Presidency of William 'Bill' Clinton

Historical Context Essay

Lucas Paul Richert (University of Saskatchewan)
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After a gruelling Democratic presidential nomination process in which Clinton dubbed himself the ‘comeback kid', Clinton faced incumbent president George H.W. Bush. Clinton (along with running mate Albert Gore of Tennessee) argued that 12 years of Republican leadership in the White House had caused political and economic stagnation. As the American economy dipped into recession, this argument had resonance. Clinton and Gore took 43 percent of the popular vote compared to Bush's 37 percent and third-party candidate Ross Perot's 19 percent. The final electoral tally was 370-168. Upon assuming the office of the presidency, Clinton suffered a number of early setbacks. His ‘don't ask, don't tell' policy concerning homosexuals in the military was derided by both conservatives and liberals.…

348 words

Citation: Richert, Lucas Paul. "Presidency of William 'Bill' Clinton". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 01 October 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1186, accessed 25 April 2024.]

1186 Presidency of William 'Bill' Clinton 2 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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