It has harmed the presidency.
No argument, but I do not believe irreparably...
You are right to be exasperated with the return of Clinton to office, but I look at it in the context of the general cynicism about politicians. I still don't think most of them realized that something quite different than the usual fudging was going on here.
I have argued many times about the superficiality of those polls. Someone calls and asks for an evaluation of how Clinton is handling the economy. Everything seems fine, so you say that you approve of his handling of it. Then they ask about his handling of foreign policy. Nothing seems too amiss, especially if, like most people, you know virtually nothing about it, so again you approve. Then you are asked for an overall approval rating, so you approve a third time. It shows no deep belief in Clinton and his policies, or gore would be doing a lot better, since most people expect that he will continue Clinton's policies. Rather, it shows that everyone thinks that things are going well, and therefore have nothing to blame Clinton for. As for the scandals themselves, I have heard people disparage the man, and wish they had not voted for him, while expressing fatalism about doing anything about it, because they bought the argument they the offenses did not rise to the impeachable level...
By the way, would you rather your children pick up garbage on the streets rather than let Clinton remain in office? |
