Bill Clinton (Bill Clinton): politics, biography, scandal

In the mass consciousness, US President Bill Clinton is not associated with his foreign policy or the reforms he initiated, but with the scandal that arose in 1996 on the basis of a very banal adultery. The whole world with a crooked grin discussed features of the physiological structure of the chief state official of the superpower, and the very "hero" had to respond with a guilty ironical smile. Now that two decades have passed, the time has come to give a more objective assessment of the personality of the "Arkansas saxophonist", as the president was nicknamed for his addiction to playing on this wind instrument.

Who is William Jefferson Blyth The Third

If you dig a little deeper, it's not Bill at all, but William. Besides, Jefferson. And not just Jefferson, but the Third. And the surname is different, Blythe. It was under such a full name that the baby appeared in 1946, on August 19, who became the 42nd President of the United States. And it's not in some secret affairs, he did not change the city, did not change his name, but it turned out that Bill's own father, full of his namesake, only Second, died in a car accident shortly before the birth of his son, Equipment. So, he married four times, passed the whole war, both Egypt and Italy, and death lurked him in peacetime and in his native land.

Grandfather, grandmother, mother, brother and stepfather

The boy was raised by the grandfather and the grandmother, people remarkable, supporters of equality and opponents of racial segregation. At that time, in the South, blacks bought, ate, went and even went to the toilet only where there were signs "Only black", and the grocery store Cassidy served everyone who came. Mother, Virginia, meanwhile, was studying in Shreveport (Louisiana). In 1950, she remarried, and soon she had a second son, Roger. At the age of fifteen, Bill, evaluating the role of stepfather in his life, took his name. The family then lived in the town of Hot Springs (Arkansas).

Studying in "high-cheek", Bill Clinton was fond of jazz, gathered a jazz band, his favorite composer was George Gershwin. He studied well, and therefore in the summer of 1963 took part in the meeting of the best representatives of youth with US President JF Kennedy, and even shook his hand.

His universities

Further education was somewhat haphazard, although the names of the universities that the young man replaced, speak of his desire to join the establishment: Oxford, Yale, Georgetown. The lack of money prevented my stepfather from drinking, the family's income fell, and the young man could count only on himself. He received the scholarship as an advanced one, as an honors pupil, and worked simultaneously in three places. But youth is strong, and, despite the hellish load, Bill Clinton found time for his personal life. In Yale, he met Hillary Rodham, and after two years of meetings, the young people were married (1975).

The career of the graduate was developing quite well, immediately after graduation he was offered the position of lecturer at the University of Fayetteville, but an old meeting with Kennedy set him up for a political career, and nothing else could a young man dream of.

The way to governorship

At the age of 28 (1974) Bill Clinton nominated himself for the congressional elections from Arkansas, failed, but did not fall in spirit. Even defeat can be used to achieve a future victory. There were connections and acquaintances, an experience of political struggle, and he always tastes bitter. In 1976, the youngest Minister of Justice appeared in Arkansas , then the Attorney General, and a little later, in 1978, and the youngest governor. They became Bill Clinton, and he was then 32 years old.

The successes of Governor Clinton

He held this post for 11 years, and the board was generally successful. Income to the treasury increased, education became much more accessible. Bill Clinton's wife Hillary assisted her husband, energetically dealing with family issues and children's rights. Both were important for the "first lady" of the state, and for the governor, in 1980 they had a daughter, Chelsea.

Arkansas took the leading position on the amount of funds per capita allocated for education. The importance of quality education for Clinton has always been an axiom, he was actively engaged in this as governor of the state, and then, having achieved good results and becoming chairman of the Association of Governors (1986), began to promote his ideas at the federal level.

At the same time, there were also failures, to which one can relate the sympathy of a significant part of the voters. The South of America traditionally adheres to the republican platform, and the position of the democrats here is unique. Insufficient support for liberal ideas is compensated by a pragmatic approach to solving many of the issues that are so characteristic of political opponents. Such a "hybrid" was called "southern democracy". But even the maximum flexibility did not save Clinton from the conservatism of the inhabitants of Arkansas, workers and middle class did not want to vote for a democratic party. There was a lot of work to be done.

To the White House!

In 1991, Clinton decided to run for President of the United States. The bet was made on the worsening in the economy, caused by the rule of senior George W. Bush. Things did not go well, in fact, unemployment increased, inflation, external debt and budget deficit increased. But Republicans also had serious assets: a successful military operation in Kuwait, called "Storm in the Desert," and the possibility of justifying low macro-indicators with various objective circumstances.

In addition, the competitors learned that in young years Bill had a chance to "score a joint." This fact was not denied by the applicant himself, explaining his experiments with marijuana with his youthful curiosity, however, with the caveat that he did not like the effect and immediately threw this stupid affair.

In general, the success of the elections was under a big question mark.

The help came from Ross Perot, an independent candidate, Bill Clinton and Albert Gore, who succeeded in repeating the success of John F. Kennedy, who won the Republicans "in their field", in the Southern states.

After the inauguration of Bill Clinton, the US President delivered a speech in which he outlined his position on the coming changes and responsibilities of politicians for his country. Among the priority issues were the fight against unemployment, the reform of the health care system and the reduction of tax oppression in relation to the middle class, the basis of society.

Failures

When forming the team, there were also a lack of experience, and all the personal shortcomings that Bill Clinton suffered. The internal policy of his administration has experienced several serious failures, which include the collapse of the previously advertised reform of insurance medicine. She was engaged in Hillary, Bill Clinton's wife, who did not have the necessary qualifications in this field. The attempt to recruit homosexuals who do not hide their unconventional orientation has also been deplorable. Pentagon officials opposed such a liberalization of statutory relations. Zoe Beard, Clinton's protege as prosecutor general, herself turned out to be a criminal, a hard-core tax evader.

Foreign Affairs

The foreign policy of Bill Clinton was dictated by the heady sense of US domination throughout the global space that gripped the leadership of this country after the collapse of the communist system. Despite the almost complete absence of serious opposition from the former "evil empire", the American army, acting with the UN mandate, managed to fail in the conflict with the Somali insurgents. The Vatican opposed the project to limit the birth rate, for which the United States acted.

At the same time, good luck also happened. The dominant role of the United States was doubted by a growing number of countries, especially after the indicative "flogging" of Yugoslavia and the establishment of an independent Kosovo state. NATO safely moved eastward, accompanied by the lingering protests of Yeltsin's Russia, and sometimes without them. At the same time, the number of military conflicts, in which the American army took part, declined.

The goal is the growth of America's power

Despite the rather active expansion of the US influence, BN. Yeltsin repeatedly listed his "friends" - Helmut Kohl and, of course, Bill Clinton. Photos and video, where the President of the Russian Federation conducts the orchestra, then dances a twist, then something is very funny for the American colleague, regularly published by all the news channels at that unusual time. The US power was strengthened at the lowest cost, in the 90s the military budget was reduced, which freed up funds for social programs. The unemployment rate has dropped, research has been actively carried out, in the field of information technology Japan has been pushed back to second place in the world, and hostile countries have either been defeated or adhered to friendly policies. The old conflicts faded away, new ones were not foreseen.

To new elections

The policy of Bill Clinton was popular with the Americans and was carried out in the national interests of the only superpower at that time. Russia and China could not be taken into account, Europe dutifully moved in the fairway set by the White House, it was possible not to think about other countries at all.

The election of 1996 from the outset did not cause doubts as to who would be the winner. Bill Clinton, whose biography itself embodied the Great American Dream, appealed to voters, as well as his general image. However, something happened that shook such a stable and almost ideal situation.

The incident with Monica

A young, energetic and not very handsome trainee created problems for which representatives of the Democratic Party and Bill Clinton himself were not ready. The scandal broke out suddenly, and the more surprising was the public reaction to it. The reason for initiating the procedure of removing the president from power was not even adultery, but the fact that the first person of the state lied during the court hearings, denying his misbehavior. The story surfaced during the proceedings on the application of a certain Pauline Jones, who accused the president that, while still a governor, he harassed her (of course, sexually).

Later it turned out that Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton were in intimate relationship, starting in 1995, two years. Relations were of a sophisticated-erotic nature. The trainee presented as evidence personal belongings on which she kept "traces of passion," including her own underwear, for which she received the nickname "dirty." The details were savored for a long time, and the romantic story itself is of some interest now.

The public was also the fact that Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton from time to time gifted each other with souvenirs, however, inexpensive.

Consequences of the scandal

Clinton long denied, but under the pressure of irrefutable facts, including even DNA examinations, in the end, "split". Then he publicly apologized to his wife and all the American people. From impeachment, he was saved by a successful arrangement of political forces, for him there was not enough votes.

Lewinsky afterwards for a long time overcame the consequences of psychological stress, and even apologized "for all this history," which did not prevent her, along with knitting needles, to write and publish an autobiographical book. Well, it's business, and nothing personal.

If, for Clinton, the attempt to remove from power ended rather successfully, if we do not take into account the unpleasant but tolerable events, the Democratic Party suffered more tangible losses. On her reputation, the sexual scandal worked destructively, and it was not necessary to hope that the next American president would come out of her ranks. So it happened, in the next elections, Bush, Jr., a Republican, won.

Life outside the White House

Hillary Clinton, while the proceedings were under way, behaved with dignity, supporting her husband. To her credit, it should be noted that she saw in the first place a person responsible for the fate of the country, putting state interests above personal emotions, which surely overwhelmed the soul of a deceived wife.

Clinton's presidency ended in 2001, but his life continues, and it is full of events, pleasant and not very much. It is not known how much his support was influenced by Obama's victory, but it was. The former president helped the Haitians affected by the earthquake.

In 2010, he underwent surgery by performing cardiac stenting. Silent later, Bill married the daughter of Chelsea.

In Kosovo he was given a monument. Honor is doubtful, but not everyone will wait for this in life ...