CHAPTER 32

From Prosperity to Terrorism,

1992 – 2003

“In one generation we have moved from denying a black man service at a lunch counter to elevating one to the highest military office in the nation, and to being a serious contender for the presidency. . . .This

is a magnificent country and I am proud to be one of its sons.”

Colin Powell, announcing his decision not to seek the presidency, 1995

"The Bush administration makes no secret that it sees the Iraq war as the prototype for future conflicts… Pre-emption remains the Bush doctrine. Witness Donald Rumsfeld's revealing remarks in Munich last week. Asked whether America is bound by any international system, legal framework or code of conduct, the US defense secretary replied: 'I honestly believe that every country ought to do what it wants to do ... It either is proud of itself afterwards, or it is less proud of itself.' Translation: the US can do what it likes -- including making war on countries that have made no attack on it." (Jonathan Freedland, This war is not yet over, the Guardian  [Posted online February 22, 2004]

“Though we become hysterical at the thought that someone might bomb us, bombs that we explode elsewhere, in little countries far away, are just theater, of small consequence, another public performance of our White House, the event factory.”  Paul Theroux, Dark Star Safari [page 12]

"The one thing we can say about George W. Bush is we will be forever in his debt." US Rep Rahm Emanuel [D-Ill.]

'No nation in the history of the world has ever escaped this level of indebtedness.' -- Harry Chernoff, economist at Pathfinder Capital Advisors [November 19, 2004]

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."-- Machiavelli

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed."  President Dwight D. Eisenhower, April 16, 1953

 The Election of 1992 Bill Clinton defeated George Bush in 1992 by reviving the Democratic Party in the industrial Northeast and enlisting new Democratic voters in the western states, where he appealed both to Hispanic immigrants and to people associated with fast-growing high-tech industries. He won reelection in 1996 with the same pattern of support. However, the coalition was an unstable combination of “Old Democrats,” associated with older industries and labor unions, and “New Democrats,” favoring economic change, free trade, and globalization.

This chapter covers the shift of the American economy from manufacturing and industry to a service and information based economy. Another shift was noted in the 1990 census. For the first time, the majority of Americans lived in a metropolitan area. A third shift was the end of the Cold War.

Democrats under Clinton recaptured the presidency by being more centrist themselves, but they were continually challenged by a resurgent Right. Economic competition with Europe and Pacific Rim nations would replace the Cold War ideological struggles but problems would still remain in various areas including the Middle East. Presidents Bush 41 and Clinton would look for more collective actions through the UN than the US alone.

Economic shifts to service industry and less need for the military industrial complex continued to reinforce the growing inequities among Americans. American communities struggled to respond to a more global, service oriented, high tech economy with the potential of various regional solutions as they faced the 21st century.

9/11/2001

Black smoke billows through lower Manhattan during the collapse of the World Trade Center.

Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein upon capture by U.S. troops in Iraq in December 2003. Corbis/Bettmann

Chapter Review

Briefly identify the three major contenders for the presidency in 1992.

Describe the Clinton domestic agenda. Identify at least three foreign policy challenges faced by

Clinton in his first term. Describe some of the reasons for the resurgence of the

Republican Party in 1994. Briefly explain the status of civil rights in the United States

in the 1990s. Evaluate the candidates for president in the year 2000.

Chapter Concepts

William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton, “triangulation” Whitewater Rodney King, 1992 Branch Davidians Kenneth Starr Newt Gingrich, Contract with America Louis Farrakhan / Million Man March Political correctness Monica Lewinsky, 1998 George W. Bush September 11, 2001, NY City World Trade Center War on Terrorism

Additional Concepts

CA’s Proposition 187, 1994 NAFTA Timothy McVey, Oklahoma Osama Bin Laden Convention on Biological Warfare International Criminal Court Kyoto Agreement Ended 1972 Treaty limiting missile defenses between US

and USSR Temporary Assistance to Needy Families [TANF] replaces

AFDC

The Politics of the Center

Policing the World World Trade Center, 1993 Timothy McVey, Oklahoma Bosnia, 1995 Kosovo, 1999

I. An Angry Nation: 1992

Americans come to view Bush as “out of touch” Bill Clinton wins nomination, campaigning as “New

Democrat,” but many are skeptical Billionaire Ross Perot enters fray and then withdraws II. The Clinton Presidency Perot re-enters race, splits Republican vote, and helps

Clinton win race Problems plague early Clinton White House

NAFTA is enacted Health care reform is not “Whitewater” real estate deal in Arkansas rears head

Foreign policy problems include Somalia and Bosnia Foreign policy successes include Middle East and Northern Ireland

Republicans promise “Contract with America” and regain control of Congress

The Election of 1992

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III. Race in the 1990s

Polarization occurs over O.J. Simpson murder case Proposition 187 in California bars illegal immigrants from

state aid Parts ruled unconstitutional – immigration is a national instead of a

state issue

IV. Congressional Republicans in Power

Oklahoma City Bombing brings internal terror to America Clinton challenges Republicans by vetoing harsh spending

cuts Dole tries to unseat Clinton in 1996

Jack Scott story – Nixon asked Dole to be his s. . . advisor

Clinton brokers peace in Balkans, and ratings improve

V. The Simpson Verdict and the Politics of Race

Louis Farrakhan organizes Million Man March but divides black community

“Multiculturalism” and “political correctness” become highly charged terms

Battle for gay rights takes center stage Affirmative action continues to be debated

VI. Clinton Wins a Second Term

Republican Newt Gingrich loses influence First Lady becomes target of investigation Bob Dole stands no chance against Clinton, despite

president’s problems Perot again hurts Republicans, and Clinton wins Clinton restructures cabinet for second term

Madeline Albright becomes Secretary of State Republican William Cohen becomes Secretary of Defense

Stock market soars and budget surplus looms Clinton continues to focus on foreign agenda

The Election of 1996

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VII. Clinton Embattled

Clinton admits affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky Republican hopes for 1998 election gains are dashed Clinton is impeached in 1999, but wins acquittal Election of 2000 pits Al Gore against George W. Bush, and

Supreme Court names Bush president

Clinton Impeachment Votes

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Presidential Election, 2000

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VIII. Terrorism and the Bush Presidency

First year of Bush presidency defined by September 11and Osama bin Laden Troops enter Afghanistan to fight terror Bush ties Iraq’s Saddam Hussein to terrorism and pushes United

Nations to intervene Bush’s ratings skyrocket Bush and small coalition are set to remove Saddam in early 2003

Hillary Rodham Clinton

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s mastery of policy details seemed to some critics to be inappropriate for a first lady, but it helped her be an effective senator from New York beginning in 2001. SIPA Press

Computer Blitz Build

S.V. Marshall High School students Shawn Harris (left), 17, and Michael Clark, 17, join other Mississippi teens in building more than 125 new high-speed multimedia computers during a Computer Blitz Build at Jackson State University e-Center. Barbara Gauntt/The Clarion-Ledger

Rise of minority opportunities

As leadership opportunities for African Americans have increased in recent decades, they have gained positions of influence in a growing range of activities. In the field of foreign policy, for example, President George W. Bush chose Colin Powell as Secretary of State and Condoleezza Rice as National Security Advisor. Here Powell (2nd from left) and Rice (right) observe a White House meeting between Bush and UN Sec Gen Kofi Annan. © AFP/Corbis Photo by Stephen Jaffe

George W. Bush

George W. Bush awaits the results of the 2000 Presidential Election recount at his ranch in Texas. The controversial Florida recount was part of the closest election in U.S. history, finally granting Bush the presidency one month after election day. Corbis/Bettmann

Afghan Women

The overthrow of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan reopened many opportunities for women, including access to education as called for in Muslim scriptures. These young women are among 600 who were studying at the Cheva scho0l for girls in Kabul by December 2002.

William Jefferson Clinton, 43rd President of the United States

William Jefferson Clinton, former governor of Arkansas, served two terms as the last president of the ''old'' millennium.

 Women as Business Owners, 1997

Some parts of the nation are more inviting to women-owned businesses than are others. The western and Great Lakes states, with histories of innovative politics, stand out as supportive of business opportunities for women. U.S. Census Bureau, 1997 Economic Census

The Election of 2000 In the nation’s closest presidential election, Democrat Al Gore was most successful in the Northeast and Far West, while George W. Bush swept the South and won most of the Great Plains states. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader took most of his votes from Gore, and, in a twist of irony, helped to swing the election to Bush.

Overview