Module 18TODAY’S WORLD

I. William Jefferson Clinton

A. 1992 election

1. George Bush – Rep. – 38%● Economic troubles & Raised Taxes

2. Bill Clinton – Dem. – 43%● New Democrat

3. H. Ross Perot – 19%

⦿ Democrat controls the White House

● Clinton Elected 1993

○ Republican presidents dominated the white house since 1968

● Clinton – “middle of the road” politics

○ Conservative Republicans + Liberal Democrats

○ Tough on Crime & Welfare Reform

⦿ Signs Family Medical Leave Act● Guarantees employees 12 weeks off for child birth, illness for family member.

● Raised min wage, college loans easier, tax breaks for higher education

● Healthcare Reform

○ USA – only developed country without national/universal healthcare

● Failure

● At the time, Americans did not want a gov’t to run healthcare.

Strong Economy under Clinton

⦿ Balanced Budget / Economic Surplus

● Longest period of economic growth in county’s history

○ Low unemployment

○ Low inflation

○ Balance budget

○ Reduce deficit

Economy During the 1990’s⦿ Decline of Manufacturing Jobs (Rust Belt)

⦿ Service Sector services to consumers (Doctors, Teachers, Medical

Professionals, Lawyers, Engineers etc.)

⦿ Outsourcing of Jobs

● US Businesses moved companies overseas – lower wages

⦿ NAFTA – North American Free Trade Agreement

○ – U.S., Canada, and Mexico

⦿ GATT – General Agreement on Tariffs

○ Limit trade barriers

⦿ World Trade Organization to solve any world trade disputes

● Promote international trade and economic development

Terrorism in the U.S.

1993 – bombing of the World Trade

Center in N.Y.

1995 – bombing of Federal office building

in Oklahoma City – killing 168 – Timothy

McVeigh

1999- Columbine High School ○ 2 students kill 12 other students and take their own lives

○ Schools create zero-tolerance policies on school violence and anti-

bully policies

Clinton Foreign Policy

⦿Global Economy and Intervention ○ Improve trade relations with China and Russia

○ Intervene in Yugoslavia and Chinese Human Rights

● Balkan Peninsula

○ US and NATO troops sent to keep peace

⦿ South Africa

a. 1994 Nelson Mandela elected as the nation’s first

black, democratically elected president

2. Middle East – 1993 – PLO (Palestinian

Liberation Organization) and Israel declare

the joint recognition of each other at the

Oslo Accords

3. Former Yugoslavia

a. 1995 – mediation between warring

sides negotiated – Clinton sends

troops to enforce peace plan

negotiated in Dayton, OH

1998 – Fighting erupts again –

NATO authorizes air strikes against Slobodan

Milosevic – genocide

1999 – NATO peacekeepers enforce peace in the

province

D. 1994 and 1996 elections

1. 1994 mid-term elections – Republicans win

control of Congress

2. 1996 election

a. Bill Clinton – Dem.

- Economic Success = wins election

b. Bob Dole – Rep.

c. H. Ross Perot

Scandals, Impeachment, and Trial

⦿ Clinton dodged scandals throughout his time in office

● Sexual harassment suit while governor of Arkansas

● Illegal investments in Whitewater Corp

○ Real-estate company in 1970s and 1980s

● Kenneth Star – appointed to investigate Whitewater Corp

○ Didn’t find any evidence to convict Clinton

○ Did uncover a relationship with a white house intern

Scandals, Impeachment, and Trial

⦿ Clinton’s relationship with Ms. Lewinsky

● Clinton lied under oath that he didn’t have an affair

○ Lied (perjury)

○ Starr recommends impeachment

● Clinton – 2nd President to be impeached

○ Impeachment – charges brought against

○ Clinton charges – perjury and obstruction of justice

● Most Americans felt impeachment too harsh

○ Clinton was acquitted on both accounts

● Senate tried Clinton

● Found not guilty

2000 Election1. Republican – George W. Bush

2. Democrat – Al Gore

3. Debate over election results in Florida

● Recount Votes

- Gore won popular vote

- Bush wins Electoral vote

⦿Bush v. Gore 2000● Supreme Court stops Recount

● Recounts jeopardize democracy

● Bush Wins

B. September 11th 2001

● al-Qaeda – Osama bin Laden○ World Trade Center, Pentagon, and a field in

Pennsylvania ● Over 3000 casualties

⦿ Afghanistan – Taliban - al-Qaeda – Osama bin Laden

⦿ Protection of the US

● Department of Homeland Security –

● Patriot Act

- Increases the government's power to

use search warrants & surveillance - Wire Taps, Internet use

- Critics believe its violates the civil liberties of US citizens

- NSA – National Security Agency

1. National Security vs. Civil Liberties

Iraq – 2003 –

⦿ Accused Iraq of having WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction)

○ Saddam Hussein did not cooperate with UN inspectors

○ U.S (Bush) and Great Britain (Tony Blair) go to war with Iraq

without UN approval

○ December 2003 U.S captures Saddam

○ U.S vows to stay until Iraq has a stable Democratic Government

D. Domestic Policy

1. No Child Left Behind – Education reform set

up to create more accountability for student

success.

2. Economic problems – Bush pushes a $350

billion Tax cut to try to help the economy

Computers – make the world smaller

● Bill Gates – Microsoft

● Information superhighway - Internet

● Dotcom businesses

● Outsourcing

C. Biotechnology – DNA – Cloning - Genetic

engineering – changing the molecular biology of

organisms

2007 Great Recession

⦿ Economic Recession

● 2nd Worst Economic Crisis in US History

● Government Failure to regulate financial

institutions

● Banks awarding mortgage loans

○ Housing Bubble

○ People couldn’t afford houses

● Excessive borrowing by individual and

companies

IV. Barack Obama

A. 2008 Election

1. Barack Obama and Joe Biden

2. John McCain and Sarah Palin

B. Obama’s Domestic Agenda

1. TARP – Troubled Asset Relief Program1. Bailout banks

1. George W. Bush

2. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act

1. Stimulus package

3. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act1. 46 million Americans without health insurance

c. Obama’s Foreign Policy

1. Afghanistan - Bin Laden - May 2011

2. Benghazi, Libya

3. Cuba - Raul Castro

2016 Election

Winner Loser