Other than the obvious '94 midterm landslide, Clinton took the Republicans and many of his deepest enemies, including conservative voters to school.
1) The easy '96 re-election campaign after he looked toast by the middle of '95. Bob Dole looked like a sacrificial lamb.
2) He took all the credit for the economic boom (fairly or unfairly) from '95-'00, although there is evidence that the '93 Tax Reform Act provided decent conditions for the growth.
3) They couldn't touch him with Monica. His ratings hit their highest during the story.
4) They got embarrassed badly during the mid-terms of '98 when they were expected to do very well.
5) Newt paid the ultimate price right after those mid-terms, as did the GOP leadership.
6) Whitewater never really bothered the mainstream electorate.
7) He definitely had the media on his side.
Al Gore blew it in '00 on his own (w/o Clinton) by not simply touting the economic growth enough of the second Clinton term, despite the economy thinning in '00.
9) Most of the fist-banging ended up falling on Newt as opposed to Clinton during the whole fight.
This past year, the GOP and their voters had another indirect shot and they came through. Do you think there was any residual angst against him, or was this really an issue against Hillary and a protest of the establishment and big gov't?
