THIS FAR AND NO FURTHER
A Timeline of Events Surrounding the Radical Right's Attempt to Subvert American Democracy
Written and Compiled by Black Max
1998
November
"Get rid of the guy. Impeach him, censure him, assassinate him." -- Republican representative James Hansen, talking about President Clinton, as reported by journalist Steve Miner of KSUB radio who overheard his conversation, November 1, 1998, quoted by Brandi Mills
- November: George H.W. Bush meets with members of the bin Laden family in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the Carlyle Group. A second meeting follows. (CCR, Boston Herald, From the Wilderness)
- The November/December issue of Foreign Affairs features an analysis of a recent speech by Osama bin Laden declaring jihad against the United States. The statement, originally published in an Arab-language newspaper in London, is titled "Declaration of the World Islamic Front for Jihad Against the Jews and the Crusaders." Writer Bernard Lewis, who does not support the Islamist cause, still calls it a "magnificent piece of eloquent, at times even poetic Arabic prose." Bin Laden equates modern America with the historical Crusaders, writing: "since God laid down the Arabian peninsula...no calamity has ever befallen it like these Crusader hosts that have spread in it like locusts, crowding its soil, eating its fruits, and destroying its verdure, and this at a time when the nations contend against the Muslims like diners jostling around a bowl of food.... ...For more than seven years the United States is occupying the lands of Islam in the holiest of its territories, Arabia, plundering its riches, overwhelming its rulers, humiliating its people, threatening its neighbors, and using its bases in the peninsula as a spearhead to fight against the neighboring Islamic peoples." Far from "hating American freedom," bin Laden's charges against America are specific: the US is the embodiment of, in the words of Pat Buchanan, "a Christian empire plundering Arab wealth and trampling with infidel feet on the sacred soil of the Hejaz. Bin Laden went on to accuse the US of planning a new war to destroy the people of Iraq and humiliate all Arabs, in collusion with Israel, accusing the US of declaring war "against God, his Prophet and the Muslims." Buchanan notes that of the world's billion or so Muslims, tens of millions accept bin Laden's beliefs about US imperialist goals in the Middle East, including Muslims not only in the Middle East, but in Europe, Asia, and America. Bin Laden calls on Muslims everywhere "to kill Americans and their allies, both civil and military...until the Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem] and the Haram Mosque [in Mecca] are freed from their grip and until their armies, shattered and broken-winged, depart from all the lands of Islam, incapable of threatening any Muslim." Conservative commentator Pat Buchanan notes that a sensible response to bin Laden's fatwa would have been to narrow the conflict, isolating al-Qaeda and other extremist Islamic groups from the world's mainstream Muslims; instead, future president George W. Bush will take the advice of his coterie of neoconservatives and invade Iraq, thereby united the entire Arab world against the US, isolate the US from its allies in Europe, and fulfill to the letter bin Laden's prophecy as to what the US's goals in the Middle East are. Buchanan writes, "We won the war in three weeks -- and we may have lost the Islamic world for a generation. ...Osama is saying exactly what the enemies of the Western empires said throughout the twentieth century. The price of your occupation, the price of your empire in our world, is terror. The Islamic terrorists of 9/11 were over here because we were over their. We were attacked by suicide bombers in New York for the same reason that our Marines were attacked by a suicide bomber in Beirut. We took sides in a religious civil war, their war, and they want us out of that war. The fifteen hijackers from Saudi Arabia did not fly into the World Trade Center to protest the Bill of Rights. They want us off sacred Saudi soil and out of the Middle East." (Pat Buchanan)
- November 4: The US officially charges Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda with the US embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania. (CCR)
George W. Bush wins re-election as governor of Texas
- November 5: George W. Bush wins a second term as governor of Texas. His campaign refocuses his image, drawing from the successful styles of Reagan and Clinton. Led by a massive TV ad campaign overseen by former Democratic consultant Mark McKinnon, Bush's campaign borrows from Reagan the down-home cowboy boots and, in Joe Conason's words, the "lavishly produced, musically manipulative Morning in America style of advertising, which they retitled 'Fresh Start.' ...From Clinton, they adopted the supple tactics of repositioning their rhetoric toward the center and rephrasing issues to neutralize any partisan disadvantage." Liberal commentator E.J. Dionne marvels at Bush's ability to convince moderates that he is one of them and then do the same for hardshelled conservatives. Conason calls Bush's campaign a "brilliant stroke...of marketing." One of his strongest campaign themes is the portrayal of himself as a Washington outsider; the campaign successfully conceals the fact that much of the money and personnel used in the campaign comes from Washington insiders. The nexus of corporate lobbyists and conservative activists not only propels Bush into the Texas governorship, it will blossom into an ultimately successful presidential run two years later.
- The campaign also marks the first usage of the term "compassionate conservative," a creation of ultraconservative publisher and journalism professor Marvin Olasky, and first proposed for national Republican use by Newt Gingrich. (Conason writes, "It was Gingrich who first appreciated how such a simple phrase could paint an ethical, Christian gloss on a program of social Darwinism like his Contract with America's draconian reduction in funding for the poor, children, and the elderly. And it was Gingrich who, in an inspiring speech immediately after he was elected Speaker, vowed to alleviate poverty and then, of course, did the opposite.") Olasky's prescription of gutting federal support for charitable programs in favor of private donations, a prescription which cursory analysis shows cannot work, is a linchpin of Bush's political philosophy. (Why can't private charities handle the burden? The combined assets of the 34,000 American foundations involved in charitable activities makes up less than 10% of current governmental expenditures for social welfare and related domestic programs. The annual incomes of these foundations is far less. These foundations cannot begin to assume the burden of sustaining the nation's poor at even a most minimal level of survival.) Olasky, from the University of Texas, has as his political patron Karl Rove, Bush's political guru. Rove will engineer Olasky's appointment as chairman of the Bush-Cheney subcommittee on religion in 1999. Olasky is an advocate of a small but influential conservative Christian cult known as Christian Reconstructionism, whose philosophy mirrors in many ways the dictates of radical Islamic groups such as the Taliban. Their philosophy advocates the destruction of American democracy in favor of a Christian theocracy, and advocates the death penalty for such "crimes" as homosexuality, abortion, atheism, juvenile delinquency, adultery, and blasphemy. (Some Reconstructionists advocate stoning as the Biblically mandated method of executing criminals.) They openly advocate the suppression of other religions, including other aspects of Christianity which do not support their interpretation of God's will. Christian Reconstructionists owe a debt to the late R.J. Rushdoony, a far-right Christian conservative who advocates the abolition of public schools and the complete withdrawal of public funds from charities and support programs. Rushdoony and Olasky believe that the only answer to such social ills as addiction, poverty, and homelessness is religious conversion; both feel that only those who accept their particular brand of Christianity are deserving of help. While Bush does not advocate all of Olasky's and Rushdoony's theocratic philosophies, he is strongly influenced by them, particularly the sections that elevate the rich to the position of "God's elect." It is hard to find the compassion in this brand of conservatism. (Joe Conason)
- Bush's policies of "compassionate conservatism" have left their mark on Texas. Texas leads the nation in the percentage of children living in poverty, including over 70% of Hispanic and black children. More than one out of every nine Texas children live in what the federal government defines as "extreme poverty." Texas children have a better chance of dying from abuse or neglect than children of any other state, and are less likely to be immunized against disease than children anywhere else. Only four states provide less prenatal care than Texas. Only New Mexico and Mississippi lead Texas in the percentage of their citizens suffering from malnutrition. Funding for food stamps has been gutted under Bush's governorship. Spending on public health is among the lowest of the fifty states; because the state refuses to spend a cent on ensuring that eligibile families are enrolled in Medicaid, fewer poor families receive Medicaid benefits than almost any other state. In Bush's final year as governor, he could have pushed through an $11 million expenditure to receive $18 million in matching federal funds to provide poor children with dental care; he couldn't be bothered. (Joe Conason)
- November 5: GOP state senator Katherine Harris wins the position of Florida's Secretary of State after spending over $1 million of her own money; the secretary of state is, among other things, charged with ensuring fair and impartial elections. Harris was embroiled in an ugly campaign fraud case involving a quid pro quo between her and insurance corporation Riscorp between 1996 and 1998, where she was proven to have accepted $30,000 in illegal campaign contributions and in return, sponsored legislation wholly authored by Riscorp executives. The head of Common Cause in Florida will muse on the Harris candidacy, "How can you come down on somebody else for violating something when you have a reputation for violating the law yourself?" Harris will, of course, be a central figure in the 2000 election fraud in Florida that gives the presidential election to George W. Bush. (NNDB, Laura Flanders)
Jesse Ventura wins the governorship of Minnesota
- November 5: Independent Reform Party candidate Jesse Ventura, a former professional wrestler and actor, wins a surprising victory over Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Humbert Humphrey III for the governorship of Minnesota. Ventura is considered by many a "comic-book candidate" who won simply because of his flamboyant personality and voters' disgust with the major parties and their bland, party-functionary candidates. Others predict Ventura will become a mere tool of Republican operatives. Instead, Ventura becomes a muscular, independent-minded governor with a strong libertarian streak, though he is often opposed by the Minnesota state congress, who often override his vetoes. Ventura will refuse to run for a second term, saying he is disillusioned with politics in general and the infighting in his own Reform Party, which in 2000 supports far-right candidate Pat Buchanan for president. Ventura remains popular in Minnesota, largely because of his support for separation of church and state, his support for medical marijuana, his contentious relationship with the press, and his vocal antipathy for "politics as usual." Ventura will support John Kerry in the 2004 presidential race. Some Californians believe that Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Republican candidate for governor in the 2003 recall election, will mirror Ventura's independence and tough-mindedness; they are destined to be disappointed. (Wikipedia)
Gingrich resigns over marital affairs
- November 6: The day after the midterm elections, Newt Gingrich resigns as Speaker of the House, and announces his intention to resign from Congress at the end of the year. Gingrich resigns due to the numerous ethical violations and marital infidelities (an ongoing affair with intern Callista Bisek since 1995) that have been lain at his door. (Frontline, ABC, Buzzflash)
- November 13: Iraq expels the American members of the UN inspection team, accusing them of being spies. A day later, Saddam Hussein will agree to unconditional cooperation with the UN, but it becomes apparent that Iraq is not living up to its promises. (FactMonster)
- November 13: Clinton authorizes the payment of $850,000 to Paula Jones in return for her dropping of all sexual harassment charges, including her appeal of the lawsuit she had previously lost. He refuses to apologize or admit any guilt. Jones will later divorce her husband and pose nude for Penthouse magazine, earning the contempt of many conservatives who had once supported her. (Clinton Impeachment Timeline, H.R. Clinton, Wikipedia)
- November 19: In testimony in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Starr reveals that he has cleared Clinton in relation to the firing of White House travel office workers in 1993 and the improper collection of FBI files revealed in 1996. He also says his office drafted an impeachment referral stemming from Whitewater in 1997, but decided not to send it because the evidence was insufficient. Starr is forced to admit that he had not examined any of the witnesses who appeared in front of his grand jury. Democrat Barney Frank, when he hears that Starr's commission cleared Clinton of wrongdoing in the travel office incident months before but had never reported it, inquires of Starr, "Why did you withhold that before the election when you were sending a referral with a lot of negative stuff about the President, and only now...give us this exoneration of the President several weeks after the election?" Starr refuses to respond. The next day, the OIC's ethical advisor, Sam Dash, will resign in protest over the testimony, and will accuse Starr of "unlawfully" inserting himself into the impeachment proceedings. (Washington Post)
- November 23: With Clinton's impeachment looming and more and more Clinton supporters convinced that the entire proceeding is groundless and illegal, pornography publisher and First Amendment defender Larry Flynt decides that the best way to battle the impeachment is to expose the sexual hypocrisy of the president's accusers. Flynt and investigative journalist Dan Moldea, who had already exposed Kenneth Starr as having made criminally illegal leaks to the press, begins investigating two of Clinton's most partisan House opponents, Bob Barr and Bob Livingston. Although the results of Moldea's investigations into Livingston's own sexual life are never made public, Livingston agrees to resign from the House in return for keeping that information secret. Livingston resigned the same day as the House voted for impeachment. Had Livingston remained in office, the impeachment proceedings would have, in Moldea's words, "shifted from the House to the Senate with a tremendous, even an overwhelming momentum. Instead, with Livingston's stunning resignation and the hypocrisy of the President's enemies clear and present to the American public, who kept the President's approval ratings high, the case limped to trial...." With the subsequent outing of Bob Barr's own distasteful sexual history, much of the steam was drained from the impeachment proceedings. Moldea gives Flynt much credit for this: "In my view, the Flynt project not only helped to rescue a great American President, but we also helped to foil a blatant attempt by a handful of right-wing extremists and corrupt journalists to overthrow the United States Government. For this, I make no apology." Moldea, nauseated by the depths of sleaze he was plumbing, will end his investigative efforts on January 22, 1999, when he becomes convinced that the Senate will not convict Clinton. Much of the most sensational evidence about Livingston, Barr, and numerous other Republican opponents of Clinton will be withheld by Flynt and Moldea, who writes, "[M]uch of the meat of our project went unreported -- and will, hopefully, never be revealed. In other words, out of conscience, Flynt chose not to unleash the arsenal he had in his possession. His critics, as well as the unnamed targets of our investigation, should be grateful that he is not the monster they believe him to be." For instance, Flynt and Moldea withheld information they had found that proved Newt Gingrich was having an affair with an intern of his own -- Callista Bisek, whom he eventually left his wife to marry. Moldea reveals his knowledge of the affair only after it becomes public knowledge. Moldea concludes, "Bottomline, the President's critics wanted a showdown on the issue of morality -- and Larry Flynt gave them one. The evidence is clear that these critics, who have never shown the President any mercy or understanding, have two conflicting standards of private behavior for public officials: one for those they like and another for those they don't like. Bogus lawsuits, along with continued false and misleading allegations, cannot veil that fact. Meantime, Bob Barr, a darling of the conservative right who refuses to relent from his endless vendetta against the President, continues to be viewed by his own critics as the poster boy for political hypocrisy, holding a Bible in one hand and a can of whipped cream in the other." Moldea will successfully weather a storm of allegations from angry Republicans and some of the journalists who cooperated with Starr that he worked hand in glove with White House officials, particularly political strategist James Carville. Moldea has been able to prove that he worked entirely alone. (Dan Moldea, Dan Moldea)
