MORAL CROSSROADS Chapter 21

                      MORAL CROSSROADS, 1989-2000

      Chapter 21

1.      When a politician needs to “moves to the middle” what does that tell you about his/her convictions? What did George H.W. Bush painfully realize by doing so? Pg. 764 Anyone who has to “move” to the center has no convictions and shouldn’t be trusted. As when Bush betrayed the public with his “read my lips” booboo.

2.      Once the Berlin was destroyed, communism fell apart rather quickly. Why? How did its demise affect the U.S. economy? Pg. 768 Because of the yearning to be free of the people. Communism is a government that needs intimidation and force for it to work. Without that it was fairly easy to conquer. The U.S. economy saw job losses in aerospace, shipbuilding, many businesses, thousands of engineers, and a depletion of the military.

3.       What reason did Saddam Hussein give for invading Kuwait? What was the real reason? Pg. 768-769 He said that Kuwait was legally part of Iraq, but what he really wanted to do is control a large part of the oil production in the Middle East which would then be a direct hazard to the free flow of oil at market prices. This, then, would pose a threat to American security.

4.      How did Bush approach “Desert Shield” that made it look like it would be a short fight? Pg. 772 He went in with full force and fought it “the American Way” with everything we had. The Iraqis left in droves and surrendered.

5. Was the Rodney King trial fair or merely a capitulation to political correctness?  Why? Pg. 774 Definitely capitulation to political correctness. It’s a case of the government being afraid of a few trouble makers. The policemen certainly crossed the line, but 54 people needlessly died and thousands of buildings were destroyed.
6. Define the pitfalls of all three 1992 presidential candidates. Since Perot siphoned off 19% of the vote, is a third party candidate a viable solution? Pg. 773-777 Bush, lied about not raising taxes, Clinton, total scum, Perot; not attractive enough, couldn’t debate with a real opponent because his policies were simple but not realistic.
7.  What is the biggest difference between “Hillary-care” and “Obama-care” as far as you can tell? Pg. 778 Hillary’s was much more blatant an affront to business and doctors. It was based on dictatorial force. Obama’s would probably prove to be the same thing, but is more covert. Plus it was absolutely forced upon us and coerced upon the congress.
8. How did Clinton’s attempt to “make his cabinet look like America” come back to bite him? Pg. 779 They were jokingly referred to as “America’s Most Wanted”. Major idiots. Jocelyn Elders, Henry Cisneros, sexual harassment, Webster Hubbell, Whitewater, Mike Espy, illicit deals with Tyson foods, Bruce Babbitt, illegal deals with Indians, etc.

NOTES: How did Newt Gingrich’s “Contract with America” damage the Democrats in the following election?  How did Clinton make a comeback Pg. 783 He managed to capture both the house and the senate for the first time in 40 years. The Democrats lost 35 seats as a referendum on Clinton’s presidency. The media tried to spin it as a “referendum on incumbents” but all Republican incumbents won reelection. Clinton then scrambled to the middle and his advisor, Dick Morris, crafted a plan for him acting as the reasonable father to two spoiled children. He barked that “the era of big government is over” all the while hoping for the Dems to win back the House and Senate in 1996.

9. How did the ‘90’s boom get Clinton reelected despite his many scandals and legal challenges?  Pg .785-788 The technology boom sent the economy soaring and most people were doing great, so they dismissed or didn’t care that Clinton was a scum. Plus his thugs and advisors made a point to isolate, diminish, and mock each incident to play it down until it went away.
10. Describe the business boom of the ‘90’s. Could we duplicate that today? How? Pg. 788-790 NO chance. Too much anti-business rhetoric. Too much regulation and vilification of business.
11. What was the climate as far as guns and religion in the ‘90’s?  How does prosperity often dictate those feelings? Pg. 792-793 Gun sales went up dramatically. The Supreme Court ruled that “the right to bear arms” was an individual right, not a militia right.
12. What did Clinton’s character weaknesses teach the masses; especially children? Pg. 783-795 That character didn’t matter. Everyone does it anyway. What happens in one’s private life should not matter in his/her political life.
13. Despite Clinton’s dismissed impeachment, what happened to members of his cabinet? Pg. 798 They were prosecuted and/or jailed for their crimes. They took the hit for Clinton.
14. Describe Clinton’s foreign woes. How did he handle them? Pg. 800-802 He was a pacifist who turned down three opportunities to capture Bin Laden. These were offers by other countries to turn him over to the U.S. He chose not to rock the boat because the economy was doing great and he wanted to coast out of office with a great legacy. Everything he did was after the fact and succeeded only at weakening America in the eyes of foreign dictators and leaders.
15. How did Clinton misjudge Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden? Pg. 802 He thought they were no danger. Just misunderstood. Clinton didn’t think they had the power to be an international threat.