Public image of Bill Clinton

Last updated

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton's public image is most notably characterized by high public approval ratings, aided by his youthful appearance[ when? ], as well as his charismatic, and soundbite-ready style of speech. His personal background and lifestyle led to Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison to call him the first "black president". Clinton was also dogged by investigations throughout his presidency, particularly of sexual misconduct, damaging the public's beliefs of his trustworthiness, though his approval ratings remained high, even as his impeachment trial continued.

Contents

Public approval

Clinton's job approval rating ranged from 36% in mid-1993 to 64% in late 1993 and early 1994. [1] In his second term, his rating consistently ranged from the high-50s to the high-60s. [1] [2] After his impeachment proceedings in 1998 and 1999, Clinton's rating reached its highest point at 73% approval. [3] He finished with a Gallup poll approval rating of 65%, [4] higher than that of every other departing president measured since Harry Truman. [5]

As he was leaving office, a CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll revealed 45% said they'd miss him. While 55% thought he "would have something worthwhile to contribute and should remain active in public life", 68% thought he'd be remembered for his "involvement in personal scandal", and 58% answered "No" to the question, "Do you generally think Bill Clinton is honest and trustworthy?". 47% of the respondents identified themselves as being Clinton supporters. 47% said he would be remembered as either "outstanding" or "above average" as a president while 22% said he would be remembered as "below average" or "poor". [6]

The Gallup Organization published a poll in February 2007 asking respondents to name the greatest president in U.S. history; Clinton came in fourth place, capturing 13% of the vote. In a 2006 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll asking respondents to name the best president since World War II, Clinton ranked 3% behind Ronald Reagan to place second with 25% of the vote. However, in the same poll, when respondents were asked to name the worst president since World War II, Clinton placed 1% behind Richard Nixon and 18% behind George W. Bush to come in third with 16% of the vote. [7]

In May 2006, a CNN poll comparing Clinton's job performance with that of his successor, George W. Bush, found that a strong majority of respondents said Clinton outperformed Bush in six different areas questioned. [8] ABC News characterized public consensus on Clinton as, "You can't trust him, he's got weak morals and ethics –and he's done a heck of a good job." [9] Clinton's 65% Gallup Poll approval rating was also the highest Gallup approval rating of any postwar President leaving office, one point ahead of Reagan. [10]

Public image

Clinton reading with a child in Chicago, September 1998. ClintonChild.jpg
Clinton reading with a child in Chicago, September 1998.

Clinton was the first president born after World War II. Authors Martin Walker and Bob Woodward state Clinton's innovative use of soundbite-ready dialogue, personal charisma, and public perception-oriented campaigning was responsible for his high public approval ratings. [11] [12] When Clinton played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show , Clinton was sometimes described by religious conservatives as "the MTV president". [13] Since 2000, he has frequently been referred to as "The Big Dog" or "Big Dog". [14] [15] His prominent role in campaigning for President Obama during the 2012 presidential election and his widely publicised speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where he officially nominated Obama and criticised Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Republican policies in detail, earned him the nickname "Explainer-in-Chief". [16] [17] Other nicknames include "Slick Willie", [18] "The Comeback Kid", [19] "Bubba", and "The First Black President". [20] Clinton, a Baptist, [21] has been open about his faith. [22]

Popularity among African Americans

Bill Clinton playing the saxophone President Bill Clinton plays the saxophone with jazz musicians.jpg
Bill Clinton playing the saxophone

Clinton drew strong support from the African American community and made improving race relations a major theme of his presidency. [23] In 1998, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison in The New Yorker called Clinton "the first Black president", saying, "Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas," and comparing Clinton's sex life, scrutinized despite his career accomplishments, to the stereotyping and double standards that blacks typically endure. [24]

In 2008, Morrison's sentiments were raised anew as Barack Obama, who would later become the country's first African-American president, ran for the presidency. After endorsing Obama, Morrison distanced herself from her 1998 remark about Clinton, saying that it was misunderstood. She alleged that she has "no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race" and claimed she was only describing the way he was being treated during the impeachment trial as an equivalent to a poor black person living in the ghetto. [25] Obama himself, when asked in a Democratic debate about Morrison's declaration of Clinton as "black", replied that Clinton had an enormous "affinity" with the black community, but joked he would need to see Clinton's dancing ability before judging him to be black. [26] [27]

Sexual misconduct allegations

Throughout his career, Clinton has been subject to various allegations of sexual misconduct, though only his extramarital sexual relationships with Lewinsky and Flowers have been admitted by him. [28]

For alleged misconduct during his governorship Paula Jones brought a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton while he was president. Clinton argued that as a sitting president, he should not be vulnerable to a civil suit of this nature. The case landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that "Deferral of this litigation until petitioner's Presidency ends is not constitutionally required." [29]

However, Republican judge Susan Webber Wright of Arkansas dismissed the case. [30] [31] Soon afterwards, Jones appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. [32]

During the deposition for the Jones lawsuit which was held at the White House, [33] Clinton denied having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky  –a denial that became the basis for the impeachment charge of perjury.

On November 18, 1998, Clinton agreed to an out-of-court settlement, and agreed to pay Jones and her attorneys a sum of $850,000. [34] Clinton, however, still offered no apology to Jones and still denied ever engaging in a sexual affair with her. [34]

In 1998, Kathleen Willey alleged Clinton sexually assaulted her four years previously. In 1998, Juanita Broaddrick alleged she was raped by Clinton some twenty years previously. The independent counsel determined Willey gave "false information" to the FBI and inconsistent sworn testimony related to the Jones allegation. Broaddrick's only sworn testimony about Clinton was a previous denial of any harassment by Clinton. [35] Gennifer Flowers, Elizabeth Ward Gracen, Sally Perdue and Dolly Kyle Browning – claimed to have had adulterous sexual relations with Clinton during or before his service as governor. Gracen later apologized to Hillary Clinton for having sex with Bill. [36] After Gracen made her claim, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr issued a subpoena to have her testify in court. Gracen, however, eluded the subpoena. [37]

Dolly Kyle Browning alleged that she and Clinton engaged in a long sexual affair from the mid-1970s until 1992. [38] Browning began writing a "semi-autobiographical novel" about the affair. In the publication process, Browning claims that Clinton did everything in his power to prohibit and undermine publication. Browning sued Clinton for damages, but the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied her appeal. [39]

Haircut controversy

A haircut Clinton received on May 13, 1993, by the stylist Cristophe aboard Air Force One at Los Angeles International Airport became the subject of controversy at the time. The national media initially reported that air traffic was affected while two runways were shut down for an hour on account of the president's plane standing on the tarmac for the duration of the haircut. [40]

The Washington Post mentioned "the most famous haircut since Samson's" in front page articles nine times over a six-week period, [41] and many other newspapers also seized on the story of what was called "the most expensive haircut in history". [42] Later investigations revealed that only one commercial airliner was delayed, and that delay was only two minutes, [43] [44] but this finding was less widely reported. [43]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Clinton</span> President of the United States from 1993 to 2001

William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and again from 1983 to 1992. Clinton, whose policies reflected a centrist "Third Way" political philosophy, became known as a New Democrat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Lewinsky</span> American activist and writer (born 1973)

Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American activist. Lewinsky became internationally known in the late 1990s after U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an affair with her during her days as a White House intern between 1995 and 1997. The affair and its repercussions became known as the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Starr</span> American lawyer (1946–2022)

Kenneth Winston Starr was an American lawyer and judge who as independent counsel authored the Starr Report, which served as the basis of the impeachment of Bill Clinton. He headed an investigation of members of the Clinton administration, known as the Whitewater controversy, from 1994 to 1998. Starr previously served as a federal appellate judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit from 1983 to 1989 and as the U.S. solicitor general from 1989 to 1993 during the presidency of George H. W. Bush.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton–Lewinsky scandal</span> 1998 American political sex scandal

The Clinton–Lewinsky scandal was a sex scandal involving Bill Clinton, the president of the United States, and Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Their sexual relationship began in 1995—when Clinton was 49 years old and Lewinsky was 22 years old—and lasted 18 months, ending in 1997. Clinton ended televised remarks on January 26, 1998, with the later infamous statement: "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky." Further investigation led to charges of perjury and to the impeachment of Clinton in 1998 by the U.S. House of Representatives. He was subsequently acquitted on all impeachment charges of perjury and obstruction of justice in a 21-day U.S. Senate trial.

<i>Starr Report</i>

The Starr Report, officially the Referral from Independent Counsel Kenneth W. Starr in Conformity with the Requirement of Title 28, United States Code, Section 595(c), is a United States federal government report by Independent Counsel Ken Starr concerning his investigation of President Bill Clinton. Delivered to the United States Congress on September 9, 1998, the allegations in the report led to the impeachment of Bill Clinton and the five-year suspension of Clinton's law license.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paula Jones</span> American civil servant

Paula Corbin Jones is an American civil servant. A former Arkansas state employee, Jones sued United States President Bill Clinton for sexual harassment in 1994. In the initial lawsuit, Jones cited Clinton for sexual harassment at the Excelsior Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas on May 8, 1991. Following a series of civil suits and appeals through the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals from May 1994 to January 1996, Clinton v. Jones eventually reached the United States Supreme Court on May 27, 1997. The case was later settled on November 13, 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda Tripp</span> American civil servant (1949–2020)

Linda Rose Tripp was an American civil servant who played a prominent role in the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal of 1998. Tripp's action in illegally and secretly recording Monica Lewinsky's confidential phone calls about her relationship with President Bill Clinton caused a sensation with their links to the earlier Clinton v. Jones lawsuit and with the disclosing of intimate details. Tripp claimed that her motives were purely patriotic, and she avoided a wiretap charge by agreeing to hand over the tapes.

"Vast right-wing conspiracy" is a phrase popularized by a 1995 memo by political opposition researcher Chris Lehane and then referenced in 1998 by the then First Lady of the United States Hillary Rodham Clinton, in defense of her husband, President Bill Clinton, characterizing the continued allegations of scandal against her and her husband, including the Lewinsky scandal, as part of a conspiracy by Clinton's political enemies. The term has been used since, including in a question posed to Bill Clinton in 2009 to describe verbal attacks on Barack Obama during his early presidency. Hillary Clinton mentioned it again during her 2016 presidential campaign.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment of Bill Clinton</span> 1998 presidential impeachment proceedings against Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, was impeached by the United States House of Representatives of the 105th United States Congress on December 19, 1998, for "high crimes and misdemeanors". The House adopted two articles of impeachment against Clinton, with the specific charges against Clinton being lying under oath and obstruction of justice. Two other articles had been considered but were rejected by the House vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sidney Blumenthal</span> American political writer

Sidney Stone Blumenthal is an American journalist, political operative, and Lincoln scholar. A former aide to President Bill Clinton, he is a long-time confidant of Hillary Clinton and was formerly employed by the Clinton Foundation. As a journalist, Blumenthal wrote about American politics and foreign policy. He is also the author of a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln, The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln. Three books of the planned five-volume series have already been published: A Self-Made Man, Wrestling With His Angel, and All the Powers of Earth. Subsequent volumes were planned for later.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historical rankings of presidents of the United States</span>

In political studies, surveys have been conducted in order to construct historical rankings of the success of the presidents of the United States. Ranking systems are usually based on surveys of academic historians and political scientists or popular opinion. The scholarly rankings focus on presidential achievements, leadership qualities, failures and faults. Popular-opinion polls typically focus on recent or well-known presidents.

In the United States, presidential job approval ratings were first conducted by George Gallup to gauge public support for the president of the United States during their term. An approval rating is a percentage determined by polling which indicates the percentage of respondents to an opinion poll who approve of a particular person or program. Typically, an approval rating is given to a politician based on responses to a poll in which a sample of people are asked whether they approve or disapprove of that particular political figure. A question might ask: "Do you approve or disapprove of the way that the current president is handling their job as president?".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Betty Currie</span> American government official

Betty Grace Currie is an American government official who served as the personal secretary for Bill Clinton during his tenure as president of the United States. She became well known as a figure in the Lewinsky scandal for her alleged handling of gifts given to Monica Lewinsky by President Clinton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public image of George W. Bush</span> Public image of the 21st-century US president

George W. Bush, the 43rd president of the United States, has elicited a variety of public perceptions regarding his policies, personality and performance as a head of state. In the United States and elsewhere, journalists, polling organizations and others have documented the expression of an evolving array of opinions of President Bush. Time magazine named George W. Bush as its Person of the Year for 2000 and 2004, citing him as the most influential person during these two years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention bounce</span>

A convention bounce or convention bump refers to an increase in support that U.S. presidential candidates in the Republican or Democratic party typically enjoy after the televised national convention of their party. A presumptive nominee for president may also be said to experience a "VP bounce" after announcing his or her pick for vice president prior to the convention. The size and impact of convention bumps vary, but presidential candidates usually see at least a small uptick in their polling numbers coming out of their conventions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bill Clinton sexual assault and misconduct allegations</span> Accusations of sexual misconduct against Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States

Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States (1993–2001), has been publicly accused of sexual assault and/or sexual misconduct by several women: Juanita Broaddrick accused Clinton of raping her in 1978; Leslie Millwee accused Clinton of sexually assaulting her in 1980; Paula Jones accused Clinton of exposing himself to her in 1991 as well as sexually harassing her; and Kathleen Willey accused Clinton of groping her without her consent in 1993. The Jones allegations became public in 1994, during Clinton's first term as president, while Willey's and Broaddrick's accusations became public in 1999, toward the end of Clinton's second term. Millwee made her accusations in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polling for United States presidential elections</span>

Gallup was the first polling organization to conduct accurate opinion polling for United States presidential elections. Gallup polling has often been accurate in predicting the outcome of presidential elections and the margin of victory for the winner. However, it missed some close elections: 1948, 1976 and 2004, the popular vote in 2000, and the likely-voter numbers in 2012. The month section in the tables represents the month in which the opinion poll was conducted. D represents the Democratic Party, and R represents the Republican Party. Third parties, such as the Dixiecrats and the Reform Party, were included in some polls.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment trial of Bill Clinton</span> 1998 trial in the United States Senate

The impeachment trial of Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, began in the U.S. Senate on January 7, 1999, and concluded with his acquittal on February 12. After an inquiry between October and December 1998, President Clinton was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on December 19, 1998; the articles of impeachment charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice. It was the second impeachment trial of a U.S. president, preceded by that of Andrew Johnson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impeachment inquiry into Bill Clinton</span> 1998 U.S. presidential impeachment inquiry

The impeachment inquiry against Bill Clinton, the 42nd president of the United States, was initiated by a vote of the United States House of Representatives on October 8, 1998, roughly a month after the release of the Starr Report. The United States House of Representatives, led by Republican Speaker Newt Gingrich, voted to authorize a broad impeachment inquiry against President Clinton. The inquiry was conducted by the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Since 1981, there has been opinion polling on the Ronald Reagan administration to gather and analyze public opinion on the performance and policies of the Ronald Reagan administration.

References

  1. 1 2 "Job Performance Ratings for President Clinton". Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  2. ↑ Bill Clinton: Job Ratings - PollingReport.com
  3. ↑ Poll: Clinton's approval rating up in wake of impeachment - CNN, December 20, 1998
  4. ↑ "Clinton Leaves Office With Mixed Public Reaction". Gallup Polling. January 12, 2001. Retrieved May 28, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Bush Presidency Closes With 34% Approval, 61% Disapproval". Gallup Polling. January 14, 2009. Archived from the original on January 19, 2009. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  6. ↑ Poll: Majority of Americans glad Clinton is leaving office Archived October 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine - Keating Holland, CNN, January 10, 2001
  7. ↑ "Presidents and History". pollingreport.com. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  8. ↑ Poll: Clinton outperformed Bush - CNN
  9. ↑ Poll: Clinton Legacy Mixed, ABC News, January 17, 2001.
  10. ↑ "Historical Presidential Approval Ratings - End Of Term Plus Current Ratings". Uspolitics.about.com. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  11. ↑ Martin Walker, Clinton: the President they deserve, Fourth Estate 1999
  12. ↑ Bob Woodward, The choice: how Clinton won, Touchstone 1996, ISBN   0-684-81308-4
  13. ↑ Bresler, Robert J. (January 2001). "The Muddled Meaning of the 2000 Election". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  14. ↑ Dowd, Maureen (October 22, 2000). "Liberties; Dare Speak His Name". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2012. They're going to have to let the big dog run.
  15. ↑ Rutenberg, Jim; Zernike, Kate (September 20, 2010). "Bill Clinton Stumps for Obama". The New York Times. Retrieved August 23, 2012. The Big Dog, as he is known among those in the tight world of Clinton associates ...
  16. ↑ McDuffee, Allen (September 6, 2012). "Bill Clinton's DNC speech as 'explainer in chief,' 'it takes some brass,' and more [AM Briefing]". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  17. ↑ Poniewozik, James (September 6, 2012). "The Morning After: Obama Turns to Bill Clinton, Explainer-in-Chief". Time. Retrieved January 25, 2013.
  18. ↑ Cornwell, Rupert (September 23, 2009). "'Slick Willie': Clinton's untold story Recordings shed new light on the Lewinsky scandal, Boris Yeltsin's antics and Al Gore's failed presidency bid". The Independent. Retrieved February 28, 2012.
  19. ↑ Julian Borger (October 26, 2004). "Thinner and frailer, the Comeback Kid puts heart into Kerry's campaign". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 29, 2007.
  20. ↑ Morrison, Toni (October 5, 1998). "Clinton as the First Black President". The New Yorker.
  21. ↑ Amy Sullivan, The Party Faithful: How and Why Democrats Are Closing the God Gap (Simon & Schuster: 2008), p. 101.
  22. ↑ Sullivan, The Party Faithful, p. 9.
  23. ↑ A Conversation With President Bill Clinton on Race in America Today Archived July 16, 2012, at the Wayback Machine - interview with Clinton, Center for American Progress, July 16, 2004.
  24. ↑ Morrison, Toni (October 1998). "Clinton as the first black president". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 1, 2006.
  25. ↑ Sachs, Andrea. "10 questions for Tony Morrison", Time, May 7, 2008. Accessed May 8, 2008.
  26. ↑ "The Democratic Debate in South Carolina". The New York Times. January 21, 2008. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  27. ↑ Asking Barack Obama If Bill Clinton was the first "black president". Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  28. ↑ Clines, Francis X. (March 14, 1998). "Testing of a President: the Accuser; Jones Lawyers Issue Files Alleging Clinton Pattern of Harassment of Women". The New York Times . Retrieved March 20, 2008. The Presidential deposition released today confirmed several revelations reported earlier, including Mr. Clinton's confirmation... that he had had sex with Gennifer Flowers, a one-time Arkansas worker.
  29. ↑ Clinton v. Jones , No. 95-1853U.S. .
  30. ↑ "Judge Wright's Opinion". The Washington Post. August 26, 1999.
  31. ↑ "Clinton Welcomes Jones Decision; Appeal Likely - April 2, 1998". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  32. ↑ Baker, Peter (November 14, 1998). "Clinton Settles Paula Jones Lawsuit for $850,000". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 19, 2013.
  33. ↑ Deposition of William Jefferson Clinton, January 17, 1998 http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/03/13/jones.v.clinton.docs/clinton/
  34. 1 2 "Appeals court ponders Paula Jones settlement - November 18, 1998". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  35. ↑ "Clinton Accuser's Story Aired". The Washington Post. March 14, 1999.
  36. ↑ "Former Miss America Apologizes To First Lady - April 25, 1998". CNN. Archived from the original on December 15, 2006. Retrieved November 9, 2008.
  37. ↑ "Big Year for the Bad News Bearers". The Washington Post. December 24, 1998.
  38. ↑ "Legal Documents: The Dolly Kyle Browning Declaration". CNN.
  39. ↑ Browning v. Clinton No. 01-5050, June 11, 2002. Retrieved August 23, 2012.
  40. ↑ Friedman, Thomas (May 21, 1993). "Haircut Grounded Clinton While the Price Took Off". The New York Times . Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  41. ↑ Geneva Overholser; Kathleen Hall Jamieson, eds. (2005). The Press. Oxford University Press. pp. 53–54. ISBN   9780195309140.
  42. ↑ Hamilton, Nigel. Bill Clinton: Mastering the Presidency , p. 120.
  43. 1 2 Shaw, David (September 17, 1993). "Did Reporters Let Their Feelings Affect Coverage?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Clinton's runway haircut caused no big delays". The Baltimore Sun . June 30, 1993. Archived from the original on July 15, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.