Ted, Clinton was the greatest president of our time and Reagan was, well, whatever.
Reagan defined the modern conservative movement. Before, Democrats were arguing for higher taxes to solve the deficit, along with bigger government to solve the nation's problems. Now even Democrats have to inject a measure of "fiscal conservativeness" in their message. Thanks to Reagan, big government is now a taboo, not a savior.
If you notice what Clinton is credited for, it's mainly for "balancing the budget" and following a moderately conservative economic policy. He originally entered with liberal promises, such as getting gays into the military and enacting Hillary-care, but the former turned into a "don't ask, don't tell" compromise while the latter fell flat on its face. Meanwhile, his sexual escapades helped to set back the cause of feminism, while the only liberal things he did was to hold back Newt Gingrich and his conservative agenda.
Now tell me again how Clinton was the greatest president of our time? He didn't turn back the tides of conservatism that started under Reagan, nor is he helping the cause of liberalism these days. His legacy will forever be a stain on a blue dress, while he left behind a burst economic bubble for the next guy to clean up. (Al Gore should have thanked Bush for allegedly "stealing" Indecision 2000. Had he inherited Clinton's legacy, he'd be as embarrassed as Gray Davis was here in California.)
Tenchusatsu |
