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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.
