Would you consider him one of the top influential people of the 20th century?
2006-12-11 05:43:17 · 14 answers · asked by Cypress02 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Would you consider him one of the top influential people of the 20th century? Ok since I already got a few of these answers, BESIDES the whole Monica issue.
2006-12-11 05:48:54 · update #1
The most influential people of the 20TH century would be a very prestigious list, and I don't think Bill Clinton rises to that level. I don't think the man had a huge impact on society. He was charismatic, but charisma is not a mark of actual action. He was not the best president, nor was he the worst. The honest truth is that in the end he will barely be a footnote. Political rhetoric and good economies are not what history remembers. What is remembered are significant world changing events or terrible scandals. Clinton did not change the world in any major way and his scandals were garden variety at best. In the end he will be remembered for being impeached. If you doubt this fact, post what you remember about Andrew Jackson. We all have this view of history that tells us our times are the most amazing in the history of man, but this is just a matter of natural arrogance and a human frailty. The reality is quite different.
2006-12-11 06:03:16 · answer #1 · answered by Bryan 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
When you say influential, do you mean in a positive manner? If so, Mr. Clinton is not even the most influential president of the 1990's, let alone the 20th century. His antics in and around thee Oval Office alone made a mockery of the Office of the President. When you think that the greatest Presidents of the 20th century, FDR, Woodrow Wilson and Ronald Reagan, also graced that chambered, it makes me sick. His theatrics does not equate to influential--but rather--quite the opposite. To think that we passed up two Great Americans, George Bush 41 and Robert Dole, enrages me for opportunities lost. (Make no mistake, George Bush 41 and Robert Dole are Great Americans.)
The only thing that his Presidency proved was that you could start from humble beginnings and become President, and that the best candidate doesn't always get elected.
2006-12-11 06:01:05 · answer #2 · answered by MustangGT 2 · 2⤊ 2⤋
1 - A HUGE shift to the Republican Party (e.g., after 40 years of almost uninterrupted control of Congress, in '94 the Dems lost both houses to the Reps for the next dozen years).
2 - No. Not that much happened during his presidency to rate him any higher than somewhere around the 40th percentile. Really, once historians who are not alive today take a hard look at his presidency, he'll get the most credit for simply taking care of business. And that will not make him seem to have been particularly influential in the sense that I think you mean it.
2006-12-11 05:50:51 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
Clinton was very charismatic but he was not a true leader someone that leads by polls is not a leader his behavior was almost feminine (let me explain) just like some women behave so their children will like them rather than do what is right, that is what he did to the nation, works in the short term but bad in the long run. I think he realize that history will not be very kind to him that is why he is still in the media so much trying to rehab his legacy.
2006-12-12 01:11:26 · answer #4 · answered by Ynot! 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
It's hard to make a definitive judgment until more time passes.
I think he will be remembered for governing (with the Republican Congress) from the center, in an era of relative peace and prosperity between the end of the Cold War and the beginning of the War on Terror.
There was a strong undercurrent of scandal, and in retrospect a fatal lack of attention to the growing threat of terrorism.
2006-12-11 06:44:20 · answer #5 · answered by American citizen and taxpayer 7 · 0⤊ 3⤋
His biggest impact was NAFTA, and I can't say he was nearly that influential (FDR changed the world a lot more than Clinton, for instance). I liked his efforts to clean up health care, even if they failed--somebody had to try! He was a fairly centrist Democrat, not much of a trailblazer.
2006-12-11 05:49:16 · answer #6 · answered by wayfaroutthere 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
He cheapened the Office of the President to it lowest level ever
Not in the top 1,000,000,000 people of the 20th century
Lowest of the lowlifes
2006-12-11 05:48:01 · answer #7 · answered by Deport all ILLEGAL Alien INVADER 3 · 4⤊ 3⤋
He did great things for the environment. Work for Welfare program. 100,000 more police officers.
I am not a huge Bill Clinton fan but I know he did some good things. Remember Hillary is no Bill Clinton.
2006-12-11 05:52:48 · answer #8 · answered by dakota29575 4 · 2⤊ 3⤋
He ignored the damn terrorists like a sissy and now we have this problem on our hands. He was the most insignifigant person of the 20th century
2006-12-11 05:48:31 · answer #9 · answered by Libs are NERDS 2 · 6⤊ 3⤋
Lying about a balance budget! How dumb can people get to believe that BS?
2006-12-11 05:48:54 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 3⤋