An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right
This cartoon repeats exactly the famous Clinton-era TIME magazine cover “The Incredible Shrinking Presidency” in the wake of the GOP victory under Gingrinch and the terminal decline of Clinton’s power.
Of course, that did not last long, did it?
One wonders how closely history will repeat itself here?
If you look at the last six years of the Clinton Presidency, there is no policy initiative that the current Democratic party would ever claim credit. I doubt that Senators Obama or Clinton will mention the NAFA, GATT, Welfare Reform, or Bosnia/Kosovo.
They might mention the huge budget surplus left after Clinton left office, and 8 years of overall peace and prosperity. And Universal Health care, which was an early initiative that did not pass, is a mainstay of every Democratic Party candidate’s platform.
BTW, when Clinton visits Kosovo, he is greeted as a liberator by its residents.
There is no way that the Clinton Administration would have had a budget surplus in the last two years on his presidency without a Republican Congress. For the Democrats to give all of the credit to Clinton is nothing but water carrying for the Democrats.
I guess the firing on missiles into Afghanistan and Iraq or the bombing of Belgrade was part of the peace plan. How soon those with buckets in their hands forget things.
It was still Clinton’s budget plan from ’93 that enabled him to leave the largest surplus in history. If you are claiming credit for the GOP congress, then why didn’t that congress hold down costs during a supposedly conservative president’s terms?
BTW , my post said overall peace- that means in general-not that he never had to use the military. He was personally flawed but competent otherwise. The Democrats have a moderate faction that embraces centrist economic philosophy- they are not all tax and spend liberals. Unfortunately, after years of irresponsible spending and tax breaks, we are now in a real hole financially. W, the most inept ever?
There would not have been a surplus if Clinton had passed his healthcare entitlement program along with full funding for some of his other programs (aid to cities, etc).
What the Clinton Administration proved and no one will now admit is that if the government will set the rules and get out of the way the economy will go a lot better than if the government starts up new initiatives every year. In the last six years of the Clinton Administration, there were no new entitlement programs, no major tax reforms, and no new regulatory initiatives. The private sector had six years with with basically the same regulations to follow. The Clinton Administration also benefit from the huge capital spending on Y2K that was on of the underlying themes of the Dotcom boom and one of the major causes of the following busts. Too bad so few realized it at the time.
No one in the Bush Administration seem to understand the importance of the business climate. Bush (and the Gore proposals) during the 2000 campaign were all about spending the surplus on new initiatives and entitlements. But what both of them failed to realize is that the post Y2K recession had started well before Jan 2001. If you look at the budget deficit numbers, the government was back to deficit spending well before Bush took office.
If you also look at the state governments during the same times many of them, whether Democratic or Republican led) were running budget surpluses in the late 1990s but went into the red at the end of the Dot.com bubble in 2000-2001. In researching Gray Davis and California, Davis took over from a Wilson Administration that a running huge surplus but by the end of his first term was running huge deficits. So, if you look at all government budgets at all levels in the late 1990′s, the Clinton surplus was more a function of the business cycles and less dependent of any policu initiative since many states and cities were also running surpluses.
“There is no way that the Clinton Administration would have had a budget surplus in the last two years on his presidency without a Republican Congress.”
How can you say that? We’ve seen what happens when you have a Republican Congress and it’s record deficits.
“If you are claiming credit for the GOP congress, then why didn’t that congress hold down costs during a supposedly conservative president’s terms?”
Ummm, we’re fighting wars in two countries. That could have something to do with it.
As to the budget surplus, historically divided government is much more fiscally conservative that either R’s or D’s alone, and it doesn’t really matter which Party holds the congress and which the executive.
You can even verify this for yourself….
Fist the Budget Data, I’d say bugdet as % of GDP would be best
When people like kritter mention 8 years of peace and Kosovo they should at least try do so in the same sentence!
Like 8 years of peace shattered by numerous Al Quaeda bombings around the world, and the U.S. bombing Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, and carpetbombing Kosovo for a few months!
But hey you Bubba Luvaz keep the spin up and maybe you can one day realize your fantasy of working for Bubba in the same capacity Lewinsky once did!
Ah, history repeats itself.
This cartoon repeats exactly the famous Clinton-era TIME magazine cover “The Incredible Shrinking Presidency” in the wake of the GOP victory under Gingrinch and the terminal decline of Clinton’s power.
Of course, that did not last long, did it?
One wonders how closely history will repeat itself here?
Marlowecan,
If you look at the last six years of the Clinton Presidency, there is no policy initiative that the current Democratic party would ever claim credit. I doubt that Senators Obama or Clinton will mention the NAFA, GATT, Welfare Reform, or Bosnia/Kosovo.
They might mention the huge budget surplus left after Clinton left office, and 8 years of overall peace and prosperity. And Universal Health care, which was an early initiative that did not pass, is a mainstay of every Democratic Party candidate’s platform.
BTW, when Clinton visits Kosovo, he is greeted as a liberator by its residents.
But, nice try.
kritter,
There is no way that the Clinton Administration would have had a budget surplus in the last two years on his presidency without a Republican Congress. For the Democrats to give all of the credit to Clinton is nothing but water carrying for the Democrats.
I guess the firing on missiles into Afghanistan and Iraq or the bombing of Belgrade was part of the peace plan. How soon those with buckets in their hands forget things.
It was still Clinton’s budget plan from ’93 that enabled him to leave the largest surplus in history. If you are claiming credit for the GOP congress, then why didn’t that congress hold down costs during a supposedly conservative president’s terms?
BTW , my post said overall peace- that means in general-not that he never had to use the military. He was personally flawed but competent otherwise. The Democrats have a moderate faction that embraces centrist economic philosophy- they are not all tax and spend liberals. Unfortunately, after years of irresponsible spending and tax breaks, we are now in a real hole financially. W, the most inept ever?
Kritter,
There would not have been a surplus if Clinton had passed his healthcare entitlement program along with full funding for some of his other programs (aid to cities, etc).
What the Clinton Administration proved and no one will now admit is that if the government will set the rules and get out of the way the economy will go a lot better than if the government starts up new initiatives every year. In the last six years of the Clinton Administration, there were no new entitlement programs, no major tax reforms, and no new regulatory initiatives. The private sector had six years with with basically the same regulations to follow. The Clinton Administration also benefit from the huge capital spending on Y2K that was on of the underlying themes of the Dotcom boom and one of the major causes of the following busts. Too bad so few realized it at the time.
No one in the Bush Administration seem to understand the importance of the business climate. Bush (and the Gore proposals) during the 2000 campaign were all about spending the surplus on new initiatives and entitlements. But what both of them failed to realize is that the post Y2K recession had started well before Jan 2001. If you look at the budget deficit numbers, the government was back to deficit spending well before Bush took office.
If you also look at the state governments during the same times many of them, whether Democratic or Republican led) were running budget surpluses in the late 1990s but went into the red at the end of the Dot.com bubble in 2000-2001. In researching Gray Davis and California, Davis took over from a Wilson Administration that a running huge surplus but by the end of his first term was running huge deficits. So, if you look at all government budgets at all levels in the late 1990′s, the Clinton surplus was more a function of the business cycles and less dependent of any policu initiative since many states and cities were also running surpluses.
“There is no way that the Clinton Administration would have had a budget surplus in the last two years on his presidency without a Republican Congress.”
How can you say that? We’ve seen what happens when you have a Republican Congress and it’s record deficits.
SD- If there was a huge surplus right now, would you attribute it to business cycles and not to Bush?
“If you are claiming credit for the GOP congress, then why didn’t that congress hold down costs during a supposedly conservative president’s terms?”
Ummm, we’re fighting wars in two countries. That could have something to do with it.
Yes, one of which was a war of choice, not necessity.
As to the budget surplus, historically divided government is much more fiscally conservative that either R’s or D’s alone, and it doesn’t really matter which Party holds the congress and which the executive.
You can even verify this for yourself….
Fist the Budget Data, I’d say bugdet as % of GDP would be best
And correlate with Governmental control
When people like kritter mention 8 years of peace and Kosovo they should at least try do so in the same sentence!
Like 8 years of peace shattered by numerous Al Quaeda bombings around the world, and the U.S. bombing Iraq, Sudan, Afghanistan, and carpetbombing Kosovo for a few months!
But hey you Bubba Luvaz keep the spin up and maybe you can one day realize your fantasy of working for Bubba in the same capacity Lewinsky once did!