1. The Clinton Presidency
Third youngest president ever elected

2. Bill Clinton - Democrat
Arkansas governor , – second youngest
Pushed for middle class tax cuts and a national health care system
Strong alliance with his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton
Campaign revealed numerous accusations of marital infidelity on the part of Bill Clinton

3. 1992 Election Running mate, Senator Al Gore of Tennessee
Three way race – Clinton (D), George H.W. Bush (R), H. Ross Perot (I)
Clinton presented himself as protector of the middle class

4. Domestic Policy – Budget Deficit
First surplus for government since 1920’s/50’s
Presidency longest period of sustained economic growth in U.S. history

5. Domestic Policy – Health Care
Costs rising, millions had no health insurance
Hillary Clinton headed special task force proposing a government-sponsored program of health care (universal health care)
Her proposal was defeated

6. The Presidency of Bill Clinton
Clinton defined himself a “new Democrat” by embracing both liberal & conservative policies, he was considered moderate
Clinton worked with Republicans to reform the welfare system
REFORMING WELFARE Clinton and the congressional Republicans cooperated to reform the welfare system. In 1996, a bill was proposed to place limits on how long people could receive benefits. It also put an end to a 61-year federal guarantee of welfare, and instead gave states “block grants”—set amounts of federal money they could spend on welfare or for other social concerns. Although liberal Democrats feared the effects of eliminating the federal safety net for the poor, the president backed the bill. Over the next few years, states moved millions of people from welfare to jobs. Because of the strong economy, the transition was more successful than some had been predicting.
The law put limits on how long people could receive benefits & allowed states to decide how welfare money would be spent

7. Dow Jones Industrial Average, 1901-2010
Clinton’s deficit reduction coincided with a boom in the technology industry as part of the Computer Revolution; This led to the longest sustained era of economic growth in U.S. history
Dow Jones Industrial Average,

8. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell 1993 policy regarding gay military members
Not allowed to be discharged for sexual orientation
Clinton compromise, wanted to repeal military’s ban on gay personnel
Policy failed to meet Clinton’s goals of decreasing discharges for homosexuality and reducing harassment

9. Foreign Policy
Oslo Accords (1993) - Peace agreement between Israelis (Rabin) and Palestinians (Arafat)
Somalia (1993) – American forces, distributing food, were killed, considered an unpopular intervention
Haiti (1994) – American forces led a UN effort to remove military dictators

10. Foreign Policy
Clinton signed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which reduced trade barriers among USA, Mexico, & Canada
NAFTA and other changes in the way the US trades with the world will become controversial until today…this change is known as globalization

11. Pros/Cons of Globalization?

12. Scandals
Whitewater - Kenneth Starr led investigation into a failed real estate investment of Clintons in 1970s – no formal charges on Clintons
Paula Jones Sexual Harassment case – claimed to have taken place while Clinton was governor and she a state employee – case thrown out
Monica Lewinsky case – Clinton accused of lying under oath about his relationship with Lewinsky while he was president and she a White House intern
House approved 2 articles of impeachment
Senate did not have 2/3 majority to remove Clinton from office

13. Conclusions
The Clinton years during the 1990s represented new changes for the U.S.
The Democratic Party took back the presidency by becoming more moderate
The economic boom of the 1990s was based largely on technology innovation that would crash in early 2000
The emergence of terrorism, at home & abroad, presented new threats to American security

14. Post-presidency
Autobiography – My Life, New York Times bestseller list
Presidential library –2004, Little Rock, AR
Humanitarian efforts in Africa and Asia, AIDS epidemic
Clinton and former President Bush - humanitarian relief, victims of tsunami along coasts of Indian Ocean (2004)
Clinton involved in relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Katrina (2004) and created the Haiti Fund to support Haitians after the earthquake (2010)