William Jefferson Clinton Early Life/Political Career William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe, III in Hope, Arkansas on August 19, 1946 His father, William Jefferson Blythe, Jr., was a traveling salesman who died in an automobile accident three months before Bill was born His mother traveled to New Orleans to study nursing soon after he was born, and she left Bill in Hope with his grandparents

William Jefferson Clinton Early Life/Political Career Continued… When his mother returned from nursing school, she married Roger Clinton, Sr. He took his stepfather’s name, Clinton, when he was 15 Clinton says he remembers his stepfather as a gambler and an alcoholic who regularly abused his mother and half-brother, Roger Clinton, Jr.

William Jefferson Clinton Early Life/Political Career Continued… He attended Georgetown University where he earned a Rhodes Scholarship to attend the University of Oxford in London, England Clinton then went on to receive a law degree from Yale Law School, where he met Hillary Rodham, who later became his wife Clinton served as the Attorney General of Arkansas and later Governor before running for President in 1992

PBS – American Experience - Clinton http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/clinton/player/ Intro (3:39) Political Ambition (First 3:00 Minutes…Not whole thing) Early Life (10:00) Entering Policitics (3:00)

Election of 1992 George Bush (President) Dan Quayle (Vice-President) Republicans George Bush (President) Dan Quayle (Vice-President) Democrats Bill Clinton (Governor – Arkansas) Al Gore (Senator – Tennessee) Independent Ross Perot (Texas Businessman) James Stockdale (Retired Vice-Admiral of the Navy)

Election of 1992 Bush/Quayle – 35.7% Clinton/Gore – 43% Popular Vote Bush/Quayle – 35.7% Clinton/Gore – 43% Perot/Stockdale – 18.9% States Carried Bush/Quayle – 18 Clinton/Gore – 32 Plus DC Perot/Stockdale - 0

Election of 1992

Clinton administration (1993-1997) Clinton’s First Term Clinton's election ended 12 years of Republican rule of the White House and 20 of the previous 24 years During Clinton’s first term, he focused mainly on domestic issues He cut taxes for low income families, and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1% of Americans in order to erase American debt and to balance the federal budget He signed NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) into law which limited the tariffs on trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico in order to increase trade among the nations

Clinton administration (1993-1997) Clinton’s First Term Continued… He put into place the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy which allowed gay men and women to serve in the military provided they kept their sexuality a secret In 1996 Clinton escaped an assassination attempt in the Philippines He was saved shortly before his car was due to drive over a bridge where a bomb had been planted There were very few news reports of the incident at the time, but after further U.S. investigation it was later revealed that the plot was masterminded by Osama bin Laden

Election of 1996 Bob Dole (Senator - Kansas) Republicans Bob Dole (Senator - Kansas) Jack Kemp (Congressman– New York) Democrats Bill Clinton (President) Al Gore (Vice-President) Independent Ross Perot (Texas Businessman) Patrick Choate (American Economist)

Election of 1996 Dole/Kemp – 40.7% Clinton/Gore – 49.2% Popular Vote Dole/Kemp – 40.7% Clinton/Gore – 49.2% Perot/Choate – 8.4% States Carried Dole/Kemp – 19 Clinton/Gore – 31 Plus DC Perot/Choate - 0

Election of 1996

Clinton administration (1997-2001) Clinton’s Second Term Clinton became the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to be re-elected President Clinton’s second term saw continued growth in the economy, relative peace around the world, but was marred by the Monica Lewinsky Scandal

PBS – American Experience - Clinton http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/clinton/player/ Lewinsky (10:00)

Clinton administration (1997-2001) Lewinsky Scandal (1998-1999) While Clinton was President, he was sued by Paula Jones for sexual harassment The alleged harassment occurred in 1991 when he was the Governor of Arkansas, and the lawsuit went to court in 1997 The case was initially dismissed, but later appealed, and Clinton agreed to pay Jones $850,000 to settle the case Clinton denies ever engaging in a sexual affair with her and his attorney Bob Bennett stated that he only made the settlement so he could end the lawsuit for good and move on with his life During the course of that trial, Clinton’s denied having a sexual relationship with White House Intern Monica Lewinsky, a denial that later became the basis for an impeachment charge of perjury against Clinton

Clinton administration (1997-2001) Lewinsky Scandal Continued… In 1998, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Clinton based on an investigation into the Lewinsky scandal and he was specifically charged with perjury and obstruction of justice Impeachment The expressed power of the legislature that allows for formal charges against a civil officer of government for crimes committed while in office The actual trial on those charges, and subsequent removal of an official on conviction on those charges, is separate from the act of impeachment itself This made Clinton only the second U.S. president to be impeached (the first being Andrew Johnson)

Clinton administration (1997-2001) Lewinsky Scandal Continued… The Senate, however, voted to acquit Clinton on both charges The Senate vote finished 55 not guilty and 45 guilty on both counts falling short of the Constitutional two-thirds majority requirement to convict and remove an officeholder The final vote was generally along party lines, with no Democrats voting guilty, and only a handful of Republicans voting not guilty

PBS – American Experience - Clinton http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/clinton/player/ Final Years (6:00)

Clinton Legacy Clinton Legacy As president, Clinton presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in American history Clinton left office with an approval rating of 68%, which matched those of Ronald Regan and Franklin D. Roosevelt as the highest ratings for departing presidents in the modern era Clinton’s approval rating was even higher shortly after his impeachment proceedings His ability to survive multiple scandals and maintain high approval ratings led to a nickname of "Teflon Bill“ by his supporters, and “Slick Willie” by his detractors