Clinton's Accomplishments???

[palerider]

On another thread, a couple of clintonites have put forward the following list as "accomplishments" of bill clinton.

Economy: the Strongest Economy in a Generation
Longest Economic Expansion in U.S. History
More Than 22 Million New Jobs
Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Over Three Decades
Household Income Breaks $40,000 for First Time in History
Unemployment is the Lowest in Over Three Decades
Highest Homeownership Rate in History
Largest One-Year Drop in Child Poverty in More than Three Decades
Crime and Drugs: Lowest Crime Rates in 25 Years
Lowest Crime Rates in a Generation
Lowest Percentage of Americans on Welfare in 35 Years as More Recipients Go to Work
Teen Births Down to the Lowest Rate on Record

I asked these clintonites specifically what clinton did to accomplish these things beyond simply being in office and more or less staying out of the economy's way and letting it be. I got vague references to the budget plan of 93 which failed to produce its stated goals, but surely they aren't claiming that the failure of his plan resulted in the economy he is claiming credit for. At this point, the two clintonites are chattering back and forth like a couple of magpies in what, I suppose, amounts to a humorous manner in their little corner of the universe.

Since those who made the claim that clinton "accomplished" the items on the list above can't answer the question, I will put it to the larger board.

Exactly what did he (clinton) do to "accomplish" the items on the list?

 

[ArmChair General]

On another thread, a couple of clintonites have put forward the following list as "accomplishments" of bill clinton.

Economy: the Strongest Economy in a Generation
Longest Economic Expansion in U.S. History
More Than 22 Million New Jobs
Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Over Three Decades
Household Income Breaks $40,000 for First Time in History
Unemployment is the Lowest in Over Three Decades
Highest Homeownership Rate in History
Largest One-Year Drop in Child Poverty in More than Three Decades
Crime and Drugs: Lowest Crime Rates in 25 Years
Lowest Crime Rates in a Generation
Lowest Percentage of Americans on Welfare in 35 Years as More Recipients Go to Work
Teen Births Down to the Lowest Rate on Record

I asked these clintonites specifically what clinton did to accomplish these things beyond simply being in office and more or less staying out of the economy's way and letting it be. I got vague references to the budget plan of 93 which failed to produce its stated goals, but surely they aren't claiming that the failure of his plan resulted in the economy he is claiming credit for. At this point, the two clintonites are chattering back and forth like a couple of magpies in what, I suppose, amounts to a humorous manner in their little corner of the universe.

Since those who made the claim that clinton "accomplished" the items on the list above can't answer the question, I will put it to the larger board.

Exactly what did he (clinton) do to "accomplish" the items on the list?

He was in office. Therefore he gets the credit or the blame.


You just like argue for the sake of arguiing dont you.

 

[palerider]

Sometimes. But not in this case. A man has been given credit for specific accomplishments. I am interested in learning exactly what it was that he did to achieve these things.

I payed particular attention to the economy during clinton's term and beleive that I would have noticed policy initiatives that produced such stellar results as he is being given credit for. I am curious to know what they were.

 

[top gun]

PRESIDENT CLINTON AND VICE PRESIDENT GORE: FROM AN ERA OF DEFICITS TO AN ERA OF SURPLUSES -- AN ESTIMATED BUDGET SURPLUS OF $39 BILLION IN 1998
May 26, 1998

Today, President Clinton and Vice President Gore Announce An Historic Achievement: After Years of Escalating Deficits, The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Now Projects The Budget Surplus Will Reach $39 Billion This Year. The key findings of the OMB's Mid-Session Review of the 1999 budget are:

Instead of $357 Billion Deficit, $39 Billion Budget Surplus This Year. When President Clinton and Vice President Gore took office, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projected the deficit to be $357 billion this year and heading higher; now, the Administration projects the surplus to be $39 billion this year and growing bigger.

$39 Billion Surplus -- The First in A Generation. In 1992, the deficit was $290 billion -- the biggest dollar deficit in American history. This year, OMB now projects the surplus to be $39 billion -- the first in a generation (1969) and the biggest dollar surplus in American history. As a share of GDP, the budget surplus would be 0.5 percent this year -- the largest since 1957.

Six Years in A Row of Fiscal Improvement -- The First Time in U.S. History. Reaching a surplus in 1998 marks the sixth consecutive year of improved fiscal balance -- the longest period in American history.

Surplus Estimated To Reach Nearly $150 Billion By 2002. President Clinton promised to balance the budget by 2002. The budget will be balanced this year -- four years ahead of schedule -- and the surplus is expected to hit $148 billion in 2002 -- part of what would be the longest and largest sustained debt reduction in our history. And, instead of the $579 billion deficit projected by CBO for 2002, we now project a surplus of $148 billion -- a $727 billion swing.

While Producing the Smallest Government in A Quarter Century, President Clinton Has Expanded Critical Investments in the Future. President Clinton's 1993 Economic Plan included $255 billion in spending cuts over five years -- more than half of the total deficit reduction package. As a result, federal spending as a share of the economy has declined for each of the past six years and is now the lowest in 24 years. However, as spending has been cut in lower priority areas, President Clinton has dramatically increased funding in critical areas, such as education and training, children, the environment, health care, and research and development.

While Eliminating The Budget Deficit, President Clinton Has Provided Tax Relief for Middle-Income Families. Because of the tax cuts for working families signed into law by the President in 1993 and 1997, the typical American family of four will face the lowest federal tax burden in more than two decades (1976). President Clinton proposes to build off this record to provide additional targeted tax relief for child care, education, and the environment.

We Can Not Turn Back: We Have Fixed The Fiscal Deficit, Now We Need To Fix The Generational Deficit. In the State of the Union, President Clinton said that any projected budget surpluses should be reserved until Social Security is reformed. Today's achievement of the first balanced budget in three decades makes President Clinton's call even more timely. President Clinton will oppose any budget that fails to set aside surpluses until we have strengthened Social Security for the 21st century.

For America's Working Families, The Improved Fiscal Situation Means Lower Mortgage Rates And A Brighter Economic Future. Here's what the improved fiscal situation means to typical families:

Lower Deficits Mean a Lower National Debt -- $25,000 Less Debt for a Family of Four. The national debt will be $1.7 trillion lower in fiscal year 1999 than projected in 1993 -- that's $25,000 less debt for each family of four in America.

Lower Deficits Mean Lower Interest and Mortgage Rates -- Saving Families Thousands. Over the past six years, the government's share of total borrowing in U.S. credit markets has fallen to 6 percent from nearly 60 percent -- which, according to the Wall Street Journal (5/7), has played a "major role" in keeping down interest rates. According to the New York Times and Money magazine, lower mortgage rates have saved the 10 million families who refinanced their home mortgages $1,000 to $2,000 per year, on average. [Source: New York Times, 8/3/96; Money, 8/96]

Lower Mortgage Rates Mean Higher Homeownership. Lower mortgage rates -- along with higher family incomes, faster job growth, and the President's National Homeownership Strategy -- have helped raise the national homeownership rate to its highest level in American history. [Source: Bureau of the Census.]

Lower Interest Rates Mean Faster Business Investment Growth. Under President Clinton, real business investment growth has averaged 12.2 percent -- the fastest since John Kennedy was President. [Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce.]

Faster Business Investment Growth Means Faster Economic Growth and More Jobs. Faster business investment growth helps expand capacity and has led to faster economic growth and more jobs under President Clinton.

Since President Clinton took office, the private sector of the economy has grown 3.7 percent per year -- far stronger than under President Reagan (3.0 percent per year), the economy has added 15.2 million new jobs, and unemployment has fallen to 4.3 percent -- the lowest in 28 years. [Source: Based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Commerce, and Bureau of Labor Statistics.]

Experts Agree That President Clinton's 1993 Economic Plan Helped Cut the Deficit, Lower Interest Rates, Spur Business Investment, and Strengthen the Economy. The economy and the budget are now working in a virtuous circle -- lower deficits have led to lower interest rates which have led to faster business investment which led to faster growth which led to even lower deficits. Experts agree that President Clinton's 1993 Economic Plan helped create this virtuous circle.

Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman, 2/20/96: The deficit reduction in the President's 1993 Economic Plan was "an unquestioned factor in contributing to the improvement in economic activity that occurred thereafter."

Business Week, 5/19/97: "Clinton's 1993 budget cuts, which reduced projected red ink by more than $400 billion over five years, sparked a major drop in interest rates that helped boost investment in all the equipment and systems that brought forth the New Age economy of technological innovation and rising productivity."

Goldman Sachs, March 1998: One of the reasons Goldman Sachs cites for "the best economy ever" is that "on the policy side, trade, fiscal, and monetary policies have been excellent, working in ways that have facilitated growth without inflation. The Clinton Administration has worked to liberalize trade and has used any revenue windfalls to reduce the federal budget deficit."

U.S. News & World Report, 6/17/96: "President Clinton's budget deficit program begun in 1993... [led] to lower interest rates, which begat greater investment growth (by double digits since 1993, the highest rate since the Kennedy administration), which begat three-plus years of solid economic growth averaging 2.6 percent annually, 50 percent higher than during the Bush presidency."

Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve Chairman, Audacity, Fall 1994: "The deficit has come down, and I give the Clinton Administration and President Clinton himself a lot of credit for that... and I think we're seeing some benefits."

Fortune, 10/3/94: "[The President's 1993] economic plan helped bring interest rates down, spurring the recovery."

Hmmm... those noted in green all seem pretty qualified to assess an economy and give credit where credit is do to me . But then we all already knew Clinton was a smart, highly qualified, charismatic leader, respected throughout the world... and of course he worked hard on a good economy here at home.

 

[Coyote]

I think I agree with TopGun here....

 

[palerider]

Sorry. The stated goals of the 93 economic plan failed. Are you suggesting that the failure of his plan resulted in the overall good economy. How quickly some forget:

Carter redux - Clinton administration's return to the flawed economic policies of Jimmy Carter's presidency
National Review, August 1, 1994

AT HOME, key Democrats are running away from President Clinton's health-care plan. Abroad, the G-7 has rejected any coordinated dollar defense and Europe is opposed to the Administration's postGATT trade-opening measures. Even the United Nations, Clinton's most favored multilateralist problem-solving agent, refuses involvement in any prospective Haitian peacekeeping mission. Machiavelli taught that princes should seek to be feared rather than loved. Mr. Clinton's fear quotient seems to be dropping fast.

However, one person who remains in the President's corner is Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. This curious story holds the key to understanding a new dollar collapse that is heralding a nasty bout of stagflation next year. Indeed, with the dollar sinking and interest rates rising, investors deserting financial assets for commodities and real estate, and former President Jimmy Carter back in the international spotlight, all this has a late Seventies feel to it. Perhaps not quite in magnitude, but certainly in direction. Call it Seventies Lite.

Greenspan played a major role in The Agenda, Bob Woodward's best-seller about Clinton's economic policy development. The Fed Chairman was described as the "ghostwriter" of Clintonomics, recasting Clinton's campaign pledges into a large-scale deficit-reduction package expected to bring down long-term interest rates in the bond market. What is more, the Fed economist signed on to the largest tax increase in history, and actively opposed the promise of a middle-class tax cut, arguing that it was inconsistent with deficit reduction. Now, a year after the budget deal, the bond market is in complete disarray, and long-term interest rates have shot up to nearly 7 3/4 per cent from their lows of 5 3/4 per cent last autumn.

I would suggest a good dose of actual history for those of you who are trying to build a legacy for your tainted hero.

 

[palerider]

I think I agree with TopGun here....

Based on what? The economic plan of 93 failed to achieve the stated goals.

 

[top gun]

PPI | Front & Center | October 18, 2004
Bush vs. Clinton: An Economic Performance Index
By Robert D. Atkinson and Julie Hutto

According to public opinion polls, most Americans feel the U.S. economy has been moving in the wrong direction. Indeed, an analysis of several important economic indicators shows they're right. In apples-to-apples comparisons of annualized data, these indicators of the country's economic well-being show mostly negative change during President George W. Bush's administration, compared to mostly positive change during President Bill Clinton's administration. Presidents obviously do not control everything that happens on their watch. But it is fair -- and entirely appropriate -- to judge how they play the economic hands they are dealt. Bush's economic policies have diverged dramatically from Clinton's, and PPI believes the disparities in economic outcomes under each administration are attributable at least in part to those policy choices.

 

[top gun]

THE ECONOMY UNDER PRESIDENT CLINTON:
The Longest Peacetime Expansion in History --
More than 18 Million New Jobs
April 2, 1999

The American Economy Created Over 18 million new jobs under President Clinton -- We Now Have the Longest Peacetime Expansion in American History. In 1992, the American economy was barely creating jobs, wages were stagnant, and the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. Six years ago, President Clinton put in place a bold new three-part economic strategy of cutting the deficit to help reduce interest rates and spur business investment; investing in education, health care, science and technology so that America was prepared to meet the challenges of the 21st century; and opening markets abroad so that American workers would have a fair chance to compete and win across the globe.

18.2 Million New Jobs Under President Clinton. Since President Clinton took office, the economy has added 18.2 million new jobs -- that's 2.2 million more new jobs in six years than were created during the entire eight years of the Reagan Administration (18.2 million under Clinton vs. 16.0 million under Reagan).

Unemployment At 4.2 Percent in March -- A 41-Year Peacetime Low And The Lowest Level During This Economic Expansion. In 1992, the unemployment rate was 7.5 percent. In March, the unemployment rate was 4.2 percent. The unemployment rate has been below 5% for 21 months in a row -- that is the lowest sustained unemployment rate during peacetime in 41 years.

Highest Share of New Jobs in Private Sector in 50 Years. Since President Clinton and Vice President Gore took office, the private sector of the economy has added 16.8 million new jobs -- with 2.4 million jobs added in the past year. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, 92 percent of the 18.2 million new jobs have been in the private sector -- that's the highest percentage in 50 years.

Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Two Decades. Last month, average hourly earnings increased 0.2 percent. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, real wages have risen 6.1 percent compared to declining 4.3 percent during the Reagan and Bush years. After adjusting for inflation, wages have increased almost 2.7 percent in 1998 -- that's the fastest real wage growth in more than two decades and the third year in a row -- the longest sustained growth since the early 1970s.

Construction Jobs Are Coming Back. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, construction jobs are coming back: after losing 662,000 jobs in construction during the previous four years, 1.7 million new construction jobs have been added since January 1993 -- that's a faster annual rate than any other Administration since Harry S Truman was President.

Manufacturing Jobs Are Up Under President Clinton, But Are Being Hurt by the Financial Crisis in Asia. After losing 2.1 million manufacturing jobs between 1981 and 1992, the economy has created 350,000 new manufacturing jobs since January 1993. In the auto industry, after losing 46,000 jobs in the auto industry during the Bush Administration, we have 147,000 new auto jobs during the Clinton-Gore Administration. And for the first time since the 1970s, America has led the world in auto production for four years in a row.

Unemployment Remains Historically Low for African Americans and Hispanics. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, the Hispanic unemployment rate has dropped from 11.3 percent in January 1993 to a record low of 5.8 percent in March 1999 (data first collected in 1973). And the African-American unemployment rate has fallen from 14.1 percent in January 1993 to 8.1 percent in March 1999 -- one of its lowest levels on record (data first collected in 1972).

Inflation -- Lowest Since 1950s. Last week, the GDP numbers were revised. In 1998, the GDP price index rose 1.0 percent at an annual rate -- its lowest level since the 1950s.

 

[top gun]

Experts Agree That President Clinton's 1993 Economic Plan Helped Cut the Deficit, Lower Interest Rates, Spur Business Investment, and Strengthen the Economy.[/COLOR] The economy and the budget are now working in a virtuous circle -- lower deficits have led to lower interest rates which have led to faster business investment which led to faster growth which led to even lower deficits. Experts agree that President Clinton's 1993 Economic Plan helped create this virtuous circle.

Alan Greenspan, Federal Reserve Chairman, 2/20/96: The deficit reduction in the President's 1993 Economic Plan was "an unquestioned factor in contributing to the improvement in economic activity that occurred thereafter."

Business Week, 5/19/97: "Clinton's 1993 budget cuts, which reduced projected red ink by more than $400 billion over five years, sparked a major drop in interest rates that helped boost investment in all the equipment and systems that brought forth the New Age economy of technological innovation and rising productivity."

Goldman Sachs, March 1998: One of the reasons Goldman Sachs cites for "the best economy ever" is that "on the policy side, trade, fiscal, and monetary policies have been excellent, working in ways that have facilitated growth without inflation. The Clinton Administration has worked to liberalize trade and has used any revenue windfalls to reduce the federal budget deficit."

U.S. News & World Report, 6/17/96: "President Clinton's budget deficit program begun in 1993... [led] to lower interest rates, which begat greater investment growth (by double digits since 1993, the highest rate since the Kennedy administration), which begat three-plus years of solid economic growth averaging 2.6 percent annually, 50 percent higher than during the Bush presidency."

Paul Volcker, former Federal Reserve Chairman, Audacity, Fall 1994: "The deficit has come down, and I give the Clinton Administration and President Clinton himself a lot of credit for that... and I think we're seeing some benefits."

Fortune, 10/3/94: "[The President's 1993] economic plan helped bring interest rates down, spurring the recovery."

 

[Popeye]

Clinton signed his Economic plan August 10, 1993, already cementing his legacy.



.Under President Clinton's leadership, almost 6 million
new jobs were created in the first two years of his
Administration -- an average of 250,000 new jobs every
month.

In 1994, the economy had the lowest combination of
unemployment and inflation in 25 years.

.As part of the 1993 Economic Plan, President Clinton cut
taxes on 15 million low-income families and made tax cuts
available to 90 percent of small businesses, while raising
taxes on just 1.2 percent of the wealthiest taxpayers.

.President Clinton signed into law the largest deficit
reduction plan in history, resulting in over $600 billion
in deficit reduction. The deficit went down for 3 years
in a row for the first time since Harry Truman was
president.



.The economy created 7.7 million new jobs in the first 34
months of this Administration.

.Passed the largest deficit-cutting plan in history --
saving more than $1 trillion over seven years.

 

[Bunz]

In my opinion, Popeye is bringing down the house with his stuff. But also, I think the simple leadership Clinton brought to the White House. It was something intangible that gave hope to the average American. Whereas, Bush just hasnt been able to do that for long periods of time. It has been disaster after disaster with Bush.
Ill ask an open question to anyone who wants to answer. What was the worst thing Clinton did?
Because if you ask me, it was getting a little action in the oval office and then lying about it. Ill tell you this, the media and political parties need to get out of our sex lives. As long as it is consentual between adults, it needs to be left alone. The Lewinsky issue was blown so far out of proportion it is shameful. Other than that, I cant remember a time during the Clinton administration where I was appaled at any ideas that came up with him on any major policy issues. Whereas, with the Bush administration, it seems to happen weekly.
What makes Clinton a well above average President was his untangible leadership, just like the rest of the good Presidents.

 

[USMC the Almighty]

In my opinion, Popeye is bringing down the house with his stuff. But also, I think the simple leadership Clinton brought to the White House. It was something intangible that gave hope to the average American. Whereas, Bush just hasnt been able to do that for long periods of time. It has been disaster after disaster with Bush.
Ill ask an open question to anyone who wants to answer. What was the worst thing Clinton did?
Because if you ask me, it was getting a little action in the oval office and then lying about it. Ill tell you this, the media and political parties need to get out of our sex lives. As long as it is consentual between adults, it needs to be left alone. The Lewinsky issue was blown so far out of proportion it is shameful. Other than that, I cant remember a time during the Clinton administration where I was appaled at any ideas that came up with him on any major policy issues. Whereas, with the Bush administration, it seems to happen weekly.
What makes Clinton a well above average President was his untangible leadership, just like the rest of the good Presidents.

Clinton made plenty of mistakes. In my opinion, the worst one is not seizing Osama when he had the chance. I also think his mishandling of the Somalia issue was an extremely costly mistake. Osama cites Somalia as his single most important recruiting/propaganda tool in securing Islamic suicide bombers -- saying that Clinton's actions made America look like a "paper tiger that would run after a few blows of defeat" or something to that extent.

I, of course, had other minor issues with him like everyone else but find him to be an adequate, peacetime custodial president and history will judge him as such -- among the ranks of Zachary Taylor, Benjamin Harrison, and the like.

EDIT: Also, my issue was not that he was getting some action in the oval office but that he committed perjury in front of the whole world.

 

[berreal]

Clinton made plenty of mistakes. In my opinion, the worst one is not seizing Osama when he had the chance. I also think his mishandling of the Somalia issue was an extremely costly mistake. Osama cites Somalia as his single most important recruiting/propaganda tool in securing Islamic suicide bombers -- saying that Clinton's actions made America look like a "paper tiger that would run after a few blows of defeat" or something to that extent.

I can't believe you swallowed the bait!! And where is Osama now after comitting maybe the greatest terrorist act ever? Where is Osama after spending over $400B?
In addition ...its exactly this notion ...the notion that we need to prove we're not a paper tiger that made us select an easy target like Iraq ...and YYEEE-HAAWW our way into that country!!

Finally what could be better recruiting tool that the mistake in Iraq ...Abu- Grahib and GITMO? Even many citizens in allied nations awcknowledge that the US over-played its hand ..and went way over board!!

Look where we have gone from 9/11 capturing the entire world sentiments ...to looking like thugs to the rest of thw world!!

 

[USMC the Almighty]

You're right berreal. Recruiting wasn't very ****ing high on September 11, 2001. We should've continued the Clinton policy of ignoring Islamic terrorism instead of confronting them where they reside.

And I knew someone was going to turn this thread into something about Bush. There are plenty of other threads for you to go spew your idiotic drivel about "yee-haw" and President Bush, berreal. This thread concerns President Clinton and my mentioning of Clinton's refusal of OBL was a response to Bunz who argued that the Clinton presidency did not have any major flaws.