Deck 10: Reluctance Illustrated: Policy Uncertainty During the Clinton Administration

Question 1

Often anti-immigrant sentiment grows more strident during periods of economic uncertainty. What caused this pattern to continue in the 1990s?

A) Corporate downsizing and globalization
B) Globalization and tax reform
C) Corporate downsizing and the housing bubble bursting
D) Tax reform and the housing bubble bursting

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In 1996, legislation was enacted that required private health insurance companies to not discriminate against mental health-related problems. This movement was led by

A) Hillary Clinton.
B) Alan Greenspan.
C) Tipper Gore.
D) Laura Bush.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In terms of federal budget, Clinton encountered in 1993

A) huge deficits.
B) small surpluses.
C) breakeven budgets.
D) huge surpluses.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following rights were under attack by conservatives during the Clinton era?

A) The economic standing of many women who were single heads of families in low-wage jobs
B) Women's reproductive rights
C) Affirmative Action policies
D) All of these are correct

Question 5

The Adoption and Safe Families Act aimed to reduce the number of children in foster care by

A) working toward reunification of children and their parent(s).
B) placing the children available for adoption once a child and been in foster care for 15 of the preceding 22 months.
C) providing funds for low-income families.
D) providing a tax cut for families who were able to reunify.

Question 6

During his two terms in office, Clinton and Congress

A) increased deficits.
B) was unable to end large budget deficits.
C) abolished budget deficits and brought budget surpluses.
D) partied constantly, at a huge cost to the public.

Question 7

From the beginning of his career, Clinton's undefined views left many people uncertain where he really stood. What was one criticism of Clinton?

A) He lacked deep convictions.
B) He was a chameleon.
C) He was too academic.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 8

When Republicans opposed national health insurance legislation in 1994, Democrats charged that Republicans opposition was an effort to appease the National Rifle Association.

Question 9

Clinton's proposal for national health insurance

A) was defeated by Congress.
B) was accepted by Congress with some revision.
C) was defeated but was replaced by another version.
D) was accepted as-is by Congress.

Question 10

The American system of financing political campaigns biases social policy toward preferences of corporations and wealthy individuals.

Question 11

Welfare rolls declined by 50% in many states in the decade following the enactment of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act of 1996. However, for most single heads of households, this policy was not a success because they remained under or near official poverty lines.

Question 12

The Clinton years were marked by struggles to

A) cut the nation's budget deficits.
B) prevent huge tax cuts proposed by Republicans.
C) Both of the answers are correct.
D) Neither of the answers are correct.

Question 13

Bill Clinton helped found the Democratic Leadership Conference in 1985 to

A) put on training conferences for political Democratic leadership.
B) define a middle way between liberalism and conservatism.
C) instill new life into liberalism.
D) consolidate power.

Question 14

Clinton had to retreat from which of the following in his first year in office?

A) Large increase in job training and stimulus spending
B) Increases in taxes on wealthy Americans
C) Large cuts in military spending
D) All of these are correct

Question 15

The contract with America was

A) a liberal platform of Congressional Democrats.
B) a statement of policies and principals favored by many conservative Republicans.
C) a binding agreement between Bill Clinton and Congressional Republicans.
D) a statement made by the President to enact the results of a large-scale survey.

Question 16

In the 1995 budget battle Republicans sought to cut taxes, make huge cuts in social spending, add billions to military spending, and decrease deficits.

Question 17

The Republican leader most responsible for the Republican take-over of congress in 1994 was

A) Governor George W. Bush.
B) Senator John McCain.
C) Representative Newt Gingrich.
D) Senator Bob Dole.

Question 18

Clinton's stimulus package, introduced in mid-February of 1993, was easily passed by both houses and contained little pork, large spending and prioritized spending cuts.

Question 19

In terms of his combining liberal and conservative themes, Bill Clinton can be compared to which former president?

A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Richard Nixon
C) John Kennedy
D) Gerald Ford

Question 20

Today the problem of the imbalance between revenues and expenditures in the federal budget is being compounded by

A) the cost of environmental damage from global warming.
B) the impending increase of federal spending on Social Security pensions for baby boomers.
C) funds required to finance the nation's debt as a result of the budget deficits accumulated by George W. Bush.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 21

The presidency of Bill Clinton provides today's advocates with lessons in the importance of the budget process in federal, state, and local jurisdictions.

Question 22

Clinton deserves credit for defeating or diminishing some Republican cuts in social spending, as well as the downsizing of several proposed Republican tax cuts.

Question 23

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunities Act of 1996 sought to end welfare as an entitlement and replace it with a federal block grant.

Question 24

The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 allows employees to take up to 12 weeks of leave to care for a new baby or to care for an ill family member at full pay.

Question 25

Proposition 209, introduced and enacted in California in 1997, allowed for more aggressive affirmative action in the University of California System and in state government jobs.