Lack of Character and the Clinton-Lewinsky Affair
About 8 min read
The study of history not only concerns what happened and why it happened, but also how people behaved and the type of character the participants demonstrated. In some historical events, character traits or courage and honor are displayed. In other events, negative or even evil traits are seen.
The “historical event” concerning the affair that U.S. President Bill Clinton had with intern Monica Lewinsky in 1998, and the following legal investigation by Ken Starr, demonstrated a lack of character among the many people involved. We can learn from this event and try to maintain more dignity and character in the future.
Questions you may have about this are:
- What type of behavior is wrong?
- What did the various people do?
- What lessons can we learn from this?
This lesson will answer those questions. There is a mini-quiz at the end of the lesson.
Rules of behavior and character
There are basic rules of behavior that everyone is expected to follow, as well as activities a person should not do.
Don’t deceive or demean
It is generally accepted that you should not tell lies or deceive other people, you should not cheat in a test or cheat others out of money, and you should not cheat in your relationship with your spouse. It is wrong to insult, degrade or pick on another person, especially those who are defenseless to fight back, as well as to laugh at or demean those people. It is also wrong for an official to be mean-spirited in dealing with lower level people.
Disgusting behavior
People who break these rules and exhibit such type of behavior are generally considered disgusting and thought to have poor character traits. This is especially true in the case of public figures, to whom a higher set of standards is usually applied.
Clinton-Lewinsky affair
A number of negative character traits were displayed among the participants during and after the affair between President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
President Clinton
President Bill Clinton showed a great lack of character through a number of transgressions.
- For a married man to have sexual relations with other women is certainly a lack of moral character.
- For a mature person in a position of power to take advantage of a 24 year old intern shows little character or conscience.
- For the President of the United States to tell a boldfaced lie to the American public was not only a disgrace to the Office of the Presidency, but it was also a display of lack of character.
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky showed a lack of character in her actions.
- To have romantic interests in a married man in an effort to gain status was morally and ethically wrong.
- To lie under oath was not only criminal, but it also showed a lack of character.
Linda Tripp
Linda Tripp was considered a despicable person by most people, except those hoping for Clinton’s downfall.
- To purposely deceive a much younger woman into confiding in her showed a lack or moral character, as well as common decency.
Ken Starr and associates
The Clinton-Lewinsky investigation was attributed to Ken Starr, but much of the work was put on the shoulders of “young turks” on his staff. Since this was done behind closed doors, we can’t completely judge what happened. One disgusting show of lack of character concerned the interview with Monica Lewinsky’s mother.
- To interrogate Monica Lewinsky’s mother and present her with a history of the sexual behavior of her daughter–to the point that she collapsed in court and had to be taken out of the courtroom in a wheelchair–was disgraceful abuse of power and display of complete lack of decency by the attorneys involved.
No one had courage
What was needed in this situation was someone like Special Counsel for the Army Joseph N. Welch, who addressed Senator Joe McCarthy during the McCarthy Hearings in the 1950s. He told McCarthy, concerning his browbeating and destroying the lives of witnesses, “Let us not assassinate this lad further, Senator. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”
It it too bad that no one had the temerity or courage to speak up for Mrs. Lewinsky.
Rush Limbaugh
Throughout the investigation on Clinton–and what seemed like forever–radio talk-show commentator lambasted Clinton and everyone associated with him as part of some evil liberal empire.
- Although political viewpoints are acceptable, Limbaugh stepped into the arena of poor taste by a daily barrage of character assassination.
Jay Leno
Jay Leno and other comedians made jokes about the affair. But Leno also showed lack of character in remarks concerning the victims of Clinton’s indiscretions.
- To make fun of the looks of Paula Jones and Linda Tripp or the weight problem of Monica Lewinsky was a disappointing display of lack of character by Leno. Note that he never made fun of the looks of celebrities, politicians or people of power, but instead picked on private citizens who had no forum to defend themselves.
- Many people in the general public laughed at Leno’s jokes. Also, there are a large number of websites devoted to jokes about the affair. They too are guilty.
Lessons learned
We cannot change history or the way people acted during a series of events. But we can learn from how those people acted, so we do not accept such negative behavior in the future. Some of the preferred behavior and character traits are as follows.
President Clinton
He should have never thought of having relations outside of his marriage. If he did make such a mistake, he should have admitted it to the American public and asked for forgiveness. People would not like what he did, but they would think much higher of him. Right now, he will go down in history as a liar.
Monica Lewinsky
She should have had the moral courage to reject the advances of an older, married man, even if he is the President of the United States. She may not have become famous (or infamous), but at least she could hold her head up high without being ridiculed and scorned.
Linda Tripp
She should have given Monica the advice of a mature woman and told her to stop her relationship with the President instead of seeing it as an opportunity to pick a political bone. On the other hand, if it was a case of actual criminal activity, there is a moral dilemma concerning spying on a friend.
Ken Starr and associates
The lawyers had a job to do and they should remain neutral in their efforts to obtain the facts and respectful to all those called before them. Instead of doing their job with professional dignity, the investigators lowered themselves to the gutter. Although Ken Starr was not necessarily the instigator, he was running the ship and will go down in history as a negative character.
Rush Limbaugh
Rush makes no qualms about having a conservative political agenda, but it would be a show of character to be fair minded and honest in his commentary.
Jay Leno
Jay can make as many jokes about dignitaries and celebrities as he wants, but he would have shown more class if he wouldn’t have stooped to degrading private citizens and victims.
In conclusion
There are character traits and rules of behavior that good people are expected to follow. Participants in the the investigation of the affair that U.S. President Bill Clinton had with intern Monica Lewinsky showed a lack of character. Studying this event can help set standards for proper behavior and character so that we will not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Reader questions and feedback | Resources | Where can you go from here?
Character is important in leadership
Mini-quiz to check your understanding
QUIZSelf-check your understanding
What does character have to do with the study of history?
What was a common character trait in all participants?
What would have happened if all participants would have shown better character?
Pick an answer to see instant feedback. Re-read the lesson if you miss one.
If you got all three correct, you are on your way to becoming a champion in learning from history. If you had problems, you had better look over the material again.
Resources
The following are resources on this topic.
Websites
Books on Bill Clinton
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