"there was his next best mentor throughout his

“ There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America”, declared the 42nd President of the United States. Before holding office, William Jefferson Clinton was born on August 19, 1946 in Hope Arkansas. Unfortunately, Bill’s father died in an auto accident before he was born. His mother, Virginia Cassidy Blythe, was often away from home, so his grandmother was his next best mentor throughout his life. His grandmother taught him to read at a very early age.

Bill’s mother remarried an abusive alcoholic man named Roger Clinton in 1950. Bill Clinton would have to frequently intervene the arguments between his mother and his new dad. Bill was an excelling student as a teenager and he had a passion for politics as well as being able to play the saxophone! Bill attended Hot Springs High School, where he met Principal  that changed his life. He was recruited to go to Washington D. C. in 1963 to meet shake President John F. Kennedy’s hand. Bill’s mother predicted that someday he would become the President of the United States.

Little did she know that her prediction would come true. Winning 49. 23% of the popular vote in 1993, he was inaugurated into office as the 42nd President of the United States. During Bill Clinton’s time in the office, he was able to expand the powers of the presidency by recreating the perception and operation of the Democratic Party in ways that effectively weakened the “ Reagan Revolution”. His idea of the Democratic Party was able to appeal to white middle-class Americans, support minorities and women, and use the government to stimulate the growth of the economy. President Clinton was recognized as the man who eliminated the federal deficit and oversaw the strongest economy from recent memory.

During Clinton’s two terms, he had to work with a Republican dominated Congress, also known as the “ Republican Revolution”. Clinton vetoed many of the bills proposed by Congress, but he still signed a select few. The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act was one bill signed by President Clinton. Clinton had major success with his economic policy, which created a decade of prosperity. He was able to decrease the unemployment rate from 7% to 4%, and the poverty rate dropped to an 11.

8%. However, Clinton dealt with a major policy fail when he decided to withdraw the U. S. troops from Somalia in March 1994, which led to the resignation of Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, who created the impression that Clinton was unprepared for foreign affairs. One controversy that Bill Clinton faced was the Whitewater Controversy in 1978 that involved him and his wife, Hillary Clinton. The Whitewater Controversy was where Bill and Hillary Clinton partnered with James and Susan McDougal to purchase 220 acres of land that would become the Whitewater Development Corporation. However, the real estate venture failed, causing the Clintons to lose $40, 000.

James McDougal subsequently entered the banking industry, forming Madison Guaranty Savings and Loan. Suspicions surrounding the Clintons’ involvement in the Whitewater deal arose during President Clinton’s first term in office and an investigation into the legality of the Whitewater transactions was launched in 1986. The investigation, led by special prosecutor Robert B. Fiske, found that Clinton had pressured David Hale into making a loan that benefited both Bill Clinton and Madison Guaranty. Another big controversy that President Clinton faced would be the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal from 1995 to 1997. Bill Clinton had an affair with a 22 year old White House intern during his presidency. Although Bill Clinton claimed that it was a consensual relationship, the public is still currently shaming Monica Lewinsky more for not being responsible with the President of the United States at the time. Some people are extremely ignorant when it comes to accusing the wrongdoing person.

In April 1994, a national security issue occurred when a vast killing spree broke out in Rwanda, a country in Central Africa. An estimated 800, 000 Tutsi and their defenders were murdered in a government-sponsored genocide. With the failure in Somalia still very much in the minds of American policymakers, neither the United States nor the United Nations moved aggressively to stop the slaughter.

Both Clinton and the world community were criticized for not taking swift actions to stop the violent deaths of the Rwandans. Fortunately, the well-mannered president embarked on a six-nation tour of Africa, where he stopped briefly in Rwanda to meet with survivors of the civil war and to issue an apology for actions not taken. President Clinton is an honorable man for admitting his mistake rather than denying it. For the first term, President Clinton’s public approval was sitting at a 50%. Towards the end of his second term, his approval rating increased 11% and was sitting at a 61%.

An increase of public approval ratings indicate how Clinton started out as a doubtful candidate and ended his term as an improved and stronger candidate holding office. President Clinton accomplished many policies, but none were qualified to make him leave an influential legacy due to the scandal with Monica Lewinsky. Although Bill Clinton was involved in multiple controversies that led to his impeachment, he left a significant legacy in economics with his team by changing the nation’s fiscal position into an exceptional surplus. In terms of foreign policy, Clinton had a mixed legacy.

One of Clinton’s core missions as President, he often said, was to prepare Americans for a world in which global economic forces failed to respect national boundaries. He established new regimes of free trade with NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and GATT (General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade. President Clinton will also be remembered for his success in the Balkans when he helped end a conflict that threatened the security of Europe and the viability of transatlantic arrangements.