--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the [Clinton/Lewinsky scandal]…" description: "\"“What the [Clinton/Lewinsky scandal] showed was that a matter of personal behavior could crowd out of the public's attention far more serious matters, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/howard-zinn-576_habits_what-the-clinton-lewinsky-scandal-showed_1049305.jpg" --- # What the \[Clinton/Lewinsky scandal\] showed was that a… ![“What the [Clinton/Lewinsky scandal] showed was that a matter of personal behavior could crowd out of the public's attention far more serious matters, indeed matters of life and death. The House of Representatives would impeach the president on matters of sexual behavior, but it would not impeach…” quote by Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/howard-zinn-576_habits_what-the-clinton-lewinsky-scandal-showed_1049305.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/howard-zinn-576_habits_what-the-clinton-lewinsky-scandal-showed_1049305.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb4/howard-zinn-576_habits_what-the-clinton-lewinsky-scandal-showed_1049305.jpg) > ““What the \[Clinton/Lewinsky scandal\] showed was that a matter of personal behavior could crowd out of the public's attention far more serious matters, indeed matters of life and death. The House of Representatives would impeach the president on matters of sexual behavior, but it would not impeach him for endangering the lives of children by welfare reform, or for violating international law in bombing other countries (Iran, Afghanistan, Sudan), or for allowing hundreds of thousands of children to die as a result of economic sanctions (Iraq).”” [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal scandals dominate media, diverting attention from serious policy issues like war and child welfare; political focus is skewed toward sensationalism. **In simple terms:** Scandals distract from real crises. Key Takeaway Prioritize substantive issues over gossip. Themes media politics distraction policy ethics Mood critical concerned Type analytical political When to use this quote - elections - news cycles - legislative debates Key Concepts agenda‑setting public attention moral responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Why do sensational stories capture more attention? - How can citizens refocus discourse on critical issues? A Different Perspective Media may also reflect public interest, not just manipulation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Hypocrisy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hypocrisy/) [International law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/international-law/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life and death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-death/) [Representatives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/representatives/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [Welfare reform](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/welfare-reform/) ## Related quotes > [Impeach President Reagan retroactively for agreeing with Obama on the assault weapons ban.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fugelsang/impeach-president-reagan-retroactively-for-agreeing-with-obama-on-the/) [John Fugelsang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fugelsang/) > [It's time to impeach the president and get a man in there to get us out of this mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/it-s-time-to-impeach-the-president-and-get-a-man-in-there-to-get-us/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The Democrats' plan for 2006? Take the House and Senate and impeach the president. With our nation at war, is this the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-mehlman/the-democrats-plan-for-2006-take-the-house-and-senate-and-impeach-the/) [Ken Mehlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-mehlman/) > [Impeach the President and the Vice President, they are traitors to America, and so are all of their supporters. Impeach! Anyone in congress who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roseanne-barr/impeach-the-president-and-the-vice-president-they-are-traitors-to/) [Roseanne Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roseanne-barr/) > [With Bill Clinton, his lawyers always wanted him to say nothing about the Lewinsky scandal. Defendant Clinton had the right to remain silent. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gavin-esler/with-bill-clinton-his-lawyers-always-wanted-him-to-say-nothing-about/) [Gavin Esler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gavin-esler/) > [So after the Lewinsky scandal, everything changed, and we moved from using the Bible to address the moral issues of our time, which were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-campolo/so-after-the-lewinsky-scandal-everything-changed-and-we-moved-from/) [Tony Campolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-campolo/) > [The Monica Lewinsky scandal was happening at the very time I was writing the West Wing pilot and it was hard, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/the-monica-lewinsky-scandal-was-happening-at-the-very-time-i-was/) [Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/) > [An Internet rumor claims that John Kerry had an affair with a young woman. 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No matter how much I don't like his politics, I won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-capuano/i-won-t-impeach-anybody-the-way-they-impeached-bill-clinton-for/) [Michael Capuano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-capuano/) > [Let them impeach and be damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-johnson/let-them-impeach-and-be-damned/) [Andrew Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-johnson/) ## More by Howard Zinn > [“A black man, Benjamin Banneker, who taught himself mathematics and astronomy, predicted accurately a solar eclipse, and was appointed to plan the new city…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/a-black-man-benjamin-banneker-who-taught-himself-mathematics-and/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/there-is-no-flag-large-enough-to-cover-the-shame-of-killing-innocent/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [“a good education is a synthesis of book learning and involvement in social action, because each enrich the other. 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