In principle we say that everyone is equal; in practice there is little doubt that elite groups wield enormous influence over American public life. Many critics would say that they effectively dominate public life and policy. As an example of both the influence and limitations of elites, we may consider the experience of former president Bill Clinton.
As the 42nd president of the United States, Bill Clinton wielded the constitutional and informal powerr of the presidency. However, to understand how he obtained that power, and how and in whose interests he exercised it, we must however look farther back in his life. The presidency is not only a source of power, it is a prize of power, and one must already have a great deal of power to be elected to it.
While the final choice of a president is more or less by popular vote (as filtered through the constitutional archaism of the Electoral College), for most of its history, American politics has been shaped by a two-party system. Thus, in nearly all cases, only two individuals have any serious prospect of being elected. At one time, the party choice was made in the proverbial smoke-filled rooms. The primary system has changed that, but it still requires vast resources and a network of connections to win a major-party nomination. A strong argument can be made that elite groups still operate as effective gatekeepers. The rise of Bill Clinton offers one test of that argument.
Clinton's personal background was modest, something he shared among modern presidents with Nixon and Reagan, and in contrast to Kennedy and the two Bushes, who came from very wealthy backgrounds. The initial engine of Clinton's rise was his own ambition, exercised in part through academic talent but even more through personal networking. Several important members of his administration, such as labor secretary Robert Reich, were friends from his college days.
...