Bill Clinton resigns

samcster94

Banned
What would it take for Bill Clinton to resign over Monica(or any other sex-related scandal)??? I am assuming 90's standards, not 2018 ones. There is a President Gore in the 90's in this universe as well. How does 2000 play out if Gore is in office already(or 1996 if early enough)???
 
For a resignation, I think it'd have to be more extreme than the Lewinsky scandal IOTL. Ironically enough, something like Clinton paying off one of his "lovers" might do the trick. And/or, you could have him impregnate Monica (or someone else), and then follow the same course of action he did in our timeline; lie about it. If there's some degree of credibility to the accusation, even without a DNA test to prove Clinton was the father, he could take a serious hit. Worst case scenario, perhaps Monica or some other White House staffer claims sexual assault. If it's Monica, and they still find the dress with Clinton's DNA on it, that could put a quick end to his Presidency.
 
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If the Democratic leadership had turned on Clinton in 1998, just as the GOP turned on Nixon in 1974, then he's toast. 2000 is up in the air. Gore would start out the underdog, but he could orchestrate a come from behind victory if he distances himself from Clinton and emphasizes the good economy.
 
If the Democratic leadership had turned on Clinton in 1998, just as the GOP turned on Nixon in 1974, then he's toast. 2000 is up in the air. Gore would start out the underdog, but he could orchestrate a come from behind victory if he distances himself from Clinton and emphasizes the good economy.

Yeah, he'd sort of be a Ford with a good economy instead of stagflation.
 
Have one of his sexual assault or rape allegations get the airtime it deserved.

The key is getting the DNC deciding to cease backing him, in favor of cutting thier losses and supporting Gore.
 
I remember hearing somewhere that Clinton did actually ask Gore if he ought to resign at one point.

In light of the 1998 mid-terms, there's a case for Gore being portrayed as putting the knife into his boss just so he could have the chair. Unless there's something much worse than OTL, Clinton may well be seen as a victim (so no, the Gore/Ford analogy doesn't work).
 

Cook

Banned
I remember hearing somewhere that Clinton did actually ask Gore if he ought to resign at one point.

I find that very hard to believe, because if asked Gore would definitely have said, "yes, you should go" - he did want the top job after all. Mind you, being Gore, he would have said it in such a long winded and boring way that Clinton would have dozed off half way thorough - so maybe it is true!
 
I find that very hard to believe, because if asked Gore would definitely have said, "yes, you should go" - he did want the top job after all. Mind you, being Gore, he would have said it in such a long winded and boring way that Clinton would have dozed off half way thorough - so maybe it is true!

Gore was intensely loyal to Clinton until he - and the rest of the administration - discovered that Clinton personally lied to them about the affair. So it makes perfect sense that he would encourage his boss to hold on even though he would obviously be the primary beneficiary of a resignation.
 

samcster94

Banned
For a resignation, I think it'd have to be more extreme than the Lewinsky scandal IOTL. Ironically enough, something like Clinton paying off one of his "lovers" might do the trick. And/or, you could have him impregnate Monica (or someone else), and then follow the same course of action he did in our timeline; lie about it. If there's some degree of credibility to the accusation, even without a DNA test to prove Clinton was the father, he could take a serious hit. Worst case scenario, perhaps Monica or some other White House staffer claims sexual assault. If it's Monica, and they still find the dress with Clinton's DNA on it, that could put a quick end to his Presidency.
The pregnancy trick might be a good way to do it.
 
The thing to remember is that the public considered the impeachment over Lewinsky to be a politically-motivated temper tantrum by the Republican Party. Given thatm, even with a resignation, it sprobly sets gore up to win in 2000. It was a very narrow election in 2000 between two relatively unknown politicians (incluing the not-really-true reputations of both: boring and stiff and out of touch with Gore, and slightly stupid dry drunk with Bush). with a year of competent leadership behind him, Gore would have a built more of a positive reputation, enough to win Florida and New Hampshire, and thus be elected in 2000.

this might butterfly 9/11 - Its admitted that Bush's administration downplayed the al-Qaeda threat before then, something Gore wouldn't do -- or it might not. Either way the first decade of the 2000s will be very different.
 
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Pregnancy or have there be a sex tape. But frankly Clinton has little reason to resign, it's not like he could be removed given the numbers in Congress. Moral turpitude is a tough sell for impeachment when IIRC a few members of the GOP committee that drafted the articles of impeachment OTL had their own extramarital affairs revealed in the process.

Looking ahead, this would likely bolster Hillary's political ambitions since she would have a lot of sympathy and could divorce Bill for good. She could be remembered as the "Good Clinton" and be associated with the positive aspects of his tenure in office.

EDIT to replace "impeached" with "removed" since OTL he was, of course, impeached but not convicted.
 

samcster94

Banned
Pregnancy or have there be a sex tape. But frankly Clinton has little reason to resign, it's not like he could be removed given the numbers in Congress. Moral turpitude is a tough sell for impeachment when IIRC a few members of the GOP committee that drafted the articles of impeachment OTL had their own extramarital affairs revealed in the process.

Looking ahead, this would likely bolster Hillary's political ambitions since she would have a lot of sympathy and could divorce Bill for good. She could be remembered as the "Good Clinton" and be associated with the positive aspects of his tenure in office.

EDIT to replace "impeached" with "removed" since OTL he was, of course, impeached but not convicted.
Is she still in the Senate in that universe?
 
Regardless of what he does, Gore probably takes a fall, based on perceived guilt-by-association.

I totally disagree. I think President Gore would have a much better chance of winning in 2000 than candidate Gore did in OTL (and even he almost won). (I assume that Clinton would only resign if there were a plea bargain keeping him out of prison, so no pardon would be required.) Journalists would gush about the "refreshing change" in the White House (Gore's "strong marriage" etc.) In OTL, Gore felt a great need to disassociate himself from Clinton in 2000--hence the choice of Lieberman (he may have helped a little with the Jewish vote, but he managed to lose a debate with Dick Cheney...); hence a populist "the people versus the powerful" campaign which really didn't suit a party holding the White House in a year of prosperity. He would not face that same pressure with a couple of years in the White House and his own record.

Monicagate did hurt Gore in OTL in 2000--not only (as I said) by making him choose a probably not-optimum campaign strategy, but also because, although voters opposed impeachment, they did show strong personal (though not job-performance) disapproval of Clinton, and this helped Bush with his claim he would "change the tone" in Washington. In this ATL, Gore would already have changed the tone for a couple of years, and Clinton having been out of office for a couple of years would be much less of an issue--while the peace and prosperity the US enjoyed under Clinton's administration would continue.

In other words, think of Gerald Ford in 1976 with no Reagan primary challenge (I don't think Gore will get a major one), no Nixon pardon [1], and a much better economy. (In November 1976, unemployment was at 7.8%, compared to 3.9% in November 2000. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/data/UNRATE.txt) As it was, Ford almost beat Carter...

I have long been convinced that the Republicans in trying to drive Clinton from office and the Democrats in trying to keep him there--though acting understandably given the views of each party's base--were both acting against their party's interest, at least as far as the 2000 election was concerned.

(One other reason I am convinced Gore would win: he would not send Elian Gonzalez back to Cuba--he opposed the decision in OTL. I happen to think sending him back was the right thing to do but Florida's Cuban-Americans thought otherwise, and they did take it out on Gore despite his announced break with Clinton on that issue.)

[1] Even if I am wrong in thinking that Clinton would only resign if there were a plea bargain keeping him out of prison, I still don't see any pardon from Gore, precisely from the lesson of what had happened to Ford after the Nixon pardon.
 
Is she still in the Senate in that universe?

I think so. The New York seat would still be open in 2000 and she would not be tainted by Bill's infidelities since she's just as much the victim in the minds of the public. Giuliani is still going to have prostate cancer as well as a failed marriage, taking out the most formidable GOP opponent.
 

Driftless

Donor
I totally disagree. I think President Gore would have a much better chance of winning in 2000 than candidate Gore did in OTL (and even he almost won).

Your line of thought makes sense. I was working from the typically short vision of many American voters - but then I'm a cynic...
 
[1] Even if I am wrong in thinking that Clinton would only resign if there were a plea bargain keeping him out of prison, I still don't see any pardon from Gore, precisely from the lesson of what had happened to Ford after the Nixon pardon.

I agree here. Also Gore privately resented Clinton after the scandal and impeachment; the decision not to campaign with Clinton in 2000 wasn't just made out of political calculations. So a pardon, even if there is no such plea deal or legal immunity granted to Clinton, is unlikely.
 

RousseauX

Donor
If the Democratic leadership had turned on Clinton in 1998, just as the GOP turned on Nixon in 1974, then he's toast. 2000 is up in the air. Gore would start out the underdog, but he could orchestrate a come from behind victory if he distances himself from Clinton and emphasizes the good economy.
Gore is a favorite imo if he's incumbent in 2000

economy is doing well/clinton was pretty popular even while being impeached/nothing bad was happening, OTOH it's 3rd term for a democrat
 
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