brown university crisis simulation
THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION
BACKGROUND GUIDE
Letters from the Committee directors
Dear Delegates,
I’m so glad that you’ll be participating in Brown University’s Crisis Simulation this year! My name is Jordan
Waller and I am junior at Brown concentrating in Political Science with a focus on International and Comparative Politics. I am looking forward to diving into this year’s Clinton Administration v. Republican Leadership
committee with you as a co-crisis director.
I am involved in several aspects of Model UN here at Brown. In addition to working on BUCS, I also am on the
Secretariat of our high school conference, help plan our weekly meetings, and work with high schoolers on
their Model UN skills. Last year at BUCS I served as one of the Crisis Directors for the Tesla v. Toyota committee.
I think crisis committees are the most engaging form of Model UN, as I find they push delegates to be creative, as well as knowledgeable. This guide will introduce to the topics we expect you to have a grasp of in
committee, but I encourage you both delve more deeply into these topics and to research outside just the
scope of this guide.
I look forward to meeting you and seeing how you take on the roles of each of your respective characters.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions before the conference!
Best,
Jordan Waller
Dear Delegates,
Welcome to Brown University’s Crisis Simulation! My name is Drashti Brahmbhatt and I am a sophomore
concentrating in International Relations and Economics. I am very excited to be co-directing this year’s crisis
committee: The Clinton Administration. I was heavily involved in Model United Nations throughout high
school and continue to do so at Brown, which has given me the opportunity to travel to places such as Philadelphia, Toronto, and the Netherlands for conferences. I am also the VP External for the Brown Model United
Nations General Body.
Enough about me, let’s talk about you! In this committee, we expect each of you to have a solid grasp on
parliamentary procedure, on your position, as well as on the committee topics. I want to learn from you and
I want you to learn from your peers. It is completely okay to be new to Model UN, but I hope that you will
come to this conference well prepared so that we can create substantial and meaningful dialogue. If you
have any questions from now until the conference, please feel free to contact us at our committee email.
Until then,
Drashti Brahmbhatt
2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
3
Rules of Committee
4
Background Information
1994 Midterm Elections
Foreign Policy
4
7
8
Positions Room One: The Clinton Administration
10
Positions Room Two: Congressional Leadership
14
Works Cited
19
3
Rules of Committee
Background Information
Given that all new legislators are sworn in the January after an election year, this committee will begin
in January 1995 at the start of the 104th Congress.
Each committee will be seeking to advance their
party’s respective goals, with an eye towards the upcoming 1996 presidential elections. However, since
bills require passage by both houses of Congress
and a presidential signature to be enacted into law,
cooperation between the two committees will also
be crucial if any legislation is to be passed.
The 1992 presidential election pitted incumbent
Republican President George H.W. Bush against the
Democratic Governor of Arkansas, Bill Clinton. Bush
ran with his vice-president, Dan Quayle, and Clinton
selected Senator Al Gore to be his running mate.2
Clinton decided to make the economy a central campaign issue.3 The saying, “It’s the economy, stupid”
became a widely used mantra for the campaign.4
In addition to the two major party candidates, Ross
Perot decided to run as a third party candidate, also
making the economy central to his platform.5
Since the committee is a crisis committee, debate
will be conducted in a continual moderated caucus.
The Chair will set the speaking time at the beginning, however a delegate may modify the speaking
time at any point throughout the committee sessions. Nonetheless, other forms of debates including
unmoderated caucuses will be entertained by the
chair through a motion between speakers. Delegates must raise their placards to speak and only one
delegate may speak at a time. Decorum is necessary
to produce wholesome debate. A delegate may pass
notes amongst themselves and to the Chair or Director for specific questions. If a delegate would like to
introduce a finished directive, press release, communiqué or send notes to crisis or utilize their portfolio
power, the delegate must address that to the Chair.
As a reminder, no pre-written directives, press releases, or communiqués will be accepted.
Ultimately, Clinton beat Bush resoundingly in the
electoral college, with 370 electoral votes to Bush’s
168. Although the popular vote was closer, Clinton
still won the popular vote with 43.01% to Bush’s
37.45%. Notably, Perot won a sizable portion of the
popular vote with 18.91%.6
Starting in 1992, Clinton’s past had started coming
back to haunt him. Right before the New Hampshire
primary, the Sun tabloid ran a story about a woman
named Gennifer Flowers who claimed to have had
an over decade long affair with Clinton.7 Clinton
had also been embroiled in a lawsuit claiming he
2
“United States presidential election of 1992,” Encyclopedia Britannica, accessed December 22nd, 2016,
https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1992.
3
“The Election of 1992,” PBS, accessed December 22nd,
2016,
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/bush-election92/.
4
Robert J. Samuelson, “It’s still the economy, stupid,”
The Washington Post, published February 3, 2016, https://www.
washingtonpost.com/opinions/its-still-the-economy-stupid/2016/02/03/b47fc5b8-caa0-11e5-ae11-57b6aeab993f_story.html?utm_term=.ce05a4ab1882.
5
“The Election of 1992,” PBS.
6
“Federal Elections 92: Election Results for the U.S. President, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives,”
Federal Election Commission, published June, 1993, http://
www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe1992/federalelections92.pdf.
7
Charles Truehart, “Little Rock, still soft on Clinton,” The
Washington Post, first published January 31st, 1992,
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/little-rock-stillsoft-on-clinton/2016/07/22/f4010940-5047-11e6-a7d813d06b37f256_story.html.
For the Clinton Administration crisis committees,
position papers are required. Please write well-researched, well-written, and thought out papers.
This will particularly help you in consolidating your
research and getting to know not only the topic
but also your individual characters. Please write 2
double-spaced pages on the topic as well as your
role. Cite your sources using Chicago-style citations
and be sure to have works cited page, which is not
included in the length requirement. Each delegate
must present a position paper by February 28 in
order to receive an award. Please email a completed
position paper with a works cited to [email protected].
4
had used government funds to conduct affairs while
governor of Arkansas.8 Though he successfully
deflected them initially, such scandals would continue to haunt Clinton for the rest of the election and
beyond.
Two of Clinton’s biggest legislative priorities when
he took office were health care reform and social
welfare reform.14
13
Clinton accomplished a fair amount in his first one
hundred days. He notably “steered his $1.5 trillion
budget through Congress in record time,” worked
with Boris Yeltsin, and passed a family leave bill and
loosed abortion restrictions.15 With the Democratic
majority in both houses, the 103rd Congress was a
productive one for Clinton’s legislative agenda. In
November of 1993, Clinton signed the Brady Act.
This act was a crucial piece of gun control legislation,
“requiring a background check before the purchase
of a handgun and establishing a National Instant
Check System.”16 Prior to passage in 1993, it had been
under debate for seven years.
In response to the Reagan revolution of the 1980’s, a
third way movement emerged within the Democratic party called the New Democrats. Self described
centrists, these democrats promised welfare reform
alongside abortion rights.9 In 1992, Bill Clinton
flaunted this moderate label to appeal to middle-class workers, especially the “Reagan Democrats”
who had left the party in recent years. He would go
on to declare in his 1996 State of the Union address
that, “The era of Big Government is over.”10 As such,
Clinton’s agenda was often moderate, adopting free
trade ideals such as in NAFTA, promoting welfare
reform, and pushing for a balanced budget.11
In December of 1993, Congress ratified the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Much
of the deal had been negotiated under the Bush
administration, and during the campaign Clinton
offered hesitant support for the agreement. Clinton
highlighted concerns about weak labor and environmental standards in the initial drafts. These concerns
were shared by environmental groups who were
particularly worried about inadequate anti-pollution
provisions. Once he was elected, however, Clinton
did manage to negotiate slightly stronger terms on
labor and environmental issues. Ultimately, Clinton
submitted NAFTA and related side agreements to
Congress to achieve its ratification.17
In addition to the election of Bill Clinton, 1992 was
an important year for the Democrats in both House
and Senate races. In the 1992 congressional elections, which determined the composition of the
103rd Congress, Democrats were able to maintain
their majority in both the House and the Senate,
which would prove important for the new president’s ability to pass parts of his legislative agenda.12
8
Julian Zelizer, “Bill Clinton’s nearly forgotten 1992
sex scandal, “ CNN, updated April 6th, 2016, http://www.cnn.
com/2016/04/06/opinions/zelizer-presidential-election-campaign-scandals-bill-clinton/.
9
Robert Pear, “The 1992 Campaign: Platform; In a Final
Draft, Democrats Reject a Part of Their Past,” The New York
Times, published June 26, 1992,
http://www.nytimes.com/1992/06/26/us/1992-campaign-platform-final-draft-democrats-reject-part-their-past.html.
10
Jamie Fuller, “The 3rd most memorable State of the
Union Address: Bye Bye Big Government,” The Washington Post,
published January 26, 2014, https://www.washingtonpost.com/
news/the-fix/wp/2014/01/26/the-3rd-most-memorable-stateof-the-union-address-bye-bye-big-government/.
11
John Heilemann, “The Architect of Four More Years,”
The New Yorker, published October14, 1996, http://www.
newyorker.com/magazine/1996/10/14/the-architect-of-fourmore-years.
12
Adam Clymer, “The 1992 Elections: Congress - The
New Congress; Democrats Promise Quick Action on a Clinton
Plan,” The New York Times, published November 5, 1992, http://
www.nytimes.com/1992/11/05/nyregion/1992-elections-con-
gress-new-congress-democrats-promise-quick-action-clintonplan.html?pagewanted=all.
13
“Bill Clinton’s Hundred Days,” The New York Times,
published April 29,1993, http://www.nytimes.com/1993/04/29/
opin
14
Daniel Béland and Alex Waddan, “What Third Way?
Clinton, New Democrats, and Social Policy Reform,” Paper
presented at Hofstra University conference reexamining the
Clinton presidency, Hempstead, NY, November 2005, http://
www.hofstra.edu/pdf/clinton_beland.pdf.
15
“Bill Clinton’s Hundred Days.”
16
“The clinton Presidency: Eight Years of Peace, Progress
and Prosperity, The White House, accessed December 22nd,
2016,
https://clinton5.nara.gov/WH/Accomplishments/eightyears-02.
html.
17
Tom Long, “Echoes of 1992: The NAFTA Negotiations
5
NAFTA, upon its institution, was primarily concerned
with removing trade barriers between member
nations, the United States, Canada and Mexico. It
proposed eliminating all tariffs, except those protecting certain sensitive sectors of United States imports,
over a span of 15 years. NAFTA also promoted the
liberalization of the services trade between member
states. Under the agreement, service providers were
granted nondiscriminatory treatment among other
privileges. The section of the agreement concerned
with the services trade did contain a few country
specific exclusions. Other goals of NAFTA included
the reduction of barriers to foreign investments and
to protect NAFTA investors and the increased protection of international property rights. Lastly, NAFTA
included specific provisions to deal with the settlement of disputes in both foreign investments and
between member countries, and called upon just
procedures concerning government procurement.
decrease in income disparity, and improved working
conditions. Supporters also applauded the possibility of an increased variety of goods and services at
lower prices. They tailored this argument to consumers and the general public to try to win support,
arguing for the increased living standards these
more affordable goods would bring. The United
States Chamber of Commerce was also a large supporter of NAFTA which felt the agreement supported
the interests of American small businesses.19
The side agreements concerning both the environment and labor practices aim to promote cooperation on the issues between the member states and
enforce the individual laws of each country. The
United States and Mexico also entered into a bilateral agreement to try to rectify the situation of the
degradation of land on the border countries due to
increased economic activity in that area.18
In September of 1994, Clinton signed several important pieces of legislation. Notably, he signed the
now much maligned Violent Crime Control Act. This
bill emphasized punitive measures and fit into the
“tough-on-crime rhetoric of the 1990s.”21 Additionally, the bill came into effect with a large price tag.
Overall, over $30 billion in funding was allocated by
Those who were opposed to NAFTA were concerned
American businesses would relocate to Mexico for
cheaper labor and production costs. One of NAFTA’s
opponents, at that time the House Majority Whip,
David E. Bonior, felt NAFTA would also bring about
a system allowing Mexico to exploit its own people
economically and deny workers humane conditions
in a betrayal of human rights.20
19
“North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA),” inc.
com http://www.inc.com/encyclopedia/north-american-freetrade-agreement-nafta.html
20
James Gerstenzang and Michael Ross, “House Passes
NAFTA, 234-200 : Clinton Hails Vote as Decision ‘Not to Retreat’ :
Congress: Sometimes bitter debate over the trade pact reflects
hard-fought battle among divided Democrats. Rapid approval
is expected in the Senate.” The Los Angeles Times, November
18, 1993.
http://articles.latimes.com/1993-11-18/news/mn-58150_1_
trade-pact.
NAFTA was primarily supported by Republicans, as
more Republicans voted for the ratification of NAFTA
in both the House of Representatives and the Senate
than Democrats. More Democrats voted against
NAFTA than those who voted for it.
Supporters of NAFTA believed that more jobs would
be created, because there would be new export
opportunities in Mexico, which meant that new markets would be open to American businesses. This in
turn would lead to increased production efficiency, a
21
Years later, this bill has been credited with
contributing to a huge increase in the prison population in the United States, and the policies within the
bill have had a disproportionate impact on communities of color. Carri Johnson, “20 Years Later, Parts Of
Major Crime Bill Viewed As A Terrible Mistake,” National Public Radio, published September 12th, 2014,
http://www.npr.org/2014/09/12/347736999/20years-later-major-crime-bill-viewed-as-terrible-mistake.
and North American Now,” Wilson Center, published December
17th, 2014,
https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/echoes-1992-thenafta-negotiations-and-north-america-now.
18
Ian F Fergusson and M. Angeles Villarreal, The North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), (Congressional
Research Service, April 16, 2015), https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/
row/R42965.pdf.
6
the government. From this $30 billion, $2.6 billion
would go to strengthening federal law enforcement,
$10.8 billion dollars would be used for strengthening
state and local law enforcement branches including
the hiring of additional police, approximately $7.1
billion would be put towards crime prevention programs, and the remaining $9.7 billion would be put
towards building new prisons. 22
mediately after taking office, Clinton sought to find
policy solutions to cover these individuals. In September, 1993 he introduced the central goals of his
healthcare plan--universal coverage and managed
competition--to Congress in a speech. The administration justified the cost of universal coverage by
highlighting the fact that emergency treatment for
the uninsured was more expensive. At the time the
bill was introduced, the United States had a “mixed
system of health care.”26 While federally funded programs like Medicare and Medicaid existed, the majority of physicians and insurance companies were in
the private sector.
The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act
planned to save $30 billion in the span of 6 years by
reducing the federal workforce by around 270,000
employees, and the reduction of funding for certain
government departments. These savings would
then be placed in the newly created Violent Crime
Reduction Trust Fund to ensure they would only
be used to carry out the provisions outlined in the
act. However, even with this program, there would
be a need for grants from outside sources to supply
around an additional $500 million.23
1994 Midterm Elections
After controlling Congress and the White House
for the first time in 12 years, the Democratic party
entered the 1994 midterm elections with a 23%
congressional approval rating and a popular discontent with the nation’s economy and high level
of unemployment still present.27 28 The combination
of lingering effects from the 1990-1991 economic
recession, high unemployment and wealth inequality, and overall protest against high taxes, affirmative action, and assault weapons regulations led to
high disapproval ratings in the Democrat-controlled
congress amongst white male voters. This discontent
and disapproval provided an opportunity for conservative Republican politicians to overthrow Democrat
House and Senate incumbents and take control of
Congress in the 1994 midterm election.29
In September of 1994, Clinton also signed into law a
federal assault weapons ban. The bill banned nineteen models of assault weapons. However, the bill
was not a perpetual ban and was set to expire in
2004 unless reauthorized by Congress.24
Despite victories in policy areas as controversial as
gun control and free trade, the Clinton administration suffered a large legislative blow with its failure
to pass its health care reform bill. When Clinton was
running for president in 1992, there were 35.7 million Americans who were uninsured.25 Almost im-
26
James P. Pfiffner, “President Clinton’s Healthcare Reform Proposals of 1994,” Center for the Study of the Presidency
and Congress, http://cspc.nonprofitsoapbox.com/storage/documents/President_Clintons_Health_Care_Reform_Proposals.
pdf.
22
Jessica Lussenhop, “Clinton crime bill: Why is it so
controversial?,” BBC News Magazine, April 18, 2016,
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-36020717.
23
Clifton Curry, “The Federal Crime Bill: What Will it Mean
for California?” Policy Brief, September 27, 1994. http://www.
lao.ca.gov/1994/pb092794.html.
24
The Associated Press, “Congress lets assault weapons ban expire,” NBC News, September 13, 2004. http://www.
nbcnews.com/id/5946127/ns/politics/t/congress-lets-assaultweapons-ban-expire/#.V7pzX5MrLq0.
25
Robert Pear, “THE 1992 CAMPAIGN: ISSUES -- Health
Care; Bush and Clinton Aren’t Saying It, But Health-Care Taxes
Are Likely,” The New York Times, October 18, 1992. http://www.
nytimes.com/1992/10/18/us/1992-campaign-issues-healthcare-bush-clinton-aren-t-saying-it-but-health-care.html?pagewanted=all.
27
“1994 Midterm Elections.” 1994 Midterm Elections Timeline - Slaying the Dragon of Debt - Regional Oral History
Office - University of California, Berkeley. N.p., n.d. Web. 17
Nov. 2016. <http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/ROHO/projects/
debt/1994midtermelection.html>.
28
Gallup, Inc. “Gallup Review: The Midterm Election.”
Gallup.com. N.p., 28 Apr. 2006. Web. 17 Nov. 2016. <http://
www.gallup.com/poll/22597/gallup-review-midterm-election.aspx>.
29
Melanie Anne Cooper, “United States: The 1994
Midterm Elections in 1994,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last updated December 6th, 1994, https://www.britannica.com/topic/1994-midterm-Elections-616578.
7
of 1994 gave the Republican party control of both
houses of Congress for the first time since 1954 and
paved the way for the onset of a nationwide conservative mood and ideological transformation in the
American people.
Seeing the anti-incumbent sentiment in the general
population, House Minority Whip, Newt Gingrich,
set off with the objective of unifying the Republican
party under a common political platform and agenda in order to nationalize the congressional election
and make the first Republican majority in the House
of Representatives since 1954 come to fruition. With
Representative Dick Armey of Texas, Newt Gingrich
drafted the “Contract with America” that detailed the
Republican agenda promising to shrink governmental jurisdiction, enact lower taxes, and address tort
and welfare reform. To draft the document, Gingrich
and Armey consulted with Republican candidates,
focus groups, and political think tanks to determine which issues to address and what solutions
to propose and promise the American people.30 By
collaborating with candidates and focus groups, the
writers of the “Contract with America” decided to
avoid addressing contentious issues such as abortion and school prayer.Additionally, they approached
other issues that would require detailed explanation
on budget effects and actions, such as changes in
the welfare system and defense commitments and
appropriations, with vague solutions.31 By proposing
solutions and addressing issues in this fashion, the
Republican party was capable of attracting Republican voters without frightening moderate voters
or engendering divisions in the Republican party.
After being introduced to the American people on
September 27, 1994, the “Contract with America” was
seen as a strategic mistake on the Republican Party’s
part.32
Foreign Policy
The Clinton Administration faced numerous challenges in regards to foreign policy due to the recent
collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.34 Many states,
but particularly the United States, felt a degree of
uncertainty after the Cold War. Consequently, Bill
Clinton had to adjust and rethink the United States’
role in the international community, especially in response to the post-Cold War atmosphere. During his
time in office, Clinton centered his foreign policy on
two main areas of the world: Africa and the Balkans.
The Soviet Union came into existence in 1917 and
fell at the end of 1991.35 It replaced an oppressive
czarist regime with a state following Vladimir Lenin’s Marxist ideologies. After the death of Lenin in
1924, Stalin took hold of the USSR and transitioned
towards a more authoritarian form of government.
36
During World War II, the USSR sided with the U.S.
and other Allied Forces in the fight against the Axis
Powers and won. Consequently, both the USSR and
the U.S. emerged as the world’s leading powers.
However, tensions were already present and began
to increase. The U.S. had concerns regarding the
spread of Communism while the USSR had ideological differences with the U.S. In 1953 with the death
of Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev came into power and
reversed many of Stalin’s stringent policies. Nonetheless, he soon was ousted by Leonid Brezhnev who
implemented an aggressive foreign policy including
the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan. Eventually, Mikhail
Gorbachev came into power and implemented a
policy called Glasnost which lead to a more transparent way of running government.37 Despite these
reforms, many of the Soviet Union’s republics began
to secede as result of economic issues. By the end
of 1991, the Soviet Union had collapsed and split
However, six weeks later, during the midterm elections of 1994, Congress witnessed a historic moment
with a massive number of Democrat incumbent
defeats, the absence of a single defeat by all Republican incumbents, and the net gain of 53 Republican
seats in the House of Representatives and 7 Republican seats in the U.S. Senate.33 The midterm election
30
James Fallows, “Washington and the Contract With
America,” http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/jfnpr/jfreview.htm
31
Ibid.
32
Ibid
33
Cooper, “United States: The 1994 Midterm Elections in
1994,” https://www.britannica.com/topic/1994-midterm-Elections-616578.
34
History.com Staff, “Fall of the Soviet Union,” http://
www.history.com/topics/cold-war/fall-of-soviet-union
35
Ibid.
36
Ibid.
37
Ibid.
8
into several post-Soviet states: Armenia, Azerbaijan,
Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Clinton, as the
President of the US, had to decide what relationship
the US would have with the Russian Federation, the
USSR’s successor, going forward.38
The Hutu, who controlled the government, actively
murdered roughly 800,000 people of the Tutsi tribe,
their defenders, and moderate Hutus.44 Consequently, the UN and nations across the world officially
recognized this as a genocide, and many believe that
it was a government sponsored genocide. However,
soon the tables turned, and in July the Rwandan
Patriotic Front, which was heavily Tutsi concentrated,
took power.45 This resulted in the displacement of
nearly two million Hutus to neighboring countries
where they reside in refugee camps. In these camps,
approximately 200,000 Hutus died from starvation
and illness.46
Another part of the world the Clinton administration
took interest in was Africa. America’s involvement in
both Somalia and Rwanda is widely seen, in hindsight, as a foreign policy blunder on Clinton’s part.
A few weeks before Clinton took office, George
H.W. Bush had sent American troops to Mogadishu,
the capital city of Somalia, in hopes of providing
support to civilians during the large and dangerous civil war.39 The troops aided in protecting food
and supplies for the civilians during the war period.
Nonetheless, the situation grew worse as several
American soldiers were killed in Mogadishu in 1993
due to their involvement.40 Clinton actually sent
more troops to continue the mission; however, in
1994 he was forced to withdraw following a shift in
public opinion.41
Although violent killings became rampant, there was
barely any international involvement or aid. Clinton
and the American government were hesitant about
taking direct action so soon after their failed mission
in Somalia. The CIA and the American government
had full intelligence and documented daily reports
on the situation, and thus were fully aware of the
genocide taking place.47 There were clear human
rights violations, which is a reason the U.S. would
typically intervene for. Yet, they did not initially intervene due to a lack of national interests in Rwanda.
A few months later, Clinton sent American troops
and relief supplies, some of which actually went to
the Hutus who were involved in the genocide. The
Clinton administration received heavy criticism on
their slow and inadequate reaction to the genocide,
despite knowing what was happening. In 1998 when
Clinton visited Africa, he apologized for the American government’s inaction and admitted that it was
wrong.48
The second part of the world that was a large focus
in the Clinton Administration’s foreign policy was the
Balkans. Initially, Clinton decided not to play a large
role in the affairs of the Balkan states.49 It was primar-
The failure was due to several factors including a
poorly organized UN operation, a lack of coordination, and a lack of preparation. Even though the
American troops were in some cases successful in
providing food security, they could not ensure peace
for the coming years. After the American troops and
the UN left Somalia, local warlords increased their
grasp on parts of life in Somalia and prevented a
democratic government from forming.42
Rwanda was another foreign policy blunder. During
April of 1994, Rwanda experienced mass violence
between two ethnic groups: the Hutu and Tutsi.43
38
US Department of State, “200 Years of U.S.-Russia Rela-
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/31/usa.rwanda
44
Ibid.
45
William Ferroggiaro, “The US and the Genocide in
Rwanda 1994,” http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB53/
46
History.com Staff, “The Rwandan Genocide,” http://
www.history.com/topics/rwandan-genocide
47
Rory Carroll, “U.S. Chose to Ignore Rwandan Genocide,”
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/31/usa.rwanda
48
Miller Center of Public Affairs, “Bill Clinton: Foreign
Affairs,” http://millercenter.org/president/biography/clinton-foreign-affairs
49
Ibid.
tions,” http://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/rs/200years/
39
NPR Staff, “What a Downed Black Hawk in Somalia
Taught America,” http://www.npr.org/2013/10/05/229561805/
what-a-downed-black-hawk-in-somalia-taught-america
40
Staff, “Battle of Mogadishu,” http://www.militaryfactory.com/battles/battle_of_mogadishu.asp
41
Richard Stewart, “The United States Army in Somalia,”
http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/somalia/somalia.htm
42
Miller Center of Public Affairs, “Bill Clinton: Foreign
Affairs,” http://millercenter.org/president/biography/clinton-foreign-affairs
43
Rory Carroll, “U.S. Chose to Ignore Rwandan Genocide,”
9
Positions Room One:
The Clinton Administration
ily an ethnic conflict between the Bosnian Muslims,
Croats, and Serbs. Mass human rights violations took
place from all three sides, however the Bosnian Muslims were in particular targeted. The Clinton Doctrine
stated that the US and allies would intervene in the
face of large human rights violations such as genocide. However, the Clinton Administration did not
initially intervene in Rwanda despite the genocide,
which forced Clinton to reevaluate the US role in
the Balkans so that history would not repeat itself.50
Eventually, Clinton received great international
pressure and media pressure to play a greater role
because of the outright crimes committed against
Bosniaks.51
There were two sides of the U.S. response. One part
included the Clinton administration alongside the
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) taking a
forceful approach by bombing Bosnian Serbs. The
second part witnessed diplomatic efforts through
Richard Holbrooke, Assistant Secretary of State for
European Affairs. Holbrooke called for peace and
collaboration between the three distinct groups.52
These two efforts in concert, finally brought peace
to the region. Clinton created the Dayton Peace
Accords which outlined concrete solutions such as
employing a peacekeeping force in the region and
free elections, eventually leading to independence
movements that would break up Yugoslavia.53 As a
direct result, Clinton received praise from the international community and many thought that the U.S.
played an instrumental role in bringing peace to the
region through the Dayton Peace Accords. 54
50
Vice President: Al Gore
A Harvard- and Vanderbilt-educated former senator
and four term member of the House of Representatives, Gore is a moderate Democrat from Tennessee
with a concern for the environment and free trade.
Al Gore enlisted in the army in 1969 despite being
against the Vietnam War, and served in Vietnam in
the 20th engineer Brigade in Bien Hoa and at the
Army Engineer Command in Long Binh. He had
an unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1988 and
served in the senate until becoming Vice President in
1992. In 1991, Gore was one of only ten democrats
in the Senate to vote for the use of force against Iraq
in the Persian Gulf War. Additionally, as Vice President, he was a supporter of the North American Free
Trade Agreement.55 56
First Lady: Hillary Clinton
FP Editors, “Think Again: Clinton’s Foreign Policy,”
http://foreignpolicy.com/2009/11/19/think-again-clintons-foreign-policy/
51
Miller Center of Public Affairs, “Bill Clinton: Foreign
Affairs,” http://millercenter.org/president/biography/clinton-foreign-affairs
52
Ibid.
53
Ibid.
54
“The Legacy of the Clinton Administration,” http://
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/general-article/clinton-legacy/
A graduate of Wellesley College and Yale Law School,
Hillary Clinton began her career as an activist in
college and a member of the Board of Editors of Yale
Law Review and Social Action. She later obtained
a job with the Children’s Defense Fund in Massachusetts. Clinton served as first lady of Arkansas
beginning in 1978 for a non-consecutive 12 years.
As First Lady of the United States beginning in 1992,
Clinton was given the position of head of the National Task Force on Health Care Reform until 1994.
In this position she fought for the Children’s Health
Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families
Act and pushed for more funding for cancer research
and treatment. Additionally, as First Lady, Clinton
supported the Brady Bill and a ban on assault weapons.57 58
55
“Al Gore,” last modified 2009, http://www.history.com/
topics/al-gore.
56
“Al Gore: Vice President of the United States,” https://
www.britannica.com/biography/Al-Gore.
57
“Hillary Clinton,” https://www.whitehousehistory.org/
bios/hillary-clinton.
58
“Hillary Rodham Clinton,” last modified 2009, http://
www.history.com/topics/first-ladies/hillary-rodham-clinton.
10
White House Chief of Staff: Leon Panetta
The son of Italian immigrants, Panetta brings his
military background and economic knowledge as
previous Director of the Office of Management and
Budget to his position as President Clinton’s Chief of
Staff. As Chief of Staff, Panetta strives for more organization in the White House and the establishment
of a chain of command. He also maintains a close
relationship with First Lady Hillary Clinton and was a
key influencer in the creation of President Clinton’s
economic plan.59 60 61
Secretary of State: Warren Christopher
Secretary of State Christopher first entered the world
of politics as a lawyer from 1950 to 1967. In those
years, he was an essential negotiator of international treaties for the Department of State. In 1980,
Christopher helped reach a settlement in the Iranian
Hostage Crisis. Appointed Secretary of State in 1992,
Christopher encouraged peace talks between Israel,
Jordan and the Palestinians and he helped facilitate
the Oslo Accords and Israel-Jordan treaties of 1993
and 1994. 62 63
Secretary of the Treasury: Robert Rubin
Rubin began his work in the Clinton Administration
in 1993 when he was hired as Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council. Prior to joining the administration, he had worked as an attorney and had worked
59
“The Clinton Years,” last modified 2000, http://www.
pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/clinton/interviews/panetta3.html.
60
“The Budget: Problems and Process,” last modified
2000, http://globetrotter.berkeley.edu/people/Panetta/panetta-con3.html.
61
“Leon E. Panetta: Former Secretary of Defense,”http://
www.defense.gov/About-DoD/Biographies/Biography-View/
Article/602799.
62
Bart Barnes, “Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher, who negotiated settlement to Iran hostage crisis,
dies at 85,” The Washington Post, March 19, 2011. Accessed
October 29, 2016. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/
obituaries/former-secretary-of-state-warren-christopher-diesat-85/2010/09/21/ABCPk6t_story.html.
63
“Biographies of the Secretaries of State: Warren Minor
Christopher (1925–2011),” https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/christopher-warren-minor.
at Goldman Sachs. In 1995, Rubin became Secretary
of the Treasury.64 The Treasury is responsible for crafting and administering a variety of policies that affect
the nation’s economy, including but not limited to,
printing money, collecting tax revenue, and managing public U.S. debt.65 To this end, the Treasury also
plays a significant role in “advising on domestic and
international financial, monetary, economic, trade
and tax policy”.66
Secretary of Defense: William Perry
A former Business man and Lieutenant, Perry
stepped into the position of Secretary of Defense in
1994 after many years of experience. He was previously the Deputy Secretary of Defense from 1993 to
1994 and Undersecretary of Defense for Research
and Engineering from 1977 to 1981. William Perry
was very involved in the development of nuclear
forces during the Cold War and was sent for as a secret advisor during the Cuban Missile Crisis.67 68 69
Attorney General: Janet Reno
A graduate of Cornell University and Harvard Law
School, Janet Reno served as the first female Attorney General starting from 1993.70 She earned
her reputation as State Attorney for what is now
Miami-Dade County, most notably by engaging in a
crusade against against child abuse.71 In 1980 Reno
64
“Robert E. Rubin,” Council on Foreign Relations, http://
www.cfr.org/staff/b292.
65
“Duties & Functions of the U.S. Department of the
Treasury,” U.S. Department of the Treasury, last modified April
22, 2016, https://www.treasury.gov/about/role-of-treasury/Pages/default.aspx.
66
Ibid.
67
“William J. Perry: Senior Fellow,” http://www.hoover.
org/profiles/william-j-perry.
68
“William J. Perry: Emeritus Board Member,” http://
www.nti.org/about/leadership-staff/william-perry/.
69
Robert Burns. “ Former Pentagon Chief Perry: Nuclear
Dangers Are Growing” Military Times, December 29, 2015. Accessed October 29, 1016. http://www.militarytimes.com/story/
military/pentagon/2015/12/29/former-pentagon-chief-perry-nuclear-dangers-growing/78015460/.
70
“Attorney General: Janet Reno,” Department of Justice,
last modified November 4, 2014, Accessed October 30, 2016,
https://www.justice.gov/ag/bio/reno-janet.
71
Transcript of Frontline Episode “Did Daddy Do It?,”
PBS, April 25, 2005, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/
11
prosecuted a group of white police officers accused
of beating a black former marine and insurance
salesman to death. Their acquittal led to the 1980
Miami Race Riots.72 Her tenure has been rife with
social controversy and she has found few friends
among both Democrats and Republicans.
of Central Intelligence is “head of the Intelligence
Community (all foreign intelligence agencies of the
United States)” and is responsible for heading the
Central Intelligence Agency.76
Secretary of Health and Human Services: Donna
Shalala
After joining the Foreign Service, Anthony Lake
then went and got a PhD from the Woodrow Wilson
School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton. He then transitioned back into public service,
serving as Director of Policy and Planning for President Carter. He has been working with the Clintons
since the presidential campaign, during which he
served as a foreign policy advisor. In 1993, he was
appointed to National Security Advisor.77 The National Security Advisor is responsible for giving the
president advice on the best national security policy,
domestically and internationally, and can be expected to present a wide-ranging, holistic view to the
president.
Shalala holds a PhD from The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. Before she was appointed Secretary of Health and Human Services, she spent a significant amount of time
in academia, serving in a variety of roles including
Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
President Clinton appointed her Secretary of Health
and Human Services in 1993.73 The Department of
Health and Human Services performs a variety of
tasks in pursuit of its missing to provide “effective
health and human services and fostering advances
in medicine, public health, and social services.”74 HHS
helps implement HIPAA regulations, helps administer social services including childcare and Medicare,
and serves as a public health resource.75
Director of Central Intelligence: John M Deutch
Deutch holds a PhD in physical chemistry, which
is surprising to many who only know him as member of the defense and intelligence community. He
worked extensively in the Department of Energy
from 1977-1980 and in 1993 went to work for the
Department of Defense, before being promoted to
Deputy Secretary of Defense in 1994. In 1995, he
became Director of Central Intelligence. The Director
shows/fuster/etc/script.html.
72
Jane Mayer, “Janet Reno, Alone,” New Yorker, December 1, 1997,
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1997/12/01/janet-reno-alone.
73
“Donna E. Shalala,” Brookings, accessed December
22nd, 2016,
https://www.brookings.edu/experts/donna-e-shalala/.
74
“About HHS,” U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, http://www.hhs.gov/about/.
75
“Programs and Services,” U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, http://www.hhs.gov/programs/index.
html
National Security Advisor: Anthony Lake
Head of FBI: Louis Freeh
Louis Freeh served as an FBI Special Agent, a U.S.
Attorney, and a federal judge before working as
Director of the FBI. A former Eagle Scout,78 his work
included acting as principal courtroom attorney
against the Sicilian mafia in the “Pizza Connection”
case of the mid 1980s.79 As head of the FBI, he was
often in favor of expanding policing powers at the
possible expense of civil liberties.80 Though generally well-respected, Freeh resigned in June 2001
after the arrest of Soviet and later Russian spy Robert
76
“John. M. Deutch,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Department of Chemistry, last modified April 1, 2013,
http://web.mit.edu/chemistry/deutch/biography.html.
77
“Anthony Lake,” UNICEF, last modified April 26, 2010,
https://www.unicef.org/media/media_53427.html.
78
“Distinguished Eagle Scouts,” Boy Scouts of America,
Accessed October 30, 2016,
http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/02-529.pdf.
79
“Louis J. Freeh, September 1, 1993 - June 25, 2001,”
Federal Bureau of Investigation, Accessed October 30, 2016,
https://www.fbi.gov/history/directors/louis-j-freeh.
80
A. Michael Froomkin, The Metaphor is the Key:
Cryptography, The Clipper Chip, and the Constitution, (Miami:
University of Miami School of Law, 1995), Accessed October 30,
2016, http://osaka.law.miami.edu/~froomkin/articles/clipper.
htm.
12
Senate Minority Leader: Tom Daschle
Hanssen who had worked for the FBI for over twenty
five years.81
Daschle first elected to represent South Dakota in
the U.S. Senate in 1986. Before being elected to the
Senate, he had previously served in the Air Force,
worked as a staffer on the Senate side, and been a
member of the U.S. House of Representatives for
eight years. As Senator, he sat on the Finance Committee and sat on the Democratic Policy Committee.
He was thought to be “generally liberal on economic
matters and moderate on social issues”. Daschle’s
election to Senate Minority Leader in 1994 was extremely close.85 As Senate Minority Leader, Daschle
is responsible for leading the Democratic caucus
within the Senate and promoting its agenda.
Director of the Office of Management and Budget: Alice M. Rivlin
Rivlin has extensive training in economics, holding
both an undergraduate degree and PhD in the topic.
She is a well published author and also helped found
the Congressional Budget Office. In 1993, she took
her expertise to the executive branch when she was
appointed Director of the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB).82 The OMB is the “implementation
and enforcement arm of Presidential policy government-wide,” and plays a critical role in overseeing
government agencies, planning budgets, and executing the federal budget.83
Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors:
Martin N. Bailey
Chair of the Democratic National Committee
(DNC): Chris Dodd
Bailey was one of Clinton’s senior economic advisors in the 1990s. Bailey earned his undergraduate
degree at Cambridge and a Ph.D. in economics from
MIT. He was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute
and taught at both MIT and Yale. He served on the
Council of Economic Advisors from 1994 to 1996 and
was appointed its Chairman in 1999. As chairman,
Bailey was both an economic advisor and a cabinet
member.86
A member of a political family (his father was a US
congressman and Senator), Dodd joined the Peace
Corps out of college and then later served in the
U.S., National Guard, and reserves. He received a law
degree and eventually opened up his own practice
in Connecticut, before being elected to represent
a Connecticut district in the U.S. House in 1974. In
1980, Dodd was elected to the Senate to represent
Connecticut. As a politician, he was particularly
interested in “child welfare, fiscal reform, and education”. In 1995, while still serving as a senator, he
was elected Chair of the DNC. As Chair of the DNC,
Dodd is responsible for overseeing the body, which
performs a variety of tasks including, “governing the
Democratic party,” promoting the party’s platform,
raising money, and coordinating “strategy to support
candidates throughout the country for local, state,
and national office.”84
81
Press Secretary: Mike McCurry
“Another Blow To The Bureau,” CBS News, May 13,
2001, Accessed October 30, 2016, http://www.cbsnews.com/
news/another-blow-to-the-bureau/.
82
“Alice M. Rivlin,” Brookings Institute, https://www.
brookings.edu/experts/alice-m-rivlin/.
83
“The Mission and Structure of the Office of Management and Budget
,” The White House, accessed December 1, 2016, https://www.
whitehouse.gov/omb/organization_mission.
84
“The Democratic National Committee,” The Democratic
Party, accessed December 1, 2016, https://www.democrats.org/
Mike McCurry has extensive background in political
communications. He worked as a press secretary for
the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources, as well as serving as press secretary for two
senators.87 He later served as director of communication for the DNC, and from 1993 to 1995 worked in
communications at the State Department.88 He came
into the Clinton White House in 1995.89 As press
secretary, he is one of the public faces of the adminorganization/the-democratic-national-committee.
85
“Tom Daschle,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified
July 1, 2011, https://www.britannica.com/biography/TomDaschle.
86
“Martin Neil Bailey,” Brookings, Accessed October 31,
2016, https://www.brookings.edu/experts/martin-neil-baily/.
87
“Mike McCurry,” Politico, accessed December 1, 2016,
http://www.politico.com/arena/bio/mike_mccurry.html.
88
Ibid.
89
Ibid.
13
Gingrich’s Chief of Staff: Arne Christenson
istration, and is responsible for explaining policy and
administration to the press.
Positions Room Two:
Congressional leadership
Senate Majority Leader: Bob Dole
A veteran of WWII, Bob Dole worked his way through
state offices until becoming a senator from Kansas
in 1968. He was chairman of the RNC from 1971 to
1973, became Senate Minority Leader in 1987, and
transitioned to Senate Majority Leader in 1995 after
the Republican Revolution.90 Dole was a standard
fiscal and social conservative, opposed to entitlements as well as abortion. He worked with Newt
Gingrich to oppose the Clinton White House, and
would step down as senator to run against Clinton’s
reelection in 1996.91
Senate Majority Whip: Trent Lott
Trent Lott began his career as a lawyer in Mississippi
in 1967, but decided shortly after to work as a congressional staffer to Mississippi Congressman William
Colmer in Washington, D.C. In 1972, Lott himself
was elected to fill Colmer’s seat in the U.S. House of
Representatives. In the House, he served as Minority
Whip. While still serving in the House, Lott decided
to run for Senate in 1988, and won his race. In 1994,
Lott was elected to the position of Senate majority whip.92 As Majority Whip, Lott is responsible for
shoring up support among Republican members to
ensure that they support the Republican leadership’s
agenda.93
90
“Bob Dole,” Encyclopedia Britannica, last modified May
27, 2016, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Bob-Dole.
91
Richard L. Berke, “Dole Says He Will Leave Senate to
Focus on Presidential Race,” The New York Times, May 16, 1996,
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/05/16/us/politics-overviewdole-says-he-will-leave-senate-focus-presidential-race.html.
92
CNN Library, “Trent Lott Fast Facts,” CNN, last modified
September 21, 2016, http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/02/us/
trent-lott-fast-facts/.
93
Christopher Beam, “Cool Whip - What does a congressional ‘whip’ actually do?,” Slate, last modified March 3, 2010,
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explain-
In the time immediately prior to Christenson’s appointment to Chief of Staff, Christenson was the
Chief Lobbyist for the American Israel Public Affairs
Committee from 1992 - 1994. Before his stint as the
first non-Jewish legislative director in the AIPAC,
Christenson also served as Chief of Staff for former
Republican Representative Vin Weber of Minnesota and legislative director for former Senator Rudy
Boschwitz of Minnesota. Jewish activists perceive
Christenson’s employment with Gingrich as an advantage for their platform, agenda, and relationship
with Speaker of the House Gingrich. Christenson,
however, states that he is solely in the office to help
assist the ideas and agenda of Gingrich rather than
those of the Jewish community, despite joining the
AIPAC back in 1992 with the intentions of strengthening Republican ties with the AIPAC. In Gingrich’s
office, Christenson’s roles and duties will be heavily
associated with matters and issues regarding budget
and spending, while personally overseeing the work
and duties of staffers in Gingrich’s office. Due to the
fact that Chief of Staff directly reports to the Speaker
of the House, Christenson will be in very close relations with Gingrich and will have the power to make
personnel decisions and policy initiatives per Gingrich’s request.94 95
House Majority Leader: Dick Armey
Dick Armey is an economics academia and expert
with a B.A. in economics from Jamestown University,
followed by a M.A. and Ph.D in economics from the
University of North Dakota and University of Oklahoma, respectively. Prior to his election to the U.S.
House of Representatives in 1984 for Texas’s 26th
Congressional District, Armey served on the economics department faculty for a variety of universities. Just recently, in the 1994 congressional election,
Armey worked alongside current Speaker of the
House, Newt Gingrich, to draft the “Contract with
America,” which dictated how the Republican Party
would improve America if elected as the majority in
er/2010/03/cool_whip.html.
94
Http://www.jta.org/author/admin. “Aipac’s Top Lobbyist Leaves Post to Join Gingrich’s Inner Circle.” Jewish Telegraphic Agency. N.p., 22 Dec. 1994. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
95
“The Center for Responsive Politics.” Opensecrets RSS.
N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
14
the U.S. House of Representatives. As a free-market
economist, Armey supports open immigration and
free trade, privatization of social security, tax reforms,
and offsetting the cost of health insurance to assist
uninsured individuals. Power of the House Majority
Leader vary based on the delegation of roles and
power from the Speaker of the House. However, the
House Majority leader is responsible for creating the
legislative calendar for the introduction and consideration of legislation, determining the importance
and precedence of bills and committees, managing
all House committees, interacting with Republican
Representatives to determine party attitude, and
advancing the goals of the Republican Party. 96 97
House Majority Whip: Tom DeLay
Tom DeLay is a lifelong Texan. Born, raised, and educated in the state, he went on to serve in the Texas
House of Representatives until 1984.98 DeLay began
his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives in
1985, and was elected to his sixth consecutive term
in 1994.99 He “fiercely opposes government regulation” and would like to see lower taxes and lower
spending.100 In December, 1994 when it came time
for the Republicans to pick their leadership, he won
the position of Majority Whip, the third highest
ranking position in the House Republican caucus, by
almost 40 votes.101 As Majority Whip, DeLay is responsible for shoring up support among Republican
members to ensure that they support the Republican leadership’s agenda.102
96
“Dick Armey.” CNN. Cable News Network, 31 Jan. 1997.
Web. 29 Oct. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1997/
gen/resources/players/armey/>.
97
“Majority Leaders of the House (1899 to Present) | US
House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives.” Majority
Leaders. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016. <http://history.house.gov/
People/Office/Majority-Leaders/>.
98
“DeLAY, Thomas,” History, Art, and Archives - United
States House of Representatives, accessed December 1, 2016,
http://history.house.gov/People/Detail/12103#biography.
99
Ibid.
100 Adam Clymer, “Republicans All for One, and the One Is
Gingrich,” New York Times, published December 6, 1994, http://
www.nytimes.com/1994/12/06/us/republicans-all-for-one-andthe-one-is-gingrich.html.
101 Ibid.
102 Beam, “Cool Whip,” Slate.
Chairman of the RNC: Haley Barbour
Haley Barbour was born in Yazoo City, Mississippi. He attended the University of Mississippi, but
dropped out his senior year to work on Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign.103 Barbour served as director of
the White House Office of Political Affairs under Ronald Reagan and was a senior advisor to the George
H.W. Bush campaign in 1988, but failed to secure
an elected office of his own before 2003.104 In 1993
Barbour became chairman of the Republican National Committee, after which Republicans took both the
House and Senate from Democrats for the first time
in forty years. As chairman, he oversees Republican
strategies on a national level.
Executive Director of the National Republican
Congressional Committee (NRCC) (Fictional),
Sally Lester
Lester grew up in New York City, in a wealthy family
with significant connections to Wall Street banking
conservatives. After graduating from Harvard undergraduate and getting a joint JD/MBA at the University of Chicago, she went to work in lobbying firms
and the RNC, before becoming director of the NRCC
which “is a political committee devoted to increasing
the Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.”105 The committee does this through a
variety of means, including “direct financial contributions to candidates and Republican Party organizations, technical research...voter registration...other
other Party building activities.”106 While the chairman
of the committee is elected by house members, the
executive director runs the organization and oversees staff.107
Executive Director of the National Republican
103 “BGR Group Team: Governor Haley Barbour,” BGR
Group, Accessed October 30, 2016, http://www.bgrdc.
com/b/bio/8/Governor-Haley-Barbour.
104 United Press International, “Ex-Reagan Political Aide is
Elected GOP Chairman,” Desert News, January 30, 1993, http://
www.deseretnews.com/article/272650/EX-REAGAN-POLITICALAIDE-IS-ELECTED-GOP-CHAIRMAN.html?pg=all.
105 “About- NRCC,” National Republican Congressional
Committee, accessed December 22nd, 2016, https://www.nrcc.
org/about/.
106 Ibid.
107 Ibid.
15
Senatorial Committee: Mike Hartsmith (Fictional)
Born and raised outside of Indianapolis, Hartsmith
played basketball at Indiana University and received
his Masters in Public Policy there, before going to
work on Capitol Hill. After working on the Senate Appropriations committee, he was hired to be the Executive Director of the National Republican Senatorial
Committee. The NRSC is “devoted to strengthening
the Republican Senate majority and electing Republicans to the United States Senate” and does this
through “support...in the areas of budget planning,
election law compliance, fundraising, communication tools and messaging, research and strategy.”108
The organization relies on donations.109 Hartsmith is
responsible for overseeing the general operation of
the NRSC and managing staff.
Chairman of House Appropriations: Bob Livingston
Bob Livingston graduated from Tulane University
Law School in 1968 and immediately went on to
work for a variety of prestigious law firms. Livingston
first joined the law practice of David C. Treen but
would move on to work for the U.S. Attorney for Louisiana’s Eastern District two years later and Orleans
Parish District Attorney and Louisiana State Attorney
General after that.110 After leaving his position as
head of the state attorney general’s organized crime
unit in 1976 and a much disputed and controversial
election, Livingston went on to become the Representative for the U.S. House of Representatives
from Louisiana’s 1st district. Following his entrance
into the House of Representatives, Livingston was
appointed to the Appropriations committee, and
following the recent Republican takeover of the U.S.
House of Representatives, Bob Livingston has become the Chairman of House Appropriations.111 As
Chairman of House Appropriations, Livingston has
the authority to determine the logistical framework
of the committee by deciding when committee will
108 “About- NRSC”, National Republican Senatorial Com-
mittee, accessed December 22nd, 2016,
https://www.nrsc.org/about/.
109 Ibid.
110 “Honorable Robert L. Livingston, Founding Partner,”
The Livingston Group, L.L.C., accessed December 22nd, 2016,
http://www.livingstongroupdc.com/bio_livingston_robert.php.
111 Ibid
meet and which bills will have precedence in presentation and the duration of debate on such bills.112
Livingston also has the power to greatly influence
where money is appropriated to or where funding
can be cut by prioritizing bills of certain nature.
Additionally, as Chairman of House Appropriations,
Livingston will attract much attention from lobbyists and special interest groups who greatly seek to
engage in relationships for mutual benefits.
Chairman of Senate Appropriations: Mark O.
Hatfield
Mark O. Hatfield possesses a bachelor’s degree in
political science from Willamette University and a
master’s degree in political science from Stanford
University. Prior to becoming a professor at Willamette University, Hatfield served in World War 2 and
participated in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa and combat in Haiphong, Vietnam.113 Following
his time as an academic, Hatfield went on to become
the youngest Secretary of State and Governor for the
state of Oregon. In 1966, Hatfield would be elected
to the U.S. Senate as a Senator for the state of Oregon. Due to Hatfield’s time in battle during World
War 2, Hatfield’s policies include opposing defense
spendings, rejecting U.S. nuclear and military advancement and involvement, pro-life, and anti-death
penalty.114 As the Chairman of Senate Appropriations, Hatfield can control the scheduling for debate,
review, and approval of bills outlining expenditure of
money. In the event of emergencies in a fiscal year,
Hatfield is in charge of delegating the committee to
pass supplemental spending bills to compensate for
such emergencies. 115
112
“About the Committee,” U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Appropriations,” accessed December 22nd, 2016,
http://appropriations.house.gov/about/.
113 “Mark O. Hatfield.” Mark O. Hatfield. Willamette University, n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016. <http://library.willamette.edu/
about/hatfield/>.
114 Ibid
115 “Committee Jurisdiction | United States Senate Committee on Appropriations.” Committee Jurisdiction. N.p., n.d.
Web. 30 Oct. 2016. <http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/
about/jurisdiction>.
16
Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee:
Orrin Hatch
Chairman of the United States House Permanent
Select Committee on Intelligence: Larry Combest
Orrin Hatch is a first-generation college graduate
from Brigham Young University who ended up
attending and graduating law school at the University of Pittsburgh. After working as an attorney in
Utah and Pittsburgh, Hatch went on to be elected
to the U.S. Senate for the State of Utah in the 1976
election.116 As Chairman of the Senate Judiciary
Committee, Hatch oversees matters related to nominations and appointments for positions in various
departments (of which include judicial nominations
for Supreme Court Justices and federal judges, the
Department of Justice, Department of Homeland
Security, and Department of Commerce), federal
criminal law, immigration, property rights, antitrust,
and internet privacy.117 Among the variety of issues
dealt with, Hatch is typically involved in matters
related to taxation, crime and law enforcement, and
healthcare policy. 118
Larry Combest is a congressman from Texas who
has been serving in the House since 1985.121 Prior to
his election to the House, he worked for the Department of Agriculture and as a staff for Senator John
Tower.122 The House Permanent Select Committee
on Intelligence is responsible for the “oversight of
the United States Intelligence Community,” which
includes intelligence from a wide variety of agencies,
including the CIA and armed service branches.123 As
Chairman, he can help set the agenda for the Committee, and initiate committee investigations into
things.
Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and
Means: Bill Archer
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: Jesse Helms
Jesse Helms, or as he was also known, Senator “No,”
is a staunch conservative known for stopping many
state department appointments. Appointed Senator
from North Carolina in 1973, Helms is known for going great lengths to defend and support his political
views and debate the views of others, even those
with the same political affiliation. One of his accomplishments as senator was the Foreign Assistance Act
of 1973 which prevented American funding to family
planning organizations thought to provide or support abortions.119 120
116 “US Senator Orrin Hatch.” Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 30
Oct. 2016. <http://www.hatch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/
biography>.
117 “Jurisdiction | United States Senate Committee on the
Judiciary.” Committee Jurisdiction. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
<https://www.judiciary.senate.gov/about/jurisdiction>.
118 “Sen. Orrin Hatch.” GovTrack.us. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct.
2016. <https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/orrin_
hatch/300052>.
119
“Jesse Helms: The Senator Who Just Said No,” http://
adst.org/2016/07/jesse-helms-the-senator-who-just-said-noto-the-state-department/.
120
Steven A. Holmes, “Jesse Helms Dies at 86; Conservative Force in the Senate,” The New York Times, July 5, 2008, accessed October 29, 2016, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/05/
Bill Archer is a congressman from Texas who was first
elected to the House in 1971. Before serving in the
U.S. House of Representatives, he worked as a lawyer,
served in the Air Force, was elected to local government, and served in the Texas House of Representatives.124 The House Committee on Ways and Means
“is the chief tax-writing committee in the House of
Representatives”. Constitutionally, all tax bills are
required to start in the House.125 As Chairman of the
committee, he helps set the agenda for the committee and can help garner support among Republicans
on the committee for legislation.
us/politics/00helms.html?_r=0.
121
“Rep, Larry Combest,” Govtrack, accessed December
22nd, 2016, https://www.govtrack.us/congress/members/larry_combest/400079.
122
“Combest, Larry Ed,” Biographical Directory of the
United States Congress, accessed December 22nd, 2016, http://
bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000653.
123 “History and Jurisdiction,” U.S. House of Representatives Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, accessed
December 22nd, 2016, http://intelligence.house.gov/about/
history-and-jurisdiction.htm.
124
“Archer, William Reynolds, Jr.,” Biographical Director of
the United States Congress, accessed December 22nd, 2016,
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=A000215.
125
“ About,” Committee on Ways and Means U.S. House of
Representatvies, accessed December 22nd, 2016, https://waysandmeans.house.gov/about/.
17
Director of Communications for the RNC: Shelly
Stamper (fictional)
Shelly Stamper got her BA and MA in Communications from the University of Southern California. After receiving her MA, she went to work for a conservative political advertising agency. From the agency,
she was recruited to work in the communications
department for the RNC, and eventually worked her
way up to director. As one of the main public faces of
the RNC, she is responsible for communicating RNC
policy and ensuring that the RNC presents a unified
front, despite representing many different elected
officials.
Floyd D. Spence, Chairman of the Committee on National Security (now called the House Armed Services
Committee)
Spence, a native South Carolinian, two-time alumnus of
the University of South Carolina, and Navy veteran, was
first elected to Congress in 1971.126 Early on in his career, he staked out a position as a strong supporter of a
balanced budget. Spence took control of the Committee
on National Security in 1995.127 He is a strong proponent
of having a large military budget, and generally opposes
cuts to the U.S. military.128 The Committee on National
Security is responsible for “investigations, military installations, personnel, procurement, readiness, research
and development, sea power, and strategic materials.”129
Spence has extensive contacts within the Pentagon, and
has large sway over the budget allotted to the Pentagon
and investments in military upgrades.
126
“SPENCE, Floyd Davidson.” History, Art & Archives,
U.S. House of Representatives. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 February 2017.
<http://history.house.gov/People/Detail/22025>.
127
“U.S. Representative Floyd D. Spence (1928-2001).” University of South Carolina. 18 September 2014. Web. 1 February
2017. < http://library.sc.edu/file/1965>.
128
Philip Shenon, “Floyd Spence, South Carolina Congressman, Dies at 73,” The New York Times, 17 August 2001.
129
“U.S. Representative Floyd D. Spence (1928-2001).”
18
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22