What Is Bill Clinton's Legacy
Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton is remembered as a charismatic leader who paid close attention to public opinion and let it influence his decisions. Around half of Millennials see Bill Clinton as the president who did the best job during their lifetimes and ended his second term with a 66% approval rating. A Sep. 22, 2010 poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal found that Clinton was more popular than President Obama. Clinton had a 55% approval rating compared to Obama 's 46 percent approval rating. Nevertheless, Clinton 's claims to a lasting, positive legacy for the Democratic Party have been severely undermined by two realities: the shift in control of Congress to the Republican Party on his watch and the loss by his would-be successor, …show more content…
During his presidency, 22.5 million new jobs were created and unemployment dropped from 7.5% when he took office to 4.0% by the end of his second term, the lowest in 30 years and the poverty rate dropped to 11.8% in 1999, which was the lowest it had been since 1979. He had the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country 's history, and dropping crime rates in many places. They also give him credit for eliminating the federal deficit and reforming welfare, despite being forced to deal with a Republican-controlled Congress. His opponents say that Clinton cannot take credit for the economic prosperity experienced during his scandal-plagued presidency because it was the result of other factors. In fact, they blame his policies for the financial crisis that began in 2007. They point to his impeachment by Congress and his failure to pass universal health care coverage as further evidence that he was not a good …show more content…
His campaign promise to end the ban on gays in the military was settled on a compromise known as "don 't ask, don 't tell”. The solution was unsatisfying to the conservatives opposed to gays in the military as well as the liberals seeking to have the ban on gays lifted. Clinton signed a welfare reform bill, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which included time limits on receiving benefits and new requirements for most recipients to work within two years of receiving assistance. He also signed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 which committed the government to balance the budget by 2002. He achieved several goals with the legislation, including extending health insurance to five million children, restoring welfare benefits for some legal immigrants, and bolstering Medicare. He also signed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, cutting $152 billion in taxes. He signed the 1993 Brady Bill requiring a waiting period and background check to purchase handguns. Clinton 's 1994 Crime Bill included a ban on assault weapons, and there was a 40 percent decline in gun crime by 2001. The US went from having the largest budget deficit in American history ($290 billion) in 1992 when Clinton was elected to having a budget surplus
Bill Clinton is remembered as a charismatic leader who paid close attention to public opinion and let it influence his decisions. Around half of Millennials see Bill Clinton as the president who did the best job during their lifetimes and ended his second term with a 66% approval rating. A Sep. 22, 2010 poll conducted by NBC and the Wall Street Journal found that Clinton was more popular than President Obama. Clinton had a 55% approval rating compared to Obama 's 46 percent approval rating. Nevertheless, Clinton 's claims to a lasting, positive legacy for the Democratic Party have been severely undermined by two realities: the shift in control of Congress to the Republican Party on his watch and the loss by his would-be successor, …show more content…
During his presidency, 22.5 million new jobs were created and unemployment dropped from 7.5% when he took office to 4.0% by the end of his second term, the lowest in 30 years and the poverty rate dropped to 11.8% in 1999, which was the lowest it had been since 1979. He had the lowest inflation in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the country 's history, and dropping crime rates in many places. They also give him credit for eliminating the federal deficit and reforming welfare, despite being forced to deal with a Republican-controlled Congress. His opponents say that Clinton cannot take credit for the economic prosperity experienced during his scandal-plagued presidency because it was the result of other factors. In fact, they blame his policies for the financial crisis that began in 2007. They point to his impeachment by Congress and his failure to pass universal health care coverage as further evidence that he was not a good …show more content…
His campaign promise to end the ban on gays in the military was settled on a compromise known as "don 't ask, don 't tell”. The solution was unsatisfying to the conservatives opposed to gays in the military as well as the liberals seeking to have the ban on gays lifted. Clinton signed a welfare reform bill, the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act, which included time limits on receiving benefits and new requirements for most recipients to work within two years of receiving assistance. He also signed the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 which committed the government to balance the budget by 2002. He achieved several goals with the legislation, including extending health insurance to five million children, restoring welfare benefits for some legal immigrants, and bolstering Medicare. He also signed the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, cutting $152 billion in taxes. He signed the 1993 Brady Bill requiring a waiting period and background check to purchase handguns. Clinton 's 1994 Crime Bill included a ban on assault weapons, and there was a 40 percent decline in gun crime by 2001. The US went from having the largest budget deficit in American history ($290 billion) in 1992 when Clinton was elected to having a budget surplus