The Clinton Presidency, Domestic and Foreign Crises, and the 2000 Election

Clinton’s Reelection and the $1996$ Election

• Historical Context of the Reelection: Bill Clinton successfully won his reelection bid in $1996$, defeating the Republican candidate Robert Dole.
  • This victory marked Clinton as the first Democrat to be reelected to a second term since Franklin Roosevelt.
  • His appeal to moderates and Democrats was driven by his significant economic success and moderate social policies.
• Election Statistics:
  • Clinton won $49\%$ of the popular vote.
  • He secured $379$ electoral votes.
• The Gender Gap: A significant factor in Clinton’s victory was the gender gap in voting preferences.
  • Women consistently favored Democratic candidates during this era.
  • In $1992$, Clinton won $45\%$ of the female vote compared to George H.W. Bush’s $38\%$.
  • In $1996$, the gap widened: Clinton received $54\%$ of women’s votes, while Dole received $38\%$.
• Public Approval: Despite the various setbacks and scandals that plagued his second term, Clinton remained broadly popular with the public.

Domestic Terrorism: The Waco Standoff and Oklahoma City Bombing

• The Waco Siege ($1993$):
  • In the spring of $1993$, federal and state law enforcement surrounded a compound near Waco, Texas, belonging to a religious sect known as the Branch Davidians.
  • The sect, which believed the end of the world was approaching, was suspected of weapons violations and resisted search-and-arrest warrants with deadly force.
  • The televised standoff lasted nearly $2$ months.
  • On April $19$, a final assault was conducted; $76$ men, women, and children died in a fire that was likely set by the sect members themselves.
• Timothy McVeigh’s Motivations:
  • Timothy McVeigh was a former U.S. Army infantry soldier and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm in Iraq, where he earned a bronze star.
  • He became disillusioned with the government after being deemed psychologically unfit for the Army Special Forces.
  • He viewed the Branch Davidians as victims of government terrorism and sought revenge.
• The Oklahoma City Bombing ($1995$):
  • On the second anniversary of the Waco fire (April $19$, $1995$), McVeigh and his coconspirator, Terry Nichols, attacked the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
  • McVeigh parked a rented truck filled with explosives in front of the building and walked away before it exploded.
  • Casualties: More than $600$ people were injured, and $168$ people were killed, including $19$ children who were in a daycare center inside the building.
  • Goal: McVeigh hoped his actions would ignite a revolution against federal government control.
  • Legal Outcome: Both McVeigh and Nichols were arrested and tried. McVeigh was executed on June $11$, $2001$. This remains the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in United States history.

Rise of Global Terrorism and al Qaeda

• World Trade Center Bombing ($1993$):
  • Middle Eastern militants used a rented truck to deliver a massive bomb into the parking garage of the World Trade Center in New York City.
  • The motivation was opposition to American support for Israel.
  • The explosion created a crater measuring approximately $200$ feet by $100$ feet.
  • The attack resulted in $6$ deaths and approximately $1,000$ injuries. Six terrorists were eventually arrested.
• The Formation of al Qaeda:
  • During the $1990\text{s}$, foreign terrorists began to organize more formally.
  • Al Qaeda emerged as the most significant of these organizations, led by Saudi Arabian Osama bin Laden.
  • The group opposed U.S. policies and military presence in the Middle East and utilized violent tactics against those they perceived as enemies.
• Escalation of Attacks:
  • $1998$ Embassy Bombings: Al Qaeda carried out simultaneous bombings at U.S. embassy buildings in Kenya and Tanzania. The attacks killed more than $200$ people and injured $5,000$. While some plotters were arrested, bin Laden remained at large.
  • USS Cole Bombing ($2000$): A U.S. naval ship, the USS Cole, was bombed in waters near Yemen. Investigators attributed the attack to al Qaeda operatives.

Global Conflicts and Post-Cold War Diplomacy

• Shift in Foreign Policy: Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Cold War framework no longer dictated U.S. actions. President Clinton focused on international crises using the nation’s military superiority as a "global policing" tool.
• The Oslo Accords ($1993$):
  • A major diplomatic success where an agreement was signed to provide a level of peace in the Middle East.
  • It granted partial self-rule to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• Conflict in the Balkans:
  • After the death of Yugoslavian leader Josip Broz Tito in May $1980$, ethnic tensions grew. The breakdown of communism led to the breakup of Yugoslavia.
  • Independence Timeline:
    • $1991$: Croatia, Slovenia, and Macedonia declared independence.
    • $1992$: Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence.
    • Serbia and Montenegro remained as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
  • Genocide and Intervention: Ethnic tensions in Bosnia escalated into war. Yugoslavian Serbs aided Bosnian Serbs in a campaign of genocide, referred to by some as "ethnic cleansing."
  • NATO Response: In $1995$, Clinton authorized U.S. participation in NATO air strikes against Bosnian Serbs. This led to the Dayton Accords peace settlement, signed in Dayton, Ohio.
  • Kosovo Crisis ($1999$): NATO launched an air campaign against Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia to protect ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Though criticized by Russia and China and not sanctioned by the UN, the campaign forced Yugoslavia to withdraw from Kosovo in June $1999$.

The Clinton Scandals and Impeachment

• The Whitewater Investigation: Opponents accused Bill and Hillary Clinton of past misconduct regarding a failed real estate venture. Kenneth Starr was appointed as independent counsel in August $1994$.
• Expansion of Authority: While Starr could not prove wrongdoing in the real estate venture, his investigation was expanded into other areas.
  • Paula Jones Lawsuit: In May $1994$, former Arkansas employee Paula Jones filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton.
• The Monica Lewinsky Scandal:
  • Monica Lewinsky, a young White House intern, was identified as a victim of alleged harassment.
  • Both Clinton and Lewinsky originally denied having a sexual relationship under oath. Clinton famously denied the relations on national television.
  • Lewinsky eventually turned over evidence of the affair after being promised immunity.
  • Clinton admitted to the relationship but denied committing perjury (lying under oath).
• Impeachment Proceedings:
  • In September, Starr reported to the House of Representatives that he believed Clinton committed perjury.
  • The Republican-dominated House sent articles of impeachment to the Senate, charging Clinton with lying under oath and obstructing justice.
• The Senate Trial (February $1998$):
  • Perjury Charge: Vote was $45$ to $55$ (Acquitted).
  • Obstruction of Justice Charge: Vote was $50$ to $50$ (Acquitted).
• Legacy: Clinton was the first president to be found in contempt of court, yet he remained popular, leaving office with a $66\%$ approval rating—the highest of any previous U.S. president.

Political Polarization and the $2000$ Presidential Election

• Rising Polarization: The $1990\text{s}$ saw a trend where Democrats and Republicans increasingly voted strictly along party lines. This was evident during the impeachment, where Republicans blocked a Democratic motion for censure in favor of a full trial.
• The Candidates in $2000$:
  • Al Gore (Democrat): The sitting Vice President. He attempted to distance himself from Clinton’s scandals, which alienated some Clinton loyalists. He chose Senator Joseph I. Lieberman as his running mate because Lieberman had publicly denounced Clinton’s conduct.
  • George W. Bush (Republican): The Governor of Texas and son of George H.W. Bush. He had strong support from the Christian right. He chose Dick Cheney, a veteran of the Nixon, Ford, and George H.W. Bush administrations, as his running mate.
• Election Results and Florida Dispute:
  • Gore won the national popular vote by approximately $540,000$ ballots ($0.5\%$).
  • The election hinged on Florida’s $25$ electoral votes. The initial margin in Florida was only $527$ votes.
  • Gore requested a hand recount in four Democrat-dominated counties due to irregularities.
  • Legal Conflict: Katherine Harris, Florida’s Secretary of State and co-chair of Bush’s FL campaign, refused to extend deadlines for the recount. The Florida Supreme Court granted an extension, but Harris rejected the new tallies.
  • Supreme Court Intervention: After the Florida Supreme Court ordered the recount to continue, Republicans appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. In a $5$ to $4$ decision, the U.S. Supreme Court stopped the recount.
  • Final Outcome: Bush received Florida’s electoral votes, winning the Electoral College $271$ to $266$ to become the $43\text{rd}$ president.

Social and Political Changes ($1930$–$2000$)

• $1930\text{s}$: Defined by the Great Depression and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deals.
  • First New Deal: Focused on jobs, paychecks, and immediate relief.
  • Second New Deal: Established a social safety net for future generations.
• Post-War Social Upheaval:
  • The Vietnam War caused massive anti-war protests, some of which became violent.
  • Civil rights movements involved African Americans, Mexican Americans, and Native Americans seeking equality.
  • Other movements included women’s rights and the environmental movement.
• The Conservative Backlash ($1980\text{s}$): Under Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, a conservative movement grew, seeking to dismantle social programs established since the $1930\text{s}$.
• Analyzing Social Movements:
  • Movements are collectives joined by shared interest in change (or preventing change).
  • Formal organizations (like the NAACP) often exist within these movements, but membership in an organization is not required to be part of the movement.
  • Movements often spark counter-movements (e.g., pro-immigration vs. anti-immigration).