Throughout the Summer of 1994, President Clinton clashed with much of Congress over two pieces of legislation, the Crime Bill and the Health Reform proposals. The outcome of each conflict was different: the Crime Bill was passed but health reform proposals died. The passage of the Crime Bill, however, was a close victory for the President, with the outcome in doubt until the President was supported by Republicans in the House. A week before the bill passed both houses, it had been killed in the House or Representatives by both liberals and conservatives. Only some last-minute dealmaking resurrected the bill and ensured its passage (Clymer, 1994, p. A1).
Ironically, the objections to the crime bill came strongest from the Democratic Party. Liberal Democrats objected to the death penalty provisions while conservative Democrats did not like the assault weapons ban (Alter, 1994, p. 18). Earlier in August, the President had pledged $2 billion for "urban partnerships" in an unsuccessful effort to gain the support of members of the Black Caucus for the Crime Bill. Republican opposition was a given, since party members denounced the bill as costing too much. Clinton, however, thought that he could push the bill through with the Democratic congressional majority. When this proved to be impossible, he had to compromise with the Republicans, shaving money off the bill after the initial defeat (Carney, 1994, p.34; Klein, 1994, p. 23; Lacayo, 1994, pp. 31-32).
Clinton's inability to count on Democratic support of the crime bill, which should have been an easy victory, doomed the health care reform effort. Health care reform has long been controversial, with conservatives in both parties arguing that many of the President's proposals constitute socialized medicine. The initial proposal of guaranteeing health care coverage for everyone in the United States died by Summer as a result of its high cost. Similarly, plans for requiring e...