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Episode 4: False Spring

Bill Clinton becomes president in 1992 and scandal follows. The Republicans now stand unified against tax hikes, and Gingrich emerges as the heir apparent.
U.S. President Bill Clinton, speaking at a 'Business Roundtable' in Washington DC on June 9, 1993.
U.S. President Bill Clinton, speaking at a 'Business Roundtable' in Washington DC on June 9, 1993.Ron Sachs / Getty Images file

About this episode:

We enter the era of President Bill Clinton. In the 1992 election, Democrats win the White House for the first time since the 1970s and enjoy solid majorities in the House and Senate. They seem poised to deliver on an ambitious agenda. But scandals start erupting on a regular basis. By June, Time magazine publishes a cover naming Bill Clinton “The Incredible Shrinking President.” And by August, Republicans are crowing about a bruising battle over Clinton’s budget. Republicans will now tell voters that Democrats are the party that supports the largest tax increase in history. This is the contrast Gingrich has spent his whole career trying to create — and it will catapult him towards the role of House Speaker.

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