Bill Clinton: Survivor

比尔·克林顿：幸存者

　　By Kelly Jean Kelly

　　16 December 2023

　　VOA Learning English presents America's Presidents.

　　Today we are talking about William Jefferson Clinton – better known as Bill Clinton.

　　Clinton took office in 1993, and was re-elected in 1996. In many ways, historians consider his time in office a success. The economy expanded, and the country was largely at peace.

　　But Clinton had some notable failures, too. He could not persuade Congress to accept a plan to reform the nation's health care system.

　　And, in his second term, the House of Representatives took steps to remove him from office. But the Senate decided not to act.

　　Clinton finished his second term with high approval ratings. Yet he is also remembered for being only the second U.S. president to be impeached.

　　Early life

　　Bill Clinton came from a town with a memorable name: Hope. He grew up there, and in another nearby town in the Southern state of Arkansas.

　　For most of his early life, Bill was raised by his grandmother and his mother, both nurses. His father had died in a car accident before he was born.

　　People who knew Bill as a young man remember him as very intelligent, charming with people, and talented in music. His mother told him he would be president one day.

　　Sure enough, Clinton pursued activities that would lead to a political career. He attended college at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, where he studied international affairs; led student government groups; and took a position as a clerk in the U.S. Senate.

　　He went on to study at Oxford University in England on a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship.

　　Then he graduated from law school at Yale University. There, he met another student who would be his wife, Hillary Rodham. The two went on to have one child together, a daughter named Chelsea.

　　After finishing his studies, Clinton returned to his home state of Arkansas and pursued political office. At 32, he became one of the youngest governors ever in the country.

　　Two years later, he was voted out of office, and -- as historian Russell Riley notes -- he became the youngest former governor.

　　And that is how a good deal of Clinton's political career continued: in a pattern of successes and failures.

　　His successes often came as a result of his centrist policies, which appealed to people of different political beliefs. He also was an effective public speaker and, to many, a likable, charismatic person who seemed to care deeply about others.

　　But, his critics pointed out, Clinton also appeared to make many decisions simply for political advantage. And he sometimes tried to please so many people that he pleased no one.

　　Following a series of increasingly national roles – as well as a series of setbacks – Clinton campaigned for president in 1992. At first, he did not do well in the campaign. He was young and not well-known. He also suffered from reports that he had relationships with women who were not his wife.

　　But in time, Clinton began winning primary contests. Reporters called him the "Comeback Kid." He earned a public image as a politician who could survive problems.

　　In the general election, Clinton competed against the sitting president, Republican George H.W. Bush. The two men also faced an unusually strong third-party candidate named Ross Perot.

　　On Election Night, Clinton prevailed. Because Americans had split their votes among three major candidates, Clinton earned less than 50% of the popular vote. But he won enough electoral votes to become the next U.S. president.

　　Presidency

　　The people who worked on Bill Clinton's presidential campaign adopted an informal motto. They said, "It's the economy, stupid." In other words, campaign officials believed that most Americans cared primarily about how a president's policies would affect their financial concerns.

　　So, President Clinton quickly set about making a series of economic changes. They included raising taxes on wealthier Americans and cutting spending to help poorer Americans.

　　In a few years, the U.S. budget deficit was gone, the federal government had a surplus, and the country's financial situation was strong and healthy – although not everyone approved of the steps Clinton took to get there, or believed he should get all the credit.

　　Early in his first term, Clinton sought an additional reform he believed would help voters' financial concerns: affordable health insurance for all Americans. Most people in the U.S. either bought private health insurance or did not have any insurance to help pay for medical costs. Clinton wanted to find a way for the U.S. government to support Americans' health-related expenses.

　　He appointed his wife, first lady Hillary Clinton, to lead a healthcare reform effort. Hillary Clinton, a lawyer, had led a similar effort to reform education in Arkansas when her husband was governor there.

　　But some lawmakers in Congress – as well as some voters – rejected her efforts. The reform effort failed.

　　Clinton also struggled in some early foreign policy moves. He withdrew American troops from Somalia after their humanitarian efforts there turned into a bloody military struggle.

　　He was also criticized for failing to intervene quickly in the genocide in Rwanda, where hundreds of thousands of people were killed.

　　Later, Clinton won praise for some of his foreign policy. His government helped restore the elected president in Haiti after a coup. It also helped negotiate peace agreements in Bosnia and Ireland. And it cooperated with NATO to intervene in the Kosovo area and stop attacks on Albanians there.

　　In general, Clinton believed the U.S. had an important role to play in maintaining peace and protecting human life around the world. At the same time, he did not want to use too many American resources to do so. He aimed to cooperate with other nations, and to set moderate goals.

　　As usual, Clinton adopted an approach that was not too extreme on one side or another.

　　Impeachment

　　During most of his time as president, Clinton had been under investigation. Federal judges had appointed a special counsel, named Kenneth Starr, to find out if the president had committed any crimes related to financial investments before he took office.

　　During the investigation, Starr learned that the president had been having a sexual relationship with a young woman who worked in the White House. Starr asked Clinton about the affair under oath.

　　Later, Starr accused Clinton of lying about his relationship with the woman. Starr said that Clinton had also tried to prevent others from telling the truth about some of his activities.

　　In time, the president publicly admitted the relationship, and he apologized to voters and his family. But he said he had not lied or told anyone else to lie for him.

　　Lawmakers in the House of Representatives did not accept Clinton's defense. They advanced two articles of impeachment.

　　Lawmakers in the U.S. Senate then considered the case. It is their job to examine the evidence and decide whether to remove a president from office. A majority did not believe the actions Clinton was accused of were serious violations against the country. They voted to acquit Clinton of the charges and permit him to continue as president.

　　Legacy

　　In the U.S., a president can serve only two full terms. After his second, Bill Clinton and his wife settled in a town outside New York City. In time, Hillary Clinton became the U.S. senator from New York, as well as a secretary of state and the Democratic Party's candidate for president.

　　Bill Clinton, like many other U.S. presidents, wrote about his experiences and helped develop his presidential library. He also worked on humanitarian, health, and economic issues with his family's organization, the Clinton Foundation.

　　For many, Clinton's time in office is remembered as a mixed experience. The economy was at one of its strongest in U.S. history. Most people could find jobs, and many Americans bought homes for the first time. In the mid-1990s especially, the Internet and other new developments created a technology boom.

　　In addition, Clinton was an effective public speaker, and he inspired new groups of people to support his Democratic Party. Many voters approved of his appointments of women and minorities to positions of power in his government. They also liked the steps he took to reduce the use of handguns, protect the environment, and provide paid time off work for some people to care for themselves or their families.

　　But both Democrats and Republicans found fault with some of Clinton's efforts. And even his supporters note that the president had to spend much of his time in office answering charges of wrongdoing.

　　I'm Kelly Jean Kelly.

　　Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

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　　作者：凯利·吉恩·凯利

　　2023年12月16日

　　美国之音英语学习频道为您介绍美国总统。

　　今天我们要讲的是威廉·杰斐逊·克林顿——更为人所知的是比尔·克林顿。

　　克林顿于1993年上任，并在1996年连任。从许多方面来看，历史学家认为他的任期是成功的。经济扩张，国家大体上处于和平状态。

　　但克林顿也有一些显著的失败。他未能说服国会接受一项改革国家医疗保健系统的计划。

　　而且，在他的第二个任期中，众议院采取了将他罢免的步骤。但是，参议院决定不采取行动。

　　克林顿以高度的支持率结束了他的第二个任期。然而，他也因为是仅有的两位被弹劾的美国总统之一而被人们记住。

　　早年生活

　　比尔·克林顿来自一个名字令人难忘的小镇：希望。他在那里和阿肯色州南部另一个附近的小镇长大。

　　在他早年的大部分时间里，比尔是由他的祖母和母亲抚养大的，他们都是护士。他的父亲在他出生前就在一场车祸中去世了。

　　认识年轻时的比尔的人记得他非常聪明，擅长与人打交道，而且在音乐方面很有才华。他的母亲告诉他，他有一天会成为总统。

　　果然，克林顿从事了一些会引导他走向政治生涯的活动。他在华盛顿特区的乔治城大学上大学，主修国际事务；领导学生政府团体；并在美国参议院担任职员。

　　他获得了著名的罗德奖学金，继续在英国的牛津大学学习。

　　然后他从耶鲁大学的法学院毕业。在那里，他遇到了另一个将成为他妻子的学生，希拉里·罗德姆。他们共同拥有一个女儿，名叫切尔西。

　　完成学业后，克林顿回到了他的家乡阿肯色州，开始从政。在32岁时，他成为了该国历史上最年轻的州长之一。

　　两年后，他被选民罢免，正如历史学家罗素·莱利所指出的，他成为了最年轻的前州长。

　　这就是克林顿的政治生涯的大部分情况：一种成功和失败交替的模式。

　　他的成功往往来自于他的中间路线政策，这些政策吸引了不同政治信仰的人。他也是一位有效的公共演讲者，对许多人来说，他是一个善良、有魅力的人，似乎深深关心他人。

　　但是，他的批评者指出，克林顿似乎也做出了许多仅仅为了政治优势的决定。他有时试图取悦太多的人，结果却没有取悦到任何人。

　　在一系列越来越重要的国家角色——以及一系列的挫折之后，克林顿在1992年竞选总统。起初，他在竞选中并不顺利。他年轻，不太出名。他还因为被报道与非妻子的女性有关系而受到困扰。

　　但是随着时间的推移，克林顿开始赢得初选。记者们称他为"复出之子"。他赢得了一个能够在问题中生存下来的政治家的公众形象。

　　在大选中，克林顿与现任总统，共和党人乔治·H·W·布什竞争。两人还面临着一个名叫罗斯·佩罗的异常强大的第三方候选人。

　　在选举之夜，克林顿获胜。由于美国人在三个主要候选人中分散了他们的选票，克林顿得到的普选票数不到50%。但他赢得了足够的选举人票，成为下一任美国总统。

　　总统任期，

　　比尔·克林顿的总统竞选团队采用了一个非正式的座右铭。他们说，“关键是经济，愚蠢的。”换句话说，竞选官员认为大多数美国人主要关心的是总统的政策将如何影响他们的经济问题。

　　因此，克林顿总统迅速开始进行一系列的经济改革。其中包括对富裕美国人增税和削减支出以帮助贫困美国人。

　　几年后，美国的预算赤字消失了，联邦政府有了盈余，国家的财政状况强劲健康——尽管并非所有人都赞同克林顿采取的步骤，或者认为他应该得到所有的功劳。

　　在他的第一个任期初期，克林顿寻求了他认为会帮助选民解决经济问题的另一项改革：为所有美国人提供负担得起的健康保险。美国的大多数人要么购买私人健康保险，要么没有任何保险来帮助支付医疗费用。克林顿想要找到一种方式让美国政府支持美国人的健康相关费用。

　　他任命他的妻子，第一夫人希拉里·克林顿，来领导一项医疗改革工作。希拉里·克林顿是一名律师，当她的丈夫在阿肯色州担任州长时，她曾领导过一项类似的教育改革工作。

　　但是一些国会议员——以及一些选民——拒绝了她的努力。改革努力失败了。

　　克林顿在一些早期的外交政策行动中也遇到了困难。他在美国军队在索马里的人道主义工作变成血腥的军事斗争后撤出了美国军队。

　　他也因为未能迅速干预卢旺达的种族灭绝行为而受到批评，在那里，数十万人被杀。

　　后来，克林顿因其外交政策而受到赞扬。他的政府在海地发生政变后帮助恢复了当选总统的地位。它还帮助在波斯尼亚和爱尔兰谈判和平协议。并且，它与北约合作，干预科索沃地区，阻止对那里的阿尔巴尼亚人的攻击。

　　总的来说，克林顿认为美国在维护世界和平和保护人类生命方面有重要的角色要发挥。同时，他不想使用太多的美国资源来做这件事。他的目标是与其他国家合作，并设定适度的目标。

　　像往常一样，克林顿采取了一种既不过于极端，也不偏向任何一方的方法。

　　弹劾

　　在他担任总统的大部分时间里，克林顿一直在接受调查。联邦法官任命了一位名叫肯尼斯·斯塔尔的特别顾问，以查明总统在上任前是否犯有任何与金融投资相关的罪行。

　　在调查过程中，斯塔尔得知总统与一位在白宫工作的年轻女性有过性关系。斯塔尔在宣誓下询问了克林顿关于这段恋情的事情。

　　后来，斯塔尔指责克林顿对他与这位女性的关系撒谎。斯塔尔说，克林顿还试图阻止其他人对他的一些行为说出真相。

　　随着时间的推移，总统公开承认了这段关系，并向选民和他的家人道歉。但他说他没有撒谎，也没有让任何人为他撒谎。

　　众议院的议员们并未接受克林顿的辩护。他们提出了两篇弹劾条款。

　　然后，美国参议院的议员们考虑了这个案子。他们的工作是审查证据并决定是否将总统罢免。大多数人不认为克林顿被指控的行为是对国家的严重违反。他们投票决定克林顿无罪，并允许他继续担任总统。

　　遗产

　　在美国，一位总统只能连任两届。在他的第二个任期结束后，比尔·克林顿和他的妻子在纽约市郊外的一个小镇定居。随着时间的推移，希拉里·克林顿成为了纽约州的美国参议员，也曾担任过国务卿和民主党的总统候选人。

　　比尔·克林顿，像许多其他美国总统一样，写了关于他的经历的书，并帮助建立了他的总统图书馆。他还通过他的家族组织克林顿基金会，致力于人道主义、健康和经济问题的工作。

　　对许多人来说，克林顿在任期间的经历是一种混合的体验。那时的经济是美国历史上最强大的时期之一。大多数人都能找到工作，许多美国人首次购买了房屋。特别是在1990年代中期，互联网和其他新的发展创造了一场科技繁荣。

　　此外，克林顿是一位有效的公共演讲者，他激励了新的群体来支持他的民主党。许多选民赞同他任命女性和少数族裔担任政府职务的决定。他们也喜欢他采取的减少手枪使用、保护环境以及为一些人提供带薪休假以照顾自己或家人的措施。

　　但是，无论是民主党人还是共和党人都对克林顿的一些努力提出了批评。甚至他的支持者也注意到，总统在任期内大部分时间都在回应不当行为的指控。

　　我是凯利·吉恩·凯利。

　　凯利·吉恩·凯利为英语学习编写了这个故事。乔治·格罗是编辑。

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　　故事中的词汇

　　impeach - v. 弹劾（公职人员在任期间的犯罪行为）

　　clerk - n. 职员，一种工作是为商业或办公室跟踪记录和文件的人

　　centrist - adj. 持有非极端政治观点的；信仰落在自由派和保守派之间的人