Changes

Shortly after he was inaugurated, Clinton sought removal of the longstanding ban on homosexuals in the military.  But the Democrats in Congress refused to lift the ban, and instead a policy of "don't ask, don't tell" was implemented.  Gays would not be expelled from the military unless they actively promoted ("tell") their lifestyle.  That policy remains in force to this day, and Barack Obama campaigned by promising to lift the ban.  But will the House of Representatives, which face elections every two years, risk angering voters by caving into the homosexual activists?

Shortly after he was inaugurated, Clinton sought removal of the longstanding ban on homosexuals in the military.  But the Democrats in Congress refused to lift the ban, and instead a policy of "don't ask, don't tell" was implemented.  Gays would not be expelled from the military unless they actively promoted ("tell") their lifestyle.  That policy remains in force to this day, and Barack Obama campaigned by promising to lift the ban.  But will the House of Representatives, which face elections every two years, risk angering voters by caving into the homosexual activists?

In the "midterm elections" in 1994 (called "midterm" because it is halfway between the presidential elections), there was a voter backlash against the liberal policies of President Bill Clinton.  Republicans swept to victory in a landslide, and captured large majorities in both the House and Senate.

Enjoying big Democratic majorities in the House and Senate, Clinton aggressively pushed other liberal issues.  In 1994, he signed a federal gun control bill into law known as the "Brady Bill," which imposed a national five-day waiting period for handgun purchasers and required a criminal background check.  He signed into law the "Violence Against Women Act," which authorized women to sue institutions like colleges in federal court over alleged incidents that were never charged or proven as crimes (this provision was later held unconstitutional), and authorized the spending of billions of dollars in taxpayer money to encourage women to charge men with crimes.  He signed into law the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993, which created a "free-trade zone" encompassing Mexico, Canada, and the United States and submitted the United States to control by an international tribunal to decide disputes in trade.  This resulted in a big increase of importation of illegal drugs (like cocaine and marijuana) from Mexico, and was later used to order the United States to allow mostly never-inspected trucks to enter from Mexico to flood the American highways.  NAFTA was unable to obtain the 2/3rd vote required in the Senate to be ratified as a treaty, and instead it was (perhaps improperly) passed as an ordinary federal law with mere majority votes.

Bill Clinton 1992-2000: Dem. Pres. hurt by failed health care plan and Monica Lewinski sex scandal; 1st budget surplus in years

In the "midterm elections" in 1994 (called "midterm" because it is halfway between the presidential elections), there was a voter backlash against the liberal policies of President Bill Clinton. Republicans swept to victory in a landslide, and captured large majorities in both the House and Senate. Then, in a "lame duck" session of the Democratic House and Senate in December 1994, they passed a law requiring the United States to join the World Trade Organization.  Like NAFTA but on a world-wide scale, the WTO aims to promote world trade by lowering by lowering trade barriers.  In practice, it forces the United States to submit to the authority of an international tribunal comprised mostly of nations hostile to America, and that court has ruled against the United States in nearly every trade dispute.  Also like NAFTA, the WTO was passed as a regular federal law rather than obtaining the 2/3rd vote required to pass treaties.

Brady Bill 1994: federal gun control requiring criminal background check and five-day waiting period for handgun purchasers

'''Debate: Do you think Congress should pass treaties as ordinary laws when unable to obtain the 2/3rd vote necessary under the Constitution to ratify a treaty?'''

Bombing of the Federal Building "1995: on 2nd anniversary of govt raid in Waco, in retaliation Timothy McVeigh bombed govt bldg in Oklahoma City"

The Republican Congress that took over in 1995 passed several important conservative laws, including a massive welfare reform () and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).  Clinton, chastened by the landslide defeat of his Democratic Party, began to govern more like a conservative.  He also wanted to win reelection in 1996, and he knew he had to move in the same direction as teh nation: to the "right" (more conservative).

NAFTA "1993: North American Free Trade Agt., creates free-trade zone encompassing Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. "

Bill Clinton 1992-2000: Dem. Pres. hurt by failed health care plan and Monica Lewinski sex scandal; 1st budget surplus in years

World Trade Organization 1995: Aims to promote world trade by lowering by lowering trade barriers.

Bombing of the Federal Building "1995: on 2nd anniversary of govt raid in Waco, in retaliation Timothy McVeigh bombed govt bldg in Oklahoma City"

Monica Lewinsky 1998: Clinton lied about his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky; led to his impeachment (but not his removal)

Monica Lewinsky 1998: Clinton lied about his relationship with intern Monica Lewinsky; led to his impeachment (but not his removal)

Dot-com Boom 1997-2000: huge speculation in stocks doing business over the internet; followed by dot-com bust

Dot-com Boom 1997-2000: huge speculation in stocks doing business over the internet; followed by dot-com bust

== 21st Century ==

== 21st Century ==