Julian J.Rothbaum Distinguished Lecture S.

1 total work

Clinton and Congress, 1993-1996

by Charles Oscar Jones

Published 27 November 1999

In this analysis of President Bill Clinton's first term in office, Charles O. Jones, eminent scholar of American politics, highlights the separation of powers established in the U.S. Constitution. Tracing a story of miscalculation and recovery, Jones shows that the president's first term provides important lessons about the workings of our political system.

When Clinton was first elected in 1992, he fell into a familiar trap -- the tendency of elected officials to take more responsibility for their proposed changes than can be institutionally or politically justified. Many of Clinton's initiatives, including his bold healthcare program, were thwarted in Congress by the Republicans, who proceeded to capture majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives in the 1994 elections. The new Republican Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich, then similarly miscalculated -- by inviting responsibility for his Contract with America. Like Clinton, Gingrich raised expectations in spite of marginal political advantages. He also miscalculated the president's capacity for recovery.

As Jones demonstrates, only after experiencing the power of institutional checks and balances were Clinton and Gingrich able to generate important agreements on legislation. The parties and their leaders learned to share responsibility for programs and results. As a result, both sides emerged as victors in 1996: the president was reelected, and the Republicans retained their majority status in both houses of Congress.