Public image of Bill Clinton

This article is part of a series about Bill Clinton
Electoral history Political positions Governor of Arkansas Governorship 1992 Democratic primary President of the United States First term Campaign for the Presidency 1992 1st inauguration Presidency NAFTA Health Security Act 1994 midterm Economic policy Travelgate Whitewater AmeriCorps Dayton Agreement Policies  Cabinet Economic Gun Control Environmental Foreign Clinton Doctrine International trips Judicial Appointments One America Initiative Pardons Second term Campaign 1996 2nd inauguration Operation Infinite Reach Bombing of Yugoslavia Balanced Budget Monica Lewinsky scandal Impeachment Post-Presidency Presidential Library Public image My Life Activities Clinton Foundation Clinton Bush Haiti Fund

Former U.S. President William Clinton's public image is most notably characterized by high public approval ratings, aided by his youthful appearance, as well as his charismatic, and soundbite-ready style of speech. His personal background and lifestyle led to Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison to call him the first "black president". Clinton was also dogged by investigations throughout his presidency, particularly of sexual misconduct, damaging the public's beliefs of his trustworthiness, though his approval ratings remained high, even as his impeachment trial continued.

Public approval

Clinton's approval ratings throughout his presidential career

Clinton's job approval rating ranged from 36% in mid-1993 to 64% in late 1993 and early 1994.^[1] In his second term, his rating consistently ranged from the high-50s to the high-60s.^[1][2] After his impeachment proceedings in 1998 and 1999, Clinton's rating reached its highest point at 73% approval.^[3] He finished with a Gallup poll approval rating of 65%,^[4] higher than that of every other departing president measured since Harry Truman.^[5]

As he was leaving office, a CNN/USA TODAY/Gallup poll revealed 45% said they'd miss him. While 55% thought he "would have something worthwhile to contribute and should remain active in public life", 68% thought he'd be remembered for his "involvement in personal scandal", and 58% answered "No" to the question "Do you generally think Bill Clinton is honest and trustworthy?". 47% of the respondents identified themselves as being Clinton supporters. 47% said he would be remembered as either "outstanding" or "above average" as a president while 22% said he would be remembered as "below average" or "poor".^[6]

The Gallup Organization published a poll in February 2007 asking respondents to name the greatest president in U.S. history; Clinton came in fourth place, capturing 13% of the vote. In a 2006 Quinnipiac University Polling Institute poll asking respondents to name the best president since World War II, Clinton ranked 3% behind Ronald Reagan to place second with 25% of the vote. However, in the same poll, when respondents were asked to name the worst president since World War II, Clinton placed 1% behind Richard Nixon and 18% behind George W. Bush to come in third with 16% of the vote.^[7]

In May 2006, a CNN poll comparing Clinton's job performance with that of his successor, George W. Bush, found that a strong majority of respondents said Clinton outperformed Bush in six different areas questioned.^[8] ABC News characterized public consensus on Clinton as, "You can't trust him, he's got weak morals and ethics – and he's done a heck of a good job."^[9] Clinton's 65% Gallup Poll approval rating was also the highest Gallup approval rating of any postwar President leaving office, one point ahead of Reagan.^[10]

Public image

Clinton reading with a child in Chicago, September 1998.

As the first Baby Boomer president, Clinton was the first president in a half-century not to have been alive during World War II. Authors Martin Walker and Bob Woodward state Clinton's innovative use of soundbite-ready dialogue, personal charisma, and public perception-oriented campaigning was responsible for his high public approval ratings.^[11][12] When Clinton played the saxophone on The Arsenio Hall Show, Clinton was sometimes described by religious conservatives as "the MTV president."^[13] Since 2000, he has frequently been referred to as "The Big Dog" or "Big Dog."^[14][15] His prominent role in campaigning for President Obama during the 2012 presidential election and his widely publicised speech at the 2012 Democratic National Convention, where he officially nominated Obama and criticised Republican nominee Mitt Romney and Republican policies in detail, earned him the nickname "Explainer-in-Chief".^[16][17] Other nicknames include "Slick Willie",^[18] "The Comeback Kid",^[19] "Bubba",^[20] and "The First Black President".^[21]

Popularity among African-Americans

Clinton drew strong support from the African American community and made improving race relations a major theme of his presidency.^[22] In 1998, Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison in The New Yorker called Clinton "the first Black president," saying, "Clinton displays almost every trope of blackness: single-parent household, born poor, working-class, saxophone-playing, McDonald's-and-junk-food-loving boy from Arkansas," and comparing Clinton's sex life, scrutinized despite his career accomplishments, to the stereotyping and double standards that blacks typically endure.^[23]

In 2008, Morrison's sentiments were raised anew as Barack Obama, who would later become the country's first African-American president, ran for the presidency. After endorsing Obama, Morrison distanced herself from her 1998 remark about Clinton, saying that it was misunderstood. She alleged that she has "no idea what his real instincts are, in terms of race" and claimed she was only describing the way he was being treated during the impeachment trial as an equivalent to a poor black person living in the ghetto.^[24] Obama himself, when asked in a Democratic debate about Morrison's declaration of Clinton as "black", replied that Clinton had an enormous "affinity" with the black community, but joked he would need to see Clinton's dancing ability before judging him to be black.^[25][26]

One measure of Clinton's popularity among African-American and other minority citizens was demonstrated in 2002, when the Compton Unified School District in Compton, California chose a name for a new primary school. The district is evenly divided between African American and Hispanic students; community leaders decided rather than name the school after an African American or Hispanic figure, potentially snubbing one of the communities, they would christen name the school after Clinton, whose popularity in both communities was enormous.

Sexual misconduct allegations

Throughout his career, Clinton has been subject to various allegations of sexual misconduct, though only his extramarital sexual relationships with Lewinsky and Flowers have been admitted by him.^[27]

For alleged misconduct during his governorship Paula Jones brought a sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton while he was president. Clinton argued that as a sitting president, he should not be vulnerable to a civil suit of this nature. The case landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that "Deferral of this litigation until petitioner's Presidency ends is not constitutionally required."^[28]

However, Republican judge Susan Webber Wright of Arkansas dismissed the case.^[29][30] Soon afterwards, Jones appealed the dismissal to the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.^[31]

During the deposition for the Jones lawsuit which was held at the White House,^[32] Clinton denied having sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky – a denial that became the basis for the impeachment charge of perjury.

On November 18, 1998, Clinton agreed to an out-of-court settlement, and agreed to pay Jones and her attorneys a sum of $850,000.00.^[33] Clinton, however, still offered no apology to Jones and still denied ever engaging in a sexual affair with her.^[33]

In 1998, Kathleen Willey alleged Clinton sexually assaulted her four years previously. In 1998, Juanita Broaddrick alleged she was raped by Clinton some twenty years previously. The independent counsel determined Willey gave "false information" to the FBI and inconsistent sworn testimony related to the Jones allegation. Broaddrick's only sworn testimony about Clinton was a previous denial of any harassment by Clinton.^[34] Gennifer Flowers, Elizabeth Ward Gracen, Sally Perdue and Dolly Kyle Browning – claimed to have had adulterous sexual relations with Clinton during or before his service as governor. Gracen later apologized to Hillary Clinton for having sex with Bill.^[35] After Gracen made her claim, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr issued a subpoena to have her testify in court. Gracen, however, eluded the subpoena.^[36]

Dolly Kyle Browning alleged that she and Clinton engaged in a long sexual affair between the years of 1959 and 1992.^[37] Browning began writing a "semi-autobiographical novel" about the affair. In the publication process, Browning claims that Clinton did everything in his power to prohibit and undermine publication. Browning sued Clinton for damages, but the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied her appeal.^[38]

"Hairgate"

A haircut Clinton received in 1993 by the stylist Cristophe aboard Air Force One at Los Angeles Airport was the subject of unusual controversy. The national media initially reported that much air traffic was affected while two runways were shut down for an hour on account of the president's plane standing on the tarmac.^[39]

The Washington Post mentioned "the most famous haircut since Samson's" in front page articles nine times over a six-week period,^[40] and all other newspapers also seized on the story of what was called "the most expensive haircut in history".^[41] Later investigations revealed that no commercial airliners had suffered delays,^[42] but that was much less reported.^[43]

Arkansas Project

It has been alleged that many Republican advocates, most notably newspaper owner Richard Mellon Scaife, had organized a fundraising campaign to smear Clinton's image in the media during his time in office.^[44] Leading the Arkansas Project, Scaife and other associates sought to find sources in Clinton's home state of Arkansas who would be willing to dish out negative allegations against the President.^[44] New York publisher Joan Bingham noted that Scaife told her and a fellow Democrat during a luncheon in August 1994 that "We're going to get Clinton, and you'll be much happier because Al Gore will be president."^[44]

Scaife would get involved in numerous anti-Clinton activities. He gave $2.3 million to the American Spectator magazine to dig up dirt on Clinton and supported other conservative groups that harassed the president and his administration.^[44] The White House and its allies responded by fingering Scaife as the central figure in "a vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president," as Hillary Rodham Clinton described it.^[44] James Carville, Clinton's former campaign aide and rabid defender, called Scaife "the archconservative godfather in [a] heavily funded war against the president."^[44] In 1999, however, Scaife's key aide Richard Larry told the Washington Post that he, not Scaife, was the mastermind behind the Arkansas Project.^[44]

References

Bill Clinton
42nd President of the United States (1993–2001) 40th and 42nd Governor of Arkansas (1979–1981, 1983–1992)
Presidency	1st inauguration 2nd inauguration Economic policy AmeriCorps Health care plan North American Free Trade Agreement Balanced Budget Foreign policy International trips Clinton Doctrine Dayton Agreement Oslo I Accord Israel–Jordan peace treaty Operation Infinite Reach Bombing of Yugoslavia One America Initiative Resolute desk Nannygate Lewinsky scandal Troopergate Starr Report Impeachment hearing White House Millennium Council Pardons State of the Union addresses 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 Cabinet Federal judicial appointments Supreme Court controversies
Life and legacy	Childhood home Presidential Library Post-presidency Clinton Foundation Clinton School of Public Service Clinton Boulevard Clinton Bush Haiti Fund Chairman, National Constitution Center Honors and awards Public image Sexual misconduct allegations Whitewater controversy
Books	Between Hope and History (1996) My Life (2004) Giving: How Each of Us Can Change the World (2007) Back to Work (2011)
Popular culture	The War Room (1993 documentary) Primary Colors (1998 film) Clinton (2012 film)
Elections	United States House of Representatives elections, 1974 Arkansas gubernatorial election, 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1990 Bill Clinton presidential campaign, 1992 Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1992 1996 Democratic National Convention 1992 1996 United States presidential election, 1992 theme song 1996
Family	Hillary Rodham Clinton (wife) Chelsea Clinton (daughter) Virginia Clinton Kelley (mother) William Jefferson Blythe Jr. (father) Roger Clinton Sr. (first stepfather) Jeff Dwire (second stepfather) Roger Clinton Jr. (half-brother) Socks (cat) Buddy (dog) Whitehaven (house)
← George H. W. Bush George W. Bush → Bill Clinton Category