Bill Clinton

From ArticleWorld

Bill Clinton, born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946in Hope Arkansas, was the 42nd President of the United States. He served in office form 1993 to 2001. Prior to that, he served five terms as the Governor of Arkansas. As a member of the Democratic Party, he was head of the Democratic Leadership Council from 1990-1991. Though a popular president with some of the highest approval ratings in the post-Eisenhower era, he was the second president to be impeached. He was, however, acquitted by the United States Senate in 1999. His Vice President was Al Gore. Clinton’s wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton is currently the junior United States Senator from New York.

Election

In 1992, Bill Clinton became the democratic nominee for the presidency and in July of that year, he chose Al Gore as his running mate. Throughout the campaign, Clinton was hammered with accusations of adultery, sexual harassment, and sketchy business dealings. He persevered through and won the election with 43% of the vote. He was able to beat out the “unbeatable” George H.W. Bush who was coming off the Persian Gulf War. The third man in the mix, Ross Perot, a wealthy businessman, garnered almost 19% of the vote. Bill Clinton was the first Democratic President to serve two full terms in office since Franklin D. Roosevelt. In addition, he halted Republican reign of the office. Republicans held the office for the last 12 years. Finally, that election year also gave the Democratic Party full control over all branches of government including the Senate and House of Representatives. This hadn’t occurred since Carter’s presidency.

Presidency

Throughout his presidency, Clinton signed many important bills. These laws increased his popularity and firmed his legacy. Bills like the Family Medical Leave Act and the Brady Bill ensure the health, safety and job security of Americans. In addition to groundbreaking legislation, Clinton’s presidency was fraught with controversy. Allegations of marital infidelity and sexual harassment from women such as Paula Jones, Gennifer Flowers and Monica Lewinsky certainly had Whitehouse officials on their toes. Whitewater was a shady real estate investment deal that ended up with one of the players committing suicide. Clinton was only the second president to ever be impeached though Congress overturned it in 1999. His indiscretions garnered much attention throughout his presidency but he managed to stay afloat. Some have dubbed him as the “Teflon President.”

Gen-X President

Clinton was the first “baby boomer” president and had to work to gain votes of the older generations. However, his suave style, knowledge of pop culture and his effortless ability to empathize with the younger generation brought out the biggest Generation X voting turnout ever. Clinton won the Gen-X vote in the 1992 election though many criticized that the younger vote wasn’t worth too much. His popularity with the younger voters garnered him the title the “MTV President.”