Bill Clinton contributed a lot to America during his presidency, but he was only memorable for his impeachment. Clinton was elected in 1993 as the 42nd President of the United States. Prior to this, he attended Georgetown University, Oxford, and finally Yale Law School. Yale is also where he met his wife, Hillary Rodham. Clinton got his start in politics when he ran for congress in Arkansas in 1974. Although he did not win that election, he became attorney general in 1976. While he was attorney general, a spot for governor opened up so Clinton ran and got elected in 1978. Unfortunately, he had trouble with this position and lost his bid for reelection in 1980. However, he was able to learn from his mistakes and get reelected two years later. …show more content…
Clinton served another ten years as governor and then decided to run for president in 1992.
During his campaign, rumors and lawsuits regarding sexual affairs began to make Americans question his character, but Clinton was able to get the rumors under control and obtain his nickname “The Comeback Kid” (Kunhardt, Kunhardt, & Kunhardt, 1999, p. 430-433). He won the presidential election in 1993 by a large amount and was the first president of the baby boomer era. Clinton had tremendous potential in office, but issues about his personal life kept reappearing in cases such as Jones v. Clinton. According to Daniel Cohen (2000), these issues did not stop him from winning his second term election by an even bigger margin than his first (p.10). Though, in 1998, the Lewinsky scandal broke, a scandal that changed how Americans thought and talked about their political leaders forever. Most Americans believe this scandal was the sole cause of Clinton’s impeachment; however it might have been his corrupt moral compass that ultimately led to his removal from …show more content…
office. The Lewinsky scandal was the political sex scandal between the married President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky that Americans believe possibly led to his impeachment. Clinton was 49 at the time while Lewinsky was merely a 22- year-old white house employee. According to Daniel Cohen (2000), Lewinsky gave a testimony and confirmed that the affair began in November of 1995 when she was hired as a white house intern. It started out simply with intense eye contact between them at White House events. That went on for about three months until they were finally formally introduced during a departure ceremony. Days later, Clinton invited her into his office where their sexual affair began. Throughout their entire relationship, they were intimate nine times. They also had many intimate conversations and exchanged gifts (p. 60-61). Despite the facts that this affair involved the president, it was innocent. Therefore, it could not have been the reason that Clinton was removed from office. Questions were raised if this simple affair could have authorized impeachment.
The constitution vaguely lists impeachable offenses as including treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors. Daniel Cohen (2000) believed that the framers of the Constitution purposely did not put constraints on what high crimes and misdemeanors are, leaving it open to debate (p. 78). Going into President Clinton’s impeachment case, Americans were not sure if the Lewinsky scandal fit under the title of high crimes and misdemeanors. A consensual sexual affair is not a punishable offense under criminal law, but according to Ann Coulter (2002), high crimes and misdemeanors do not have to be crimes at all. In fact, there is no such thing as a high crime or misdemeanor, it was meant as any personal misconduct by a person of high authority (p. 3-5). Ultimately, the House of Representatives voted to impeach President Clinton for obstruction of justice and perjury on December 29, 1998. Philip B. Kunhardt, Jr., Philip B. Kunhardt III, and Peter W. Kunhardt (1999) believed that it was a private matter and even though most people would not approve of this behavior, it was not a punishable offense under criminal law. If it were kept private, it would not have affected his leadership. Therefore, he should not have lost his job over it (p. 433-434). However, the point of high crimes and misdemeanors is to punish people in high public authority. According to Ann Coulter (2002), the Lewinsky scandal
discredited the office Clinton held and his corrupt responses to the scandal going public made him untrustworthy to Americans. These are the very actions that fit under a high crime or misdemeanor (p. 7). Even if the Lewinsky scandal alone was not enough to be punishable under criminal law, Clinton’s corrupt moral compass, commitment of perjury, and obstruction of justice were. If the relationship was kept private though, Americans questioned if Clinton would have been impeached. Matt Drudge’s news of the Lewinsky scandal was remembered as starting the Lewinsky pandemonium because it was the first report that caught a great deal of American’s attention; however, according to Daniel Cohen (2000), the story had already been circulating through Washington journalists prior to his account. American’s simply brushed the earlier reports off as gossip due to lack of evidence and President Clinton denying any type of relationship with Lewinsky, even under oath. Yet Drudge claimed there was evidence of taped intimate phone calls, enticing Americans to consider that these were more than rumors (p. 7). However, those taped phone calls were obtained by Linda Tripp. Lewinsky’s superiors felt that she was getting to close to Clinton. As a result, they relocated her to work at the Pentagon, where she met and befriended Tripp, who had also previously worked at the White House. Tripp very much disliked the Clintons and when Lewinsky confided in her about the affair, she wanted to expose them. Tripp thought about asking Lewinsky to expose the President herself, but she knew Lewinsky was too loyal. Tripp had no choice but to contact Lucianne Goldberg, a literary agent and author, to help her break the story. Goldberg knew they would need evidence for anyone to take their information seriously so she suggested that Tripp tape phone calls Lewinsky made to her friend regarding the affair. At this time, the affair was still going on but Clinton was starting to pay less attention to Lewinsky and she was not happy about it. When Clinton stopped answering Lewinsky’s phone calls, she began writing him letters. Tripp suggested that she send these letters through a specific private mail carrier that Goldberg had connections to. Goldberg persuaded the messengers to keep a paper trail of Clinton and Lewinsky’s interactions (p. 27-30). The phone call tapes and paper trails were released to different people, including Drudge. So although Drudge first reported the Lewinsky scandal, Tripp initiated it. Even though some Americans believed that if Tripp had not started digging into the scandal, it would have remained a secret and Clinton would not have been impeached, that was not the case. According to Ann Coulter (2002), Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr was already investigating Clinton for other reasons. Therefore, even if the Lewinsky scandal was not made public, Clinton would have still been impeached for his corrupt actions.
Before Clinton was elected President he had an encounter with Paula Jones in a hotel room. After Clinton took office Paula Jones then sued Clinton for sexual harassment. A short time later Monica Lewinsky began her intern at the White House. Clinton and Lewinsky began a sexual relationship. Judge Kenneth Starr was the investigator of Whitewater. President Clinton denied any sexual relations with Lewinsky. On October 8, 1998, the House would vote to have an impeachment and won. Clinton was charged with perjury and obstruction to justice. Bill Clinton would end up not getting kicked out of office by senate.
Not all American people were a fan of the Constitution. There were many flaws with the proposed Constitution that turned people off of the document. George Clinton was one of the people who disliked the Constitution immensely. Clinton wrote a paper, under a pseudonym, entitled “An Attack on the Proposed Federal Constitution”, in which he further explained his beliefs. Clinton, dubbed an “antifederalist”, believed the country would fail with one government controlling all of the power. James Madison took his paper seriously enough to write his own in response to Clinton. George Clinton mainly focused on the suggested republican government and quoting philosophers to make his paper sound more legitimate,
Both the presidents misled the American public, causing personal as well as professional problems. For instance, President Clinton released a false statement about his affair with Monika Lewinsky, causing a lengthy and costly trial, and greatly affecting his presidential career. Also, President Nixon caused a scandal associated with Watergate, which ended up with his leaving the office. Even though they caused trouble for themselves and others around them, Clinton and Nixon did influence the American economy to a great degree. Clinton practically saved the economy and lowered the US inflation rate, through gradual and advocated plans of reform.
In the current post-impeachment proceedings the question becomes whom it has affected most and what it will mean to them and their agenda. Obvious groups that will suffer most from the impeachment that are subject to the after effects are the Republican Party and American politics in general. As far as individuals are concerned, Monica Lewinsky has a good deal of post-scandal baggage. But what about those who will experience the effects of Monica and what she represents as a woman in American society? The movement which has suffered the most in the standpoint of social and political agenda are the Feminists.
On August 17, 1998, exactly one year after making the statement above, President Bill Clinton prepared to deliver a speech concerning a scandal that had gripped the nation for months. It is needless to say that this was an important moment during the Clinton administration. After accusations of sexual harassment, Clinton addressed the nation and admitted to having a relationship with Monica Lewinsky. In this critical speech Clinton set out to admit to wrong-doings, provide a few reasons for his action, and ultimately persuade the audience into moving on and forgetting the scandal. This essay will break down his speech into sections and examine the most and least effective strategies that Clinton employed and how well he executed those strategies. This is an interesting speech given under rare circumstances. Not since Watergate had an American president been under such harsh moral criticism from the public. By looking critically at this speech we are able to gain valuable insight into Clinton's motives.
Out of all of the current presidents in our time the most interesting president to explore was President Richard Nixon and out of all of them he was the only one in term to resign. That Richard M. Nixon, President of the United States, is impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors, and that the following articles of impeachment to be executed to the fullest extent of their nature. His poor choices and decisions led to his resignation. Although he did have some good qualities in helping the U.S. the bad however override the good. In the CRS (Congressional Research Service) It states: “ Obstruction of justice is the impediment of governmental activities. There are a host of federal criminal laws that prohibit obstructions of justice. The six most general outlaw obstruction of judicial proceedings (18 U.S.C. 1503), witness tampering (18 U.S.C. 1512), witness retaliation (18 U.S.C. 1513), obstruction of Congressional or administrative proceedings (18 U.S.C. 1505), conspiracy to defraud The United States (18 U.S.C. 371), and contempt (a creature of statute, rule and common law). Simple perjury in a federal investigation or judicial proceedings carries an extensive fine and up to 5 years in prison.” This was the first article president Richard M. Nixon was charged with by the House of Judiciary Committee. The vote was 27 to 1 for Nixon to be charged with the first article of impeachment, which was Obstruction of Justice. In denial of his liability in part taking in the Watergate scandal by saying he wasn't involved in the scandal He pointed finger at others that were involved in the break-in. However, tapes were found of conversations that proved his involvement and he was going to be impeached. Before he was charged, he made a resignat...
Richard Nixon's first term as president will always be connected with the Watergate scandal, the biggest political scandal in United States history. Various illegal activities were conducted including burglary, wire tapping, violations of campaign financing laws, sabotage, and attempted use of government agencies to harm political opponents to help Richard Nixon win reelection in the 1972 presidential elections. There were about 40 people charged with crimes related to the scandal. Most of them were convicted by juries or pleaded guilty. Watergate involved more high-level government officials than any previous scandal. It has been etched in the minds of millions and is still being recalled today when faced with the present day scandal of President Clinton. In All The President's Men, Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, former Washington Post reporters, recount, illustrate, and analyze the Watergate scandal time and their work in reporting and revealing these events for the newspaper.
In August 17, 1998 Clinton, after seven months of silence, Clinton finally admitted that he had an inappropriate relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. In a four-minute apologia speech, Clinton formally apologized for his personal misconduct, and at the same time, asked for support from the people to stop the lawsuit and accusations that came from the scandal. Clinton carefully and skillfully made use of logos and pathos throughout the speech to convince the audience that there were bigger issues at hand than his personal dealings with Monica Lewinsky. Therefore, he believed that this matter should no longer be the focus point of the nation, and it was about time to move on.
an article named "Another Lesson about Pubkic Opinion" by Stephen Earl Bennett, when looking at public approval ratings of president clinton regarding the scandal was a shock. the author explains that although the ratings have dropped in the beginning of the scandal, it remained high through out the scandal. he stated that the reason for that is the public saw president clinton was effective regardless of his loose morality. in this case, the public seemed to accept the idea that not all public officials will be completely flawless when it comes to morality. also the public had chosen to to look at the situation as having a glass half full of water instead of it being half empty. after all, if president clinton is getting his duties done in his term in office, the public may possible be able to forgive him for his mistakes regarding the Lewknski
Perhaps one of the most interesting times in a president’s administration is during the end of his term in office. Having reached the ultimate goal in a politician’s career, a president no longer has to worry about public opinion or any of the other political give and takes that usually influence a politician’s actions. He is truly free to act as he pleases almost free of consequences. Bill Clinton’s final days in office certainly demonstrated this fact. Using the ultimate unchecked executive power of clemency Clinton issued over 140 pardons and thirty six sentence commutations. He protected over a million acres of land through the creation of six new national monuments. He also nominated nine new federal judges. Clinton also issued a number of executive orders during this time. Unlike most previous presidents who laid low during their last days in office, Clinton was in a flurry of activity trying to exert some last bit of influence from his office. The reasons for his actions are wide spread, ranging from political to personal. The results of his actions were extensive, affecting many situations in the American political and judicial realms. The final days of Clinton administration may be the most controversial of a presidency that was full of tumult and plagued by scandals.
White collar crime is a term created by Edwin Sutherland in 1939 that refers to crimes committed by people of higher social status, companies, and the government according to the book “White-Collar Crime in a Nutshell” by Ellen Podgor and Jerold Israel. White collar crimes are usually non-violent crimes committed in order to have a financial-gain (Podgor and Israel 3). A very well known white collar crime that has even been taught in many history classes is the Watergate scandal. This is a white collar crime that was committed by government authorities. Watergate was a crime that shocked the nation.
Only three times in the 226 year history of the office of the President of the United States has the idea of impeachment reared its head. Only twice has a president been impeached, and only one president has been driven out of office due to possible high crimes and misdemeanors. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton both were impeached by the House of Representatives, and faced trial in the Senate. Both presidents were acquitted of their supposed transgressions, and were allowed to remain in office. Richard Nixon, despite never experiencing impeachment, vacated his office due to increasing pressure to resign and spare the Senate from going through the process due to his obvious guilt. Nixon was actually in violation of his duties as President, but Clinton and Johnson were impeached by political rivals. Nixon’s actions were considered in such grave violation of the Constitution, that he did not keep his office, whereas Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton stayed.
In 1998 President Bill Clinton was sent to impeachment, “charging him with lying under oath to a federal grand jury and obstructing justice.” In November 1995, Clinton started an affair with Lewinsky when she was only 21 years old. Accordingly, Clinton and Lewinsky had about a dozen sexual encounters in the White House. Nothing would of come to light if it wasn’t for Linda Tripp. She was the one who brought this issue to public and started secretly recording conversations with Lewinsky, while Lewinsky gave Tripp details about the affair. Likewise, the president was sent to jury and said that “I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky.” On February 12, 1999 President Clinton was founded guilty on both accusations and was removed as president. After the trial ended, President Clinton said that he was profoundly sorry. In few words he lost his job and reputation by lying over the accusation of
Lately, the top story in the news day after day, months after months have been about William Jefferson Clinton, also known as Bill. Who could blame them, there is nothing better than a story out of the ordinary, especially one with presidential status. For the past months he has been the most talked about figure, being the essential topic for news, talk shows, late night comedy and even going as far as the big screen. Talk about 'Primary Colors' and 'Wag the Dog.' What has gotten to me the most however, were the constant flow of Republicans, along with a few Democrats, who just want to say how shocked and embarrassed they are along with the people of the United States.The president had not just become the most talked about figure, but also one history had ever seen, so far that is, breaking the record and becoming a topic of conversation and debate 'twenty-four seven.' The people, who I think were most affected by this crisis and feel very sad for, are the Republicans, since they had lost severe amount of sleep over the president's bedroom crisis. They had to perform their republican duties by shocking our brains with the president's affair with Monica Lewinsky. We had to ignore the rest of the world news and its issues while they plough through the valley of lies, abuse of power and something they called high crimes and misdemeanors.
Have you ever noticed that people break a lot of laws. Even the President can break a law if he wanted to. Impeachment is what stops the president´s wrongdoing. I think that the president should be sent straight to jail if accused of wrongdoing by the police. This is my case.