I don't think that any respectable number of Republicans maintained that Clinton's election was illegal.
it was more along the lines of 'big city libruls have placed a left wing straighjacket on US politics, in defiance of good clean honest conservative Americans, who really know what's best for America'.Rush Limbaugh had an anti-Clinton segment on his show called America Held Hostage. Which, if it wasn't implying that Clinton's presidency was illegal, at least implied that his rule was somehow being forced on the country illegitimately.
... the Republicans nominated Senator Bob Dole who bored the electorate and President Clinton cruised to victory.No Gulf War. In the aftermath of Desert Storm, Bush's approval ratings shot to 90%, and everyone was so confident that the Republicans would take the White House again, that even some Democratic commentators were suggesting that the party should just skip the presidential race, and donate the money they save to charity. When Clinton started polling strong against Bush, I remember telling people that he stood a good chance of winning, and was basically told that I was crazy.
To say that losing the election to Clinton was a disappointment to the GOP would be an understatement. And with all the Clinton hatred in his first term, and getting creamed in the midterms, everyone assumed that '96 would be when the public had finally had enough of him. But alas...
... the Republicans nominated Senator Bob Dole who bored the electorate and President Clinton cruised to victory.
Everyone didn't say President Clinton was 'hated'. Parts of the electorate demonized President Clinton wasn't hated by the general population. Plus the economy was doing better in 96 than when President Clinton was elected which always helps the incumbent.True, but if Clinton was as hated as everyone said, it shouldn't have mattered that Dole was a snorefest. Pretty much anyone without a felony record should have been able to beat Clinton.
I think the rise of right-wing radio has had a huge effect on American politicsRush Limbaugh had an anti-Clinton segment on his show called America Held Hostage. Which, if it wasn't implying that Clinton's presidency was illegal, at least implied that his rule was somehow being forced on the country illegitimately.
Clinton runs as a Republican (with the exadct same platform and enacting the exact same policies). There.
Clinton runs as a Republican (with the exadct same platform and enacting the exact same policies). There.
Very early in his presidency, Clinton lifted the ban on gay and lesbian Americans serving in the military. Then he compromised and partially reversed himself by enacting “Don’t ask, don’t tell.” All through executive action.If Bill Clinton had been a Republican, the GOP would laud him as one of our best ever Presidents.
Everyone didn't say President Clinton was 'hated'. Parts of the electorate demonized President Clinton wasn't hated by the general population. Plus the economy was doing better in 96 than when President Clinton was elected which always helps the incumbent.
And on April 29, 1993, President Clinton nominated Lani Guinier to be Assistant Atty. General for Civil Rights. She was an academic and a black woman, and conservatives quickly labeled her a “quota queen.” Seems like dirty play on their part, but the conservatives did find some writings they could latch onto.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-06-05-9306050143-story,amp.html
Her views were complicated.
After Clinton withdrew her nomination, in interview way back then, I remember her talking about this approach was what a lot of corporations did with their voting stock. A multi-member board of directors, and apparently each share of stock gave you the same number of votes which you could spread out or use all for one candidate. And as she explained, if minorities [whether racial, ideological, or anything else] voted strategically, they could often elect at least some representation to the board. But then again . . . academics talk and write about all kinds of ideas. Guinier had also served in the Justice Dept. during when Carter was president.
politicians don’t seem fully aware of just how much people resent complexity foisted upon them.
Not freely chosen. People might do fantasy baseball and Internet poker all day long. But foisted upon them. And I really think liberals under-estimate this quite a bit more than conservatives.
Clinton withdrew Guinier’s nomination on June 3, 1993.
. . . It seems more like a case of weakness on Clinton's part. Even Janet Reno appeared to believe that Clinton was wrong. . .
I urge you both to please reconsider. "weak" is the criticism conservatives make against us liberals. Obviously, I'm a liberal and I'm speaking as one.The problem, is that Clinton's weakness was amplified by a conservative sentiment to "find" and enemy after the Soviet Union of Godless communits broke up. . .
I, too, supported the Clintons, voting for them for president. I too, consider myself a liberal. How liberal? My first vote for president went to George McGovern when I turned 18. I never thought Bill's governance was weak. But conservatives did have a point over the Lewinsky scandal exposing a personal weakness. See, a Christian conservative pointed out to me in 1998 that a president has an obligation to abide by the highest standards of personal conduct and serve as a role model for the growing generations. I had to agree he had a point. Too bad we had no chance to discuss the current administration!I urge you both to please reconsider. "weak" is the criticism conservatives make against us liberals. Obviously, I'm a liberal and I'm speaking as one.
“The Arkansas Project”: a four-year, $2.4 million effort to dig up enough dirt to ruin Clinton. There was no shortage of kooks in the Arkansas Project, but perhaps the most important kook, because most of the money came from him, was Richard Mellon Scaife, heir to a big hunk of Mellon oil-and-steel billions. He had poured many millions into right-wing causes over the years – our authors estimate $300 million – and now he didn’t mind spending a few more, as he told friends, “to get that goddamn guy out of the White House.”
With that aim, he subsidized newspapers, magazines, book publishers and their writers to portray Clinton as (1) an international drug trafficker, (2) the murderer of Clinton’s longtime friend and White House aide Vincent Foster, who committed suicide shortly after arriving in Washington, (3) the defrauder of an Arkansas savings and loan, and (4) the ravisher of half the women in Arkansas.