In light of the conclusion of the Senate trial of the president, the editors of THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked 22 writers, thinkers, and political actors the following questions: “President William Jefferson Clinton has been impeached and acquitted. What have we learned? What should we do now?”
WHAT A DRAMATIC YEAR it has been for “spinning” since the Clinton scandal broke in 1998. The distortions began with the First Lady’s visit to NBC’s Today Show on January 27, 1998, during which she blamed the “vast right-wing conspiracy” for the vicious rumors that plagued her husband. That set the tone for the next 13 months. Of course there has never been any evidence that conspiracy had anything to do with the affair between the president and a girl the age of his daughter. Thanks to “the dress,” we now know he was lying through his teeth when he jabbed his finger at the cameras and denied having sex with “that woman . . . Miss Lewinsky.” I contend that Hillary was also less than honest at that point. She had to know from the beginning that her husband was lying. After all, she had lived with his philandering for 23 years — a period of time in which Bill Clinton implied to Monica Lewinsky that he had had affairs with “hundreds of women.” Hillary is far too bright not to have figured out what was going on. That suggests that her “right-wing conspiracy” theory was concocted by perhaps her own spin machine. It was a great strategy: When in trouble, blame an innocent bystander.
Then came the barrage of sound bites designed to deny, mislead, and confuse the public. They were uttered ad infinitum by cabinet officers, Democratic leaders, White House operatives, and personal lawyers. And who can forget the ranting and raving of James Carville, flitting from one television show to another and declaring war on “Clinton haters.” Think back to the unfolding of events during the spring and summer of 1998 when we heard the echo of these phrases, each in turn, with passion and conviction:
Let’s all step back and take a deep breath; Paula Jones has a new hair-do; Paula Jones got a nose jobs; Paula Jones is lying; Paula Jones is white trash (“drag a hundred dollar bill through a trailer park and there’s no telling what you’ll find”); Linda Tripp has broken the law; Linda Tripp is writing a book; Ken Starr has wasted $ 40 million of our tax dollars; if we were to impeach members of Congress for infidelity there wouldn’t be anyone left in Washington; this is just a witch-hunt by Ken Starr; this scandal is different from Watergate; it’s a private matter that’s none of our business; it’s just about sex; let him without sin cast the first stone; Larry Flynt said Bob Livingston did it!; Congress should get back to the nation’s business; I (the president) have to get back to doing the job the American people asked me to do; foreigners think we’re crazy; everyone does it; and finally, when the facts become undeniable, this offense doesn’t rise to the level of impeachment.
The most effective spin of them all, which ultimately saved the president’s goose, was the polling data used to manipulate the public and intimidate Congress. We were told almost every day, the American people want this ended; the American people don’t care; the American people think Clinton has done a wonderful job; the American people are going to punish the Republicans in 2000; the American people voted for Clinton twice and now Congress wants to overturn the election. There were very few newscasts during the past year that didn’t cite the latest polling information in support of the president. That raised an important point.
I remember sitting in the gallery of the U.S. Senate in 1996 when an effort was made to overturn the president’s veto of a bill to ban partial-birth abortions. It failed by nine votes that day and fell short again in 1998. Those were bitter losses, guaranteeing that “murder during delivery” would continue on un-anes-thetized, late-term babies. But does anyone remember today that the polls in 1996 showed 71 percent of the American people favored legislation to prohibit it? Probably not, because little was made of the survey. Apparently, public opinion wasn’t considered relevant to the killing of babies. I don’t recall any news organization quoting polling data as evidence that Congress and the president had defied the will of the people.
Polls continue to show today that school choice is desired by 72 percent and parental consent for minors seeking abortion is supported by nearly 80 percent, and prayer in school has been favored for 20 years by at least 75 percent. Since when has Congress felt compelled to abide by the will of the people? Only now when a desperate effort is underway to save a liberal president who has admitted lying and engaging in disgraceful acts!
Considering the effectiveness of the spin machine these past 13 months, it is remarkable that Republicans in the House had the courage to stand on their principles. Now we’re told a “furious” president vows to “take his revenge” on these leaders. But I believe millions of Americans join me in expressing admiration and appreciation for Representatives Henry Hyde, Lindsey Graham, Asa Hutchinson, James Rogan, Bob Barr, and the other “managers” who put their careers on the line to do what was right. They didn’t win, and our discredited president remains in power, but they are heroes to many of us. I believe history will judge them favorably for their valiant efforts to defend the Constitution and the Rule of Law. As for James Carville and the other spinners of the tale, they will be remembered, if at all, for their deception and manipulation of the truth.
Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, February 12, 1999, was a tragic day in the history of this country.
Dr. James Dobson is the president of Focus on the Family.
