If Bill Clinton Were President - NY Times

[onehandle]

WASHINGTON — By the end of last week, it certainly looked as if Barack Obama had outsourced his presidency to Bill Clinton. First, he cut a Clintonian-style deal with Republicans on tax cuts and then he literally turned over the White House lectern to his predecessor. Equally riveting and astonishing, Mr. Clinton’s blast-from-the-past performance in the White House briefing room on Friday afternoon reinforced the impression of political déjà vu, the sense that once again a Democratic president humbled by midterm elections was pivoting to the center at the expense of his own supporters.

But as no less an authority than Mr. Clinton reminded us, the comparison is incomplete and imperfect. “The story line is how well we worked with the Republicans and all that,” he said during his brief West Wing comeback. “But you know, we played political kabuki for a year.”

Indeed, the real history of his response to the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 was more complicated than the reductionist version. And so far, Mr. Obama’s response to the November elections has been more complicated as well. The current president’s uncomfortable tax compromise with Republicans harked back to only one aspect of Mr. Clinton’s recovery strategy in 1995 and 1996, although the howls of protest from the left must have sounded familiar to the visiting former chief executive. Mr. Clinton’s approach involved as much confrontation as conciliation, and most of all, improvisation.

Even in the few weeks since the Republican election victory, Mr. Obama has already sampled from the full menu of options. On the tax cuts, he concluded that he had little choice but to cut a deal with Republicans, conceding to them one of their core priorities and angering his own supporters even as he squeezed out of the opposition as many concessions as he could to balance the agreement.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/weekinreview/12baker.html

[ProSense]

1. Interesting

<...>

Indeed, the real history of his response to the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 was more complicated than the reductionist version. And so far, Mr. Obama’s response to the November elections has been more complicated as well. The current president’s uncomfortable tax compromise with Republicans harked back to only one aspect of Mr. Clinton’s recovery strategy in 1995 and 1996, although the howls of protest from the left must have sounded familiar to the visiting former chief executive. Mr. Clinton’s approach involved as much confrontation as conciliation, and most of all, improvisation.

Even in the few weeks since the Republican election victory, Mr. Obama has already sampled from the full menu of options. On the tax cuts, he concluded that he had little choice but to cut a deal with Republicans, conceding to them one of their core priorities and angering his own supporters even as he squeezed out of the opposition as many concessions as he could to balance the agreement.

But faced with Republican resistance to his New Start arms control treaty, Mr. Obama took a different tack, refusing to back down and wait until next year. Instead, he organized a sustained, high-profile campaign to pressure Republican senators into approving the pact before year’s end and now appears to have the votes if the Senate can schedule enough time to debate.

“Sometimes you’re going to tack this way or that way,” said Dan Pfeiffer, the White House communications director. “Sometimes that means that the best way to get to that North Star is working with the other party and looking for compromise, and other times it’s going to require confrontation.”

<...>

[Beacool]

2. Interesting........

"Still, it’s a measure of Mr. Obama’s uncertainty in this moment of peril that he would summon not only the spirit but also the person of Mr. Clinton, whom he disparaged during the 2008 campaign for small-ball politics that made him less of a transformational president than Ronald Reagan. Lately, Mr. Obama has been reading accounts of Mr. Clinton’s presidency."

Obama has found out that it's easy to say anything while campaigning, but that the reality of governing is quite different. Bill already had learned that lesson, he had been a Democratic governor in a red state for 12 years before becoming president.

:eyes:

[still_one]

3. If my memory serves me it was just the opposite of what you are portraying. Nevertheless, the fact

remains that much of the issues we are going through today are because of Clinton's compromise with the Telecommunications Act, and the signing of legislation that not only allowed for huge mergers, but deregulation.

Obama's biggest problem is his staff which were mostly people from the Clinton administration who helped mold the republican agenda

Clinton was no progressive, especially with what he did to welfare for work, and poor women who had to leave their children unattended while essentially forced to work

Obama is also no progressive, in fact he is more like Bill Clinton than not, which is why it is perfectly understandable why Clinton and Summers would speak for him

[Beacool]

4. What's the opposite?

That Obama disparaged Bill while elevating Reagan as a "transcendental" president? Or that he's now realizing that you can B.S. all you want while campaigning, but when you govern reality hits you in the butt?

Please.......

:eyes:

As for welfare, it was time to end the cradle to grave welfare benefits. Teach people a trade and provide them with child care, but send them to work.

[Exilednight]

7. "it was time to end the cradle to grave welfare benefits" That's a Rush Limbaugh talking point ....

It scares me when I see these lines of propaganda show up on DU.

[Whisp]

9. makes me shiver.

all this welfare queen shit.

*spits

[AndrewP]

8. It was good to see the best President of my lifetime taking the podium

I miss President Clinton

[Beacool]

10. You're not the only one.

:D

[jenmito]

11. "As for welfare, it was time to end the cradle to grave welfare benefits. Teach people a trade and

provide them with child care, but send them to work." Are you a Democrat or Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild? That statement you made was something the teabaggers say all the time! :wtf:

[Beacool]

12. Being a Democrat does not mean that I agree that people should receive welfare for life.

People should be provided with a good education or taught a trade. There is pride in earning a living and not subsisting on the public dole. Provide them with training and availability to affordable daycare, but put them to work. Please note that I'm not referring to the immediate present where far too few can get a job even with a graduate degree.

;)

[jenmito]

13. YOU'RE the only one who talked about "cradle to grave welfare." Speaks volumes

about you. If Bill Clinton DID support "welfare for life," I have no doubt that YOU would, too.

:)

[Exilednight]

5. Obama presidency = Clintont presidency. Two peas in the same pod. n/t

[ProSense]

6. Not possible.

Wall Street reform proves that. Clinton was pro-deregulation. President Obama is not.