THE PRESIDENCY OF BILL CLINTON

THE 1992 LA RIOTS

• 3 March 1991 – Rodney King led police on a chase through the Los Angeles before surrendering • Brutally beaten by police officers Powell, Briseno, and Wind• Citizen had been filming the arrest• 29 April 1992 – the

police officers were found not guilty on all charges except one assault charge against Powell• Los Angeles erupted

into violence

1992 ELECTION

• Ross Perot (19%) and H.W. Bush (37%) split the Republican vote

• Clears the way for politically unknown Bill Clinton• Centrist politician: appealed to

the mainstream• Benefits from end of the Cold

War optimism and economics of a shrinking military

“IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID!”BUSH’S TAX INCREASE MAKES HIM A ONE TERM PRESIDENT

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTONGOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS

• First post-Cold War and “Baby Boom” president• New Democrat• Reaction to Reaganism• More moderate on social

issues

• Open to tax cuts, free trade, and deregulation• Break from the Democrats

1990S ECONOMIC BOOM

• Causes• Light regulation on

industry• Dot com Boom• End of Cold War (low

defense spending)• Results in longest

peace time economic expansion in history

CLINTON’S FOREIGN POLICY

• Rise of Al Qaeda • World Trade Center

bombed in 1993• Khalid Sheik

Mohammad

• US embassies bombed in Kenya and Tanzania 1998• USS Cole attack 2000

CLINTON’S AMERICA

• Family Medial Leave Act • Gives 12 paid weeks off for

any medical reason

• Failed in effort to nationalize health care• “HillaryCare” precursor to

ObamaCare• Anger over appointing of his wife to lead

NAFTA (1994) AND GATT

• Reaction to European Union of 1993 (the Euro)• North American Free

Trade Agreement• No trade barriers

between Canada, the US, and Mexico• Had bi-partisan

support

• General agreement on trade and tariffs• Free trade

REPUBLICAN REVIVAL

• 1994 – GOP wins Congress• Newt Gingrich leads

“Contract with America”• Pushed tax cuts, cut size of

gov’t, reformed welfare, increased defense• Reaction against proposed

HillaryCare and gov’t growth

• Balanced the budget• US has a budget surplus

• Very popular

OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING - 1995

• 168 Americans killed in a truck bomb blast• Worst act of domestic

terrorism in US history• Timothy McVeigh and Terry

Nichols

THE WAR IN KOSOVO - 1999

• US leads NATO to stop Serbian-led genocide of Muslins in former Yugoslavia• Peacekeeping forces

remain, Milosovic tried on war crimes• Kosovo get independence in

2008

COLUMBINE - 1999

• Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado then commit suicide

SCANDAL IN THE WHITE HOUSE

• Alleged financial misdoings (Whitewater Development Corps – real estate venture)• Investigation starts in 1994• Insider trading never proved, but

suspected

• Special Prosecutor on Whitewater (Ken Starr) uncovers sexual affair• Clinton’s history of alleged

womanizing• Enter Monica Lewinski

THE MONICA LEWINSKY SCANDAL

• “I did not have sexual relations with that woman.”• Clinton denies the

affair in the Paula Jones sexual harassment suit

IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT

• Bill Clinton is impeached on • Obstruction of justice • Perjury• Malfeasance in office

• His presidential approval ratings were highest during the scandal• Acquitted by the

Senate