CLINTON and the ’90s

Traditional Stereotypes Democrats/Liberals Republicans/Conservatives “Tax and Spend” Government action can be the solution Government spending is necessary Taxes are necessary Government regulation is necessary “Favor the rich” Government is the problem Cut government spending Cut taxes Cut government regulation Traditional Stereotypes

Democratic Party Changes 1960s-1980s Loss of South Reagan shifts the electorate to right Crushing loss in 1984 Deficit Tax Revolts Perceived failure of Great Society and Reaganomics

Democratic Party Changes “New Democrats” Socially liberal Fiscally Conservative Pro-Business Government has limited, but important role Democratic Leadership Council (DLC): a non-profit corporation founded in 1985 that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

The New Politics - Democrats Liberals vs. Centrists Democratic Leadership Council Pro-business Free trade Socially liberal Limited, but important, government role New Deal/Great Society Pro-labor Maybe protectionist Socially liberal Activist government Senator Walter Mondale Senator Ted Kennedy (MA) Senator Harry Reid (NV) Senator Barbara Boxer (CA) Representative Nancy Pelosi (CA) Governor Bill Richardson (NM) Senator Robert Byrd (WV) President Bill Clinton VP Al Gore Governor Mark Warner (VA) Senator Hillary Clinton (NY) Senator Barack Obama (IL) Governor Jennifer Granhoim (MI) Governor Kathleen Sebellus (KS) Stereo types Members Winner Centrists

The New Politics - Republicans Moderates vs. Conservatives Pro-choice Balanced Budget Socially Liberal Small, but active, government Anti-abortion Balanced Budget Socially Conservative Government is the problem Governor George H. W. Bush Mayor Rudy Giuliani Senator John McCain (AZ) Senator Richard Lugar (IN) Senator Olympia Snowe (ME) Governor Mitt Romney Senator Chuck Hagel President George W. Bush VP Dick Cheney Governor Mike Huckabee (AR) Representative Newt Gingrich (GA) Representative Tom Delay (TX) Senator Mitch McConnell (KY) Justice Antonin Scalia Stereo types Members Winner Conservatives

Effects of Persian Gulf War Winning the Persian Gulf War should have been something for George Bush and the U.S. to celebrate, but it caused some lasting problems: The U.S. economy began suffering a major recession Businesses started “downsizing” staffs (laying off workers) Bush was force to go back on his pledge when he raised taxes American troops remained in the Middle East, angering many Muslims

1992 Clinton 43% Bush 38% Perot 19% The electoral map 1992

Clinton and health care One of the major goals of Clinton and one he had campaigned heavily on was health care reform Clinton appointed his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to the task of fixing health The proposed plan was aggressively opposed by conservative, libertarians, and health insurance industry as overly Bureaucratic and restrictive of patient choice The core element of the plan was to force employers to provide health insurance coverage to all their employees This will really hurt Hillary’s popularity Hillary’s health care reform bill never got voted on and failed to get passed

N.A.F.T.A. On January 1, 1994, the governments of the U.S., Canada, and Mexico signed into being the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) This treaty removed restrictive tariffs on much of the trade that passed between the three nations, encouraging the international flow of goods and capital The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is the world's largest free trade area. It links 450 million people, and its member economies generate $20.8 trillion. It's also highly controversial. Do the pros of NAFTA outweigh the cons?

Pros Cons Trade Increased Jobs Created 5 million U.S. jobs 682,900 U.S. manufacturing jobs lost in some states Wages Average wages increased Remaining U.S. factories suppressed wages Workers U.S. Unions lost leverage Mexican workers exploited Oil U.S. costs lower Improved Mexican economy Food Mexican farmers went out of business Services U.S. exported finance and healthcare services Foreign Investments Government Spending Reduced due to more competitive bidding

Economic World Order Building Clinton’s Legacy? Economic World Order Building NAFTA: North American Free Trade Agreement FTAA: Free Trade Area of the Americas was being negotiated by 34 countries of the Americas, was intended to be the most far-reaching trade agreement in history. APEC: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Clinton initiated the first meeting of leaders to a forum for 21 Pacific Rim member economies that promotes free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. WTO: World Trade Organization the only global international organization dealing with the rules of trade between nations. The FTAA would have introduced into the Western Hemisphere all the disciplines of the proposed services agreement of the World Trade Organization (WTO) - the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) - with the powers of the failed Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), to create a new trade powerhouse with sweeping new authority over the Americas.  Currentily in a long coma with no signs of life

Brady Bill Clinton fulfilled a campaign promise when he got Congress to pass a gun-control law known as the Brady Bill The Brady Bill put a waiting period on people who wanted to buy a gun and they had to have a background check done to buy a handgun

He established a policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell” Clinton fulfilled another campaign promise when he took steps to allow homosexuals to serve in the military He established a policy known as “don’t ask, don’t tell” Gays were upset that the policy still discriminated against homosexuals

Contract with America Led by U.S. Congressman Newt Gingrich, Republicans created a program that called for reducing taxes, welfare reform and a balanced budget amendment In the 1994 mid-term elections, Republicans gained majority power in the House of Representatives for the first time in 40 years

Clinton’s scandals Clinton’s presidency was marred by numerous scandals, including claims of marital affairs, sexual harassment and an illegal land deal known as Whitewater Clinton’s most damaging scandal dealt with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky

Monica Lewinsky scandal In 1998, Clinton became entangled in a scandal over an affair with a White House intern named Monica Lewinsky

Clinton Impeached Clinton lied about the affair during testimony to a federal grand jury Because he committed perjury, in 1998 the House impeached Clinton The Senate found him not guilty of the charges, but Clinton’s presidency was forever tarnished

Articles of Impeachment Article One: Perjury before Grand Jury Passed House; rejected by Senate Article Two: Perjury in Civil Suit Rejected by House Article Three: Obstruction of Justice Article Four: Perjury in Questions to Judiciary Committee

War in the Balkans The atrocities eventually led NATO to launch massive air strikes on August 30, 1995, against Bosnian Serb military positions. Following intense pressure from the US-led international community and three weeks of negotiations between leaders on each side at a US military base in Ohio, the so-called Dayton agreement was reached in November 1995. In the ’90s, war broke out in the former Yugoslavia in a region of Europe known as the Balkans

The Dayton Accords The deal to end the wars divided Bosnia along ethnic lines into two semi-autonomous entities. But the Balkan conflicts were not over, with war breaking out in 1998 in Serbia's southern province of Kosovo between pro-independence ethnic Albanian rebels and Serbia's armed forces. That war ended in 1999 after an 11-week bombing campaign by NATO, by which time about 13,000 lives had been lost and hundreds of thousands had fled their homes. Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008, a move Serbia refuses to recognise. Clinton helped bring about peace in the war by hosting what was known as the Dayton Accords

Key Events of the ‘90s

Outside Waco, TX, was a religious cult called the Branch Davidians. Branch Davidian Tragedy Outside Waco, TX, was a religious cult called the Branch Davidians. It’s leader – David Koresh – was stockpiling weapons and accused of sexual abusing girls. In 1993, the ATF raided the complex and encountered a fire-fight with Koresh and his followers

Branch Davidian Tragedy Negotiations between Koresh and the cult and the FBI went on for 51 days The siege ended on April 19 when a fire burned the compound to the ground, killing 76 people, including 20 children

Ruby Ridge Incident Randy Weaver, a white separatist, had been targeted by the federal government after failing to appear in court to face charges related to his selling of two illegal sawed-off shotguns to an Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) informant. On August 21, 1992, after a period of surveillance, U.S. marshals came upon Harrison; Weaver; Weaver’s 14-year-old son, Sammy; and the family dog, Striker, on a road near the Weaver property. A marshal shot and killed the dog, prompting Sammy to fire at the marshal. In the ensuing gun battle, Sammy and U.S. Marshal Michael Degan were shot and killed. A tense standoff ensued, and on August 22 the FBI joined the marshals besieging Ruby Ridge. Later that day, Harris, Weaver, and his daughter, Sarah, left the cabin, allegedly for the purpose of preparing Sammy’s body for burial. FBI sharpshooter Lon Horiuchi, waiting 200 yards away, opened fire, allegedly because he thought Harrison was armed and intending to fire on a helicopter in the vicinity. Horiuchi wounded Weaver, and the group ran to the shed where Sammy’s body was lying. When they attempted to escape back into the cabin, Horiuchi fired again, wounding Harrison as he dove through the door and killing Vicki Weaver, who was holding the door open with one hand and cradling her infant daughter with the other. Horiuchi claimed he didn’t know that Vicki Weaver was standing behind the door. Harris, Weaver, and Weaver’s three daughters surrendered nine days later. In 1993, Weaver and Harris were acquitted by a federal court on murder, conspiracy, and other charges related to Degan’s death, but Weaver was convicted of failing to appear for trial on the firearms charge. In 1994, the two men filed federal civil rights cases against the FBI and U.S. marshals stemming from the siege, and in 1995 the government settled Weaver’s case for $3.1 million. The controversial standoff spawned a nationwide debate on the use of force by federal law enforcement agencies, and a U.S. Senate panel accused the federal agencies involved of “substantial failures” in their handling of the Ruby Ridge operation. Of particular controversy was an FBI “rule of engagement” implemented at the beginning of the Ruby Ridge siege that stated “any armed adult male observed in the vicinity of the Weaver cabin could and should be killed.” Many condemned this policy as unconstitutional. Rumors that the FBI had engaged in a cover-up regarding the Ruby Ridge operation were verified when E. Michael Kahoe, former chief of the FBI’s violent crimes section, pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice in 1996. Kahoe, who had destroyed an official bureau critique of the standoff, was sentenced to 18 months in prison. In 1997, FBI agent Lon Horiuchi was charged by an Idaho county prosecutor with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Vicki Weaver, but a federal judge dismissed the charge in 1998, citing the alleged immunity of federal officers from state prosecution. In 2001, a federal court of appeals overruled the ruling, stating that federal officers who violate the U.S. Constitution can be charged with state criminal offenses. However, a new Idaho prosecutor declined to pursue the manslaughter charge. The Ruby Ridge incident happened in 1992 when the government (FBI, ATF) had a standoff with a family in Idaho that ended with three people dead

The Militia Movement The incidents at Ruby Ridge and Waco fueled a hatred of the government by right-wing radicals and the widening of the militia movement

Oklahoma City Bombing Gulf War vet Timothy McVeigh was upset with the federal government over the Waco Tragedy McVeigh retaliated on the 2nd anniversary of the attacks (April 19) when he set off a truck bomb in front of the federal building

Oklahoma City Bombing The bombing killed 168 people, including 19 children McVeigh was put to death after being found guilty of the bombing

Oklahoma City Bombing

Rodney King Beating In 1991, Rodney King was pulled over for speeding in Los Angeles After refusing to comply to police, request King was beaten

Rodney King beating The police officers accused of beating King were put on trial in 1992, but were acquitted. Upset by the lack of justice, blacks in Los Angeles rioted, causing millions of dollars in damages

O.J. Simpson Murder Trial In 1995, former football star O.J. Simpson was accused of the brutal murder of his ex-wife and her friend. The slow speed chase to apprehend Simpson was watched by millions.

O.J. Simpson Murder Trial Although most of the evidence pointed toward his guilt, Simpson was acquitted of the crime

In 1993, terrorist place a car bomb in the basement of the WTC in NYC World Trade Center bombed In 1993, terrorist place a car bomb in the basement of the WTC in NYC The attack was the work of radical Muslim terrorists who hated the U.S. because of its support of Israel

U.S. embassy bombing On August 7, 1998, Islamic terrorists bombed the U.S. embassy in Nairobi, Kenya The attack was carried out by Osama bin Laden and killed over 400 people

Columbine Massacre The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School in Columbine, suburb of Denver

Columbine Massacre Two students killed 12 students and a teacher, before committing suicide The Columbine Massacre – as well as others that followed – led to new laws to protect students and teachers in the classroom

New Technology Cell phone use skyrocketed during the 90s, going from less than a million users to over 400 million users by 2000

New Technology The World Wide Web was launched in 1990, leading to the explosion of the internet

Global Warming By the early 1990s, scientists found evidence of global warming, which was an increase in world temperatures over time

Kyoto Protocol The Kyoto Protocol was the meeting held by world leaders in Japan in 1997 to come up with a solution to stop global warming

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