Politics aside, Clinton was a dynamic president. He entered the position with both a socially and fiscally troubled America; not only did Clinton enter office with a recession resting on his shoulders, he also had to deal with a racially charged environment. Clinton entered office to an America that was dealing with gang violence, police racism against civilians, and open hatred between races who had never before openly communicated. Essentially, Clinton was walking into a cross fire. Not too many anticipated him walking out alive.
When Clinton's presidency was all said and done, racial tensions had been squashed and America had a fiscal surplus. Clinton did such a good job relating to all of his constituencies that the black community dubbed him the first "black" president. However, the good Clinton did is not all that he is remembered for. Though he was a wonderful president, Clinton was a terrible husband. We all remember the scandal. However, after dealing with a scandal like Clinton's, most presidents would likely choose to keep silent until their dying days. Clinton, on the other hand, has managed to put the scandal behind him, give America enough time to forgive him, and has now resurfaced. Not only is Clinton still a part of the political scene, he is at the forefront.
The success and triumphs of Clinton's presidency can not and should not be argued- he was outstanding in the oval office. What is interesting to think about is how he managed "the scandal" and how most Americans have put it behind them. After reading this post, I realized that I have almost completely forgot that the scandal ever existed. I find this amazing due to the severity of the issue years ago. Why do you think Clinton has been so successful in moving past the scandal? Why has it been so "easy" for Americans to look beyond the scandal today?
ReplyDeleteOne of the things that is so interesting about Clinton is that, despite being persecuted here, Clinton retained a wonderful reputation in many other nations. As a result, after his presidency, Clinton was able to travel abroad and continue working. Though he was silent in the U.S., he was not stagnant. Fast-forward a few years and America is dealing with a huge deficit under George W. Bush. I believe that one of the most important factors in Clinton returning to a position of open political power in the U.S. is America having to deal with a deficit. With a silent Clinton and a suffering America, I believe the citizens of America had the opportunity to grow nostalgic for the surplus Clinton had created. When people are losing homes and jobs, social issues- like Clinton's scandal- have a tendency to lose importance. In my opinion, Americans have been able to forget about Clinton's scandal because they have chosen to remember that in four years, Clinton was able to produce a surplus no president has been able to since.
DeleteWhile I agree that Clinton was an excellent president, I do not really agree with one of your points. You claim that throughout Clinton's time in office racial tensions were squashed...I am not sure if you meant this was the case for a certain period of time or if this still applies today. Either way I disagree, gang violence might be down, in some parts of the country, but racial tensions still exist today, the main difference being which groups are involved.
ReplyDeleteI think it is easy for people to forgive MEN who commit affairs easier than it is to forgive women, JFK is another example of this. Clinton is also a very relatable person, he has a way of speaking to people as though he knows exactly what it is like to be in their position, I think this has added in people's forgiveness of his affair, which at the end of the day I'm not sure I feel it is any of our business.
To address your first point, by saying that "racial tensions had been squashed," I was referring to the time during Clinton's presidency only. Race has and, I believe, always will be a point of controversy in our nation. However, this does not discredit the work Clinton did to minimize these tensions. There are very few presidents who have attempted to reach out to the black community. Many presidents have not had to look past their white constituents and therefore do not engage in being the president of the black, or any other minority for that matter, community. I believe the list of presidents who have attempted to be presidents of a broader (not just white) America include: JFK, LBJ, Carter, Clinton and now Obama. My argument was not that racial tensions are gone, but that Clinton did a marvelous job of handling the racial tensions of his time.
ReplyDeleteAs to your point concerning men being forgiven more often or more easily than women, I do not believe there is a way to prove you right or wrong. I do not think forgiveness comes as a result of gender but as a result of being the "victim". In other words, whoever does a better job of convincing the nation that they were not the one who started the affair gets to have their name cleared. I believe an interesting case to look at for female infidelity is Marilyn Monroe. Though this is not the best example (she was known for being a sex symbol, not a politician), it is interesting to see how America's perception of her has become relatively positive; she is still looked to as a sex symbol and icon.
You would think that a former president who suffered such a devastating scandal would be kept out of the limelight, but that did not, in fact, happen with Bill Clinton. It's interesting that they chose him to announce Obama's nomination, whereas George W. Bush was pretty hidden for the duration of Romney's campaign. It was almost as if the Republican Party did not want to remind voters of Bush.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, the Democratic Party seemed to want to remind voters that Clinton and his Democratic Party was the one that got us out of a staggering economy and into a booming one in the 1990s. I think that was a calculated strategy, and it was clever too.
One of the reasons, I think, that Clinton came out of this scandal relatively unscathed is because people don't equate your personal life with your success at your job. You can be a lousy husband, but an excellent president. Though obviously not everyone shares this view, it is enough for people to still accept him as a public figure.
This post relates well back to my post on David Petraeus. While Clinton was a bad husband, he was not a bad President. Thankfully he did not take the "easy way out" by stepping down as President and leaving our country without a solid leader. He stuck with his job regardless of his indiscretions and was able to weather the storm by (eventually) taking responsibility and working to put it behind him.
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