President Bill Clinton and The Lewinsky Scandal Essay

Clinton and The Lewinsky Scandal On January 17th, 1998, President Clinton videotaped a deposition for the Paula Jones lawsuit against him. December 19th, eleven months later, Bill Clinton became only the second president in our nation’s history to face impeachment from congress. The 1998-1999 was a tumultuous year for the President, the media, and the American people as a whole. Yet, the most intriguing and surprising aspect of the scandal was not that Bill Clinton would ever cheat on his wife or that his administration would survive such a terrible scandal. Nor was it a revelation that the media would be zealously intrigued by a sex scandal involving the President. The one aspect of the Lewinksy Scandal that was truly†¦show more content†¦While it is too early to accurately judge the presidency of Bill Clinton, most would agree that he was successful in office. He was the first democrat to successfully be reelected since Franklin Roosevelt. Yet, when a sufficient amount of time has passed and historians attempt to categorize and analyze Bill Clinton’s presidency, his legacy will ultimately be tied to scandal. The numerous scandals that Clinton faced – and survived –were an important aspect of the Clinton presidency. On one hand, they showed the well-documented weakness of Clinton’s personal character – his infidelities, his evasiveness, and his lack of integrity. Yet, Clinton’s ability to survive these scandals are a true testament how politically cunning and brilliant the man was. In examining the political life of Bill Clinton, five major scandals stick out: his draft record; Gennifer Flowers and Infidelity; the Marijuana controversy; Whitewater; the Lewinsky Affair. Any one of these scandals could easily – and have on numerous occasions– ruin a political career. Yet, in each of these episodes Clinton was unusually adept at surviving and restoring his image. The importance of illustrating Clinton’s past encounters with scandal is not to show the moral weakness of Clinton’s character; nor is it to show cagey moves ofShow MoreRelatedBill Clinton : The Second President1057 Words   |  5 PagesSilvey English 3G 02 February 2015 William (Bill) Clinton was only the second president in history to be impeached by the House of Representatives in 1998, but he was acquitted by the Senate the following year (â€Å"Bill Clinton.†). President Clinton was impeached for perjury and for obstruction of justice; however, he was acquitted of both charges just two months later because of â€Å"lack of merit.† Even after being acquitted from his impeachment, Bill Clinton realized he’d made a mistake, as most humansRead MoreThe Lewinsky Scandal, 19981491 Words   |  6 PagesLiterature Review: The Lewinsky Scandal, 1998 For the past few centuries, political scandals have become a permanent fixture in US politics. Most recently, when we think of scandals in American politics the 1998 Clinton-Lewinsky Affair comes to mind. Though unlike its predecessors this scandal was not one of constitutional crises such as Nixon’s Watergate in the 1970s, but it instead concerned the extramarital affairs of the then incumbent president, William J. Clinton. Bill Clinton, as he is more commonlyRead MoreLife History of Bill Clinton Essay1735 Words   |  7 PagesBill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton succeeded where no other Democrat since Franklin had. He was re-elected to a second term as President. Clinton also proved most of his critics wrong, surviving the personal scandals that came about. During his presidency, Clinton broke promises and failed in certain areas, but he still had support of the American people. Even after his affair with Monica Lewinsky, the people still wanted him in office. They liked what he was doing for the country andRead MoreLets Keep Personal, Personal: Scandal ´s of Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy1020 Words   |  5 PagesAmerica loves a scandal. After all, what do most people think of when this question is brought up: What does Bill Clinton and John F. Kennedy have in common, besides the fact that they were both Presidents of The United States of America? They are men who excelled in their job yet both had a blemish on their previously near perfect reputation that society viewed as a letdown. Both men had scanda ls that involved women; Monica Lewinsky and Marilyn Monroe. I strongly believe that society judging theRead More President Bill Clinton Essay1663 Words   |  7 PagesBill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton succeeded where no other Democrat since Franklin had. He was re-elected to a second term as President. Clinton also proved most of his critics wrong, surviving the personal scandals that came about. During his presidency, Clinton broke promises and failed in certain areas, but he still had support of the American people. Even after his affair with Monica Lewinsky, the people still wanted him in office. They liked what he was doing for the country andRead MoreThe Presidency Of William Bill Clinton926 Words   |  4 Pagesof William (Bill) Clinton began in 1993 and ended in 2001 after two terms. There is no doubt that he President Clinton was one of the most likeable of the President’s. His ‘loveable rogue† image would be needed to help him through scandals that would occur throughout his Presidency. Even before President Clinton would become president the first of his cheating scandals would hit the press in January of 1992 the tabloid magazine The Star would break the story of Gennifer Flowers and Bill Clinton’sRead MoreBill Clinton s Decline : A Tragic Hero1375 Words   |  6 PagesBill Clinton’s Decline A tragic hero is a person who is adored or praised by the public eye but then chooses an action that eventually leads to his or her’s own destruction. These kind of heroes have been around for an extreme amount of time. A tragic hero is most commonly heard of in a novel or epic, but there have been many historical tragic heroes throughout the real world. Every continent, every country, and even every state has had at least one real life tragic hero in their midst. The UnitedRead MoreThe President Of Arkansas, Bill Clinton Essay1330 Words   |  6 PagesArkansas, Bill Clinton, was the first Democratic candidate in the election of 1992, becoming the first Democratic president since 1976. He was the president number 42 and occupied two presidential period between 1993 to 2000. When he was nominated to the presidency in 1992 by the Democratic party, Clinton centered his campaign in creating jobs, focusing on the image that is close to ordinary people because he does not come fro m an elite of millionaires like his challenger George W. Bush. Clinton was favoredRead MoreThe Effects Of Media On People s Lives1842 Words   |  8 Pagesway to get the word out. But if one wanted to keep something they were doing a secret, the media would negatively affect them because it could imply the wrong messages and then ruin one’s reputation. The media has a very creative way of portraying scandals and catching people while they are in the act. The media rarely focuses on an individual being joyous and successful but more so on one’s failures and mistakes. With the current more somber and responsible approach often comes a bowdlerized  view  ofRead MoreImpeachment of Bill Clinton Essay1834 Words   |  8 PagesPresident Bill Clinton began an affair with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern, in 1995. Later in 1998, when confronted with questions in regards to an affair with Monica Lewinsky, Clinton lied under oath in front of a grand jury. This, howeve r, was not his first lapse in judgment as viewed by the Senate and Congress. The President and his wife, Hillary, found themselves involved in the Whitewater scandal beginning in 1978. In addition, during his campaign, Clinton was accused of draft dodging