When Did You First Learn About Bill Clinton?

[liberalpragmatist]

I'm curious when people first heard of him. Specifics would be nice (if possible). When did you first HEAR or READ of him? Had you heard the name already but weren't familiar with him? When did you become familiar with his name?

I'm curious - I was too young to know much that was going on at the time (6).

CONFESSION: In the mock election that year in my first grade class, I voted Bush! (Even though my parents voted Clinton.) He seemed like a nice guy and a year earlier I had drawn a picture of Air Force One to the White House and got a picture back of Poppy and Barbara at the Grand Canyon. Just a little story.

But I'd heard of Clinton - I paid *some* attention to the news - you know, what a 6-year old would pay attention to.

[KansDem]

1. My honeymoon...

Really. My wife and I were married in September of 1988. We traveled to Arkansas for our honeymoon to stay in one of the state parks. We checked into our cabin and saw a "Welcome" notice on the wall from Gov. Bill Clinton. The rest is history!

The irony of our trip: we listened to one of the debates between Bush (the elected) and Dukakis while on the road to Arkansas.

[VolcanoJen]

2. 1988 - the Democratic National Convention.

He gave either the keynote address, or the nomination address (for Michael Dukakis). I can't really remember which it was.

I had heard of Governor Clinton, but that's the first time I saw him, and he was absolutely awful. He just droned and droned, and I remember thinking "This is the guy that the Democrats are calling 'The Next Big Thing'?"

He fell off my radar until the '92 primaries. I remember vividly watching a campaign speech of his on C-SPAN's "Road to the White House." "Ahhhh... he's gotten so much better," I remember thinking. I listened a little bit longer, I watched the way the crowd responded to him, and I said to myself, "This guy is going to win it all."

I've adored him ever since. :D

Great question, liberalpragmatist!

[catzies]

4. 1988 for me too. At the end of that speech, when he said, "In conclusion,

the audience cheered because that speech was sooo long they were glad it was finally over.

Betcha all of them wish he was back now. :evilgrin:

[Catch22Dem]

3. Wow, first grade!

When I was your age, I didn't give a shit about politics. I didn't really become involved until I was about 26 or so.

I was building swimming pools in the spring/summer of 1992. The guy I worked for always had the radio tuned to Rush Limbaugh and I would hear him go ON AND ON about Clinton, especially once he'd sewed up the nomination. The funny thing was, I didn't know who Clinton was (not really anyway) and I didn't know what Rush was, but oddly enough, I knew I liked Clinton BECAUSE of the things Rush was saying about him.

So, thanks you bloated, pill-popping, gas-bag!

[VolcanoJen]

8. Remember that awful Rush TV show, just after Clinton's inauguration?

I remember being so pissed off because Rush would have this TV show that came on right after "Saturday Night Live." I'd be in a great mood after watching the show, and then that pill-popping gastric bypass of a man would come on and bum me out. He had some kind of chart he'd show, "America Under Siege: Day 17." He was referring to Clinton's presidency.

I don't think the show lasted very long... but that's when I first heard of the wretched pigboy, and first learned of his absolute obsession with Clinton-hatred.

[Catch22Dem]

11. Yes, I remember. It was soooo bad. (n/t)

[greekspeak]

5. Since he was a governor of a neighboring state I heard a lot about him

Until I started turning leftwards in 11th grade, he was a "bad guy" and my family bitched about him a lot. Of course, since he had no power over Missouri, they were just bitching to bitch.

[DaveSZ]

9. He was elected when I was in second grade I believe

I only remember his reelection in 1996.

Big Dog was a great pres on so many levels if you compare him to Chimp.

[necso]

6. Late 1991, I believe.

(Before the 1992 primaries in any event. -- And I had heard of him, but never heard him before.)

Saw Clinton on TV talking about personal responsibility.

Said to myself, this man is going to be the next President... and I like what he is saying.

Was a disgruntled Republican, sickened by how the neo-cons had changed the Party, so I switched parties.

(Oh, and everyone laughed at me at the time. -- Clinton, you must be nuts. -- But I have witnesses.)

The Big Dawg can charm birds out of the sky.

[Screaming Eagle RL]

7. 1991?

'91 I think (whenever he started running for the White House)

[theboss]

10. 1988

His speech that went on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and absolutely killed what had been a great convention to that point. I remember thinking, "Well, we won't ever be seeing him again."

This proves that I am - as always - an idiot.

[eissa]

12. During the '91 primaries

I didn't have a favorite at the time, but would follow the primary debates, interviews, etc. and really enjoyed listening to him. But it wasn't until that tramp Gennifer Flowers came forward that I really started supporting him. It was clear even at that early stage that the guy was being targeted by the right, and I get into combat mode as soon as that happens!

[Nikia]

13. The primaries

I was in junior high. I was into politics though, That year, my mother ran for a county office so I got to hang out with a lot of Democrats from the local party. Many of them were actually supporting Tsongas early on. I was aware of all the candidates though.

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

14. I was in eighth grade then.

I remember hearing about him on TV in early 1992. I voted for him in our school's mock election, but Perot won it at my school. I lived in Maine, of course.

[sandnsea]

15. 1989?

When I was living in Arkansas and he said "I didn't wake up grouchy this morning, I let her sleep in." I thought, what an asshole. Ah, well, I forgive you Bill. And by the way, if 1989 Arkansas was an improvement, good lord, I can't imagine what it was like before.

[bklyncowgirl]

16. 92 Democratic Primaries

I didn't like him much at first too slick for my taste and became an ABC Democrat. I was also convinced that his womanizing was going to cause us heartache.

I first supported Harkin, then when he bombed I went for the Guru Gov. Jerry Brown.

I began to warm up to him when right before the New York Primary, Phil Donahue had Clinton and Brown on his show for a debate. Donahue just told these guys who'd been slinging mud in the worst possible way at each other that they were just supposed to talk to each other, no questions, no time limits. The result was a remarkably intelligent discussion with two clearly smart articulate candidates. By the end of it I was still supporting Brown but I'd developed a new respect for Clinton--the guy clearly knew his stuff and he knew how to say it.

For the first time I realized that if Clinton won we were going to be OK.

[Eloriel]

17. Probably broadcast news, but it was before or very early in

the primary season. I saw him in Atlanta, with several other people (don't remember if they were nominees or not, probably not), and he was definitely charismatic. Also quite tall, which surprised me. And handsome.

Saw him later when he was the nominee at a rally in Atlanta. Didn't get quite as good a look at him then 'cause the crowd was so big.

[Eye and Monkey]

18. when he was Guvna, late '89, then I worked a bit with Joycelyn Elders

when she was Director of Ark. Public Health. On one occassion, a group of us were introduced to Guvna Clinton in Little Rock. On another, I attended and spoke a bit during a round-table that Clinton co-chaired before he was elected President. He asked me a couple of follow-up questions, and later he repeated one of my points (and nodded at me across the table as he did). It was very cool.

It was a "heady time" - new horizons in public health, and all. I also met with Dr. Elders at the CDC, later when she was Surgeon Gen'l. She is a very strong presence. She told me something I'll never forget - about the work we were doing - "It's like dancing with a bear - you don't stop until the bear says so."

[Glenda]

19. 1987 - I was working in Arkansas

A friend of mine there said what a great job he did for education in the state.

I waited and waited and waited until he ran for president. I hoped he would eventually :)

G

[sweetheart]

20. His 1992 primary wall street campaign speech

At the old federal building on wall and broad. I was working upstairs
at the exchange and had seen the rallies of other candidates as they
came through town, but clinton's team had a special energy to it,
that smell of momentum that won him office later that year.

I remember walking around on "the street" (wall), after the thing
was over, and the clinton campaign bus was still there. I'd heard
of him sorta sorta, but it was not until that moment, standing near
their campaign bus, that i realized that he was a serious contender.

I'm sure that his campaigning with President Kerry will be a boost.

[Lisa]

21. a co-worker had a Clinton/Gore sticker on her bike

I'm up in Canada and have to confess that prior to the 1992 election, I hadn't heard of either of those guys. Coming in to work, I noticed a very funky bicycle (hand-painted with flowers etc.) parked outside my building. I noticed the campaign sticker and figured it was to do with the US election. About 10 minutes later my new officemate came into the coffee room and asked, "Is there any milk left? My name's Anna, by the way." She had just moved up from Santa Barbara, and had been a member of the local Democrats.

We became very good friends. (Funny how I knew that would happen, as soon as I'd met her!) She's back in California now.

[DURHAM D]

22. Actually I knew about Hillary before Bill. I have several female

friends that are attorneys and they were all networking by the late 60's.

[WINEWOMAN7]

23. 1992 Election

I really didn't pay any attention to Bill Clinton as president until the right wing conspiracy kicked in. I worked full time at a stressful job and was married and had 3 children to take care of. When they went after him I started to check out the facts versus the media hype. I have always been a liberal Democrat but I ignored Bill Clinton, who now I consider one of the best presidents in our history, until they started to attack him relentlessly. I don't think I'm the only one that feels this way. Now I'm obsessed with taking back our country from the fascists.

Dian

[Riptide]

24. 1982....I was in 9th grade in Rogers, Arkansas and

I met Bill Clinton at my Jr. High School. He stopped and talked to me for a while as he was leaving from a speech he had just given. He was so charming and intelligent. I remember telling my dad when he came to pick me up that I had just spoken with the governor. He told me, "My friends in the democratic party tell me that they are grooming him to be president one day" I said, "Yea, right Dad"

My dad still reminds me how prophetic he was.

[Liberal_Dog]

25. 1980

In connection with the Cuban boat-lift.

[neuvocat]

26. My dad.

I was going to vote Perot and my dad was leaning toward him too, but said that Clinton was a very likeable guy. We both ended up voting for Clinton at the end of the year.

[fishwax]

27. Summer of '91 in the Columbia College library in Colombia MO

My dad was a professor there and would sometimes do research in the library. I was 15, and sometimes I'd go to the library and hang out. One day I read a USA Today from the circulation desk and it ha da profile of the Big Dog. It was in the warmup to the primary season, and I remember reading it and just getting the feeling that he would be the president.

I probably saw him at the '88 convention too, b/c I watched a lot of both conventions that year, but the '91 profile is my first memory of being aware of him. Good memories. Like a lot of liberals, I was pretty disappointed in certain aspects of Clinton's administration (welfare reform) before going to the mattresses over impeachment. But he was light years beyond the sorry excuse we've got now, and even when I was most troubled by the way things went, I always fondly remembered that day in the library, in which his candidacy seemed to bring a certain hope to the world.