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The American Presidents #42
Bill Clinton: The American Presidents Series: The 42nd President, 1993-2001
The president of larger-than-life ambitions and appetites whose term defined America at the close of the twentieth century
Bill Clinton: a president of contradictions. He was a Rhodes Scholar and a Yale Law School graduate, but he was also a fatherless child from rural Arkansas. He was one of the most talented politicians of his age, but he inspired enmity of such intensity that his opponents would stop at nothing to destroy him. He was the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win two successive presidential elections, but he was also the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached.
In this incisive biography of America’s forty-second president, Michael Tomasky examines Clinton’s eight years in office, a time often described as one of peace and prosperity, but in reality a time of social and political upheaval, as the culture wars grew ever more intense amid the rise of the Internet (and with it, online journalism and blogging); military actions in Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo; standoffs at Waco and Ruby Ridge; domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City; and the rise of al-Qaeda. It was a time when Republicans took control of Congress and a land deal gone bad turned into a constitutional crisis, as lurid details of a sitting president’s sexual activities became the focus of public debate.
Tomasky’s clear-eyed assessment of Clinton’s presidency offers a new perspective on what happened, what it all meant, and what aspects continue to define American politics to this day. In many ways, we are still living in the Age of Clinton.
Bill Clinton: a president of contradictions. He was a Rhodes Scholar and a Yale Law School graduate, but he was also a fatherless child from rural Arkansas. He was one of the most talented politicians of his age, but he inspired enmity of such intensity that his opponents would stop at nothing to destroy him. He was the first Democrat since Franklin Roosevelt to win two successive presidential elections, but he was also the first president since Andrew Johnson to be impeached.
In this incisive biography of America’s forty-second president, Michael Tomasky examines Clinton’s eight years in office, a time often described as one of peace and prosperity, but in reality a time of social and political upheaval, as the culture wars grew ever more intense amid the rise of the Internet (and with it, online journalism and blogging); military actions in Somalia, Iraq, Bosnia, and Kosovo; standoffs at Waco and Ruby Ridge; domestic terrorism in Oklahoma City; and the rise of al-Qaeda. It was a time when Republicans took control of Congress and a land deal gone bad turned into a constitutional crisis, as lurid details of a sitting president’s sexual activities became the focus of public debate.
Tomasky’s clear-eyed assessment of Clinton’s presidency offers a new perspective on what happened, what it all meant, and what aspects continue to define American politics to this day. In many ways, we are still living in the Age of Clinton.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 24, 2017
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342 people want to read
About the author
Michael Tomasky
15 books12 followersMichael John Tomasky is an American columnist, commentator, journalist and author.
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September 28, 2024
Bill Clinton In The American Presidents Series
Michael Tomasky's book "Bill Clinton" (2017) examines the personal and political life of William Jefferson Clinton (b. 1941) who served two terms from 1993 -- 2001 as the 43d president of the United States. The book is part of the "American Presidents Series" which aims to present short, accessible, yet scholarly valuable biographies of each American president. Tomasky, an author and editor, fulfills the aim of the series with this short, clearly written, informative biography of Clinton. The book briefly covers Clinton's youth and his rise to the presidency. Tomasky focuses on Clinton's presidential career and on its successes and failures. In a brief final section, Tomasky discusses Clinton's post-presidential life, including the failed presidential bid of his wife, Hillary Clinton.
Tomasky sees Clinton as redirecting the role of the Democratic Party from the left and from special interests to a more centrist position in an attempt to appeal to a broad spectrum of Americans. He led a movement called the "New Democrats" to modify the parties position on various economic and social issues. When he came to office, Clinton tried, for the most part, to pursue a centrist agenda.
Distrust followed Clinton wherever he went and he faced hostile Republicans and a hostile, growing right-wing news network. Some of the hostility was of Clinton's own making but some was not. Tomasky has little sympathy with conservatism in any form, but on the whole I thought he offered a fair account of the turmoil Clinton faced and his efforts to tough it out. Tomasky offers a good account of the special prosecutor, which Clinton approved, and which dogged his presidency.
Clinton was known for his sexual proclivities and for his rash, foolish relationship with a young intern and staffer, Monica Lewinsky. Partly as a result of his own making and partly as a result of a concerted effort against him, Clinton was impeached in the House but was acquitted in the Senate. He continued his presidency as the economy boomed and the deficit was ended -- worthy accomplishments indeed. After missteps early in his presidency, Clinton became a skilled effective leader of American foreign policy and came close, near the end of his tenure, to resolving the Middle East dispute.
Using a great deal of Clinton's own words, Tomasky describes the president as an intelligent, thoughtful political leader with large accomplishments who showed growth and the ability to learn. In his personal life, Clinton displayed large flaws through arrogance and through his inability to control himself sexually.
Tomasky writes briefly but perceptively about Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential campaign and about her husband's role and his seemingly ignored advice. He writes, probably correctly, about Clinton's loss that "a quarter century spent as a walking Rorschach test of America's attitudes about feminism had taken its toll." Tomaksy also observed that the 2016 election marked the end of Clintonism and of the "New Democrats" as a viable political force.
Tomasky offers a fair, thoughtful assessment of Clinton as a person and a president that can be read with benefit regardless of one's view of Clinton or of Tomasky's own political position. In addition, I thought that the discussion of the rise of the "New Democrats" as a counter to a left-leaning, identity-based party had something to teach about the current state of American politics even though Clintonism many not now provide the answer that it provided in 1993. Tomasky has written a good book for understanding and thinking about Bill Clinton. The book includes documentation in endnotes and a short bibliography.
Robin Friedman
Michael Tomasky's book "Bill Clinton" (2017) examines the personal and political life of William Jefferson Clinton (b. 1941) who served two terms from 1993 -- 2001 as the 43d president of the United States. The book is part of the "American Presidents Series" which aims to present short, accessible, yet scholarly valuable biographies of each American president. Tomasky, an author and editor, fulfills the aim of the series with this short, clearly written, informative biography of Clinton. The book briefly covers Clinton's youth and his rise to the presidency. Tomasky focuses on Clinton's presidential career and on its successes and failures. In a brief final section, Tomasky discusses Clinton's post-presidential life, including the failed presidential bid of his wife, Hillary Clinton.
Tomasky sees Clinton as redirecting the role of the Democratic Party from the left and from special interests to a more centrist position in an attempt to appeal to a broad spectrum of Americans. He led a movement called the "New Democrats" to modify the parties position on various economic and social issues. When he came to office, Clinton tried, for the most part, to pursue a centrist agenda.
Distrust followed Clinton wherever he went and he faced hostile Republicans and a hostile, growing right-wing news network. Some of the hostility was of Clinton's own making but some was not. Tomasky has little sympathy with conservatism in any form, but on the whole I thought he offered a fair account of the turmoil Clinton faced and his efforts to tough it out. Tomasky offers a good account of the special prosecutor, which Clinton approved, and which dogged his presidency.
Clinton was known for his sexual proclivities and for his rash, foolish relationship with a young intern and staffer, Monica Lewinsky. Partly as a result of his own making and partly as a result of a concerted effort against him, Clinton was impeached in the House but was acquitted in the Senate. He continued his presidency as the economy boomed and the deficit was ended -- worthy accomplishments indeed. After missteps early in his presidency, Clinton became a skilled effective leader of American foreign policy and came close, near the end of his tenure, to resolving the Middle East dispute.
Using a great deal of Clinton's own words, Tomasky describes the president as an intelligent, thoughtful political leader with large accomplishments who showed growth and the ability to learn. In his personal life, Clinton displayed large flaws through arrogance and through his inability to control himself sexually.
Tomasky writes briefly but perceptively about Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential campaign and about her husband's role and his seemingly ignored advice. He writes, probably correctly, about Clinton's loss that "a quarter century spent as a walking Rorschach test of America's attitudes about feminism had taken its toll." Tomaksy also observed that the 2016 election marked the end of Clintonism and of the "New Democrats" as a viable political force.
Tomasky offers a fair, thoughtful assessment of Clinton as a person and a president that can be read with benefit regardless of one's view of Clinton or of Tomasky's own political position. In addition, I thought that the discussion of the rise of the "New Democrats" as a counter to a left-leaning, identity-based party had something to teach about the current state of American politics even though Clintonism many not now provide the answer that it provided in 1993. Tomasky has written a good book for understanding and thinking about Bill Clinton. The book includes documentation in endnotes and a short bibliography.
Robin Friedman
December 21, 2024
Living through the Clinton presidency was the proverbial rollercoaster ride for Americans. His political opponents, often stymied by his campaigning skills, were nonetheless aided and abetting by his many self-inflicted personal issues. In his first two years in office, no political failing was greater than the ham-handed approach to reform the U.S. health care system led by his wife Hillary. Its collapse led to dispiriting his voters and provided fuel for a Republican reaction. The ascendancy of the Newt Gingrich-led insurgency, crystalized by the so-called ten point “Contract with America” public relations stunt, led to the election of the first Republican House majority in decades and, more significantly, stopped whatever momentum his administration had. It also irreversibly poisoned the American political system and congressional legislative process through today. Clinton was never quite trusted by his Left as he engaged in “triangulation,” distancing himself from the political poles as he sought the political “Center.” While benefitting his political fortunes personally, it eroded the number of his Democratic congressional allies. At the same time, his critics on the Right never failed to tar him with the traditional American “epithets” of being “socialist” or “communist.” He never understood, as Michael Tomasky observes, that Bismarck’s dictum about laws and sausage had been updated; a "new kind of sausage was [being] made.”
As the Clinton economy benefitted from the late nineties dot com bubble, ironically his presidency was among its first and most prominent political victims. Americans were being “seduced by the power of this new medium to spread news and gossip at barely comprehensible speeds.” A cottage industry developed into a full-blown juggernaut as “conservative training and leadership institutes popped up to advance conservative reinterpretations of what had previously been settled history; organizations that were once business oriented but basically nonpartisan…were reengineered as cogs in the conservative machine…at exactly the same time the mainstream media were developing an insatiable appetite for scandal.” It has only gotten worse.
Emboldened congressional Republicans created an open-ended special prosecutor who started out investigating a failed real estate deal from Clinton’s days as governor of Arkansas called Whitewater, after the name of the development. Although no public office corruption was ever proven, it didn’t deter his opponents became a political proxy to make him more ineffective. Tomasky distilled the situation perfectly, “[t]here was, of course, no public-interest need for all this detail, and it purposes were clearly to humiliate the president and stoke public revulsion at his behavior.” As the special prosecutor failed to pin the Whitewater on him, Clinton gave them the opportunity to tack in a different direction by using a tawdry sexual episode leading to impeachment in the House. The even more tawdry Senate trial failed to remove him from office because “[r]arely in politics had anything been so obvious” that this was purely about politics. It backfired because enough people understood that “what was at stake here was not Clinton’s merits or demerits, but what they saw in effect as a constitutionalized coup d’etat.”
While Clinton was ultimately popular with the American people, serving two terms and becoming a party elder statesman who could inspire the base in future elections and historians generally rate him high as compared to other presidencies, something was missing. Clinton had no great crises during his term. He didn't have the existential threats of war (cold or hot), he faced no fundamental world economic crises, he had no trauma-inducing attacks on American soil. Because of this, his competent management of the times he governed will likely fade. Clinton might well have been one of the greatest presidents if it were not for his very human flaws and so many missed opportunities for fundamental progressive political reform.
Biographies of public figures written while they are still alive can be tricky. In the case of presidential biographies, they are limited because many papers of the players involved have not yet been made public and can still be classified. The sweeping biography of Bill Clinton will likely be written after his death and I fear it will lose substantive importance with time. But if you’re interested in getting a solid, interim analysis, Tomasky’s account might be as concisely good as it gets.
As the Clinton economy benefitted from the late nineties dot com bubble, ironically his presidency was among its first and most prominent political victims. Americans were being “seduced by the power of this new medium to spread news and gossip at barely comprehensible speeds.” A cottage industry developed into a full-blown juggernaut as “conservative training and leadership institutes popped up to advance conservative reinterpretations of what had previously been settled history; organizations that were once business oriented but basically nonpartisan…were reengineered as cogs in the conservative machine…at exactly the same time the mainstream media were developing an insatiable appetite for scandal.” It has only gotten worse.
Emboldened congressional Republicans created an open-ended special prosecutor who started out investigating a failed real estate deal from Clinton’s days as governor of Arkansas called Whitewater, after the name of the development. Although no public office corruption was ever proven, it didn’t deter his opponents became a political proxy to make him more ineffective. Tomasky distilled the situation perfectly, “[t]here was, of course, no public-interest need for all this detail, and it purposes were clearly to humiliate the president and stoke public revulsion at his behavior.” As the special prosecutor failed to pin the Whitewater on him, Clinton gave them the opportunity to tack in a different direction by using a tawdry sexual episode leading to impeachment in the House. The even more tawdry Senate trial failed to remove him from office because “[r]arely in politics had anything been so obvious” that this was purely about politics. It backfired because enough people understood that “what was at stake here was not Clinton’s merits or demerits, but what they saw in effect as a constitutionalized coup d’etat.”
While Clinton was ultimately popular with the American people, serving two terms and becoming a party elder statesman who could inspire the base in future elections and historians generally rate him high as compared to other presidencies, something was missing. Clinton had no great crises during his term. He didn't have the existential threats of war (cold or hot), he faced no fundamental world economic crises, he had no trauma-inducing attacks on American soil. Because of this, his competent management of the times he governed will likely fade. Clinton might well have been one of the greatest presidents if it were not for his very human flaws and so many missed opportunities for fundamental progressive political reform.
Biographies of public figures written while they are still alive can be tricky. In the case of presidential biographies, they are limited because many papers of the players involved have not yet been made public and can still be classified. The sweeping biography of Bill Clinton will likely be written after his death and I fear it will lose substantive importance with time. But if you’re interested in getting a solid, interim analysis, Tomasky’s account might be as concisely good as it gets.
April 17, 2017
I really hate to be so negative about another writer’s efforts, but, bless his heart, this book was a major disappointment, being not so much a biography as a screed against anyone who might have uttered a discouraging word against the Clintons, from Rush Limbaugh to the New York Times–yes, the New York Times. I fully expected to read that Monica Lewinksy just accidentally fell face first into Clinton’s lap with her mouth open and a vast right wing conspiracy blew it all out of proportion.
The funny thing is that in the attempt to show Bill Clinton was caught up in a “Kafkaesque,” persecution, Tomasky turns him into a weak, hapless victim of circumstances and his political enemies. Consequently, I didn’t really learn much about the man who was such a gifted politician and a dominant personality in American politics for the last quarter century.
The best thing about this book is that it is mercifully short.
The funny thing is that in the attempt to show Bill Clinton was caught up in a “Kafkaesque,” persecution, Tomasky turns him into a weak, hapless victim of circumstances and his political enemies. Consequently, I didn’t really learn much about the man who was such a gifted politician and a dominant personality in American politics for the last quarter century.
The best thing about this book is that it is mercifully short.
January 7, 2024
An okay written book. Not great. A good summary of bill Clinton’s presidency. On his watch national debt went down over 300 billion, Dow jones went from 3500 to over 10000. Very intelligent and a fairly good speaker. At times he comes across as the type of guy more content to hang out with locals at the local dinner or at McDonald’s. During his term fake news started to get a lot of momentum and everyone was making up stories and getting a lot of publicity. Then he makes a bad decision with a White House worker and gets impeached. His major critics like Newt gregrich would chastise him for his dalliance with Monica, only to have an affair on his own. He would leave the White House and pardon someone whose wife donated 500k to the Democratic Party. Also pardoned his brother. He would support his wife on her political career, then Obama and finally his wife again. The Clinton’s would make a ton of money with books and paid speeches and appearances. His presidency is viewed as a success with economic growth, reducing national debt and job growth.
March 5, 2018
I recently read David Maraniss’ biography on Bill Clinton (“First in His Class”), which although thorough, unfortunately concludes prior to Clinton’s presidency. I subsequently decided to read Michael Tomasky’s short work on Clinton’s presidency. At 150 pages, it is indeed short. For example, Tomasky summarized the period of Clinton’s life covered by Maraniss in 13 pages (in comparison, Maraniss’ work was 464 pages in length). However Tomasky does an admirable job in his summation of Clinton’s tenure in the White House. Clinton campaigned for the Presidency as a “New Democrat” who was economically sound (balance the budget and reduce the federal deficit), moderate on social issues, and tough on national security. This resonated with the American public in the 1992 election, where Clinton defeated incumbent President George H. W. Bush and third party candidate Ross Perot. The highlights of Clinton’s first term as President were the passage of the Family and Medical Leave Act, the 1993 budget (including goals to balance the budget and reduce the federal deficit), final passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA, initially proposed by President Bush), Welfare Reform Bill, and the Brady Bill (background checks and waiting periods for firearms purchases). In many of these actions, Clinton was usurping conservative Republican ideals, while alienating many liberal Democratic allies. However his Democratic liberal base rallied behind him once again when second term scandals threatened to undermine his Presidency. Clinton engaged in a reckless sexual affair with a 23-year old White House intern, Monica Lewinski. Clinton lied about the affair to his family, and to the nation, ultimately resulting in his impeachment. Tomasky adroitly noted that Clinton’s “lifelong effort to lead parallel lives” had imperiled “not just his presidency, but THE presidency.” Fortunately for Clinton, his Democratic base plus the American public had “clearly decided that Clinton was a good president who had rescued the economy and, even if he did diddle around with this intern . . . it simply wasn’t a high crime or misdemeanor.” Clinton was acquitted of all impeachment charges, primarily along party lines. Tomasky’s epilogue concludes with Bill Clinton’s retirement efforts (Clinton Foundation) and Hillary Clinton’s successful run for the New York senate seat, as well as her unsuccessful bid for the U.S. Presidency in 2016. Although short, I recommend Tomasky’s biography, especially if read alongside Maraniss’ in-depth biography.
February 9, 2025
As a student of history I will say that the 90s were a simpler time. This seems like a great introduction to his presidency that quite frankly I knew nothing about. There was some clear success. There was clear failure. I think the objective reader will clearly notice how both parties have gone more extreme. The question becomes, "Is that really a good thing for America?"
July 28, 2023
Basic and pedestrian presidential biography.
December 29, 2021
About what you expect from 150 page biography. Anything longer at this point is still either sycophantic or a hit piece. Maybe 10 more years and we will get historical biography here.
February 1, 2019
Really? I've read all of the books in this series, in order, except George W. Bush, which is next. It's a series of uneven quality from Gary May's excellent John Tyler to this sophomoric entry in the series. I understand that biographers tend to be sympathetic to their subjects but to write of the subject's opponents with such a steady stream of venom undermines any claim of fairness. The author makes a LOT of assertions and assigns motives to a LOT of people with little or nothing to support his claims. If you are a fan of Clinton or lean left you'll probably love it. If you're looking for an honest assessment of the nan and his presidency...look elsewhere.
July 27, 2017
I have read all of the presidential biographies in this series. Finishing this one, I feel insulted that Tomasky has presented such a partisan defense of Bill Clinton in the guise of a supposed impartial biography. One can only guess that this was perhaps a delayed attempt to sanitize the Clinton "brand" and to vilify all things remotely conservative. Interestingly, the two things that Bill Clinton supported that pointed the country in the right direction: welfare reform and the crime bill are presented as mistakes. All in all this was a disappointing book.
April 19, 2023
Reading through biographies of all the presidents, this series is usually my default if I can not find a clear "best" biography to read. The other books in this series have been factual brief bios, this one felt VERY defensive of Clinton. I prefer a more unbiased approach for these type of reads. It is hard to find good biographies of modern day presidents, in part due to not enought time having passed. But also because there is so much trash propaganda published as soon as someone becomes a candidate. This is why I defaulted to this series, but it was not any better.
April 18, 2018
I was disappointed in this book. Most of the books in the Schlesinger series are pretty good, but this one read like a defense of Clinton rather than a bio and analysis of his presidency.
April 11, 2020
Bill Clinton is the forty-first and penultimate book in The American Presidents series – a biographical series chronicling the Presidents of the United States. Michael Tomasky wrote this particular installment and edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Sean Wilentz.
William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the forty-second president of the United States from 1993–2001. Prior to his presidency, he served as governor of Arkansas (1979–1981 and 1983–1992) and as attorney general of Arkansas (1977–1979). A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was known as a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist political philosophy.
Tomasky shows how Clinton aimed at a political career from childhood. After a bruising education in state politics and multiple terms as the governor of Arkansas, he outmaneuvered better-known candidates to win the 1992 Democratic nomination.
The first Baby-Boomer President, he was a New Democrat who aimed to keep his distance from some older lined liberal ideas, adapt and modify a few Republican ones, and exist as an independent force separate from both parties.
His success was spotty at best. Major bills such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, Defense of Marriage Act, and welfare reform were more popular with Republicans than Democrats and remain so. Most Republicans hated his national health plan, and they easily defeated it and then won a crushing victory in the 1994 midterm elections.
Despite lofty goals, this aggressive Congressional majority became obsessed with Clinton's spectacularly foolish sexual peccadilloes. Although legislators proclaimed that impure morals rendered a president unfit and the much-denounced media shared their outrage, the electorate did not, and Clinton left office more popular than when he entered and remains popular.
Bill Clinton is written rather well. Tomasky is clearly an admirer of Clinton, but is also painfully aware of his failures. It is an entertaining biography of a virtuoso politician whose administration revived the fortunes of the Democratic Party without reversing the nation’s post-Reagan conservative swing. Tomasky's slim, journalistic account contains few surprises, but written well nevertheless.
All in all, Bill Clinton is a good, albeit concise biography of the forty-second President and it is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.
William Jefferson Clinton is an American politician who served as the forty-second president of the United States from 1993–2001. Prior to his presidency, he served as governor of Arkansas (1979–1981 and 1983–1992) and as attorney general of Arkansas (1977–1979). A member of the Democratic Party, Clinton was known as a New Democrat, and many of his policies reflected a centrist political philosophy.
Tomasky shows how Clinton aimed at a political career from childhood. After a bruising education in state politics and multiple terms as the governor of Arkansas, he outmaneuvered better-known candidates to win the 1992 Democratic nomination.
The first Baby-Boomer President, he was a New Democrat who aimed to keep his distance from some older lined liberal ideas, adapt and modify a few Republican ones, and exist as an independent force separate from both parties.
His success was spotty at best. Major bills such as the North American Free Trade Agreement, Defense of Marriage Act, and welfare reform were more popular with Republicans than Democrats and remain so. Most Republicans hated his national health plan, and they easily defeated it and then won a crushing victory in the 1994 midterm elections.
Despite lofty goals, this aggressive Congressional majority became obsessed with Clinton's spectacularly foolish sexual peccadilloes. Although legislators proclaimed that impure morals rendered a president unfit and the much-denounced media shared their outrage, the electorate did not, and Clinton left office more popular than when he entered and remains popular.
Bill Clinton is written rather well. Tomasky is clearly an admirer of Clinton, but is also painfully aware of his failures. It is an entertaining biography of a virtuoso politician whose administration revived the fortunes of the Democratic Party without reversing the nation’s post-Reagan conservative swing. Tomasky's slim, journalistic account contains few surprises, but written well nevertheless.
All in all, Bill Clinton is a good, albeit concise biography of the forty-second President and it is a good continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series of presidential biographies, which I plan to read in the very near future.
September 2, 2020
Michael Tomasky's little biography on Bill Clinton is a good place to start with an examination of his Presidency. It includes some of the personal but focuses in on his 8 years as President, which is why many read presidential biographies. For the American Presidents Series this is a great thing.
Bill Clinton was a contradiction. He had a good side and an bedeviled side. He could not help himself when it came to women. His affair with Monica Lewinsky dominates the last part of the book as it dominated his Presidency. Seen 20 years later, after the Me Too movement, and the fall from grace of other prominent men, Bill Clinton would not have survived and been forced to resign. It is also this very dominance of the issue that takes away from the book. A lot of his time was spent on it but a President like Clinton, who survived with people thinking favorably of him, his lasting legacy will be on the decisions made.
Tomasky covers well Clinton's centrist take over of the Democratic Party and I find him the reason they have been the dominant popular party their presidential candidate losing the popular vote for President once since 1992 (2004) Clinton's problems and Tomasky shows parts of this in the book is the lack of long term strategy for America. His bridge to the 21st Century has little of lasting prominence. His reforms were to tweek the system not change it. Much probably had to do with the politics of the time.
Tomasky uses Clinton to show the changing media world Clinton inherited. In fairness to Bill Clinton no one would have come off great in this kind of new era. the dominance of 24 hour news cycles and the need to 'feed the beast', gave more credence to fake news and gave Clinton fits. No one could have predicted the intrusiveness of the media and Clinton's scandal was an indication that the rules had changed and anything goes when criticizing a President - no matter which party. The proliferation of social media has made it more difficult for any one person to lead and have a clear message when there are numerous channels to find your most cynical, hateful beliefs of one in opposition.
This is a good book to start in an examination of the Bill Clinton Presidency. A time of relative peace and much prosperity.
Bill Clinton was a contradiction. He had a good side and an bedeviled side. He could not help himself when it came to women. His affair with Monica Lewinsky dominates the last part of the book as it dominated his Presidency. Seen 20 years later, after the Me Too movement, and the fall from grace of other prominent men, Bill Clinton would not have survived and been forced to resign. It is also this very dominance of the issue that takes away from the book. A lot of his time was spent on it but a President like Clinton, who survived with people thinking favorably of him, his lasting legacy will be on the decisions made.
Tomasky covers well Clinton's centrist take over of the Democratic Party and I find him the reason they have been the dominant popular party their presidential candidate losing the popular vote for President once since 1992 (2004) Clinton's problems and Tomasky shows parts of this in the book is the lack of long term strategy for America. His bridge to the 21st Century has little of lasting prominence. His reforms were to tweek the system not change it. Much probably had to do with the politics of the time.
Tomasky uses Clinton to show the changing media world Clinton inherited. In fairness to Bill Clinton no one would have come off great in this kind of new era. the dominance of 24 hour news cycles and the need to 'feed the beast', gave more credence to fake news and gave Clinton fits. No one could have predicted the intrusiveness of the media and Clinton's scandal was an indication that the rules had changed and anything goes when criticizing a President - no matter which party. The proliferation of social media has made it more difficult for any one person to lead and have a clear message when there are numerous channels to find your most cynical, hateful beliefs of one in opposition.
This is a good book to start in an examination of the Bill Clinton Presidency. A time of relative peace and much prosperity.
November 22, 2017
A focused biography of the raise of Bill Clinton followed by the trials and tribulations of the Clinton years and the legacy he left behind both good and bad. It covers the evolution of the Democratic party that went from hanging on for relevance in the race for the White House after the dismal Carter malaise years that ushered in the almost unassailable years of Regan and Bush I to the force that rouse to sweep Clinton into the Oval Office via the winds of change. Those winds of change fanned the fires of conservative movement on the right while furthering the liberal movement to the left and built talk radio into a monstrous organism that continually divide partisan politics into far-right versus far-left influence that is smothering the voices in the middle. Clinton was an eloquent speaker who fought the good fight on the world stage, pushed the liberal agenda in the halls of congress, built a strong economy, and drastically lowered the federal deficit only to have his legacy as a strong president tarnished by his own foibles, personal demons, personal indiscretions, and supposed shady business dealings. The right lead by bulldog Gingrich with his contract for America pounced on the failings with the fully unleashed Special Counsel Kenneth, the assistance of the NRA, the far-right Moral Majority, and the far-right Talk Radio talking heads infused with the new online media channels to pry the supposed moral divide ever wider making the chasm between left and right so far that they were truly diabolically opposed. This fueled the wave that though couldn’t unseat Clinton for a second term with the old school dull Dole it did usher in the Republican takeover of congress that swamped the success rate of Clinton during his second term and helped propel Bush II into the Oval office for two terms on the heels of Clinton’s exit. Tomasky’s work gives an interesting, concise and unbiased perspective that adds to Bill’s “My Life” view and Nigel’s tomb “Mastering the Presidency” not to mention the countless other works that have looked at all angles of the Clinton legacy.
January 13, 2026
4.5/5 stars. This was a very enjoyable book to read about President Bill Clinton! For those of use who lived through the ‘90s it brought back a lot of memories.
Some thoughts/highlights:
- Clinton had a wonderful way with words. In his prime, he was an unbelievable salesman. “I feel your pain” (responding to a question in a debate), “Mend it, don’t end it” (on affirmative action), and more!
- Clinton, although passionate about wanting to help people, no doubt had a problem with elitism and ego. Trying to get away with affairs, collecting huge checks for books and speeches, etc. all point towards this. Even in 1988, at the Democrat National Convention, Clinton gave a speech to introduce presidential candidate Michael Dukakis that was way too long (demonstrating Clinton’s ego). For 18 years he never made himself breakfast and maybe being on top for so long (elected Governor of Arkansas at age 32) got to his head.
- Sadly, Bill tried hard to end the conflict in Israel/Palestine, and no one has gotten as close since. Yasir Arafat ruined it by refusing to budge at the end. Arafat told Clinton that he was a great man, and Clinton replied that, no, he was a failure because Arafat made him one. Nevertheless, Clinton had a lot of respect in foreign policy and I think he did a great job here.
- The scandals, of course, rocked his legacy. It is too bad. Clinton came to the presidency in the new age of Fox News, the Internet, and Rush Limbaugh radio. I can’t help wondering what we would think of someone like John F. Kennedy if he was in the same era. Also, wouldn’t Gore surely have been elected in 2000 (and/or Hillary later)? A lot of what ifs.
Some thoughts/highlights:
- Clinton had a wonderful way with words. In his prime, he was an unbelievable salesman. “I feel your pain” (responding to a question in a debate), “Mend it, don’t end it” (on affirmative action), and more!
- Clinton, although passionate about wanting to help people, no doubt had a problem with elitism and ego. Trying to get away with affairs, collecting huge checks for books and speeches, etc. all point towards this. Even in 1988, at the Democrat National Convention, Clinton gave a speech to introduce presidential candidate Michael Dukakis that was way too long (demonstrating Clinton’s ego). For 18 years he never made himself breakfast and maybe being on top for so long (elected Governor of Arkansas at age 32) got to his head.
- Sadly, Bill tried hard to end the conflict in Israel/Palestine, and no one has gotten as close since. Yasir Arafat ruined it by refusing to budge at the end. Arafat told Clinton that he was a great man, and Clinton replied that, no, he was a failure because Arafat made him one. Nevertheless, Clinton had a lot of respect in foreign policy and I think he did a great job here.
- The scandals, of course, rocked his legacy. It is too bad. Clinton came to the presidency in the new age of Fox News, the Internet, and Rush Limbaugh radio. I can’t help wondering what we would think of someone like John F. Kennedy if he was in the same era. Also, wouldn’t Gore surely have been elected in 2000 (and/or Hillary later)? A lot of what ifs.
February 2, 2018
Michael Tomasky's biography (edited by Arthur Schlesinger and Sean Wilentz) of Bill Clinton provides a concise history of the 42nd president. Beginning with Clinton's boyhood in Arkansas and following his education and emerging political talent, Tomasky paints a complicated portrait of a smart, savvy, and sometimes stupidly impulsive man. Clinton was the first Boomer president, one of the most talented politicians of his age. He was able to capitalize on social and political upheaval to become elected and reelected president, the first Democrat to do so since FDR. In his first term, his approval ratings were only modestly above those of the incumbent as international crises and domestic stagnation brought about the ascendency of the neoconservative movement, the Gingrich Congress, and ult-right media, adversaries that opposed him relentlessly during his presidency. The improving economy and dot-com revolution led to years of peace and prosperity. When the Republicans overplayed their hand and shut down the government, Clinton's approval ratings soared, eventually reaching 70%. Clinton's various scandals and sexual escapades are discussed, but without all of the lurid details (e.g., stained dress) that titillated the public. His concerted effort to bring about peace between Israel and Palestine provides a positive closing chapter to his presidency. Whether a Clinton fan or foe, Tomasky's bio is an informative read that summarizes the life and presidency of William Jefferson Clinton.
February 12, 2019
I find it interesting so many people call the book "bias" in its approach to this particular book. As such, I've concluded such people, either, never read the book or simply continue to buy into the ongoing right-wing propaganda against Clinton.
After minutes of reading this book, I've concluded this biography is one of the most objective out of The American Presidents series. Tomasky illustrates the good AND the bad with Clinton during his term as president and even post-presidency. Numerous times Tomasky says Clinton could have easily avoided certain mistakes, or moves that looked bad on the surface.
What makes this book even more important, though, is its reminder of how rotten Republicans became, and continue to be, towards Democratic presidents and their playing loose with facts. Growing up in the 90s, I new the Republicans were upset; a lot, I believed, due to simply losing a presidential election after holding the office for twelve years. Part of that was the case. But most of it was simply because the party was being taken over by the likes of Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. Individuals with so much hate in their hearts that they were willing, and continue to this day, to destroy the fabric of decent political discourse in our country.
Clinton made errors, no doubt. The Lewinsky scandal being the worst, but not something worth being impeached over. Nevertheless, he ushered in a new Gilded Age. One that everyone benefited from--including those who hated him. America did very well with him at the helm.
After minutes of reading this book, I've concluded this biography is one of the most objective out of The American Presidents series. Tomasky illustrates the good AND the bad with Clinton during his term as president and even post-presidency. Numerous times Tomasky says Clinton could have easily avoided certain mistakes, or moves that looked bad on the surface.
What makes this book even more important, though, is its reminder of how rotten Republicans became, and continue to be, towards Democratic presidents and their playing loose with facts. Growing up in the 90s, I new the Republicans were upset; a lot, I believed, due to simply losing a presidential election after holding the office for twelve years. Part of that was the case. But most of it was simply because the party was being taken over by the likes of Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. Individuals with so much hate in their hearts that they were willing, and continue to this day, to destroy the fabric of decent political discourse in our country.
Clinton made errors, no doubt. The Lewinsky scandal being the worst, but not something worth being impeached over. Nevertheless, he ushered in a new Gilded Age. One that everyone benefited from--including those who hated him. America did very well with him at the helm.
July 10, 2017
Seems like most stuff that happened in the 90's with President Clinton signal the beginning of the visceral politics we are now enduring. I can't remember the last time politicians said that they "crossed the aisles" to get things done. Sure Bill was a likeable guy but he had some much seeded character flaws, mostly related to his upbringing. I guess this is also the age where Republicans really learned bring on the ultra-nasty stuff. Because they knew they weren't going to win at the polls...(Bob Dole, really?). I mean, how many years did old Ken Starr end up investigating the Clintons over that over-hyped Whitewater scandal? Good job security I guess..
Let us now teleport ourselves to this current president (he who must not be named). I mean seriously, this president has more dark alleys in his past than New York City! What if this had been President Clinton? Where is the moral fiber from the evangelical right? I guess it is always easier when the dirty player is on your team.
Hypocrite - a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
All in all a fair, well written and unbiased book that is not afraid to pull any punches.
Let us now teleport ourselves to this current president (he who must not be named). I mean seriously, this president has more dark alleys in his past than New York City! What if this had been President Clinton? Where is the moral fiber from the evangelical right? I guess it is always easier when the dirty player is on your team.
Hypocrite - a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs.
All in all a fair, well written and unbiased book that is not afraid to pull any punches.
February 21, 2026
Ok, don't judge me - I voted for him 5 times! He spoke at my high school graduation when he was running for Governor of Arkansas, shook my hand, and congratulated me - so I became a fan. Odd, since I am solidly conservative in my viewpoint however there are certain Dems whose economic views I am aligned with. Excluding his infamous dalliances, he was an excellent Governor. This short biography is well written albeit by a Hillary Clinton acolyte and therefore, somewhat biased but overall fair enough to be a legitimate biography and not simply a gushing adoration puff piece. There is one section at the very end of the book which was so idiotic that it nearly ruined the entire read for me. This book was finished in 2017 shortly after the first election of Donald Trump. At the close of this book, the author postulates that Bill Clinton's legacy was the overarching reason Hillary was defeated in 2016. Umm, nope - that is strictly opinion that lacks evidence and should have been omitted from this biography of Bill. Otherwise, a nostalgic look back at a most interesting Presidency.
March 13, 2017
This is the first biography I’ve read on President Clinton; an unusual admittance as I’ve been a consumer of presidential bios for some time now, and even more revealing since I came to “age”under Bill Clinton, yet have found time to read biographies on Millard Fillmore and Chester Alan Arthur.
Why the delay? Simply because when he was in office I didn’t want him to be, and was glad to see him go…for no other reason (although there were others) than that he had drained the country emotionally after Monica…and it was, to use a current phrase, time to “drain the swamp.”
As I read this presidential bio so much of his tenure returned to me: I remember Stephen Breyer becoming a justice, the Oklahoma City bombing, the government shutdown, the rise of Newt, Hillary’s health care involvement, the run against Senator Dole, the budget surplus and economy rebound, the internet, gays in the military, the international roles he played, Marc Rich, the missing “w”s on the keyboards and, certainly, Monica-gate. Of course, the promise of a post-Bill life under Bush Jr., juxtaposed by the reality of the Bush administration, also came into play.
These years later I’ve a certain fondness, though not affection, for the Clinton era. It was economically sound, was a more simple pre 9-11 time, and included an internet that was astounding without being a life focal point. During the era I married, survived my first bout with leukemia, welcomed children into the world, and still held onto the promise of youthful dreams, before time and reality forged different, though meaningful, realities. I even voted for Hillary in 2016, only to see her and Bill seemingly, finally, out of the public eye.
The bio was well written, concise, and a helpful summary of all things Bill. And, again, it reminded me why I voted for Bush Sr. in 1992 and why I was glad the “swamp was drained” in 2000. George Stephanopoulos once said, in ending his book on Clinton, that he wished this good president had been a better man. In conclusion, so do I.
Why the delay? Simply because when he was in office I didn’t want him to be, and was glad to see him go…for no other reason (although there were others) than that he had drained the country emotionally after Monica…and it was, to use a current phrase, time to “drain the swamp.”
As I read this presidential bio so much of his tenure returned to me: I remember Stephen Breyer becoming a justice, the Oklahoma City bombing, the government shutdown, the rise of Newt, Hillary’s health care involvement, the run against Senator Dole, the budget surplus and economy rebound, the internet, gays in the military, the international roles he played, Marc Rich, the missing “w”s on the keyboards and, certainly, Monica-gate. Of course, the promise of a post-Bill life under Bush Jr., juxtaposed by the reality of the Bush administration, also came into play.
These years later I’ve a certain fondness, though not affection, for the Clinton era. It was economically sound, was a more simple pre 9-11 time, and included an internet that was astounding without being a life focal point. During the era I married, survived my first bout with leukemia, welcomed children into the world, and still held onto the promise of youthful dreams, before time and reality forged different, though meaningful, realities. I even voted for Hillary in 2016, only to see her and Bill seemingly, finally, out of the public eye.
The bio was well written, concise, and a helpful summary of all things Bill. And, again, it reminded me why I voted for Bush Sr. in 1992 and why I was glad the “swamp was drained” in 2000. George Stephanopoulos once said, in ending his book on Clinton, that he wished this good president had been a better man. In conclusion, so do I.
May 22, 2025
This is a solid book about Bill Clinton. The American Presidents series is one of the best bang-for-your-buck collections I’ve come across. At under 200 pages, these books manage to pack in a lot of substance without feeling rushed or shallow.
Bill Clinton will probably never be remembered as one of our "great" presidents, but he was certainly an interesting one. (I’ll admit I’m biased—his presidency roughly overlaps with my childhood.) This book does an excellent job of covering both his triumphs and tragedies.
Clinton may have had the potential for greatness, but his personal flaws—and the political climate of the time—ultimately held him back. In some ways, his presidency feels small and even frivolous. Yet he did accomplish meaningful things and possessed a brilliant mind.
Michael Tomasky does a good job highlighting the duality that runs through both Clinton the man and the 1990s as a decade. It's a thoughtful, well-balanced portrait.
Bill Clinton will probably never be remembered as one of our "great" presidents, but he was certainly an interesting one. (I’ll admit I’m biased—his presidency roughly overlaps with my childhood.) This book does an excellent job of covering both his triumphs and tragedies.
Clinton may have had the potential for greatness, but his personal flaws—and the political climate of the time—ultimately held him back. In some ways, his presidency feels small and even frivolous. Yet he did accomplish meaningful things and possessed a brilliant mind.
Michael Tomasky does a good job highlighting the duality that runs through both Clinton the man and the 1990s as a decade. It's a thoughtful, well-balanced portrait.
June 27, 2022
This is only the second of the Presidential Series I have read. As with the one on Hayes, this is pretty dry, although this one was totally biased in favor of the left. While I know there was a lot of animosity during Clinton's era as president from the right, I feel this author tended to set the reader up to expect the worst of behavior from anyone who was a Republican.
However, the work did provide a chronological look at Clinton's rise to power, years in office, and post-presidency til print date. Through many of the years Clinton was president, I was a busy mother of 4 and only caught snippets of headlines. I appreciated learning more background of the major players of the era and what was actually going on in the world and with our economy.
However, the work did provide a chronological look at Clinton's rise to power, years in office, and post-presidency til print date. Through many of the years Clinton was president, I was a busy mother of 4 and only caught snippets of headlines. I appreciated learning more background of the major players of the era and what was actually going on in the world and with our economy.
February 28, 2020
I was a fan - from afar - during his presidency, but 'fell out' after he left office. I do recall some of the partisanship but not to the extent outlined in this book. Amazing how the right carries on today regarding the nature of 'attacks' on Trump - clearly have short memories. Gingrich, Starr and Tripp's enablers dredge up the worst in human nature. Tomasky's book is by no means comprehensive, but it does show Clinton to be highly flawed, albeit a president who got the economy back on track and, to a large degree, was quite innovative in terms of foreign policy.
March 11, 2020
There was a lot of good information in this book. It was written well and the story was told well. My gripe, and the reason I gave it three stars instead of more, is that he is writing as a Fan Boy of president Clinton and not from the perspective of an objective historian.
I knew this was going to be the case. I like to occasionally read things from a perspective that is not my own. But his opinion of Conservatives was so harsh that it flavored the book a lot.
Like I said above, it was well written with a lot of good information.
I knew this was going to be the case. I like to occasionally read things from a perspective that is not my own. But his opinion of Conservatives was so harsh that it flavored the book a lot.
Like I said above, it was well written with a lot of good information.
June 1, 2022
I very positive look at Bill Clinton's Presidency. If the reader supports Clinton, I recommend this short biography. If the reader does not support the exp president I do not. To ask yes take on Bill Clinton's election is misguided. President Bush was fired. A true viewing of the election numbers from 1992 proves that Clinton was hired not elected.
I read the book because I love the 1990s and love to study that time period. It gives me a chance to remember. For this reason I enjoyed the book
I read the book because I love the 1990s and love to study that time period. It gives me a chance to remember. For this reason I enjoyed the book
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2024
Most of the books from American Presidents Series have been good reads. A few were not so good due to being too bias or overwhelmingly critical.
Then there have been a few that were very informational as well as fairly balanced...this is one of those books. I enjoyed it; I learned a lot plus it brought back many memories as this was the first time that I ever voted for a president so I followed this presidency rather closely.
I highly recommend the book despite not giving it 5 stars. I don't think there is such thing as a perfect book...but there is such thing a great read.
Then there have been a few that were very informational as well as fairly balanced...this is one of those books. I enjoyed it; I learned a lot plus it brought back many memories as this was the first time that I ever voted for a president so I followed this presidency rather closely.
I highly recommend the book despite not giving it 5 stars. I don't think there is such thing as a perfect book...but there is such thing a great read.
September 23, 2020
A short but telling account of the Clinton years and a reminder that the presidency exists on two level — the personal and the political— and that unlike now where Trump has failed both personally and politically, that Clinton, while not a moral success was clearly a political success; as has been said outside this book “it’s not about Paula Jones, it’s about the Dow Jones”.
February 8, 2021
I was expecting the non-partisan, milquetoast biography I’ve come to expect from this series. I wasn’t expecting the fiery screed that came from this journalist. On the one hand, he accuracy chronicles the divisive mood of the Clinton years. On the other hand, a measured analysis of Clinton’s presidency would have been more appropriate for this series.
August 12, 2022
Having read biographies of all the presidents from Washington to Clinton, many of them part of The American Presidents Series, found this to be the most biased biography I've ever read. Was written like a summary of Clinton's own narcissistic autobiography, even including the same lies and misinformation.
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