Opinion of the Clinton welfare reforms?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

The worst

[Antonio the Sixth]

Utterly vile, immoral and despicable reforms. One of the two main reasons (along with the Crime Bill) why no reasonable person can have a positive opinion of Clinton and call themself left-wing.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

Utterly vile, immoral and despicable reforms. One of the two main reasons (along with the Crime Bill) why no reasonable person can have a positive opinion of Clinton and call themself left-wing.

[Cassius]

FR

[RFayette]

FR

[Mr. Reactionary]

FR

[Clark Kent]

FR

[Hash]

Horrible garbage obviously. Makes Mike Harris and Ontario workfare look like communists.

[OSR stands with Israel]

FR

[evergreenarbor]

Utterly vile, immoral and despicable reforms. One of the two main reasons (along with the Crime Bill) why no reasonable person can have a positive opinion of Clinton and call themself left-wing.

[RINO Tom]

FR

[they don't love you like i love you]

It's a bit unfair to call them "Clinton welfare reforms" with how reluctant he was to sign them and even vetoed them twice but still horrible and yes he deserves condemnation for folding.

[Santander]

FR

They weren't perfect, but they were an improvement.

[Associate Justice PiT]

FR

[Kingpoleon]

FR

[DC Al Fine]

I'll blatantly copy The American Conservative's take and say lean FF

Tl;dr, It reduced poverty rates while increasing extreme poverty rates. The reform was effective but needs to be paired with more child benefits and the like.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Utterly vile, immoral and despicable reforms. One of the two main reasons (along with the Crime Bill) why no reasonable person can have a positive opinion of Clinton and call themself left-wing.

[Mr. Smith]

Ghastly.

[Coolface Sock #42069]

FF

[President Johnson]

Bad! Though the main blame goes to congressional Republicans and not Billy.

[Vosem]

FR

[mvd10]

FR

[IceSpear]

Obviously terrible, but context is important. The Democratic Party, Congress, and public opinion were all very right wing during this period. Laying it all at the feet of Bill is asinine. I don't know why so many people have trouble grasping the fact that Congress is a thing.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Pretty much everything that Moynihan (no defender of the old programme!) warned about at the time has come to pass.

[politicallefty]

Completely awful, but also this:

Bad! Though the main blame goes to congressional Republicans and not Billy.

Obviously terrible, but context is important. The Democratic Party, Congress, and public opinion were all very right wing during this period. Laying it all at the feet of Bill is asinine. I don't know why so many people have trouble grasping the fact that Congress is a thing.

Even Bill himself has many regrets from his Presidency. A lot of people condemn him for DOMA as well, nevermind that the Republican Congress dumped it on President Clinton's desk six weeks before the 1996 election. His veto would have either been overridden or may have even prompted Congress to send a constitutional amendment to the states (even a more limited "states rights" amendment would have prevented Obergefell last year). The crime bill also had some particularly nasty provisions, but general public was gung-ho on law and order back then. Do remember that Gallup recorded the highest support ever for the death penalty in September 1994, at an 80-16 margin. Bill Clinton could have fought everything we now know and believe as wrong, but do you not think that would have made him a one-termer? Imagine what a President Dole would have done alongside Speaker Gingrich in 1997. He probably would have been a one-termer as well, but imagine the Contract with America on steroids.