In the 1996 Presidential election, President Clinton was able to win based upon the fact that he was able to focus on the general election early in the game. Clinton was loved by the public, having a lot to bring to the table. During his first term as president, he was able to create a universal health care system, make education better, decrease hand-gun sales, and protect workers jobs while they could not work. The president wanted to reform welfare programs as well. Clinton also enforced the war drugs, while increasing funds for law enforcement.
In the 1996 Presidential election, Bob Dole lost to Clinton in a lopsided vote. Dole battled with what Clinton had to offer to the nation. Dole promised a 15% across-the-board reduction in income tax rates. In addition, Bob offered a vision for America’s future that included reconnecting government with established values of the American people while reinstating American pride, esteem, and superiority. In comparison to Bill Clinton, Bob Dole appeared to be weak and brittle. During one of his campaign events, he had embarrassed himself in front of the nation after he had fallen off stage.
Clinton faced various obstacles during his presidential campaign. Clinton was able to fend off all his opponents before the Democratic convention rolled around. However, many people that did not support Clinton tried to raise issues to disrupt his campaign. Some of these allegations included avoiding the draft into the Vietnam War, using marijuana, extramarital affairs, and shady business deals. However, Clinton’s advertising campaign aided in his victory even though it ended up getting extremely personal. Dole complained that Clinton’s campaigns were overwhelmingly negative and he demanded that Clinton release his medical records. The people of America, especially the media, looked at Dole as the villain in this, claiming he had dirtied a clean campaign. In 1995 Clinton had spent about $2.4 million of its campaign funds to run advertisements related to banning assault weapons. The key to this was that the advertisements were run in the major electoral states. In about a year, the Clinton ad campaign had spent over $27 million in the top twelve states or the key states in Clinton’s re-election effort.
Bob Dole, Clinton’s opponent in the 1996 presidential election, faced even more obstacles than Clinton had faced during his campaign. Dole felt that he was under attack by the Clinton campaign, and demanded personal medical records from Clinton that he could use in his campaigns. The media dubbed Dole as the villain, who was dirtying a clean campaign. Some ads from the Clinton campaign targeted Dole as “a quitter” who “walked away from the gridlock he helped create” in Congress. Dole responded by airing a campaign that showed Clinton as a “jogging, golfing, draft dodger”. The media often portrayed Dole as the complainer and criticizer who had to do more than criticize if he wanted to win the election. Dole often criticized Clinton’s broken promises in his campaigns, and how he would stay true to his public promises.
Clintons advertising campaign, which had begun in 1995, massively influenced the outcome of the election. Clinton had won 11 of the 12 key states that he ran his advertising campaigns in. In addition, Clinton had the media on his side for the most part, while Dole was under fire for being the villain in the presidential election. Clinton also had been the president for the previous four years, so he had an advantage.
Bob Dole’s advertising campaign was one that had to put up a tough fight against the presidents campaign. Dole had stepped down from the senate to run for president, and he was soon looked at as a quitter. Dole had also run campaigns in the key states, as they were the states that were the most important to winning the presidential election. Dole only won one of the twelve key states though, showing that his advertising campaign had not made a huge impact on the American people. Dole had won much of the mid-west and part of the southeast; however Clinton won the major key sates, including much of the northeast.
Government Policy on Japan
Japan has an embassy in the United States located in Washington, DC. Japan imports large amounts of wheat, soybeans, and sorghum from the United States. Japan is the largest market for U.S. agricultural exports as well. Japan and the United states have a Security Treaty instated in 1960 that has been important to this day to keep peace in East Asia. The Japanese governments have instated a close relationship with the United States as the basis of their foreign policy. Currently, the United States has about 53,000 troops in Japan.
Government Policy on Panama
Panama is dominated by relations with the United States, more specifically a special relationship relating to the 1977 Panama Canal treaties. However, tension has grown between the countries in the past few years over concerns dealing with drug trafficking and money laundering. The United States also acquired use of the Panama Canal through several treaties that replaced the old Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty. The United States gained access to a ten-mile-wide area where they could build, run and protect a canal.
Government Policy on Monopolies
Monopolies or a company or group having exclusive control over a commercial activity, were controlled after the Sherman Antitrust Act. The act that was passed in 1890 declared that no person or business could dominate trade or join with some else to limit trade. The government used this act in the early 1900’s to break up John D. Rockefeller’s Oil Company as well as other large companies. Years later, Congress passed two more laws that would strengthen the previous act, the Clayton Antitrust Act and the Federal Trade Commission Act. The Clayton Antitrust Act stated what constituted illegal limits on trade. The Federal Trade Commission
Government Policy on Drug/Medicines Regulations
The United States has passed laws and regulations regarding the use and production of drugs and medicines. The Pure Food and Drug Act was passed in the early 1900’s, which formed the Food and Drug Administration. The FDA had the authority to regulate foods and drugs and require that contents be labeled on all food and drug items. In 1914 the Harrison Tax Act was passed, successfully prohibiting cocaine and opiates. Years later, the Narcotic Drug Import and Export Act were passed. The act intended to prevent the use of narcotics except for medicinal use. Eventually a lot of drug and medicine acts were passed, from the Heroin Act to the Opium Poppy Control Act. All these laws intended to prevent abuse and illegal use of the potentially harmful drugs.
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