The sorcerer's apprentice
George Bush ran against Ronald Reagan for the Republican nomination
during the 1980 presidential campaign, criticizing his opponent's
economic program as "voodoo economics." Herb Block comments: "Later,
on being considered for the vice presidency, he not only switched
to supporting Reagan's economic policies but did 180-degree turns
to change from a Planned Parenthood supporter to a ‘right-to-lifer'
and a sudden convert to all of Reagan's social policies, including
teaching of "creationism" with evolution, and a constitutional amendment
to bring organized vocal prayer into the public schools. He was
also for a constitutional amendment to require a balanced budget.
He got the job. And four years later The Big Job. But his 1988 pledge,
‘Read my lips. No new taxes' came back to bite him when he agreed
to a budget plan to increase taxes."
The sorcerer's
apprentice, October 7, 1990
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pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (106)
LC-USZ62-126892
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Health coverage
On May 2, 1991, the New England Journal of Medicine
reported that about 20 percent -- approximately $125 billion --
of medical spending is administrative in nature. Spiraling costs,
the plight of uninsured patients and the need for universal health
care coverage were among the concerns raised by Democratic candidate
Bill Clinton during his successful 1992 presidential campaign.
Health coverage,
May 3, 1991
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pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (107)
LC-USZ62-126890
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Economic-political currency
President George Bush, running for re-election in 1992, portrayed
himself as an agent of change by supporting the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and voucher programs for education and health-care.
But the Savings-and-Loan scandal and the fact that Bush was held
responsible for its ballooning costs to taxpayers was also costly
politically. Bill Clinton benefitted from a campaign supporter's
slogan, " It's the economy, stupid," to help him win the day on
November 3.
Economic-political
currency, November 1, 1992
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Published in the Washington Post (109)
LC-USZ62-126891
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Not Negroes! Not women! Not gays!
Within days of his inauguration, political pressure from the military
and other sources forced newly-elected President Bill Clinton to
delay his campaign pledge to lift the ban on gays in the armed forces.
Gay and lesbian leaders subsequently announced their intention to
hold Clinton to his election promise. Eventually a watered-down
and largely ineffectual "Don't ask, don't tell," policy was announced
and later questioned by Clinton himself. In this image, Herb Block
lampoons earlier unsuccessful efforts by the military to avoid including
African Americans and women.
Not Negroes!
Not women! Not gays! January 28, 1993
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underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (110)
LC-USZ62-126893
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The daily sacrifices
In 1993, Congress took up the Brady Bill, named after Ronald Reagan's
press secretary who was severely wounded during a 1981 assassination
attempt on the president. The bill required a five-day waiting period
for the purchase of a handgun, as well as other modest anti-crime
measures. Herb Block has been a constant critic of the National
Rifle Association noting that although statistically the United
States has far more gun fatalities than all the rest of the industrialized
nations of the world combined, the NRA has opposed firearm-control
legislation of any kind, including machine guns, cop-killer bullets,
and limits on purchase of any number of handguns over any time period.
President Clinton signed the Brady bill into law, in October 1993,
but the NRA has continued to fight against its extension.
The daily sacrifices,
October 1, 1993
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pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (111)
LC-USZ62-126914
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"What -- Us tell fibs of some kind?"
On April 14, 1994, the Chief Executive Officers of the seven largest
tobacco companies in the United States testified before the House
Subcommittee on Health and the Environment that they did not "believe"
that nicotine was addictive. Indications that these CEOs were hardly
being candid surfaced in the spring of 1996. Herb Block comments,
"Internal documents showed a consistent pattern of knowledge
and concealing of information on calculated efforts to promote and
increase cigarette addiction." He portrays the CEOs with
Pinocchio noses.
"What--Us tell
fibs of some kind?" March 3, 1996
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pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (112)
LC-USZ62-126915
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"True, I had coffee with those big contributors, but I didn't
swallow"
During his 1992 presidential campaign Bill Clinton admitted that,
while out of the country as a young man, he had smoked marijuana,
but said he had never inhaled. Later, during a Senate investigation
into campaign fund-raising abuses, the White House reluctantly turned
over video tapes of coffees held with potential donors. Although
the tapes ultimately showed no illegal activity, the White House's
hesitance to disclose them prompted Republican leaders to call for
an independent counsel investigation.
"True, I had
coffee with those big contributors, but I didn't swallow,"
October 9, 1997
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Published in the Washington Post (113)
LC-USZ62-126889
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"What have we got that's more like a close shave?"
In 1998, President Bill Clinton's sexual relationship with former
White House intern Monica Lewinsky and his alleged perjury in grand
jury testimony and obstruction of justice was the big issue. After
their election losses that year, many Republicans were wary of calling
for impeachment and urged consideration of censure instead.
"What have we
got that's more like a close shave?"
November 27, 1998
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pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (115)
LC-USZ62-126912
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Impeachment parade
Despite the reluctance of many senators, the House vote for impeachment
required them to proceed. The trial began January 7, 1999, and after
heated exchanges on both sides, the Senate acquitted President Bill
Clinton on February 12. On September 22, 2000, independent counsel
Robert Ray, continuing an investigation begun six years earlier,
dropped charges against the Bill and Hillary Clinton concerning
a Whitewater land deal going back to pre-presidential days. Herb
Block comments, "The chief independent counsel in the more
than $50 million investigations was Kenneth Starr, whose tactics
were widely criticized. His performance contributed to Congress's
failure to renew the independent counsel law."
Impeachment
parade, January 10, 1999
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pencil underdrawing on paper
Published in the Washington Post (116)
LC-USZ62-126913
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