Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States – during his time the country enjoyed a budget surplus, advancement in social issues, low unemployment and crime rates in various cities, high home ownership in the country and many more. All these were evidences that make for a good President. The latter half his Presidency was pestered with a scandal involving a White House intern that call into question the moral characters of the leader of the free world.
Bill Clinton defeated the incumbent George Bush whose administration suffered a weak recovery from a recession and a series of budget deficits. His rise to power can be explained by a series of characteristics as dictated by his morals, values and character.
President Clinton’s power is recognized in five tenets: referent, expert, legitimate, reward and coercive. Referent and expert was exemplified when he defeated the incumbent president, utilizing the necessary resources and situation at hand. He and Vice President Gore were the youngest executive candidates after President JFK and thus representing a younger generation of leadership during their time. Bill’s prior experience as a state executive/governor of Arkansas contributed to his expert power.
Mr. Clinton’s ran under the banner of the Democratic Party. This party values liberty, equality and justice. The President brings in to the government a long history of leaders who championed the 19th amendment, allowed women to vote, ended the great depression and initiated the new deal, social security act and the GI Bill. Also under the Democratic banner, President JFK led the country in putting a man on the moon, nuclear armistice and the civil rights act. President Clinton balanced the budget, helped the economy add 23 million new jobs, and oversaw the longest period of peacetime economic expansion in history. All these achievements were done under the belief and values of individual liberty and a fair chance to attain the American dream.
Consequently, Mr. Clinton’s Presidency was not free from controversies. A series of issues, such as gay rights, gay military issues, healthcare, and attacks to his character and moral values arose during his Presidency. He and Mrs. Clinton were investigated in the “Whitewater” controversy, “Travelgate” and the Monica Lewinsky scandal.
At the onset of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, President Clinton denied the accusations by stating the famous words: “but I want to say one thing to the American people. I want you to listen to me. I’m going to say this again: I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky. I never told anybody to lie, not a single time — never. These allegations are false. And I need to go back to work for the American people.” Those famous words were addressed to the American people only to be recanted 7 months later. These series of events of stained the strides, if not overshadowed the Clinton Administration and his ethical leadership.
President Clinton’s character was clearly not free from unwanted characteristics. Whether this be driven by political maneuvers or not, his position as President of the United States was undermined because of the series of investigations that swayed the country’s attention away from things that matter.
Whether President Clinton is an ethical leader or not should be decided upon by the people. Looking back now, his Presidency is regarded as a golden era of the 20th century and the positive effects of Presidency outweighed his unethical behavior as President of the United States.
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