Bill Clinton and the Role of the

Government: 1992-1996

There are many pictures and

diagrams in this presentation.

Yet, you have a set of notes as

depicted to the right.

Whenever a slide comes up

with the title that matches your

note taking guide, that is when

you copy down the notes. On

the presentation, the sentence

will be underlined. It will be

blank on your note sheet.

Simply fill in the blanks with the

matching lines.

E. America Enters World War

II (1945-Present)

g. Analyze the origins of the

Cold War, foreign policy

developments, and major

events of the administrations

from Truman to present

2.Changes at Home

a. Analyze major domestic issues and responses

of the administrations from Truman to present

e. Identify the major contemporary social,

environmental, and political issues (e.g.,

immigration, global warming, terrorism), the

groups involved, and the controversies

engendered by those issues

f. Assess increasing global interdependence, the

potential for conflict, and the U.S. role in world

events in the present and future

The Start of Clinton’s Presidency

-When the Gulf War ended, President George H.W. Bush was scoring high in the opinion polls. It seemed inevitable that he would be elected to a second term.

-Yet, the economy entered into a downturn in the early 1990s. This led to a recession and many citizens desired to see the economy change. Bush raised taxes, something he said he would never do in his campaign.

-Although he experienced high popularity following the Gulf War, Bush was not able to win victory in the Election of 1992. He was defeated by a Democrat, Bill Clinton.

Although he had great popularity after the Gulf War, President George H.W. Bush, pictured to the right, lost the Election of 1992 to a Democrat, Bill Clinton, pictured to the left, partially due to the

poor economy that had occurred while he was President.

One Election and Three Candidates

-Typically in the 20th Century, the two major parties,

Democrats and Republicans, dominated the run for the

Presidency.

-It was very difficult for a third party to run for office and

defeat the two leading parties. Yet, in 1992, Ross Perot

ran in the election. Perot started a company called

Electronic Data Systems and was a billionaire.

-Perot championed conservative ideals, such as loose

gun control, and many felt he pulled votes away from

the Republicans. Perot received over 18% of the

popular vote, a high percentage for a 3rd party

candidate.

The Election of 1992

These next slides are not in your

notes that you are taking. The

following is a recap of the

Republican model for economics

and the Democrat model. This is to

help you to understand how the

economic policies of both parties

impacted the Presidency

of Bill Clinton.

When the Great Depression began, in 1928, many were discontent

with Hoover’s “hands off” approach. Hoover was a Republican. He

did not want to raise taxes to give direct relief and aid to struggling

Americans. He was afraid this would make people dependent on

the government. He felt the government should get out of the way

and let the free market work out the Great Depression on its own.

Villages of homeless people in shacks were nicknamed

“Hoovervilles” and Hoover’s tension with WW I veterans,

called the Bonus Army, tarnished his political popularity.

Franklin Delano

Roosevelt, a

Democrat, defeated

Herbert Hoover for the

Presidency in the

Election of 1932.

While Hoover wanted

the government to

“get out of the way” in

the Great Depression,

FDR felt the

government had to be

involved and

intentional to fix the

bad economy.

Like the Progressives, FDR

and the Democrats wanted

the government to act like a

strict referee in the economy.

Yet, to pay for the “New Deal,” FDR was going to

have to spend tax payer money.

By planting trees, the Civilian Conservation Corps, a New

Deal government program, helped to prevent a future

Dustbowl. It also gave men jobs who were out of work. Yet,

the men were paid with taxpayer money.

Social Security was a major aspect of the

New Deal and is still around today

and funded by taxes.

This is how Social Security works. The top row represents the

younger generation of Americans in the workforce. As they work,

they pay a portion of their income into Social Security as a tax.

The bottom row is the older generation of those 65 and older.

Since they paid into the system when they were young, they get to

draw money out of the system during their retirement years.

Some people thought the New Deal was a good thing that would take the

USA toward economic recovery. Others thought it was

a negative thing and that FDR was becoming a dictator

and increasing taxes to an unhealthy level.

Republican: Barry Goldwater

-Claim: The government is taxing

too much and must reduce its size

and lower taxes.

Democrat: Lyndon Baines Johnson

-Claim: The government should use

taxes to provide social programs for

the poor, elderly, and others who

need assistance. LBJ won the

election.

The Election of 1964

By the 1960s, many Republicans felt that Americans were paying taxes

that were too high to fund the various government programs that

had appeared since FDR’s New Deal.

These economic distinctions

between Republicans and

Democrats persist to today. For the

most part, Republicans believe in a

small government and reducing

taxes, while the Democrats believe

in a government that is heavily

involved and uses tax payer money

to fund social programs.

This concludes the recap.

Should the USA have a Big or Small Government?

-In the 1980s, two term President, Ronald Reagan, a

Conservative Republican, asserted that the government

of the USA had grown too large and that heavy taxes for

social programs were burdening the economy. This was

a view that gained him massive support.

-Many people supported George H.W. Bush, Reagan’s

Vice President, assuming he would continue this trend of

shrinking the government and lowering taxes.

-Clinton believed in government intervention funded by

taxes. Yet, he was willing to take moderate approaches

to reduce government involvement and spending in

various areas to appeal to the desire by many

Conservatives to shrink the role of the government.

The Role of the Government and Clinton

-While Clinton was moderate in enforcing government

power, compared to past Democrats, he still pursued

government intervention in various ways.

-For instance, George H.W. Bush vetoed the Family

Medical Leave Act, a bill in which the government

required businesses to allow employees to take off 12

unpaid weeks off for individual or family medical

situations.

-When Clinton became President, the bill again arose and

he signed it into law. This showed that, while Clinton was

willing to shrink the government’s intervention is some

ways, he was also willing to increase the government's

involvement in other matters.

Bill Clinton signing the Federal Medical Leave Act

into law on February 5th, 1993.

Gun Control and Clinton

-In the early 1990s, many Republicans supported loose gun

laws and believed the 2nd amendment supported such views,

while many Democrats wanted to have stricter gun laws and

believed their approach did not violate the 2nd amendment.

-Bill Clinton favored stricter gun laws. He signed the Brady Bill

into law. This law meant that citizens had to get background

checks to purchase guns. The National Rifle Association and

other Conservative groups opposed the bill. Yet, it still passed.

-Raising again the issue of gun laws in the USA, tragically, in

1999, two teenagers killed 12 students and 1 teacher at

Columbine High School in Colorado. This caused the nation to

reflect on school security and to pursue zero tolerance tactics

toward school violence.

The Rise of Newt Gingrich

-Early on, Clinton pursued measures to try and create a

national healthcare system for the USA. This would have

radically increased the role of the government. This

endeavor failed.

-Partially as a backlash against Clinton’s attempts to

expand the government’s involvement in healthcare, the

Republicans strategized a political takeover. They claimed

Clinton was not the moderate he claimed to be but was

actually very liberal on political issues.

-Newt Gingrich, a Republican Congressman from Georgia,

proposed what he called the Contract With America. This

was a Conservative plan to limit the government’s

involvement and spending. His goal was for the

Republicans to gain the House of Representatives.

Sometimes refereed to as “The Republican Revolution,” Senator Newt

Gingrich of Georgia successfully led a Republican takeover of the House

of Representatives and the Senate in the Midterm elections of 1994.

The Elections of 1994

-Although the Democrats gained the Presidency in 1992,

the Republicans rallied massive victories in the 1994

midterm elections. Republicans gained control of the

House of Representatives and the Senate.

-While the Republicans reduced spending in various

areas, they faced opposition when they tried to reduce

several government programs, such as Medicare,

government funded insurance for the poor.

-Clinton did compromise and cooperate with Gingrich's

Republican alliance. He agreed to reform welfare to

encourage require recipients to seek work. Likewise, he

took measures to reduce spending by balancing the

government’s budget.

The Presidential Election of 1996

-The Republicans nominated Senator Bob Dole of

Kansas to run for their party against Bill Clinton in

1996.

-Once again, Ross Perot entered the Presidential race

as a 3rd party candidate. This time, Perot was backed

by the Reform Party, a party Perot created.

-Despite the momentum of Republican victories in the

1994 midterm elections, Bill Clinton won a 2nd term to

office in the Election of 1996. His victory was achieved

partially by an incredibly strong economy that had

developed in the USA during his first term.

The Election of 1996

THE

END

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