Politics in the 1990s Chapter 35 Section 1 Angela Brown

Clinton’s Path to the Presidency At age 17, a member of the Boys Nation, a program that teaches young people about government, Clinton shook hands with President Kennedy. In 1976, three years after earning a law degree at Yale, Clinton was elected Attorney General of Arkansas In 1978, at age 32, he was elected Governor of Arkansas

He was defeated in his 1980 election bid But reelected in 1982 and remained Governor throughout the 80s His close adviser was his wife Hillary Rodham Clinton whom he met in law school She lead education reform in Arkansas She was praised for her intelligence and energy but criticized for her active role in government. People thought she should confine herself to ceremonial duties.

. The 1992 Campaign This was the first three way race since the 1912 campaign of TR-Taft-Wilson No third party had played such a role in the election since Bush’s high approval ratings discouraged prominent Democrats from running – thus paved the way for Bill Clinton Critics stated he would say whatever necessary to be elected He denied charges of a woman claiming to be his mistress

The 1992 Campaign He made evasive statements about how and why he avoided the draft during the Vietnam war H. Ross Perot, a billionaire Texas businessman, entered the race out of frustration over the government’s policies on the federal budget and the economy Perot was an independent with no party – he organized a large network of volunteers and collected signatures on petitions to get his name on the ballot in each of the 50 states.

Campaign Issues The republicans tried to focus on a perceived decline in family values The recession of the early 90s continued so economic issues dominated the campaign Clinton promised to end the recession and deal with other economic problems He pledged to address the federal budget deficit and problems in the health care system

Campaign Issues He called himself a “New Democrat” – he would look for new ways to make government more responsive and efficient This appealed to Americans frustrated with the bickering and deadlock between democrats and republicans in Congress

Campaign Issues Perot also focused on the economy – he stated he had the necessary skills to cut costs, balance the budget and restore prosperity Perot ran as a Washington “outsider” – he noted no ties to special interest groups – he pledged he’d consider the needs of the country as a whole

Clinton Wins the Election All three candidates appeared on talk shows and interview programs to shape public opinion (as well as political ads and debates) Clinton received 43% of the votes, Bush 38%, and Perot 19% = a President with less than a majority of popular votes The republicans claimed Perot prevented Bush’s reelection Electoral College = Clinton 370, Bush 168, and Perot 0

Clinton’s First Term For the first time in more than a decade the executive and legislative branches were in the hands of the same party

Economic Reform President Clinton talked of a need to “grow the economy” with new government programs to create jobs and provide training The Democrats in Congress sensed a conservative mood in the country and refused to pass his package

Economic Reform Congress approved Clinton’s first budget – the House passed it by two votes – VP Al Gore had to break the 50-50 tie in the Senate To reduce the deficit – the budget included both spending cuts and tax increases This was not well received by the public – it put taxes heaviest on the wealthiest Americans – it still irritated people with lower incomes

The Battle Over Health Care In 1993, 37 million Americans had no health care coverage Hilliary Clinton was appointed head of the task force to analyze health care and propose reforms The proposal to Congress called for the creation of government supervised health insurance program that would guarantee affordable coverage to every American

The Battle Over Health Care The public seemed to favor the plan – it was opposed by insurance, professional and small business groups Congressional republicans charged it would be to expensive to taxpayers and an example of big government The plan failed to gain necessary support in Congress

Republican’s Contract with America The 1994 midterm elections signaled trouble for Clinton due to the failure of health care Georgia representative, Newt Gingrich called on republican candidates to endorse the Contract with America – a pledge in writing to scale back the role of the federal government, eliminate regulations, cut taxes and balance the budget Voters felt Democrats controlled Congress but had lost touch with their concerns In 1994 voters gave republicans the majority in both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years.

Congress Versus the President Newt Gingrich was elected Speaker of the House. He spoke of a new era in politics where Congress, not the President set the nation’s course The republican’s demanded the budget be balanced in 7 years and proposed cuts in all social services In reference to FDR’s 1933 New Deal Gingrich demanded action in the session’s first hundred days Gingrich claimed he changed the debate from whether to cut government and balance the budget to how to do so

The Budget and Welfare Reform In 1995 Clinton and Gingrich clashed over the size of the budget cuts and a timetable Government offices and operations temporarily shut down disrupting services to millions of Americans In 1996 a permanent agreement on the budget was reached = the start of the Clinton comeback American blamed Congress for the shut down – perceived them as uncompromising and extreme – they saw the republican cuts as mean spirited

Clinton’s approval rating improved 1996 Congress and the President agreed on a plan for the reform of welfare eliminated guarantees of cash assistance gave states authority to run their own welfare programs with block grants of federal money established a lifetime limit of five years of aid per family and required most adults to work within two years of aid

Clinton’s Second Term The republicans took control of the Congress in 1995 Clinton’s reelection hopes seemed slim. He worked hard to show he was not a “tax and spend liberal”.

The 1996 Campaign Bob Dole, the Senate majority leader, and a member of Congress for 35 years ran as the republican candidate Ross Perot ran for the new Reform Party Clinton moved several popular bills through Congress included was a higher minimum wage The economy was now strong and this worked in Clinton’s favor Clinton received 49% of the popular vote, Dole 41%, Perot 8% Clinton received 379 electoral votes to Dole’s 159

Scandal and the Second Term Whitewater Affair – Clinton was accused of having participated in fraudulent loans and land deals in Arkansas and having used his influence s governor to block the investigation of his business partners Attorney General, Janet Reno, appointed a special prosecutor to look into the charges Some of Clinton’s friends and former associates were convicted of various crimes and jailed

Scandal and the Second Term No evidence was found to link the President to any wrongdoing After his reelection, republicans charged he had accepted illegal campaign donations in return for political favors The Senate committee found violations of campaign finance laws by both parties Clinton was not directly implicated

Clinton Impeached In 1998 the government achieved its first budget surplus since 1962 Also in 1998, special prosecutor ,Kenneth Starr, began to investigate the relationship between Clinton and a White House intern – Monica Lewinsky Under oath in a separate sexual harassment lawsuit Clinton had denied having sexual relations with the intern – he repeated the denial to a grand jury convened by Starr in August

Clinton Impeached Finally Clinton admitted to having an “inappropriate relationship” and having “misled” his family and the country In September, Starr sent a report listing numerous grounds for impeachment to the House Debate – polls showed Americans disapproval of Clinton’s actions but they believed he was doing a good job as President and should not e impeached. In December 1998 – The House voted to impeach on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice Most republicans voted yes for impeachment – most democrats voted no

Clinton Impeached January 7, 1999 the Senate trial opened Most Senators believed the offenses had been committed – but debated whether they qualified as “High Crimes and Misdemeanors” the constitutional requirement for conviction of a President February 12, 1999 the trial ended – Clinton was acquitted on both charges as people expected Clinton’s presidency marked the longest period of economic expansion in American History – the economy continued to grow – unemployment and inflation remained low

The 2000 Election Texas Governor, George W. Bush, and Democratic nominee, VP Al Gore tied in the polls Election night many states too close to call – neither candidate had the 270 electoral votes needed to win Florida – recount of the votes was ordered by law (due to outdated equipment and inconsistent voting practices) The nation waited for 36 days – court battles ensued between the two parties

The 2000 Election It eventually reach the Supreme Court in Bush vs Gore 5 to 4 votes issued ruling to discontinue recounts in Florida – overturned the Florida supreme court decision to allow recounts This secured the presidency for George W. Bush Gore won the most popular votes – Bush won the 271 electoral votes to Gore’s 266