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Questions about Bill Clinton

Short answers, pulled from the story.

When was Bill Clinton impeached and what were the charges?

Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives on the 19th of December 1998. The House voted 228-206 to impeach him for perjury to a grand jury and 221-212 for obstruction of justice, both related to his attempts to conceal his relationship with Monica Lewinsky. The Senate acquitted him on both charges on the 12th of February 1999.

What was Bill Clinton's Third Way or Clintonism philosophy?

Clintonism, also known as the Third Way, was a centrist approach to Democratic Party governance that emphasized fiscal conservatism, welfare reform, and smaller government alongside traditionally liberal causes. Clinton formally organized this movement through the Democratic Leadership Council and advocated that Democrats adopt a more centrist stance following Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in 1984.

What economic record did Bill Clinton leave when he left office?

Clinton presided over the longest peacetime economic expansion in American history up to that time. The Congressional Budget Office reported budget surpluses of $69 billion in 1998, $126 billion in 1999, and $236 billion in 2000, the first such surpluses since 1969. He left office in 2001 with the joint-highest approval rating of any U.S. president.

What were Bill Clinton's major foreign policy decisions?

Clinton ordered U.S. military intervention in the Bosnian and Kosovo wars and signed the Dayton Peace Agreement. He played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process and the Oslo Accords between Israel and the PLO. He also signed the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 and ordered cruise missile strikes in Afghanistan and Sudan in response to al-Qaeda's bombing of U.S. embassies that killed 224 people.

How did Bill Clinton come to be known as the Comeback Kid?

Clinton earned the label during the 1992 New Hampshire primary after reports of an extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers caused his poll numbers to collapse far behind Paul Tsongas. He and Hillary appeared on 60 Minutes after Super Bowl XXVI to address the allegations, and Clinton recovered enough to finish a close second in New Hampshire. The press interpreted his recovery from a severe polling deficit as a decisive comeback.

What were Bill Clinton's major domestic legislative achievements?

Clinton signed the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Brady Bill mandating federal background checks on firearm purchases, and the North American Free Trade Agreement on the 1st of January 1994. He signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, which cut taxes for 15 million low-income families and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2 percent of taxpayers. He also appointed Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer to the Supreme Court.