Bill Clinton as a President of the US - Term Paper Example

Bill Clinton: An Introduction For better or worse, Bill Clinton is one of the more well-known Presidents of the United s. The 42nd President served from 1993 to 2001, and has often been described as a New Democrat who espoused the centrist Third Way philosophy of governance. A baby boomer, Clinton is the third youngest President in American history, having been 46 years old at his inauguration. To date, he remains among the most highly regarded US Presidents. Such accolades, however, belie humble beginnings. Born in Hope, Arkansas as William Jefferson Blythe III, Clinton was raised by his grandparents, his parents respectively dead and studying at a nursing school. His grandparents themselves were known for selling goods on credit to customers regardless of race, incredible at a time when racial segregation was at its peak in the South (Clinton, 2004). His surname ‘Clinton’ was, in fact, adopted as a gesture towards his abusive stepfather, from whom he would often defend his mother and half-brother (Maraniss; The Oprah Magazine,). The man who would become the 42nd President went on to Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he graduated Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service in 1968, after which he served then-Senator J. William Fulbright as an intern (Clinton, 2004). He went on to attend Oxford, where he became known as an outspoken critic of the Vietnam War, even pulling strings to avoid being drafted – an act which conservatives would not live down during his campaign in 1992 (Morris, 1999). He then moved to and graduated from Yale Law School where he would meet future wife Hillary (The White House, 2012). Clinton first ran for public office in 1974 and lost, only to be elected Arkansas Attorney General 2 years later (Maraniss). Only 2 years later, he became Governor of Arkansas, becoming known as the ‘Boy Governor’ in light of his political success at a relatively young age (Tyrrell Jr.). Highlights of his first term as Governor include his focus on educational reform and the development of roads, the first of which he would follow through during his second term. As President, Clinton became known for his various advocacies, most of which would be enacted into law (Duffy et al). Among the most notable of these is the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993which was supported not only by both the Republicans and the Democrats, but the general public as well. Another highlight of his presidency is the North American Free Trade Agreement which was signed together with the governments of Canada and Mexico, and which has since resulted in the largest trade bloc in the world as of 2010. The 42nd President is also notable for having presided over the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in the nation’s history, such that the budget surplus during the final year of his second term was $236 billion. Overall, while the Clinton presidency was not without its controversies, it should be easy to see exactly why President Bill Clinton is so well-regarded by the American people. The succeeding sections shall thus discuss highlights of the Clinton administration such as the Family and Medical Leave Act, the Defense of Marriage Act and the VAWA, and their impact on the American women’s movement in particular. Highlights: Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 One of the very first successes of the Clinton administration is the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which requires covered employers to allow employees to go on a total of 12 work weeks’ worth of job-protected, unpaid leaves each year for compelling reasons, such as personal or family illness, family military leave, pregnancy, adoption or foster care placement of children (Bruce). As already noted, this has the distinction of having won the support of both political parties, in the process making Clinton quite popular with the people. As of 2008, around 80% of all employers were noted to offer full FMLA coverage to their employees (Galinsky et al). Aside from this, employers are also required to provide eligible workers with the same group health insurance benefits enjoyed by his colleagues not on leave, and to restore said employee to his prior position, benefits and all, before going on leave, or to provide him a new position with substantially equal pay, benefits and responsibility when his former post is no longer available. The same law protects employees against interference or reprisals from employers for exercising vested rights, and entitles him to intermittent leave for serious health conditions of his family members as well as his own (Price). Additional benefits are also available, and may vary from state to state. Highlights: The Defense of Marriage Act Another notable piece of legislation enacted under the Clinton administration is the Defense of Marriage Act, otherwise known as the DOMA. The history of this law can be traced back to the 1970s, when gay activist Jack Baker sued the state of Minnesota for denying him license to marry another man (Geidner). The same view would remain the official policy until 1989, where the State Bar Association of California urged the recognition of same sex marriages (Gutis). Amidst opposition from various figures, both religious and otherwise, support for homosexual marriage continued to grow, with the Supreme Court of Hawaii ruling on the need for the state to show a compelling interest with respect to the prohibition of such marriages. Despite such developments, however, the Defense of Marriage Act was still enacted in 1996. Under this law, marriage is defined as the legal union between a man and a woman; furthermore, no US state or political subdivision is required to recognize same-sex marriages contracted in another state. Unlike the FMLA, this law has since come under fire, and understandably so. As a matter of fact, Section 3 has already been declared unconstitutional by eight federal courts as well as the First and Second Circuits of the Court of Appeals. As recently as a year ago, the Obama administration had already declared that while the law would continue to be enforced, it would no longer be defended in court. Clinton himself, together with other key legislators, has withdrawn support for the law and even joined calls for its repeal (Jackson, 2011). Most if not all challengers to the DOMA have anchored their petitions on the constitutional right to equal protection, saying that the DOMA is violative of this right. Highlights: The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Another well-known law enacted under the Clinton administration is the Violence Against Women Act which, as the name implies, is intended to fast track investigation and prosecution of violent crimes committed against women. As with the DOMA, the VAWA has been assailed by various sectors for various reasons. To summarize, they argue that the VAWA is being used as little more than a tool to enrich feminist coffers, aside from being used by unscrupulous women to rob husbands of up to half their property in divorce battles. The men’s rights movement in particular has been very vocal about their opposition to the VAWA. Contrary to popular belief, they point out, females are just as capable of domestic violence as males, though this is aggravated at least in part by a kind of reluctance among males to admit to being battered husbands (Miller). This could possibly be a consequence of the machismo and bravado inherent in males, few of whom are willing to admit that they have been victims of abuse, much less by women. Ego or not, however, they cannot be entirely blamed for such reluctance; to their mind, no one would be likely to believe them anyway, and in fact, domestic violence shelters have been known to turn away men claiming to have been victims of domestic violence. Regardless, the truth of the matter is that domestic violence is gender symmetrical, with some studies even attesting to the capacity for violence some women are known to possess (Dragiewicz, 2011). Even those who dispute the gender symmetry of domestic violence have conceded that men can also be victims. Again, the problem lies with the US judicial system, which is infamous for being readily accepting of false allegations of domestic violence made by women against their partners (Menzies). Sommers attests to this as well, noting how such false claims tend to be made frequently, and are often immune to reputation to boot. With statistics such as these, the reluctance of battered husbands to come forward about the abuse of their partners becomes much more understandable, if not more pitiable. Mens rights activists have even gone so far as to decry legal and policy protection for abused women (Loseke et al), while also campaigning for the requirement of greater evidence to support domestic violence and rape allegations. Another of their aims involves the creation of shelters for male victims of domestic abuse, and for education on domestic violence to be part of the legal system (Doward; Miller). The crux of the issue, they argue, is that domestic violence committed by women is underreported, and often goes unpunished as a result. Thus, existing domestic violence laws, most infamously the VAWA, are in major, major need of improvement. The Clinton Administration’s Impact on the Women’s Movement As can be inferred, the Clinton administration has had at least some positive impact on the women’s movements. In fact, it could be argued that this administration has in fact enacted at least two pieces of legislation on its behalf. This has arguably contributed to Clinton’s enduring popularity among the American people, such that, a decade after his presidency, he is still held in high regard. The FMLA has received a particularly strong reception from the public, a sizable chunk of whom are women who have children, parents or other dependents to care for. Because of this law, they now have the right to absent themselves from work in order to attend to sick loved ones, or for other compelling reasons such as maternity leave. This also comes with protection against reprisals from their employers for their invocation of such rights, as the same is clearly mandated by the law itself. The VAWA also makes some sense, having come into existence as a result of grassroots efforts from the 80s to the 90s from various parties urging Congress to pass stronger laws against domestic violence and sexual violence. Unfortunately, support for this law is not quite unanimous; aside from the aforementioned men’s rights groups, the VAWA has also come under fire from conservatives for the same reasons – that the law has a way of wrongfully vilifying men. Specific complaints about the law are that it promotes divorce, failure of marriages and hatred of men. The Clinton Administration: Final Thoughts For better or worse, the Clinton administration has had an especially long-lasting impact on the USA, with most of its legislative reforms still in place today. Laws such as the FMLA have been especially well-received for their effectiveness, and even the less popular ones such as the VAWA have admittedly done some good to the nation. Regardless, one question remains: on the whole, did the Clinton administration do its job well? This researcher thinks so. While his administration had its fair share of scandal, it cannot be argued that President Clinton’s efforts were well-intentioned, much less that they were successful in instituting the reforms they were intended to. Not only has the FMLA become one of the most celebrated acts of his administration, his efforts toward economic expansion have also been known to be successful on a major, major scale. His achievements in no way diminish his failures and shortcomings, but conversely, neither do the failures detract from the accomplishments. Objectively speaking, the Clinton administration has done much to contribute to American society, whatever its detractors may say to the contrary. Indeed, Monica Lewinsky aside, it should be easy to see just why Bill Clinton remains one of the most beloved Presidents of the United States to date. References Bruce, Stephen Family and Medical Leave Act. HR Daily Advisor, 2011 Clinton, Bill. My Life. Random House, 2004 Doward, Jamie Battered men get their own refuge. The Observer, 2003 Dragiewicz, Molly Equality with a Vengeance: Mens Rights Groups, Battered Women, and Antifeminist Backlash. UPNE, 2011 Duffy, Michael, Barrett, Laurence I., Blackman, Ann, Carney, James Secrets of Success. Time Magazine, 1993 Galinsky, E., Bond, J., Sakai, K., Kim, S., Giuntoli, N. National study of employers. New York, NY: Families and Work Institute, 2008 Geidner, Chris Domestic Disturbance. Metro Weekly, 2011 Gutis, Phillip Small Steps Toward Acceptance Renew Debate on Gay Marriage. New York Times, 1989 Hillary Rodham Clinton. The White House, 2012 Jackson, Jill House GOP moves to defend DOMA. CBS News, 2011 Maraniss, David. First In His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton. Touchstone, 1996 Menzies, Robert Virtual Backlash: Representations of mens "rights" and feminist "wrongs" in cyberspace UBC Press, 2007 Miller, Susan L. Victims as offenders: the paradox of womens violence in relationships. Rutgers University Press, 2005 Morris, Roger Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America. Regnery Publishing, 1999 Oprah Talks to Bill Clinton. The Oprah Magazine, 2004 Price, Vedder Struggling with Intermittent FMLA Leave. The National Law Review, 2011 Sommers, Christina H. Domestic violence myths help no one. USA Today, 2011 Tyrrell, R. Emmett Jr. Boy Clinton: The Political Biography. Eagle Publishing, 1996 Read More