This will be different because we are simply focusing on case studies. Today we are going to talk about bill clinton and for w bush. Next time we will talk about barack obama and donald trump. There will be so little to talk about when we talk about donald trump. With the clinton and george w on the docket today, there are a few things that warrants just some quick musing at the start. The first of which, which always older folksind of like us have to acclimate our psyches to realize that, to you all, bill clinton jen genuinely is a figure of history. None of you have an active recollection, or even a childhood recollection of bill clinton in office. Which actually is kind of amazing. Kind of a hazy figure to you. Thanof you all were older probably was anybody altered the intent when w left office . No. Even w is kind of a childhood figure to all. That just in it of itself just gives a sense of, especially for us, how quickly history can move. And how things pass from current day to historical. I havesion of that that tthinking about two is, oo is, in this motion and erational angst of change ok boomer is prevalent in the culture. I remember truman. The thing that is so striking to me about that, is that bill in 1992 the transition from bush 41 to bill clinton, was much kind of like this generational moment that we are in now with millennials and boomers. This moment when the baton really changed hands. Kind of ann archetypal boomer. Clinton and w born just a month apart in 1946. 41, archetypal number of the greatest generation. At the time, it felt like this burst of energy and momentum, and change, very selfconsciously for clinton. It was a lot like 19 68 went to kate takes office 1960 when kennedy takes office. Way, not unlike 1901 when teddy roosevelt, much younger than william mckinley, takes over and there is this burst of energy, enthusiasm momentum. And then the thing that is also difficult in the category of musings for you all to capture in your minds, is how different the world was in 1992. The cold war has ended. In the midst of a small recession, but not a grievous one. There was this general atmospheric sense of optimism, almost easy optimism in a way that is very hard for us to quite calibrate in our minds right now. Just given the state of the world. That prevailed all during clintons presidency, in part because of him, but in parts because of things that were going on. Certainly the climate that w inhabited when he was elected, that is white 9 11 was such a shock to the country. He thought he was going to be a domestic president that got to just focus on an era of easy progress. Obviously that has change so much. That was what the world felt like probably in 1992, when bill clinton came along. So, remarkable to think that for us, this is a figure of history. Reflect on the generational change that was a flex right then. That we are at the tail a foot right then. That we are at the tail end right now, so strange to think about how different the world felt, and how much more optimistic once upon a time. Lets talk about bill clinton growing up. What we have tried to do with each president in each case study is talk about their background a little bit. We are always interested to find out what you think about what they are growing up, how it mightve impacted their presidency in some way. What sends out to you . His work ethic. Just always having that feeling of when to become president , always working his weight through school from georgetown, to going to oxford in england, then yelled. Like andely see working wasnt ambition. Health care and other stuff like that. Another thing worth mentioning is that he grew up in a middleclass family. Both of his parents were traveling salesman. Up, theres growing were still some segregation. Were transpiring into an era that united the country. Both his parents, despite racial tensions in america, [inaudible] school went to catholic as a young kid. He went to Catholic School but perhaps did not absorb all the teachings. Anything else . We have seen other president s have difficult relationships with their fathers. Andalk about Richard NixonLyndon Johnson for instance. For clinton, what he saw in his home growing up. The kind of views and arguments. That had to have some impact on him. His attempt as a young person to try and negotiate the differences between the adults in his life, to try to handle that. I think if you read some of the literature of children who grew up in alcoholic homes, some of them develop a certain attitude about how to try to mediate conflicts. To think historically two, too, to think about growing up in 1946 like clinton and w, he grew up completely under the shadow of the modern presidency. August,idency is this incredibly powerful office. Just an ever present reality in the life of clinton and towards bush when they were growing up, which is different than prior president s. I could see how that transpires because he was more of a centric candidate. He always try to negotiate with republicans, and fact he actually was the first president since 1969 to get a budget passed. That kind of also transpired to the presidency. [inaudible] about clintons growing up in arkansas . [inaudible] it kind of pushed him to find that more moderate sense and be the new democrat. What about his political career . I think he made the Democratic Party so it wasnt i think before it was a bit more like businesslike, i think you modernized it i think you modernized it. Known in the party as the comeback kid, so we did change it a lot. In that vein, a thing certainly to think about. It is a notable difference between george w. Bush and clinton. We of these phenomenons that talk about plenty over the clintonf the fall, is not born into affluence. Born into poverty. W born into tremendous wealth and privilege, and it is just a good reminder of the fact that those who have become president have come in all from all different types of backgrounds. About hisvations trying to change the democratic read remember what you about his leadership at the Democratic Leadership Council . Before his election, republicans had one five of six president ial elections in the country. The Democratic Leadership Council tried to move the democratic Leadership Party to the center of the political spectrum. He tried during parts of his presidency to do that. Concern thatnty of the Democratic Party of 2019 2020 has shifted too far to the left. The Republican Party has shifted too far to the right. Andlar during the late 70s 80s as bill clinton was becoming politically active. That there was a concern that the party of mcgovern, who lost the 72 election in a landslide, had shifted too far to the left. Especiallyong with other southern democrats, worked hard to try to create structures and policy positions that shifted the party more towards the middle. Today, mayor bloomberg just announces presidency. He is more in the center. There is a shift going back towards that center in the Democratic Party, because they are getting a lot of people concerned. An individual so far to the left like elizabeth warren, bernie sanders. In the debate, they rally support. [inaudible] we talked about president ial elections in an earlier class. We pretty much covered the 1992 election and the disadvantages George Herbert walker bush had in terms of people being unhappy not to raise happy. Clinton having some real advantages in that election. Lets talk about bill clintons first two years in office. An interesting factoid about the 1992 election. Think regionally for a minute. Remember, a threeway race. Bush 41, bookbush clinton, ross perot. What part of the country were all three of them from . They were all from the south. Yet, they were all from the south. Think about how striking it would be if we had an election in the next cycle or two where everyone was from one part of the country. Especially from the south. Lets talk about those tough first two years in office for bill clinton. Some of the achievements, some of the shortcomings. One thing with Foreign Policy. With theaving to deal massacre in rwanda. Not intervening soon enough. The ethnic cleansing in rwanda. Bosnia. And those countries too. With Foreign Policy, he wasnt that great. I think when you think about the balkans, one of the legacies of the Clinton Presidency is, even though he did not have full congressional authorization, he eventually did take action in the bosnia crisis. And later in the kosovo crisis. In each case, by military and diplomatic intervention, it put an end to ethnic cleansing. We have a dayton accords and everything in his first term. You could say that he had some success with barn allstate especially in north ireland. With Foreign Policy in north ireland. That settlement existing to this day. As you read in newspapers, part of the debate in the United Kingdom regarding brexits what to do about the borders there with Northern Island ireland. Even though there was all that burst of energy, a generational change, the politics of the era i think are marked by the pushback against him. For me, people in the Republican Party. For many conservatives in the country. For older americans, particularly for older republicans who had five or six president ial victories. Many people did not see the Clinton Presidency as legitimate. They talked about his evading the draft. They talked about marijuana use. Things like that. Right,y people on the there was immediately contempt for bill clinton. Atticularly when you look the rise of talk radio. Personalities on talk radio would unrelentingly go after both bill clinton and Hillary Clinton. Leading to stories about people being killed mysteriously, people disappearing mysteriously. You had the very sad suicide of vince foster, a clinton friend. In the first year of his presidency. Accusations on talk radio that somehow the clintons were behind that. So politically, he inherited a Great Movement against him. At othere talked points about this concept of, the Permanent Campaign. Theway that beginning in 70s, crescendo and in the 80s, but reaching a point of perfection of the art in the 90s. Present incame ever the act of governing. Once upon a time it was not the case. We talk all the time about some things that are the same ever since america was founded, and some things that have changed with regards to the presidency. The Permanent Campaign would be a great example of something that is different. And had a marked effect on the Clinton Presidency. Certainly his administration participated in it, and very willfully. But the idea that once upon a time, politics was a bout about election. Politics were not completely stopped, but there would be a genuine and bona fide effort to try and work across differences and build consensus a little bit outside the hunt player of the political lights. Admin of different means of communication advents of different means of communication, it became easier to continue to mount the campaign, even ones that election was finished. Clinton himself, and his administration and political apparatus perfected that art. In the same moment, the republicans were really perfecting the art as well. They never missed a moment to critique him or find wage issues that could derail him from aspirations he may have politically, policy wise. Similarly, the Clinton White house was working against the Republican Congress in the same way. Lets talk about some early missteps in the first months of his presidency that really meant he had no honeymoon. Do you remember reading about any of those problems . Heat repealed the ability for lgbtq members to join the military. He got a lot of pushback from congress, and what ended up happening was, he try to negotiate with congress for the dont ask dont tell policy that is a pushback from congress saying, stepping back on the politics. Still transitioning from a very conservative time to more liberal to the liberal aspect of social issues. He didnt actually repeal their ability to serve, he made an announcement that would make it possible for them to officially serve. There was great pushback from the military and keep people from congress. He was keeping a campaign promise. He did that early on, and maybe in terms of what you know about attitudes today, seems like 1000 years ago. Back in 1993, a very different set of attitudes existed. By doing that so early, you get to be pushback, and then his decision to adopt something colts dont ask dont tell. Which was called dont ask dont tell. Gate was defeating to the immunity who wanted an open opportunity to serve, and people opposed to them serving. It turned out to be a disaster to him politically. What about some appointments that created great embarrassment . This goes back to the issue we talked about one day in terms of president ial transition periods. The importance of clearly vetting people and finding out about the individuals you are appointing. What happened with the appointment to the Attorney Generals Office . Into aronically ties controversial issue we have to date regarding immigration. [no audio] embarrass the president , early on. That a similar thing democrats have done to republicans as well. Era, it mayferent be clinical appointees have might not cut as much political scrutiny as what was happening in 1993. In terms of the organization of the white house. Schedules were constantly messed up. Early on, one democratic member of Congress Talking to a another unhappyaid, if you are about an announcement from bill clinton today, dont worry about it, he might change his you tomorrow. There was no strong chief of staff at that time. No discipline process. That comes later in his administration. He got a lot of bad press for that. Keep in mind a Historical Context there. Republicans have been relentlessly holding the white house with just a couple exceptions, since the days of Richard Nixon. It was republicans that really created the concept of the modern chief of staff. Jimmy carter in 1976 had ofously pushback on the idea the need for a chief of staff, and wanted to try to run things a little bit differently. Ultimately, that did not work out so well for him. He used more of a routine chief of staff model. Bill clinton is the first democrat elected president other than jimmy carter, all the way back to lbj. Model thatf staff they use so well. But reagan mastered was just not quite in the dna of the Democratic Party when they took the white house in 1992. The secrets of embarrassments driven by disorganization eventually prompted lindsay to change his mind. Desperate 20 clinton to change his mind. Prompted clinton to change his mind. Under pressure again with donald wherebeing interestingly the strong chief of staff model. We get to some of the political defeats of his first two years in office, lets talk victories inst those first two years. Nafta. From the readings i got was that, al gore went on larry king and debated ross perot. The arguments they were having got more support from the public. Going back to that new democrat idea that he had of free markets, which goes traditionally against democrats like lyndon b. Johnson and fdr. The nafta victory was made with great republik and support and significant democratic opposition. Clinton pursued it and it was an early victory for his administration. With bille things clinton and his ministration, like some things with bill clinton and his administration, by and large to most americans, seemed like a good thing. It has subsequently like free trade in general, begun to be viewed with a much more wary id buy the country. Policy decisions that were successful . When Saddam Hussein tried to assassinate president bush, he did not act on it, an airstrike on intelligence in iraq. [inaudible] while there is politics that divide, [inaudible] thats incident is one of a series of things that ultimately brought george bush senior, bush 41 and bill clinton to the point of being genuinely good friends. These two people who were hot losing a adversaries, president ial election is pretty tough for the soul. Being genuineup friends later in life. It was a remarkable thing. And with great democratic support he managed to get through Congress Something chris had passed, and something Herbert Walker bush had vetoed, and that was the family leave act. The onlyd states being industrial, wealthy country in the world that does not provide an Extensive Program for family members to have leave and get paid. The act did not require that people who took lead to get paid, but at least it gave them leave. If you worked in an area with a certain number of employees. That was eight reward to a longtime democrat platform position. I know gun control laws. Any Clinton Administration a ban on assault weapons. Things continue to get debated on that, because eventually that band was not renewed. One other thing. Deficit reduction. Remember, clinton had campaign on big middle tax club tax cuts. The economy was out of the recession. The Federal Reserve was more worried about the deficit. Congress a to controversial proposal to raise taxes on the wealthiest americans and cut spending in some areas. That passed on a purely partisan vote. Al gore and the senate had to break the type vote. Break the tie vote. That infuriated republicans because it involves increasing taxes, but it is important to his presidency later on, because it helps reduce the deficit he had already inherited. A macrot things in Historical Perspective. When we talk about eisenhower. You probably talk about that one of the things was especially relevant about eisenhower was, was that he came in the wake of a