Patriot's History: Bill Clinton (Chap 21)
Lyin' Eyes, The EaglesLosing My Religion, R.E.M.
Maneater, Hall & Oates
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Summary Despite his blatant immorality and undistinguished foreign policy, Bill Clinton thrived with an economy expanded by the Reagan strategy. Chapter A charismatic man, Bill Clinton needed Hillary for politics and organizing. Centrist strategy had made him President, but then he took a leftward swing to government-expanding health care. Costly, damaging to small employers, Mister Limbaugh helped with its defeat. Then Clinton raised our taxes and proceeded to deplete the military. Handing favors with unethical abandon to his loyalists, a testimonial to sinking popularity arrived in '94: Republicans took Congress. (Voters couldn't quite ignore the Clintons' past {Whitewater}.) But the man was fortunate: an economic rally helped him, and his delicate responses to the Oklahoma City bombing brought a note of sympathy. And while a populace distraught by terrorism warmed to leadership, the business boom revived the nation. But the healthy penchant to consume was due to Reagan's policies, not Clinton's. Deficit reduction had a host of causes, like the benefit of cheaper post-war oil, the Eastern Europe nations free to trade at last, a prosperous computer industry. The nineties showed the global appetite for liberty as immigrants embarked upon our shores, prosperity the goal, but adding to a growing racial harmony as well. It seemed our nation was beginning to agree that happiness exists inside -- religion came to be important once again, inspired by the debauchery in Washington, perhaps. The Clinton saga wouldn't end, with Paula Jones and Monica, and funding through a friend from China, lying to a jury. The economy would save the day for re-election, and expectedly he took the credit. Still, a resolution to impeach was brought to Congress, but the man's ability to reach his Democratic allies brought acquittal. Through it all the President, a master of evasion, tried to stall the moral outrage with events occurring overseas: the Balkans (with Milosevic); Iraq (Saddam would seize control again). Committing troops without a plan would seem to be the Clinton battle strategy. The most extreme developments were growing terrorist activities: in '93 bin Laden hit New York (World Trade). Our embassies were next, in Africa. A villain chose to desecrate our soil, but Clinton made no effort to retaliate. |