The Presidential Election of 1992
The election was one of the earliest and most important event in terms of the United States' politics of the 1990's. President George H. W. Bush and his vice president, Dan Quayle, ran for reelection representing the Republican Party. Representing the Democratic Party in this election, Bill Clinton with Al Gore were running mates, and Ross Perot with James Stockdale ran independently. The election itself was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992, and Bill Clinton won with 43% of the vote. Additionally, George H. W. Bush took 37.5% of the vote and Ross Perot took about 19% of it. After winning the election, Clinton’s inauguration took place January 20, 1993, and his presidency commenced.
Overview of Clinton’s First Term (1993-1997)
President Clinton’s stance during his term was left-of-center, where he practiced some aspects of conservatism while upholding democratic ideals. In terms of the federal budget, he took a more conservative approach prioritized reducing the deficit and denied tax-cuts to the middle class. However, he upheld democratic traditions by increasing tax on the rich to 39%. Another important aspect of his term was the legislation he had passed. In four years, President Clinton passed fourteen acts. The following pieces of legislation were passed under the first term of the Clinton Administration:
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (February 5, 1993): This bill was passed to ensure that employees have job-protected unpaid leave need they an absence for medical or family reasons.
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (August 10, 1993): This was a tax reform bill where taxes raised for those with higher incomes. Additionally, the legislation raised the Social Security benefits that came from the income tax and removed the Medicare tax.
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (November 30, 1993): This bill placed federal background checks on the purchasing of firearms within the United States.
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (September 13, 1994): This act provided more funding for the purposes of controlling and preventing crime. It increased the amount of police officers, expanded prisons, and banned the purchasing of assault weapons.
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (October 25, 1994): This was passed to give law enforcement agencies the ability to using wiretapping and other electronic means as a form of surveillance.
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (December 19, 1995): This act instituted that federal lobbyists formerly disclose their activities to the government.
Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (December 29, 1995): This piece of legislation abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission due to its lack of efficacy in regulating transport and it was replaced by the Surface Transport Board.
Telecommunications Act of 1996 (February 8, 1996): It was the first act signed controlling the telecommunications via Internet.
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (April 24, 1996): This act had widespread support when passed in Congress and was enacted as a response to the bombings of Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. Its focus was to enforce the justice system in order to deter and respond to terrorism.
Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (August 20, 1996): The purpose of this piece of legislation was to increase the minimum wage, provide better tax relief for small businesses, and prevent job loss.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (August 21, 1996): This act amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in order to better provide heath insurance in the market place and improve health care delivery.
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (August 26, 1996): This piece improved welfare legislation by including workforce development in order to encourage employment.
Defense of Marriage Act (September 21, 1996): This act prevented same-sex unions in the United States.
Mental Health Parity Act (September 26, 1996): This piece of legislation established dollar limits on the health benefits one may receive for the purposes of mental health.
Overview of President Clinton’s Second Term
After winning over 49% of the popular vote against Republican Candidate Bob Dole (who received 40% of the vote), Bill Clinton was reelected president for a second term in 1996. Shortly afterwards in 1998, the president was impeached on accounts of perjury related to a scandal involving Monica Lewinski. Clinton had an extramarital Lewinski, who at the time was his 22 year old intern. This scandal made Clinton the second president of the United States to be impeached. Despite this, some major pieces of legislation were passed during the president's second term. The following acts were enacted under the second term of President Clinton:
Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (August 5, 1997): It was a piece of legislation that incorporated the budget reconciliation system into the federal budget.
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (August 5, 1997): The act reduced certain taxes in the United States.
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (August 7, 1998): This piece of legislation replaced the Job Training Partnership Act and created new systems for investment in the workforce.
Iraq Liberation Act (October 31, 1998): This act formerly declared that the United States is obliged to support the democratic movements that occur in Iraq.
Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act (November 3, 1998): The legislation prevents the filling of lawsuits by certain private class actions against securities fraud.
Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (November 12, 1999): This act repealed a portion of the Steal-Glass Act of 1993 and removed barriers between banking, securities and insurance companies so that they may act as multiple institutions.
Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (December 21, 2000): The legislation formerly regulates modern over-the-counter derivatives.
The election was one of the earliest and most important event in terms of the United States' politics of the 1990's. President George H. W. Bush and his vice president, Dan Quayle, ran for reelection representing the Republican Party. Representing the Democratic Party in this election, Bill Clinton with Al Gore were running mates, and Ross Perot with James Stockdale ran independently. The election itself was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1992, and Bill Clinton won with 43% of the vote. Additionally, George H. W. Bush took 37.5% of the vote and Ross Perot took about 19% of it. After winning the election, Clinton’s inauguration took place January 20, 1993, and his presidency commenced.
Overview of Clinton’s First Term (1993-1997)
President Clinton’s stance during his term was left-of-center, where he practiced some aspects of conservatism while upholding democratic ideals. In terms of the federal budget, he took a more conservative approach prioritized reducing the deficit and denied tax-cuts to the middle class. However, he upheld democratic traditions by increasing tax on the rich to 39%. Another important aspect of his term was the legislation he had passed. In four years, President Clinton passed fourteen acts. The following pieces of legislation were passed under the first term of the Clinton Administration:
Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (February 5, 1993): This bill was passed to ensure that employees have job-protected unpaid leave need they an absence for medical or family reasons.
Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (August 10, 1993): This was a tax reform bill where taxes raised for those with higher incomes. Additionally, the legislation raised the Social Security benefits that came from the income tax and removed the Medicare tax.
Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act (November 30, 1993): This bill placed federal background checks on the purchasing of firearms within the United States.
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (September 13, 1994): This act provided more funding for the purposes of controlling and preventing crime. It increased the amount of police officers, expanded prisons, and banned the purchasing of assault weapons.
Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (October 25, 1994): This was passed to give law enforcement agencies the ability to using wiretapping and other electronic means as a form of surveillance.
Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 (December 19, 1995): This act instituted that federal lobbyists formerly disclose their activities to the government.
Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act (December 29, 1995): This piece of legislation abolished the Interstate Commerce Commission due to its lack of efficacy in regulating transport and it was replaced by the Surface Transport Board.
Telecommunications Act of 1996 (February 8, 1996): It was the first act signed controlling the telecommunications via Internet.
Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 (April 24, 1996): This act had widespread support when passed in Congress and was enacted as a response to the bombings of Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. Its focus was to enforce the justice system in order to deter and respond to terrorism.
Small Business Job Protection Act of 1996 (August 20, 1996): The purpose of this piece of legislation was to increase the minimum wage, provide better tax relief for small businesses, and prevent job loss.
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (August 21, 1996): This act amended the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 in order to better provide heath insurance in the market place and improve health care delivery.
Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (August 26, 1996): This piece improved welfare legislation by including workforce development in order to encourage employment.
Defense of Marriage Act (September 21, 1996): This act prevented same-sex unions in the United States.
Mental Health Parity Act (September 26, 1996): This piece of legislation established dollar limits on the health benefits one may receive for the purposes of mental health.
Overview of President Clinton’s Second Term
After winning over 49% of the popular vote against Republican Candidate Bob Dole (who received 40% of the vote), Bill Clinton was reelected president for a second term in 1996. Shortly afterwards in 1998, the president was impeached on accounts of perjury related to a scandal involving Monica Lewinski. Clinton had an extramarital Lewinski, who at the time was his 22 year old intern. This scandal made Clinton the second president of the United States to be impeached. Despite this, some major pieces of legislation were passed during the president's second term. The following acts were enacted under the second term of President Clinton:
Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (August 5, 1997): It was a piece of legislation that incorporated the budget reconciliation system into the federal budget.
Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 (August 5, 1997): The act reduced certain taxes in the United States.
Workforce Investment Act of 1998 (August 7, 1998): This piece of legislation replaced the Job Training Partnership Act and created new systems for investment in the workforce.
Iraq Liberation Act (October 31, 1998): This act formerly declared that the United States is obliged to support the democratic movements that occur in Iraq.
Securities Litigation Uniform Standards Act (November 3, 1998): The legislation prevents the filling of lawsuits by certain private class actions against securities fraud.
Gramm–Leach–Bliley Act (November 12, 1999): This act repealed a portion of the Steal-Glass Act of 1993 and removed barriers between banking, securities and insurance companies so that they may act as multiple institutions.
Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 (December 21, 2000): The legislation formerly regulates modern over-the-counter derivatives.