Unit 13 Lesson 5: The Presidency of Bill Clinton Flashcards
By 1992, many voters were unsure that President George H. W. Bush could solve America’s problems.
He had alienated conservative Republicans by breaking his pledge not to raise taxes. Some people faulted him for failing to remove Saddam Hussein from power during Operation Desert Storm. Furthermore, despite living much of his adult life in Texas, he could not overcome the stereotypes associated with his privileged New England and Ivy League background. This hurt him among working-class Reagan Democrats.
Bill Clinton identified himself as a New Democrat during his campaign. What does that mean
This was a faction of the Democratic Party that, like the Republicans, favored free trade and deregulation.
In 1999, Clinton signed the Financial Modernization Act. this act finally repealed the Glass-Steagall Acts that had been in place since the Great Depression. What was the act all about
The Financial Modernization Act of 1999 was a continuation of the financial market deregulation that had begun in the 1970s, easing many of the restrictions and controls that the government had put in place with regard to financial institutions
Clinton took office toward the end of a recession. His administration’s plans for fixing the economy included the following:
- limiting spending
- cutting the budget to reduce the nation’s $60 billion deficit
- keeping interest rates low to encourage private investment
- eliminating protectionist tariffs
- improving employment opportunities by allotting more money for education
In his first term, he expanded the Earned Income Tax Credit. What impact did this have
That lowered the tax obligations of working families who were just over the poverty line.
How did he try to appeal to the middle class
He tried to appeal to the middle class by promising higher taxes on the rich and reform of the welfare system.
What did The Financial Modernization Act of 1999 do about the speration of banks
In particular, the Financial Modernization Act ended the separation between commercial and investment banks, and it also allowed banks and other financial institutions to affiliate with each other.
The Democrats in Congress passed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 along party lines. The Omnibus Act:
- raised taxes for the top 1.2 percent of the American people
- lowered taxes for 15 million low-income families
- gave tax breaks to 90 percent of small businessses
During the 1990s, the nation began to experience the longest period of economic expansion in its history. What was it like
. For nearly 10 years, job growth increased and the deficit shrank. During the Clinton years, more people owned homes than ever before in the country’s history. Inflation dipped to 2.3 percent. The unemployment rate declined, reaching a 30-year low of 3.9 percent in 2000.
Increased tax revenue and budget cuts turned the annual national budget deficit around. It went from $290 billion in 1992 to a record budget surplus of more than $230 billion in 2000. What impact did this have
. Reduced government borrowing freed up capital for private sector use.
Bill Clinton strongly supported the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The treaty had been negotiated by the Bush administration. Whats the NAFTA
It phased out tariffs and trade restrictions among the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The leaders of all three nations had signed the NAFTA in December 1992. However, the treaty had not yet been ratified by Congress when Clinton took office. What were some objections
There were objections by American labor unions and some in Congress who feared the loss of jobs to Mexico.
What did Clinton do to reduce concerns of the NAFTA
To reduce the concerns, Clinton added an agreement to protect workers. He also added environmental protections.
Congress ratified NAFTA late in 1993.
The result was the creation of the world’s largest common market in terms of population, including some 425 million people.
Clinton shifted the Democratic Party to the moderate center on economic issues.
. He tried to break new ground on a number of domestic issues while continuing support of traditional Democratic commitments.
An important and popular part of Clinton’s domestic agenda was
health care reform.
Was the Health Security Act ever passed
no
Clinton appointed his wife, Hillary, a Yale Law School graduate and accomplished attorney, to head his Task Force on National Health Care. The 1,342-page Health Security Act presented to Congress in 1993 sought to:
- offer universal coverage regardless of preexisting conditions
- require employers to provide health care for employees
- limit the amount people paid for services
. Newt Gingrich and Richard “Dick” Armey, both leaders of the Republican House minority, rallied against the Democrats. What was the Contract with America
They developed the Contract with America. It proposed eight specific legislative reforms they would create if they gained a majority in Congress in the 1994 midterms. The document was signed by all but two of the Republican representatives.
The Republican Party won seven Senate seats and 52 House seats in the November elections. They were then able to create more conservative reforms. One such piece of legislation was the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act. Known as welfare-to-work what did it do
signed into law in August 1996. The act set time limits on welfare, requiring most recipients to begin working within two years of receiving benefits.
Although Clinton had campaigned as an economically conservative New Democrat, he was thought to be socially liberal. How did he eel about leting gays into the military
Days after his victory in the 1992 election, he promised to end the 50-year ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military.
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Days after his victory in the 1992 election, he promised to end the 50-year ban on gays and lesbians serving in the military. Dod tjos happen?
However, in January 1993, Clinton amended his promise in order to appease conservatives.
How did the armed forces feel about the ban on gays and what did they do about it
The armed forces did not like the long-standing ban. Instead, military leaders adopted a policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Those on active duty would not be asked their sexual orientation. If they were gay and discussed their sexuality openly, they would be dismissed from military service.
Clinton signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in September 1996. Both houses of Congress had passed the bill with wide margins. What did this do?
DOMA defined marriage as a heterosexual union and denied federal benefits to same-sex couples. It also allowed states to refuse to recognize same-sex marriages granted by other states.
How did the Gay community and the conservaties feel about the policy of “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
This compromise satisfied neither conservatives nor the gay community.
How did Clintion feel about DOMA
When Clinton signed the bill, he was personally opposed to same-sex marriage. Nevertheless, he disliked DOMA and later called for its repeal. He also later changed his position on same-sex marriage.
In 1992, a high school senior was arrested for bringing a gun to school.
. He was charged in a court in Texas, but these charges were dropped in exchange for charges that he had violated the Gun-Free School Zones Act, a federal offense. The student appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court under the argument that the federal government had overstepped its powers with the Gun-Free School Zones Act as schools were controlled by the state and local governments, not the federal one.
The federal government argued that the law fell under Congress’s power to regulate trade between states from the Commerce Clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court ruled that having a gun at school has nothing to do with interstate commerce and that the Gun-Free School Zones Act infringed on state powers and was therefore unconstitutional.
On other social issues, however, Clinton was more liberal. Give some exmaples
He condemned discrimination against people with AIDS. He appointed openly gay men and lesbian women to important government positions. He supported the idea of the ERA and believed that women should receive pay equal to that of men doing the same work. He opposed the use of racial quotas in employment, but he declared affirmative action programs to be necessary.
United States v. Lopez (1995)
In United States v. Lopez (1995), the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had exceeded its authority and struck down a law as unconstitutional.
Globalization characterized the 1990s
Globalization characterized the 1990s. As trade barriers melted away through agreements like NAFTA, goods and technology became more available. With use of the internet, people and places were more accessible worldwide. News traveled from place to place quickly. Improved communication networks and trade agreements meant that companies could more easily operate at sites far distant from one another. A company with headquarters in the United States could manufacture its products in countries with lower labor costs and import them quickly and cheaply for sale back at home.
