Alan Greenspan has confirmed what is obvious to everyone except Bill Clinton-hating conservatives: Bill Clinton exercised a fiscal and economic policy that was responsible, prudent, and effective.
I wonder if conservatives suffering from Clinton Derangement Syndrome will start calling Greenspan a liberal now.
Huck
ReplyDeleteAs you already know, I am conservative and do not like Bill Clinton. However despite his many flaws, I recognize his intelligence and ability. Most conservative I know do acknowledge this, but do not believe that his positives outweigh his negatives. Though his economic policies helped the economy, some of the actions he took were counter productive in other ways. For example, his military draw downs are primarily responsible for the overworking of military personnel. His (and the Republican legislature) reductions of military pay raises below the inflation rate, lead to an increase in financial problems for junior military personnel. Though he presented himself as someone who was concerned about poverty, he took steps that reduced the ability of junior military personnel to support themselves and their families.
I have no qualms about acknowledging Bill Clinton’s (or Hillary’s) abilities and accomplishments. However I do have issues with their motivation, morals and goals.
Also as a conservative I am not pleased with many things the Republicans do.
don_cos - That's a very fair position. In fact, I agree with your criticism of Clinton's pretensions regarding a commitment to poverty reduction. His unwillingness to give soldiers a pay raise at least consistent with the rate of inflation is deplorable. I'm all for paying soldiers much, much more for the risks that they take.
ReplyDeleteAlso, as a good liberal, I also deplored the way Clinton handled his welfare reform program. I don't disagree with the need for welfare reform, but the way he did it was certainly a ham-handed way that only weaned desperate people off the government dole and did nothing to address the fundamental roots of poverty that led people to the government dole in the first place.
But so often, most Clinton critics, especially those who claim to be fiscal conservatives, never seem to want to give the man his proper due with regard to his sound fiscal policies. Instead, the tendency is to want to reduce his presidency to his unseemly sexual escapades and to think of anyone who says anything positive about Clinton's policies in any realm, the fiscal and economic realm included, as evidence of a mental imbalance.