Will they remember?

[Nym90]

Socially, I would somewhat agree, although Clinton did stop the more extreme portions of the Contract with America with his veto pen. Economically, the Clinton policies were just starting to take effect in late 1993, and the budget surpluses under Clinton weren't produced until 1998. The Republicans didn't start cutting taxes for the wealthy until Bush got into office.

[Bandit3 the Worker]

That veto pen was used all too rarely.

Clinton didn't stand up to the right-wing Congress enough - instead he listened to phony "focus groups" and biased polls of suburban voters - and this ended up doing grave long-term harm to his party.

In fact I refused to vote for him in 1996 because of this.

He could have been using his State of the Union speeches to rip into the right-wing Congress to a degree that nobody had ever imagined - but he squandered these opportunities by extolling the supposed greatness of school uniforms instead.

I know I'm not the only person whose votes Clinton ended up losing because of this. It seems like everyone else said the same thing.

[Nym90]

I agree that school uniforms were a bad idea. Indeed, Clinton did go more towards the middle after the GOP took control of Congress. I didn't agree with some of what he said either at that time (ie welfare reform). However, I think Clinton realized the political reality of the situation was that he had to at least attempt to work with the Republican Congress rather than being completely obstructionist. Certainly it can be debated as to whether or not this was good tactics, but it did help him win reelection in 1996 along with his economic record.

[CHRISTOPHER MICHAE]

I agree that school uniforms were a bad idea. Indeed, Clinton did go more towards the middle after the GOP took control of Congress. I didn't agree with some of what he said either at that time (ie welfare reform). However, I think Clinton realized the political reality of the situation was that he had to at least attempt to work with the Republican Congress rather than being completely obstructionist. Certainly it can be debated as to whether or not this was good tactics, but it did help him win reelection in 1996 along with his economic record.

Nym90 needs to read a book by five-term Congressman from Hawaii, Cecil Heftel, titled: "They Lied" It is an eye-opener as to the compromises Clinton was forced to make with the "Gingrich Revolutionaries." That book was required reading for my Bachelor's Degree, in a course titled: "Legislative Politics."