Bill Clinton
The most politically talented Democrat of his generation — Clinton's economic stewardship produced the longest peacetime expansion in U.S. history, but the Lewinsky scandal and his impeachment permanently complicated that legacy.
Pantheon Standing
| List Name | Rank | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| Greatest U.S. Presidents of All Time | #1 | 96.0 |
The Age Divide
Voters under 30 and over 35 rank Bill Clinton significantly differently across lists.
The Cultural Record
Discography
No entries on record.
Awards & Recognition
No Grammy data on record.
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42nd President
NAFTA
Family and Medical Leave Act
Clinton Surplus
Welfare Reform
Don't Ask Don't Tell
Crime Bill 1994
impeachment 1998
Lewinsky scandal
'It's the economy
stupid'
Arkansas Governor
The Case For Bill Clinton
“The longevity argument alone puts them in a category of one. While others burned bright and faded, this figure consistently reinvented and dominated across decades, eras, and cultural shifts that would have destroyed lesser talents.”
“Technically unmatched. The craft here is evident in every performance, every work — the kind of effortless execution that only comes from thousands of hours of mastery made invisible. They make the impossible look inevitable.”
“Commercial success should never be held against artistic legacy. The ability to dominate charts while maintaining critical respect is a skill unto itself — one that this figure has mastered better than any peer in the conversation.”
Rank History
Ranking history will be available once voting opens for Bill Clinton.
Often Compared To
Franklin D. Roosevelt
#2President / Democrat — Hyde Park, New York · 1933–1945
The greatest president since Lincoln — FDR invented the modern American government. Social Security, federal bank insurance, securities regulation, rural electrification, and the New Deal transformed what government was responsible for. He also won World War II. He served 12 years and died in office.
Franklin Pierce
#3President / Democrat — Hillsborough, New Hampshire · 1853–1857
The president historians most consistently rank among the worst — Pierce's Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, opened new territories to slavery, sparked 'Bleeding Kansas,' and accelerated the country toward civil war. He was an alcoholic who lost all three of his children.