Sadly enough, when I think back to my first political memory I remember these words “I did not have sex with that woman...” I’m sure most still remember the Clinton-Lewinsky affair. Bill Clinton denied having an affair with Monica Lewinsky (who at the time was a young intern) under oath, and then admitted it later. He was impeached in 1998, but finished out his second term.
I find it a little disheartening that this is the story I remember about President Clinton; not that during his presidency there was great economic growth, the lowest crime rates in 30 years, a budget surplus, 22 million jobs were created in 8 years, or that even teen pregnancies were down. Hillary stood by stood by her husband, saying on the Today Show there had been a “vast, right-wing conspiracy” going on. I feel that looking at his success during presidency, this is just an example of the poor-spirited politics going on today; any opportunity to harm the reputation of the opposite side.
Because I was curious about other political scandals in the US, I found a blog that list the top presidential scandals:
-Watergate, tied to President Nixon, a break in to the Democratic National Committee headquarters. Once the public found out, Nixon resigned in disgrace; the first president to ever resign. (This scandal led –gate to be used as a suffix linked to presidential scandals in the media.)
-Clinton-Lewinsky affair. Clinton had an affair with Lewinsky, as a young intern, during his first term. Lewinsky admitted to the affair over a phone call and it reached Kenneth Starr, who was investigating Clinton for other scandals.
-Iran-Contra Criminal Conspiracy was over money and power. Although a little more complex than the other two, it included the selling of illegal arms to Iran (a terrorist state), selling missiles and other spare parts in trade for hostages, and lying to the American people about “trading arms for hostages”.
-Credit Mobilier scandal surfaced during U.S. Grant’s presidency, but can be traced to presidents before him, even as far back as Lincoln’s time. Essentially, some Republican congressmen were given shares in Credit Mobilier America (a company involved in building the first transcontinental railroad) or allowed to buy them at lower prices.
-Sally Hemings was a slave of Thomas Jefferson’s, and rumored to be a half-sister to his wife. During his presidency articles were published that he had fathered a child with Hemings after his wife died. Jefferson denied, and long after his death DNA found that Jefferson was probably the father, never too old to dishonor the White House and shock the public.
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