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I always said Clinton was smart enough to know that he wasn't smart enough to try tinker with the economy, foreign trade, nuclear treaties, etc. When he did try to he screwed up but he was generally smart enough to leave things go and let things take care of themselves and they did for the most part. He had enough distractions to keep himself occupied. I wish Bush and Obama had realized that they just didn't have the gray matter to institute grand policy changes, had they even been a little smarter they would have seen the need to make some drastic corrections in their plans. Oh, well.
Clinton was lucky, sure. He inherited record low oil prices thanks to Bush Sr. He was in the right time and the right place when the internet bubble expanded and got out just as it was rapidly deflating. His last 2 years in office were rocky and tarnished his image and things started going south. Yes, he did set the stage for some major future US failures. Globalization, banking deregulation, as stated by Fiddlehead, no domestic oil policy, some military fiascos( Somalia, The Balkans). But he let things alone enough and we were better off. Its when the President tries doing something we often get screwed. Bush and Obama are more than proof of that.
BUT, since Obama is only following Bush 43's playbook and the Clintons have far more influence and control over Obama than people want to admit, he has to take some blame for our current problems. Its still more proof that when the President does something, we get screwed. We also have to accept that regardless of party, the President gets his orders and follows them, and Bush, Obama, Clinton, have and will all do the same thing.
I had the same opinion of Clinton but also realize he inherited the dot.com boom and nobody could screw that up when it was flying high. Hell all one had to do was add .com to an IPO and POW your stock went flying.
Former President Bill Clinton blamed Republicans in Congress for the state of the economy. Mr. Clinton called out the GOP as hypocrites for implementing massive tax cuts and increased spending during the Bush administration, policies that directly contributed to the present recession.
Speaking to a group of liberal group activists in Washington, Clinton said, “Partly because the Republicans who control the House and have a lot of pull in the Senate have now decided, having quadrupled the debt in 12 years before I took office and doubled it after I left, that it’s all of a sudden the biggest problem in the world.” Bill Clinton Blames Republicans For Present Economic Woes
Oh, wow, shocker. He blames the Republicans. I didn't see that one coming. Of course he would portray himself and the dems as perfect angels who didn't do anything wrong when it came to the economy. Oh, no, the dems are just great. Anyone who believes that bs I wrote needs to wake up.
Former President Bill Clinton blamed Republicans in Congress for the state of the economy. Mr. Clinton called out the GOP as hypocrites for implementing massive tax cuts and increased spending during the Bush administration, policies that directly contributed to the present recession.
Speaking to a group of liberal group activists in Washington, Clinton said, “Partly because the Republicans who control the House and have a lot of pull in the Senate have now decided, having quadrupled the debt in 12 years before I took office and doubled it after I left, that it’s all of a sudden the biggest problem in the world.” Bill Clinton Blames Republicans For Present Economic Woes
Considering Clinton's epic levels of partisan bias how is his opinion relevant to anything?
Thank you BentBow. I was reading along wondering if anybody would remember the bill he signed to allow our jobs to be outsourced all over the world. Then like a true dem turns around and blames the fiscal crisis on the other side and the lefty kooks eat it up like flies to poop. It's the same sad act played out over and over and democrats are too stupid to realize they're being played.
Good points, but before you get too self-righteous. I suspect a bit of research would find that the Republican congress pressured Clinton to sign them. He was no victim, but neither should he be the lone fall guy. Bush's policies were a financial disaster with no reasonable defense. The deregulation debacle ended badly, and a lot of folks (Clinton, Gingrich and Co., Bush Senior, Dems, and even W) share the blame for it. As I recall, plenty of economists of the center and right were arguing it was the right move. I agree they were wrong.
Funny thing about all this is, once the "Contract with America" was decaffeinated after their government shutdown, and the rabid Gingrich troops toned down, we had a reasonably balanced power structure. Welfare was toned down, revenues matched with expenditures, etc. When W and the Rs had complete power everything went to hell. Now, if the TP wing can just settle down and COMPROMISE I suspect we would also have decent governance and get out of this mess.
My take. Clinton was not a disaster. Obama is not a disaster. Reagan was not a disaster, because he had to compromise with Dems. Balanced government and compromise is the best way forward. Minority rule ends badly.
Good points, but before you get too self-righteous. I suspect a bit of research would find that the Republican congress pressured Clinton to sign them. He was no victim, but neither should he be the lone fall guy. Bush's policies were a financial disaster with no reasonable defense. The deregulation debacle ended badly, and a lot of folks (Clinton, Gingrich and Co., Bush Senior, Dems, and even W) share the blame for it. As I recall, plenty of economists of the center and right were arguing it was the right move. I agree they were wrong.
Funny thing about all this is, once the "Contract with America" was decaffeinated after their government shutdown, and the rabid Gingrich troops toned down, we had a reasonably balanced power structure. Welfare was toned down, revenues matched with expenditures, etc. When W and the Rs had complete power everything went to hell. Now, if the TP wing can just settle down and COMPROMISE I suspect we would also have decent governance and get out of this mess.
My take. Clinton was not a disaster. Obama is not a disaster. Reagan was not a disaster, because he had to compromise with Dems. Balanced government and compromise is the best way forward. Minority rule ends badly.
I can agree with you on most of your points. But...........there is always that but ............there is no compromise with Obama on the debt mess. The only thing he and the dems want is it to be pushed passed the election. When they didn't get that they screams about the tea party started up here the last week or so. The term "hijacked" was put out and they all ran with it. Actually Obama and Boehner appeared to have this worked out two weeks ago then in came Pelosi and Reid and we are where we are now. Get rid of those two and I think things would be much better in general. Simple fact is the government has to stop spending and they don't want to IMO and don't want it an election issue because they would lose by more than a landslide. Now are laying the blame on the tea party.
If he wants to be honest and blame anybody, he and his two Treasury Secretaries (Cisneros & current NY Governor Cuomo) are at the top of the list, alongside Chris Dodd. Barney Frank & Maxine Waters.
Obama certainly had a part in it as well as far back as 1995 according to the Chicago Sun-Times, since he polished his 'community organizer' resume by filing numerous lawsuits against Citibank for the non-crime practice of 'redlining'.
But the biggest culprit of all remains one James Johnson, a political operative of Walter Mondale, who became the chairman of Fannie Mae in 1991, and who really pushed Uncle Sam into gutting underwriting standards, with plenty of help from 'Slick Willie' himself.
The mai thing clinton learn his first year i office is as persdient who have to pick your fight;he waisted the first years and a half on don't ask ;don't tell and thus likely ruined his healthcare chances. Obama has pretty much left the congress do teh lifting on isuues and they went wild ans epnd all his funding he is likely to get even if he gets two twerms.Now the same mob of liberals are on his case for not have the guts like the Tea Party has. They seem to forget that all presidents think about their place i history and its lookig more and more like Obama is goig to have a hardtime gettig secnd term because he forgot what clinton learn his first term as govenor. Its alwasy the econmoy stupid if that isn't going well. Clinton loss control of the dempocratic committteee to Obama after the primary and woud love to take it back and move the aprty to the center more because as he has always said;you can governa from the left.Clinton loved wall street because that and Reagan putting a end to the cold war mean his famous peace dividend. if not for his personal falaws he had a smooth sailig presdiency from other heavy lifting.his worse trait is he can't get off the stage which only hurts Obama ;but then he wasn't very happy with his treatment in the primaries by Obama's crowd.
Former President Bill Clinton blamed Republicans in Congress for the state of the economy. Mr. Clinton called out the GOP as hypocrites for implementing massive tax cuts and increased spending during the Bush administration, policies that directly contributed to the present recession.
Speaking to a group of liberal group activists in Washington, Clinton said, “Partly because the Republicans who control the House and have a lot of pull in the Senate have now decided, having quadrupled the debt in 12 years before I took office and doubled it after I left, that it’s all of a sudden the biggest problem in the world.” Bill Clinton Blames Republicans For Present Economic Woes
Oh PLEASE! The silly tax cuts made no difference at all.
The TARP and the ONGOING Quantitative easing and secret bail-outs are all on Obama's watch not to mention all the new wars and the huge other unnecessary government programs includeing the stupid Obamacare that now 70% of Americans want an exemption from.... and further if not extended loss of liberties... by extending the Patriot Act....are ALL on Obama.. He could have put a stop to them if the thought had occurred to him but NOOoooOOOooo.
Haha yeah the man who signed NAFTA into law and repealled Glass-Stegall. EVERY SINGLE PRESIDENT has been responsible for this mess. It didn't happen overnight. Reagan raised the debt limit 18 times. LOL.......
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Anyone who believes that bs I wrote needs to wake up.
............there is no compromise with Obama on the debt mess. The only thing he and the dems want is it to be pushed passed the election. When they didn't get that they screams about the tea party started up here the last week or so. The term "hijacked" was put out and they all ran with it. Actually Obama and Boehner appeared to have this worked out two weeks ago then in came Pelosi and Reid and we are where we are now. Get rid of those two and I think things would be much better in general. Simple fact is the government has to stop spending and they don't want to IMO and don't want it an election issue because they would lose by more than a landslide. Now are laying the blame on the tea party. 
