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    Bill Clinton: The American Presidents Series: The 42nd President, 1993-2001
    Unavailable
    Bill Clinton: The American Presidents Series: The 42nd President, 1993-2001
    Unavailable
    Bill Clinton: The American Presidents Series: The 42nd President, 1993-2001
    Ebook252 pages4 hours

    Bill Clinton: The American Presidents Series: The 42nd President, 1993-2001

    By Michael Tomasky, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. and Sean Wilentz

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    The president of larger-than-life ambitions and appetites whose term defined America at the close of the twentieth century

    Bill Clinton: a president of contradictions. He was a Rhodes Scholar and a Yale Law School graduate, but he was also a fatherless child from rural Arkansas. He was one of the most talented politicians of his age, but he inspired enmity of such intensity that his opponents would stop at nothing to destroy him. He was the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win two successive presidential elections, but he was also the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached.

    In this incisive biography of America’s forty-second president, Michael Tomasky examines Clinton’s eight years in office, a time often described as one of peace and prosperity, but in reality a time of social and political upheaval, as the culture wars grew ever more intense amid the rise of the Internet (and with it, online journalism and blogging); military actions in Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo; standoffs at Waco and Ruby Ridge; domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City; and the rise of al-Qaeda. It was a time when Republicans took control of Congress and a land deal gone bad turned into a constitutional crisis, as lurid details of a sitting president’s sexual activities became the focus of public debate.

    Tomasky’s clear-eyed assessment of Clinton’s presidency offers a new perspective on what happened, what it all meant, and what aspects continue to define American politics to this day. In many ways, we are still living in the Age of Clinton.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Publishers
    Release dateJan 24, 2017
    ISBN9781627796774
    Unavailable
    Bill Clinton: The American Presidents Series: The 42nd President, 1993-2001
    Author

    Michael Tomasky

    Michael Tomasky is a special correspondent for The Daily Beast and the editor in chief of Democracy, as well as a regular contributor to The New York Review of Books. He was previously executive editor of The American Prospect and the founding editor of Guardian America. He is the author of Left for Dead: The Life, Death, and Possible Resurrection of Progressive Politics in America and Hillary’s Turn: Inside Her Improbable, Victorious Senate Campaign. He lives outside Washington, D.C.

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    Reviews for Bill Clinton

    4/5

    3 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Brief by design, as are all the entries in the American Presidents Series, this even-handed overview will be useful to students or to those seeking just the outline of Clinton's tenure. The main impression with which I was left, though, was less of Clinton himself than of the groundswell of opposition activity and early development of the Republican effort to do everything, whatever the cost to the country, to discredit anyone of the other party. It's pretty dispiriting to read, especially given current events.
    • 4/5
      The American President Series' aim is to present slim, readable biographies of all our presidents for a general audience. New revelations of our chief executives do not seem to be required. Most of us have limited knowledge of some presidents - say, Millard Fillmore or Chester Alan Arthur, who have had few books written about them. This series of books on them is valuable. For a subject as exhaustively written about as Bill Clinton the appeal will mainly be to those who managed to stay in the dark about his life and times.
    • 4/5
      I was sent this (thanks Library Thing) right around the horrible debacle of the last presidential election. It's appropriate since the seeds of Hillary's/democracy's loss happened during husband Bill's presidency. This is a short, 139 pages, biography of Bill Clinton, focusing primarily on his Presidency. Of necessity it runs rapidly through the accomplishments and challenges that he faced in implementing policies and getting a handle on the deficit. It slows down for all the events around the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Mr Tomasky describes the efforts of the "vast Right wing conspiracy" to bring him down, doesn't let Clinton off the hook for mistakes he made, but also describes the political skills that allowed him to survive and finish his Presidency. Admittedly a victim of his own appetites, but also a victim of the 24 hour news cycle, talk radio, Fox news, well-funded opponents which has continued to this day. All in all a fair minded assessment of Bill Clinton and his presidency.
    • 4/5
      According to the series introduction, books in the American Presidents series are intended to present the "grand panorama of our chief executives in volumes compact enough for the busy reader." This latest installment in the series, covering President Bill Clinton, fulfills its mission admirably.For the reader who wants an in depth analysis of the life of the president, this is probably not the book as it offers a general overview of Clinton's pre-presidential life and just a bit more depth about his presidency. For someone unfamiliar with Clinton's life, this is a nice starting point.I've read a number of books in this series and, for what it is, this one's pretty good.There's a Selected Bibliography for the reader who wants to know more.
    • 5/5
      Even handed and well done biography hitting all the major points of Clinton's political career. Seems to be well-researched and very fair to all parties. Definitely a great read for those interested in one of the best (though flawed) Presidents of the modern age.
    • 4/5
      This is a well written biography on Bill Clinton during his years as President of the United States. The book is fairly short but has interesting and factual information. I liked the tone of the book and learned some things about Bill Clinton. I freely recommend this book.
    • 4/5
      This is a very brief (only about 130 pages of text) account of Bill Clinton's presidency and his life up to that point. It is judicious, even-handed, and quite well written. Most important topics are covered including welfare reform, the Balkans, Monica, Whitewater, peace in the Middle East, NATO, impeachment, health care reform, Mark Rich, Arkansas car license fees, Paula Jones, etc. Some topics had to be omitted; for example, the President's golf game. I would challenge the author on one small point. He thinks Clinton should have allowed himself to be drafted. Given that Clinton was a graduate of Georgetown and a Rhodes scholar, "surely the army would have valued him more for his brains than his brawn" and thus he would have avoided the front line. In so writing, Mr. Tomasky proves himself not to be a Vietnam era veteran. The writer Tim O'Brien after a stellar performance as an undergrad served as an enlisted grunt in Nam. This reviewer, already holding a Phi Beta Kappa key, was given Advanced Infantry Training as an enlisted man. Otherwise, a remarkably balanced portrait of Clinton and his presidency.
    • 4/5
      As part of the American Presidents Series, this book has been a long time coming. The author who originally was designated to write the Bill Clinton biography (Harold Evans, who is in his mid-80s) never came through. Michael Tomasky is a worthy replacement. He has written a book on the history of progressive politics in the US, and another on Hillary Clinton's 1999 senatorial race. He also is a contributor to The Daily Beast and The New York Review of Books and past editor of The American Prospect and Guardian America. Tomasky's account of the Clinton presidency is fair and impartial, and as balanced a perspective as one might hope for. He documents the presidential successes as well as the failures, and does not whitewash the personal failings that marred Clinton's otherwise successful life and presidential tenure. As for successes, he can point to the incredible tripling of the Dow Jones average, the 22 million jobs created, the balancing of the Federal budget with the creation of a surplus, and the incredible 11% growth in median family income. Having been written in 2016, Tomasky's account is sufficiently removed in time to acknowledge the "withering reexamination" of Clinton's terms in office by a younger generation of voters, for whom his "compromises on crime, welfare, and other matters were anathema" (p. 2). What's more, given the passage of a quarter of a century, he (and the reader) can look back dispassionately at the pseudo-scandals ginned up by his opponents. These included the White House travel office firings, his Whitewater investments (which, as his critics like to obscure, lost money), the time his staff scheduled a haircut while on Air Force One (causing a slight delay of other airplanes), and the suicide of Hillary's friend Vince Foster (which the irresponsible Wall Street Journal claimed -- against all evidence -- was a murder in which the Clintons were somehow involved). And of course there was the Lewinsky matter. As is well known, Bill had a few consensual intimate encounters with a female assistant who had targeted him for seduction. These voluntary encounters, and Clinton's reluctance to acknowledge them were what his rabid opponents tried to use to end his presidency. Tomasky's account is no hagiography. For example, regarding the controversial trade agreement NAFTA, Clinton supporters often assert that the agreement was entirely the responsibility of GW Bush, Clinton's predecessor. To the contrary, Tomasky's account recognizes that the Clinton administration lobbied hard for it against labor unions and progressives in his own party. Likewise, he acknowledges the foreign policy failures, notably the myopia that allowed the mass slaughter in Rwanda to proceed unchecked. But against such failings are the reinstatement of Duvalier in Haiti following the military coup, and the UN intervention in Bosnia. Tomasky's book breaks no new ground -- there are no revelations here, at least to those familiar with Clinton's presidency. That's to be expected of this sort of work. As a brief (150 page) summary of Bill Clinton's presidency and Hillary's public and private role, Tomasky's account is excellent. A dispassionate evaluation will find little with which to quarrel. Note: The delay in publication of this work (due to age/ health of the originally chosen author) has led commentators at Amazon.com to claim that the book was somehow suppressed by Hillary Clinton. No evidence is offered for this bizarre, conspiratorial assertion. However, it shows that "Clinton derangement syndrome" -- fueled by "hate radio" and its print counterparts, lives on. Future historians will likely be utterly perplexed at the off-the-charts vitriol this engaging, likeable politician engendered from the rabid right wing, and will probably view with disgust the unprincipled attempts to remove him from office on a pretext.
    • 4/5
      This slim text offers a quick read through the Clinton presidency. I had less interest in politics during the 1990s and watched all of the issues this volume discusses being covered in the media as background noise. Today I'm much more aware of what goes on in DC and much of what happened this past election is explained through some knowledge of the Clinton years. Although much was accomplished during his presidency you can begin to connect the dots and see where today's obstructionist conservatives were coming from. In general this is a good introductory text to Clinton's time in office and offers a good overview of his accomplishments and failures.
    • 3/5
      Bill Clinton by Michael Tomasky is a good brief simple biography of the former President. Having lived through the Clinton presidency and remembering it vividly there is not much new in the book for me. It is monographic and somewhat like a long entry in an encyclopedia. But if you know little of this president I think you will find it informative without a big commitment of time. I recommend the book for you.
    • 4/5
      As a primer on the Clinton presidency, this book is a pretty good overview. While it doesn?t go in-depth on any particular aspect of his personal life or presidency, it does cover the salient points. It also does a good job of covering issues that would have more far-reaching consequences. I would recommend this book for anyone curious about Clinton?s presidency. This is a great introduction.
    • 4/5
      This ?clear-eyed? incisive examination of Bill Clinton?s presidency is perfect for the reader so inclined not to want to wade through the extensive autobiography My Life, or even the scholar not enough enamored with our 42nd president to devour a more verbose historical assessment compiled by others. Michael Tomasky is a talented and engaging writer who avoids any indictment possibly accusing him of carrying forth his own agenda. In light of the current election cycle in which a larger-than-life reality TV star wins the presidency over Clinton?s own wife Hillary, this book affords a rather insightful review of the ongoing drama and scandal that perpetuated and defined the Clinton years of 1993-2001. By book?s end I was exhausted, but somewhat relieved in knowing our country would not be again going through another round of the typical daily Clinton crisis that would have begun in January of 2017 had Hillary been elected. That is not to say the Trump years will be any better, but at least Donald?s opulent and vulgar occupancy will be more likened to a grandiose circus under the big top, a bombastic ringleader with orange hair, and a wide array of clowns galore.
    • 3/5
      Reading this book after the 2016 Presidential Election, I am struck once again by our deeply divisive political history, particularly throughout the Clinton years in the White House. The narrative of this book is a clearly objective accounting of events during those years, but the actions of individuals, turn of events, and political party vendettas against the Clintons lay the groundwork for the 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton. This biography of the Bill Clinton years puts the outcome of the 2016 election in better perspective for me. Because I lived during this time frame and was aware of the events that took place, the narrative for me was a carefully constructed review of what happened. The authors skillfully lay out Bill Clinton?s early years, meeting and marrying Hillary (although she is scarcely mentioned as an influence in his life), his rise to the Arkansas governorship, his political campaigns, and finally, his years as President. The objective telling of Bill Clinton?s story made it rather dry reading until the Monica Lewinsky fiasco. Details that I had never heard before were included, told through transcripts, Clinton?s own autobiography My Life, and the public record. In my recollection, many of the details were not revealed by the media at the time. The ?back story? shows just how many people were ?out to get him?, how many political enemies he had accumulated throughout his years in public life, and how he eventually rose above the murky and lurid side of him that was revealed in this tragic episode. This book points out that, despite the negative consequences of some of Clinton?s choices, the resulting public exposure of his complex personality, and the relentless pursuit by political adversaries to carry out their plans to destroy him, Bill Clinton achieved many powerfully transforming successes throughout his political life. The narrative is an honest account of ?who, what, when, where, why, and how? it happened. It is up to the reader to draw his or her own conclusions about the results.This book offers an objective and politically-restrained account of the Clinton years and a perspective that is sorely needed in today?s political climate.