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To: Poet who wrote (785)	3/2/2002 1:51:45 PM
From: SirRealist	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 21057

how you feel Clinton's attempt to shore up the health care system got botched up?<< Poet It's pretty simple, really. First, Clinton was and always has been very pro-business. 1) Then, those that profit more from it as is, were opposed from the start, understandably. The insurance lobby, in particular, pulled out all stops. 2) In trying to employ the usual Clinton style of stating one goal then compromising at the middle, they tried to create something that would compensate the insurance folks nearly as well as they were getting before. 3) By the time they stuck all the gewgaws on it, their baby looked too damn expensive and no longer looked like a cute gurgly thing to the only group who wanted it in the first place, the American public. The polls showed we wanted service, akin to what Canada has. By kowtowing to the insurance lobby, they created a monster that no-one could love. In fact, Big Bill got nailed on the first two initiatives out of the starting gate. It's what can occur when you choose consensus based decisionmaking over the more autocratic approach. His supporters in the gay communities put the onus on him right at the start with the gays-in-the-military initiative. The military already distrusted him due to his antiwar student days, so when this erupted in his first 60 days, it basically solidified that distrust permanently. And that compromise (don't ask don't tell) was itself a twisted exercise in logic that has only marginally improved the lot of the gay soldier. It's not so much that the military brass is homophobic, but young, heterosexual guys bursting at the seams with testosterone, are not known for their tolerance. Many are known for their hubris. A more realistic approach would have been to build a stronger rapport with military men first, then bring such a controversial topic to the table later, but Big Bill basically let his agenda get hijacked by an overeager group, which permanently lost the potential for a growing base of support from GIs. His first 100 days, a time when most spend it on the defining issues of a Presidency, became a wasteland of squandered opportunity with this and the healthcare botch. To his credit, he overcame that shaky start sufficiently to gain re-election later, but I believe he was the first ever to win two elections with less than 50% of the vote both times. His pro-business stance, which did not rein in a growing bull mkt with regulatory devices, was the thing that kept him afloat. One other note, since we're on the topic of leadership botches. To these two, and his womanizing/perjury, the only other serious botch of his Presidency was at Waco. I'm sure his haters will asign blame for everything under the sun, but I'm trying to cast the light on his presidency from the perspective that history analysts will weigh 25 years from now, where greater objectivity can be applied. A careful analysis of what Congress proposed vs what Clinton proposed and worked out will ultimately decide such currently topical critiques about post-Cold War military budget cuts and his attempts to go after terrorist orgs. My prediction? By the middle of Bush's second term, many of Clinton's flaws will seem insignificant, in retrospect.