Will history judge Bill Clinton as a "Do Nothing" President?

Question

He rolls into office with the Soviet Union dissolving, and an economy just starting a recovery. Then he's lucky enough to be in office at the birth of a great new industry, the dot.com industry. Peace and prosperity, perhaps the best time in 50 years for a leader to enact bold new programs or pass important reforms.

Did Clinton reform Health Care, like he campaigned on? Resolve the Iraq situation in the 8 years he had? Reform Social Security? Fight Terrorism? Resolve the Israel/Palastinean conflict? End illegal immigration or pass immigration reform? Reverse the decline in manufacturing? Stop Outsourcing?

I can only think of the following accomplishments. He put some extra cops on the street, NAFTA, and Welfare Reform. All nice, but nothing great considering the Golden Opportunity he had.

Of all the great issues confronting our nation, was he able to resolve even one?

Ooh, can't forget Global Warming, especially with his VP Al Gore being the big harbinger of doom.

Did he stop the slaughter in Rwanda?

Andrew, most of what you are saying is 100% false. Clinton did in fact inherit an economy in recovery.

Unemployment went down by 0.5% in the last 6 months of Bush's term. (Courtesy of www.bls.gov).

The last 2 quarters of Bush's term had GDP Growth rate of 4.0 and 4.5 annual rate. That's a very strong growth rate. (Courtsey of www.bea.gov).

Clinton enacted no policies to encourage the dot.com boom. If you disagree, tell me which ones.

I agree on the stopping genocide in Yugoslavia. Kudos to Clinton on that one.

Clinton did little to address terrorism, other than seek indictments. If you disagree, tell me what actions he took.

He was only President and didn't control the Congress? True. But somehow, great presidents and great leaders accomplish their goals despite obstacles. If Clinton had been a great leader he would have offered solutions that both sides of the Congress could agree on.

BarB - Your list is based on electoral vote totals, which is essentially meaningless, other than popularity at time of election. And they even dissed Reagan while doing it. Reagan should have been #2.

Answer 1

Actually, I think history will eventually look kindly on Clinton. He had screw-ups, and he certainly wasn't what could be called a great president, but he didn't mess up anything too badly. He pretty much kept his nose out of the economy and let it boom.

Plus, compared to our current situation where we have a war (while he had none), his term will look like a golden era.

Yes, the impeachment thing will always be there, but it will be a minor blot as the years go by.

Personally, I think he was a scoundrel who debased the office, but I don't think history will be quite so hard on him.

Answer 2

Under your criteria (if you don't like them, then everything they did well was going to happen on it's own anyway), no president ever did anything.

We were not "in recovery" economically when he took over. He went against the political easy road and raised taxes on the wealthy. All the right-wingers screamed that we'd be thrown into a depression. Instead we ran record surpluses and set the table for Bush to wipe out our national debt and solve the problems of entitlement program liabiltities.

He didn't "luck into" the dot com boom. Many of his policies helped to pave the way for that explosion. He, against the wishes of the Republicans, stopped the genocidal war in the former Yugoslav republic, and he was responsible for modernizing and streamlining many areas of the government bureaucracy.

He also was the first President to address terrorism as a major priority, and if Bush had done nothing but left the status quo in how that effort was organized, 9/11 probably would have been stopped.

Great Achievements? History will judge that. Given the current administration, doing nothing would be a quantum improvement. Clinton was, if nothing else, a very capable, supremely competent administrator, and that's saying something when it comes to government.

Answer 3

For those of us who lived through the Clinton presidency, at least those of us who read past the headlines, know perfectly well that Clinton was a weak kneed failure at just about everything he did, while in office.

You site NAFTA as a success of his presidency, yet the success was already wearing thin before he entered his second term. Today, it's a joke, and most countries who supported it initially, would take back that approval rating, in a heart beat.

Welfare reform worked for a short time too. Actually a few people did get back on their feet over the short term. Is this when set aside programs came into being? Set-aside is the most evil form of discrimination this country has ever been forced to endure ! It was to the job market for minorities, what 'don't ask, don't tell', was to the military's homosexual problem.

Extra police on the streets, you say? If I remember correctly, old slick promised to pay these new police officers from the federal budget, for one year only. After that, it was up to state, county, and local governments to pick up the tab. Many of them were unable to continue with this program, once the federal money dried up, and they were back to square one.

Clinton had the ability to stop a severed artery with a band aid. Every solution he devised was for the short term. It was as though he just wanted it to last until he was able to step down, and then let the next guy worry about it.

You're absolutely correct, Clinton resolved absolutely nothing!

Answer 4

History will judge a "do nothing" president, but it will not be Clinton. If anybody is a "do nothing" president, it is BUSH JR. He has not had a formal working plan for the Iraq War, all he did was veto pullout attempts from the comfort of his White House office while our troops kept dying in vain. He did a piss-poor job in the rescue efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina through the feeble efforts of Michael Brown and FEMA, doing nothing to help the city of New Orleans and other affected areas. And he did nothing to help the horrid relations between the U.S. and a great number of other countries who look down on America, Canada included, BECAUSE OF THIS IRAQ WAR WHICH AMERICA CANNOT WIN!!!!!!!!! If I were president, that last item would be very high on my priority list. Bush is going to go down as the worst president in history. I could lead this country better than he can, and I don't have nearly enough smarts for a political career.

Answer 5

It seems a 'do nothing' place in history is a whole lot better than the review bush is going to get! Frankly, I had more money in my pocket when BC was president. You're right though...he did 'do nothing; rather than get us into wars we can't win, support the lunatic fringe by rewriting the constitution, try to remove basic rights as listed in the bill of rights and finally, bill clinton's family didn't do business w/the bin laden family nor did he whisk them out of the country within 24 hours of 9/11. At least the USA had some respect when he was president. Until the hypocritical (Newt , Frist, McCain) got on the blow-*** bandwagon & stopped his presidency in it's tracks. Wasting millions over a lie that killed no one...can any bush supporters say the same for him? No. You can't. His lies will go on killing innocent people until he is removed, impeached and imprisoned (no, I don't believe that'll happen either) In the words of the vice-president "Go Fu** Yourself" and he means the citizens of the USA! (yeah, that's the kind of behavior we need in the white house...so classy!) The pecadillo of Bill and his relationship with Hillary was just that: THEIRS. Why is that republicans love to get into everyone's bedroom? Could it be because they have many, many skeletons to hide? Gee, wasn't Ted Haggard a bush (he does not deserve capitalization) advisor? Ah those wacky christians...and btw, it IS a cult. It's done very well, but it's a cult nonetheless.

Answer 6

Mission Accomplished

Answer 7

bill Clinton is an particularly pusuasive politican, he has aura and knows a thank you to attraction to the lots. His presidency had execs and cons as does any presidents. yet permit me inform you whilst he seems interior the reflect he's white. would he have been elected if he became black, in all probability not , ought to a black guy get away with each and every of the scandalous crap that became revealed approximately clinton past to his election and relection, i think of not! Lyndon Johnson surpassed the civil rights act in 1964, does that make him Black i think of not. White human beings won't have the ability to be black, they might empathize with the stressful circumstances and struggles that minorities have confronted interior the previous and proceed to stand , yet they don't seem to be black. they might include black subculture as we ought to continuously include and rejoice all varieties of distinctive cultures alongside with our very own , and get off the black and white concern, each and every race and creed and shade and nationality have lots to grant and for something of the international to income and hit upon. Why ought to that which makes us distinctive divide us? it truly is oppoosite of what the fundamental ideals of our united states is approximately! Why won't have the ability to our variations deliver us mutually and make us extra distinctive and data . Who became in workplace whilst the equivalent rights ammendment became surpassed??? became that president noted as a results of fact the 1st female President??? i think of not! there is now a candidate now , whom if elected must be the 1st Black president, And whilst he seems interior the reflect , he does see a black guy. bill Clinton is approximately as black as my white Irish ***!!!

Answer 8

He and Monica will be forever linked in history. His lies, and Hillary's while under oath and to the American people will mean he was a 8 year lame duck.

Look at the FALN terrorists he pardoned, and then has the nerve to call Bush names for reducing Libby's prison term. Bill pardoned more people than most presidents so, no, he wont shine and neither does Jimmy Carter.

He single handedly gutted the military and had them down to almost nothing.

Answer 9

Any President has to deal with Congress, public opinion and international politics. The President of the USA can't solve all the world's (or all the country's) problems by himself (or Herself).

Answer 10

But he did do something. He showed the world that marriage vows are meaningless. He fooled around with an intern in the oval office, which made a mockery of the presidency. He lied on national TV. he was impeached but not convicted. He gave full pardons to all his convicted buddies, drug dealers and terrorists, he failed to grab Osama Bin Laden when Syria offered to hand him over, he appointed that man hating bulldog janice reno who then proceeded to authorize the butcher of the children in Waco, and told the world that christianity was a cult...... what do you mean a do nothing president?