Paper, Order, or Assignment Requirements

Instructions: Go to the American Experience President’s Series on pbs.org, and watch either the documentary on Reagan or the one on Clinton The Clintons. This biography is about a political marriage, not just a president, and is particularly relevant given the political campaign for the 2016 Democratic nomination currently underway. Consider the following questions in writing your essay: In what ways did Hillary Clinton represent a new generation of women’s political leadership? What explains her commitment to Bill Clinton? In what ways did her role replicate that of Eleanor Roosevelt? In what ways did the debut of 24-hour news channels make life much more difficult for the Clintons than it had been for the Roosevelts? Many have criticized special prosecutor Ken Starr because he was looking for a crime instead of investigating one. His investigation of Whitewater, which turned up nothing illegal, cost taxpayers more than $40,000,000. Starr located a possible crime, but not the one he was looking for. Given that most previous presidents had extra-marital relationships that almost never became a target of national scandal, what does the media frenzy about the Monica Lewinsky affair say about modern American life and politics? Was the Republican response to his marital infidelity (impeachment) appropriate? (If you are not familiar with the constitutional criteria for impeachment, read the U.S. Constitution in the Appendix to your textbook. The constitution says that impeachment is justified if the accused has committed treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors. Consider whether or not lying about an extra-marital affair meets that criteria.) How do the commentators on the video evaluate his presidency? How do you evaluate it? Does the film help explain why Hillary Clinton appeals to older voters, particularly women, in 2016, but she has far less appeal to young women? Explain.