How was Clinton a good president?

[flunky nassau]

I was a youngin' when he was president, but as I grew older, I heard he was a good one. Instead of just agreeing, I'm trying to form my own justifications. Care to educate?



Good:

1) Eliminated the debt
2) Left office with a federal budget surplus of $127 billion
3) welfare reform
4) wore a leather jacket & played the sax
5) didn't start any dumb ass wars, though, I heard he initiated more military actions than any president in history
6) raised taxes on top 2% of the richest
7) tax cuts for small businesses


Bad:
1) Maintained an embargo the resulted in the death of hundreds or thousands of Iraqis
2) Sex scandel?
3) Something about Haiti I can't remember
4) Practically ignored the genocides in Africa (but what else is new)

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: flunky nassau
I was a youngin' when he was president, but as I grew older, I heard he was a good one. Instead of just agreeing, I'm trying to form my own justifications. Care to educate?



Good:

1) Eliminated the debt
2) Left office with a federal budget surplus of $127 billion
3) welfare reform
4) wore a leather jacket & played the sax
5) didn't start any dumb ass wars, though, I heard he initiated more military actions than any president in history
6) raised taxes on top 2% of the richest
7) tax cuts for small businesses


Bad:
1) Maintained an embargo the resulted in the death of hundreds or thousands of Iraqis
2) Sex scandel?
3) Something about Haiti I can't remember
4) Practically ignored the genocides in Africa (but what else is new)

Well compare it to the last 8 years and it seems pretty good.

 

[heyheybooboo]

You pretty much hit the highlights ... and low-lights

It truly is a shame the way we have crapped on Iraq the last 20 years. You would think Slick was smart enough to see that but it shows you the way a previous administration can crap all over a current President.

I think what I'm most happy about is that Ramzi Ahmed Yousef is spending the rest of his life in solitary in the Colorado SuperMax ....

Some folks are p'ssed about Waco and Ruby Ridge - don't think you can really blame Slick. though, for that mess ...

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Originally posted by: flunky nassau
I was a youngin' when he was president, but as I grew older, I heard he was a good one. Instead of just agreeing, I'm trying to form my own justifications. Care to educate?



Good:

1) Eliminated the debt
2) Left office with a federal budget surplus of $127 billion
3) welfare reform
4) wore a leather jacket & played the sax
5) didn't start any dumb ass wars, though, I heard he initiated more military actions than any president in history
6) raised taxes on top 2% of the richest
7) tax cuts for small businesses


Bad:
1) Maintained an embargo the resulted in the death of hundreds or thousands of Iraqis
2) Sex scandel?
3) Something about Haiti I can't remember
4) Practically ignored the genocides in Africa (but what else is new)

Well you got 2 of 7 "good" things correct. 4&5 the rest are stretched spin at best.

 

[Arkaign]

Clinton was better than Bush I or II. That's about it.

 

[StageLeft]

Well compare it to the last 8 years and it seems pretty good.

Yes.

 

[Farang]

He was mediocre.. basically just a steady hand at the wheel who didn't really accomplish much but didn't screw us over either. The economic boom had little (I think most would argue nothing) to do with him, and credit for balancing the budget depends on which party you ask. He didn't start any dumb ass wars but he continued the siege of Iraq which made it out to be our enemy #1 and allowed for war under Bush II.

 

[nageov3t]

the economy was good, SNL was funny, and the spice girls were hot

 

[jonks]

Pro
He nominated 2 qualified jurists to the Supreme Court, not his maid.
Was respected enough among world leaders to host peace talks btw Israel/Palestine, which actually had a shot at succeeding.

Con
Don't Ask Don't Tell was a bit cowardly, but the world has progressed quite a bit since then.
Is a chubby chaser.

 

[maddogchen]

He's not a good president. If you rank the presidents he might be near the middle. But at least he's not in the bottom like Bush Jr.

 

[Skitzer]

When he got reelected to his second term I retired from the Navy after 22 years.
He made life and a career in the military almost unbearable.
Other than that he was a mediocre President ....... nothing real bad, nothing real good.

 

[Moonbeam]

Liked his blow jobs while phoning Republican senators.

 

[Cold Steel]

Things are usually better when the Executive and Legislative branches are not the same party.

 

[Muse]

He knew/knows how to smile. GWB knows how to smirk.

 

[eits]

Originally posted by: Muse
He knew/knows how to smile. GWB knows how to smirk.

even when talking about dead american soldiers.

 

[fskimospy]

Like everyone else is saying, he was a tolerable president but nothing special. It's only because we have had someone who very well may be the worst president in US history to follow him up with that he seems so good. (I'm serious, there is currently a raging debate in historical circles as to if he is the absolute worst, or just one of the worst.)

Well, that and his presidency was marked by broad based economic growth that touched most sectors of the population. How much credit you want to give him for that is up to you.

 

[rpanic]

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Like everyone else is saying, he was a tolerable president but nothing special. It's only because we have had someone who very well may be the worst president in US history to follow him up with that he seems so good. (I'm serious, there is currently a raging debate in historical circles as to if he is the absolute worst, or just one of the worst.)

That?s one good thing about this election anyone will be better than Bush, so at least we have something good that should come out of this no matter who wins.

 

[jonks]

Originally posted by: rpanic

Originally posted by: eskimospy
Like everyone else is saying, he was a tolerable president but nothing special. It's only because we have had someone who very well may be the worst president in US history to follow him up with that he seems so good. (I'm serious, there is currently a raging debate in historical circles as to if he is the absolute worst, or just one of the worst.)

That?s one good thing about this election anyone will be better than Bush, so at least we have something good that should come out of this no matter who wins.

Seriously. If Hillary really wants to start a movement she should shave downstairs and run on "No More Bush."

I deeply apologize to everyone for that.

 

[Pabster]

Clinton was a mediocre, largely irrelevant and scandal-ridden President who shall go down in the books as not terribly consequential. A President who governed between two War Presidents, both named Bush.

 

[woodie1]

Originally posted by: Skitzer
When he got reelected to his second term I retired from the Navy after 22 years.
He made life and a career in the military almost unbearable.

Yes. He did screw up the armed forces. He's the reason we are so short of troops now.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: Cold Steel
Things are usually better when the Executive and Legislative branches are not the same party.

I find they're usually better when neither is Republican. FDR and a democratic Congress, JFK and a democratic congress, didn't do too badly.

Even when mistakes are made, the Republicans are often on the wrong side, so they wouldn't have stopped it - take Vietnam, the Republicans were the more hawkish party in Congress.

 

[Craig234]

Originally posted by: woodie1

Originally posted by: Skitzer
When he got reelected to his second term I retired from the Navy after 22 years.
He made life and a career in the military almost unbearable.

Yes. He did screw up the armed forces. He's the reason we are so short of troops now.

Please elaborate - educate me. I think the end of the cold war was a great missed opportunity to greatly reduce our military, but wonder what you are criticizing.

One thing to remember is that he was relatively weak in being able to do what he wanted in the military; Republican JCS Chairman Colin Powell had all the prestige, and knew it; among other things, Powell blocked Clinton from simply ending gay discrimination as he'd discussed in the campaign, and left us with the bad compromise under which *more* gays are kicked out.

 

[fskimospy]

Originally posted by: woodie1

Originally posted by: Skitzer
When he got reelected to his second term I retired from the Navy after 22 years.
He made life and a career in the military almost unbearable.

Yes. He did screw up the armed forces. He's the reason we are so short of troops now.

Counterpoint.

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: Pabster
Clinton was a mediocre, largely irrelevant and scandal-ridden President who shall go down in the books as not terribly consequential. A President who governed between two War Presidents, both named Bush.

That's what makes him consequential, a calm between two storms.

 

[rchiu]

Heh, when the economy was good during Reagan years, it was his tax cut, his supply side Reaganomics. But when it comes to Clinton, he was lucky and had nothing to do with the good economy during his year. Reagan was revered by the republicans, yet he incurred huge deficits during his term while Clinton actually balanced the budget. Reagan's economy helped the top 20% richest american, while Clinton's economy help everyone from bottom 20% to top 20%. (go look up household income increase during their term)

Simple test of presidency, no excuse, no bs. Were American better off when the president left the office compared to when he took the office? I think most American would agree they were during the Clinton year, and that's with government actually run with a balanced budged, unlike Reagan era. But hey, there will always be Clinton hater saying that's because he was lucky, or because of GOP majority...blah blah blah. Well, another indicator that he was a good president is that he was so hated by the conservative, who messed up this country big time the last eight years. He must be doing something right to get that much hate from those imbeciles.