Despite the Cloud Over His Presidency, Clinton Excelled

Despite the Cloud Over His Presidency, Clinton Excelled

Despite the Cloud Over His Presidency, Clinton Excelled

Although he endured great hardship, Bill Clinton comes out of the Oval Office smelling like roses.

Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky
Pocket
Email

What will be remembered about the Administration of William Jefferson Clinton is not the sniping attacks of his critics, but rather his eight years of considerable achievement. The center held, the economy flourished and those bent on a cultural civil war were kept at bay. If George W. Bush does half as well, the Republicans will hail him as a savior.

The two previous Republican administrations created more red ink than all previous administrations combined, but the GOP still will not credit Clinton with putting the federal budget dramatically in the black.

Nor can they, even now, admit that Newt Gingrich's reckless road map known as the "contract with America" was a divisive prescription for disaster. By stopping Gingrich in his tracks, Clinton at least temporarily stalled the right-wing lurch that the new Bush Administration seems hellbent on reviving.

Clinton leaves office with unprecedented high approval ratings because he demonstrated that it's possible to have a progressive federal government that cares for the needs of the people while bolstering, rather than bankrupting, the economy.

He gained the allegiance of poor and minority voters because–despite an ill-conceived welfare reform–his centrist policies contained reassuring support for affirmative action, earned-income tax credits, college scholarships, family leave for workers and other measures to insure that their lives are not totally ruled by the anarchy of the market and a legacy of societal inequality.

He had the support of a clear majority of those on the cutting edge of economic change on both coasts because they shared his alarm at the forces of intolerance, be they inspired by misguided references to religion, family, patriotism or sexism.

He supported immigrants, who are the lifeblood of our prosperity, and dared to suggest that homosexuals should be treated the same as any other productive and law-abiding segment of our population.

In foreign affairs, Clinton left his mark as a peacemaker willing to deal boldly with the seemingly intractable problems of Northern Ireland, the Balkans and the Mideast, while easing trade and other barriers among nations.

True, the jackals nipping at Clinton's heels from the days he announced for the presidency got their pound of flesh. But it's Clinton who triumphed. When Jackal-in-Chief Kenneth Starr popped up on one of last Sunday's talk shows to judge the Clinton years an "unfortunate era," he must have been referring to his own miserable performance and not the well-being of the nation.

At no time in our modern history has a president been subject to more abuse for claimed offenses that primarily concerned his activities before attaining office. A minor investment, in which he lost money, was blown out of proportion by the most respectable quarters of the media.

Think of the public outrage now if that same effort were put into digging up the dirt on the new President's past business dealings, let alone the excesses of his previous personal life. Imagine if the Los Angeles Times were to conduct in-depth interviews with disgruntled Texas Rangers, as the newspaper did with Arkansas troopers who had guarded Clinton as governor. Or if the New York Times were to launch a four-year investigation of the claims of one of Bush's less happy former business partners. Would CBS' 60 Minutes consider a show based on what Larry Flynt's investigators unearthed concerning allegations about Bush's personal behavior in the years before he was president?

Nope, because the media has a double standard. Intimidated by the right-wing's absurd claim of a liberal bias, journalists tend to be hard on Democrats while granting Republicans a free pass. When will one of those pompous media moralizers admit that his or her personal life is as messy as that of the President they spent eight years denigrating? And, face it, those rich media superstars lust for Republican tax breaks for the rich as much as anyone.

We now know more than we need to know about the personal lives of our leaders. It's doubtful that any of our past heroes could have better withstood the merciless scrutiny extended to Clinton. He was flawed in a way that all too many of us are, but the love and success of his wife and his daughter suggest that some basic family values were intact. Yes, he was a product of the sixties, and thank God for his not being self-righteously square.

Clinton's historical reputation will more than surmount the petty complaints of contemporary critics and leave him remembered as one of the hardest working, most competent, fundamentally decent and smartest men to ever serve in the office. He was an excellent President.

Support The Nation this Giving Tuesday


Today is #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving that typically kicks off the year-end fundraising season for organizations that depend on donor support to make ends meet and enable them to do their work—including
The Nation

To help us mobilize our community in this critical moment, an anonymous donor is matching every gift The Nation receives today, dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000. That means that until midnight tonight, every gift will be doubled, and its impact will go twice as far. 

Right now, the free press is facing an uphill battle like we’ve never faced before. The incoming administration considers independent journalists “enemies of the people.” Attacks on free speech and freedom of the press, legal and physical attacks on journalists, and the ever-increasing power and spread of misinformation campaigns all threaten not just our ability to do our work but our readers’ ability to find news, reporting, and analysis they can trust. 

If we hit our goal today, that’s $50,000 in total revenue to shore up our newsroom, power our investigative reporting and deep political analysis, and ensure that we’re ready to serve as a beacon of truth, civil resistance, and progressive power in the weeks and months to come.

From our abolitionist roots to our ongoing dedication to upholding the principles of democracy and freedom, The Nation has been speaking truth to power for 160 years. In the days ahead, our work will matter more than it ever has. To stand up against political authoritarianism, white supremacy, a court system overrun by far-right appointees, and the myriad other threats looming on the horizon, we’ll need communities that are informed, connected, fearless, and empowered with the truth. 

This outcome in November is one none of us hoped to see. But for more than a century and a half, The Nation has been preparing to meet it. We’re ready for the fight ahead, and now, we need you to stand with us. Join us by making a donation to The Nation today, while every dollar goes twice as far.

Onward, in gratitude and solidarity,

Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editorial Director and Publisher, The Nation

Ad Policy
x