challenges• Homosexual Openness– Military personal should

be able to openly claim they were homosexuals• Congress did not support

Clinton

– Don’t Ask Don’t Tell Policy- Substitute policy• Homosexuals could be in

the military so long as they don’ t tell anyone they are a homosexual.

Policy Today Clip

Economic Success

• Record budget deficits have become record surpluses

• 22 million new jobs have been created, • Unemployment and core inflation are

at their lowest levels in more than 30 years– Drop from 8% to 4%

• The stock market remained strong throughout the Clinton presidency

• America is in the midst of the longest economic expansion in our history.

• End of Day One

Foreign Policy Challenges

Objectives:1. How did Clinton change America’s

approach to foreign conflicts?2. What were some Positives and

Negative aspects of NAFTA?

Clinton New Approach• Pervious Presidential Ideal- U.S. vs. THEM– Lets be the world police– We might stand alone

• Clinton Ideal- U.S. + U.N. + NATO vs. THEM– Lets be the world police– We will help but not be alone

Foreign Policy Challenges• Somalia

– Somalia is in a Civil War

– UN forces worked to end the fighting

– After a number of Americans died, Clinton withdrew the remaining soldiers

– “Black Hawk Down”

• Rwanda– Mass Murder of an Ethnic Group– 800,000 deaths– Hutu(Majority) vs. Tutsi

(Minority)– U.S. supported the U.N. to help

the Tutsi relocation

• Haiti– Clinton pledged the use of

American troops to lead UN mission to remove a military dictator

– Presence of UN forces helped bring a generally peaceful change in government

Foreign Policy ChallengesOld Yugoslavia

• Bosnia-Herzegovina• Bosnians vs.

Croatians vs. Serbians – Ethnic

Cleansing– US pairs up

with UN– Stops Violence

• Kosovo– Serbians ethnic

cleansing of Albanians in the province of Kosovo

– U.S pairs up with began a massive air campaign against targets in Serbia and Kosovo

International Trade• NAFTA: North American

Free Trade Agreement• Free Trade

– Mexico– Canada– United States– NAFTA created the world’s

• End Trade Barriers– Tariffs- Tax on imported

goods– Quotas-Limit amounts of

imported goods– Embargos – Stop all

imports

What Are the Advantages of NAFTA?

• It eliminated tariffs- Which reduces the cost of trade • Increases personal investments- Motivates business

to expand • It decreases the cost of imports- Which reduces

prices and inflation.• It increased U.S. Farm exports- Mexico one of the

top importers of beef, soybean meal, apples, corn, soybeans.

• Decrease American Oil prices- We started getting more oil from Mexico

NAFTA IS GOOD

What are the Disadvantages of NAFTA

• U.S. manufacturers moved jobs to lower-cost Mexico- Between 1994 and 2002, the U.S. lost 1.7 million jobs, gaining only 794,00, for a net loss of 879,000 jobs.

• U.S. Wages are suppressed- U.S factories threaten to move the factory if they have to raise wages

• Mexico’s rural farmers were put out of business by U.S. farms- U.S. had lower prices

• Increase in Maquiladora(Ma-Kee-lah-dora)-U.S. factories hired Mexican workers near the border- 30% of Mexicans worked in U.S factories

• Mexico Environment Deteriorated- Mexico used more fertilizers and chemicals to keep up with American farmers Maquiladora and NAFTA

NAFTA IS BAD

Clinton Impeachment

Objectives:1. What events caused President

Clinton to be Impeachment?2. What was the verdict of his

impeachment?

Question

• Should the American people be concerned about their president doing “immoral” thing? – Cheating on their spouse– Buying XXX movies– Chewing Tobacco – Drinking

Scandal background• Clinton was sued in a

sexual harassment suit by Paula Jones

• One of the witnesses called was a white house intern Monica Lewinsky

• An improper relationship w/Lewinsky emerges

• Urged by a “friend” Linda Tripp, Lewinsky had kept evidence

Paula Jones

Linda Tripp

Monica Lewinsky

Scandal background• “I did not have sexual

relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky.”

• The investigation expands to see if Clinton lied under oath about the relationship

• Eventually, Clinton admits to a relationship

Clintons speaks to public clip

Impeachment

• Kenneth Starr submits a report to Congress accusing Clinton of betraying his constitutional duties through lies about his relationship

Impeachment • Votes in Congress• House approved

two articles of impeachment

• 1. Perjury• 2. Obstruction of

justice• Senate does not find

Clinton guilty of the charges