awake
The documentary traces Clinton's life from his Arkansas boyhood, living with his mother and his abusive stepfather, and follows with how he met and married Hillary, his early political rise leading to his time in the Governor's mansion, complete with the triumphs and disasters which accompanied his tenure in state politics. It describes how his national profile became elevated, how a long and boring speech at a Democratic convention almost torpedoed his political ascendency, and how he was able to learn from and get past that mistake. It goes on to relive his campaign for the Democratic nomination in 1992, complete with the first national publicity of his extra-marital affairs, and the masterful way in which he overcame that hurdle to become the Comeback Kid.
The segment on the 1992 election is a wonderful recounting of how the obscure southern governor was able to defeat a President who, less than a year earlier, enjoyed an unprecedented 90% approval rating by schooling everyone in the lesson that, when it comes to presidential elections, "it's the economy stupid," a lesson for subsequent presidents to forget at their peril.
The documentary reminds us that even with a Democratic congress, it wasn't all sunshine and roses for the Clinton presidency, but when the tide turned and Newt Gingrich and the Republicans took over congress, a series of very dramatic showdowns brought government to a halt and how skillful political manipulation was able to bring about an end to the stalemate. It is amazing to watch how Clinton was able to make lemonade from lemons, leaving a legacy of being the last President to bring about surplus budgets. The program explains how Clinton was able to secure his reelection, but at a price of losing some support within his base by passing welfare reforms. The story of how the counsel of Dick Morris was able to help steer the Clinton Presidency away from political rocks is all the more interesting when recounted by Morris himself and other principal players of the time.
Of course the documentary also tells the story of the investigations against the Clintons: first Whitewater, which uncovered the sordid tale of a young intern named Monica Lewinsky and some bad behavior by a president. The filmmakers present the cases both pro and con of those who argue that the first impeachment of a President since Andrew Johnson was or wasn't about sex, as we're reminded about Clinton's grand jury testimony and his alleged perjury. They are careful to walk a fine line in presenting opposing viewpoints of what Kenneth Starr's motives were, while offering no conclusions of their own.
The selection of film footage is appropriate and outstanding. Complex issues are explained with remarkable clarity and the comments by some of the leading players and witnesses including Starr, Clinton's Chief of Staff Leon Panetta and politicians, cabinet members and journalists of the day add to the authenticity of this remarkable video chronicle. I found this to be an unbiased and very well presented documentary on the life of this intelligent, emotional, complicated and flawed president, and I recommend this documentary highly to anyone who hasn't yet seen it.
While we're on the subject of Bill Clinton, I thought I'd end with a poll about what people think of Bill Clinton all these years later:
All things considered, how would you rate Bill Clinton as a President?
Great
5(29.4%)
Good
10(58.8%)
Average
1(5.9%)
Bad
1(5.9%)
Horrible
0(0.0%)