Obama v the Clintons: Author puzzled why poor people think Bill Clinton was good for them.

[K Gardner]

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012408A.shtml

Obama vs. Billary
By Scott Galindez
t r u t h o u t | Perspective

Thursday 24 January 2008

The race for the Democratic Party nomination for president has increasingly become a three-way race. The problem for John Edwards is he is no longer the third person in the race, Bill Clinton is. To be fair, Edwards was the big winner in Monday night's debate in South Carolina, but most observers think it is too late to save his campaign.

When I talked to Latino voters in Nevada who supported Hillary, they all talked about Bill Clinton's record, not Hillary's. Except for the exchange in Monday night's debate, the strongest attacks against Obama have come from the former president, not his opponent.

In Nevada, Hillary was able to deny any connection to a lawsuit to prevent shift workers from voting on the strip, while Bill blew up at a reporter while defending the lawsuit. It was Bill that tried to claim Obama has not opposed the war from the beginning, based on his votes for funding, votes he has in common with Hillary, who now claims to oppose the war despite the same votes. It was Bill that claimed that Obama said he agreed with the ideas of Ronald Reagan when he clearly didn't.

As the race moves to South Carolina, Hillary is staying away until Friday night, one day before the primary, while Bill Clinton is crisscrossing the state on her behalf. This has led Obama to state that sometimes he doesn't know who he is running against, Bill or Hillary.

The Obama campaign began a "truth squad" in South Carolina to respond to negative criticism. Involved in the effort was former Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.

People in South Carolina "don't want to see this backbiting, bitter give-and-take that we're beginning to see more and more of, especially from the Clinton campaign. It's wrong. Everybody knows it's wrong and it's got to stop," Daschle told reporters on a conference call. "Ultimately, it's going to divide us. And it's going to have a huge effect, a lasting effect if it doesn't stop soon."

Asked about Bill Clinton's actions, Daschle said, "It's not presidential. It's not in keeping with the image of a former president."

I am also puzzled as to why poor people think Bill Clinton was good for them. Clinton's domestic agenda was first announced as a gigantic jobs-creation program coupled with a determined effort to guarantee health care for all. The truth is, his focus on eliminating the budget deficit meant he did very little for the poor and working people in America. While he was much better than Reagan or Bush, there was definitely room for improvement.

Clinton's small gestures toward social democracy did not come close to what was needed in a nation where one-fourth of the children lived in poverty; where homeless people lived on the streets in every major city; where women could not look for work for lack of child care; where the air, the water were deteriorating dangerously.

More than being merely inadequate to the needs of America's millions of truly disadvantaged citizens, the Clinton administration actually attacked the disproportionately non-white poor in numerous interrelated ways. Clinton signed a punitive welfare reform bill that ended the federal government's guarantee of financial help to impoverished families with dependent children. He also scored points with conservatives by taking welfare benefits away from legal as well as illegal immigrants.

Meanwhile, Clinton increased economic insecurity in poor and working-class American communities by signing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). NAFTA destroyed tens of thousands of American industrial jobs by tearing down long-established regulatory barriers to the movement of corporate capital and commodities across the US-Mexican border.

Clinton claimed "the era of big government is over."

O.K., Bill Clinton is not running for president, but since so many seem to be voting for him and not Hillary, I thought I'd remind them NAFTA and welfare reform were on his watch.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scott Galindez is Truthout's Washington, DC Bureau Chief.

[LostinVA]

1. "Billary" is a RW meme -- it's disgusting the "progressives" use it

[K Gardner]

2. Hmmm.

[MyNameGoesHere]

6. If you cannot type Hillary or Clinton fast enough

or have trouble spelling her name just use HRC. It is easy and people know who you are talking about without making you spout name calling from the right.

[K Gardner]

7. I didn't write the article, nor did I create the title for it.

[MyNameGoesHere]

9. Yep i know but

i would not repeat names that are used for Obama, Edwards, or any of my other fellow Dems. by hate sites or that are demeaning or promote a throwback to the RW name calling game. This is not LBN so you do not have to include it in the Subject of the post unless you chose to do so.

Cheer.

[K Gardner]

10. Just a note, this came from Buzzflash, a widely accepted Progressive newssite. Mark Karlin has been

a wonderful friend to the democratic/progressive movement for many, many years. Your point is taken, tho :-) :hi:

OP title changed - thanks for your input !

[EFerrari]

3. The problem is she keeps blurring the lines between their careers.

She and her campaign set themselves up for this slur.

[Warpy]

4. Poor folks generally had JOBS during the Clinton years

although wages didn't really budge in terms of purchasing power for anyone but CEOs until Clinton's last 2 years.

Now, everybody is scrambling and feeling generally hopeless as the office jobs that were the mainstay of suburbia are also going overseas.

When your job is in danger and your purchasing power is going down, being employed at flat wages makes the last guy look a whole lot better than this one.

[K Gardner]

5. I tend to agree with this Warpy. Although this can and will be debated, I think on the surface your

statement is pretty much spot on. Its all about perception. Thanks !

[no name no slogan]

8. True. I had three of them at once.

True, Clinton created a lot of jobs, but most of them were poor-paying service sector jobs to replace the good jobs we lost because of NAFTA and other so-called "free trade" agreements. You had to have two of these new jobs to make up for the income you had from one of your old jobs.

[mzmolly]

15. And child care assistance, job training, good health care benefits, investment in inner cities,

lower energy costs and so on. I'm sick of the @!$ revisionist BS here on DU.

[mzmolly]

11. Scott Galindez was apparently not poor during the Clinton years?

How DARE he condescend to those who were.

SOME of what Clinton did for the poor is noted below.

http://home.att.net/~jrhsc/jobwelldone.html

More Than 22 Million New Jobs. 22.2 million new jobs have been created since 1993, the most jobs ever created under a single Administration -- and more new jobs than Presidents Reagan and Bush created during their three terms. 92 percent (20 million) of the new jobs have been created in the private sector, the highest percentage in 50 years. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore, the economy has added an average of 248,000 jobs per month, the highest under any President. This compares to 52,000 per month under President Bush and 167,000 per month under President Reagan.

Fastest and Longest Real Wage Growth in Over Three Decades. In the last 12 months, average hourly earnings have increased 3.8 percent -- faster than the rate of inflation. The United States has had five consecutive years of real wage growth -- the longest consecutive increase since the 1960s. Since 1993, real wages are up 6.5 percent, after declining 4.3 percent during the Reagan and Bush years.

Household Income Breaks $40,000 for First Time in History. Income for median households rose $1,072, or 2.7 percent, from $39,744 in 1998 to $40,816, marking an unprecedented fifth year of significant growth in income. In 1999, the median income of African American households increased from $25,911 in 1998 to $27,910 -- an increase of $1,999, or 7.7 percent, which is the largest one-year increase ever recorded. The income of the median Hispanic household, adjusted for inflation, increased from $28,956 in 1998 to $30,735 in 1999 -- an increase of $1,779, or 6.1 percent, which is the largest one-year increase ever recorded.

Unemployment is the Lowest in Over Three Decades. Unemployment is down from 7.5 percent in 1992 to 3.9 percent in September, the lowest in more than three decades. The unemployment rate has fallen for seven years in a row, and has remained below 5 percent for 37 months in a row -- over three full years. Unemployment for African-Americans fell to the lowest level ever recorded, and for Hispanics it remains at historic lows.

Highest Homeownership Rate in History. The homeownership rate reached 67.2 percent in the second quarter of 2000 -- the highest ever recorded. Minority homeownership rates were also the highest ever recorded. In contrast, the homeownership rate fell from 65.6 percent in the first quarter of 1981 to 63.7 percent in the first quarter of 1993. There are almost 9 million more homeowners than in 1993.

Lowest Poverty Rate Since 1979. In 1999, the poverty rate dropped from 12.7 percent to 11.8 percent, the lowest rate in two decades. Since President Clinton and Vice President Gore passed their Economic Plan in 1993, the poverty rate has declined from 15.1 percent in 1993 to 11.8 percent in 1999 - the largest six-year drop in poverty in nearly 30 years (1964-1970). There are now 7 million fewer people in poverty than in 1993, and over 2.2 million, or over 30 percent, of this decline occurred during the past year.

Largest One-Year Drop in Child Poverty in More than Three Decades. Under President Clinton and Vice President Gore child poverty has dropped by 25.6 percent -- from 22.7 percent in 1993 to 16.9 percent in 1999. While this is still too high, it is the lowest child poverty rate since 1979 and includes the largest one-year decline since 1966, which occurred from 1998 to 1999. The African American child poverty rate has fallen 28.2 percent since 1993, and dropped from 36.7 percent in 1998 to 33.1 percent in 1999 -- the largest one-year drop in history and the lowest level on record (data collected since 1959). The Hispanic child poverty rate has fallen by 26 percent since 1993, and dropped from 25.6 percent in 1998 to 22.8 percent in 1999 -- the lowest level since 1979.

Families and Communities: Strengthening America's Working Families

Tax Cuts for Working Families. 15 million additional working families received additional tax relief because of the President's expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. In 1999, the EITC lifted 4.1 million people out of poverty - nearly double the number lifted out of poverty by the EITC in 1993. This year, the President proposed expanding the EITC to provide tax relief to an additional 6.8 million hard-pressed working families.

Helping Parents Balance Work and Family. The Family and Medical Leave Act allows workers to take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave to care for seriously ill family members, new born or adoptive children, or their own serious health problems without fear of losing their jobs. Nearly 91 million workers (71% of the labor force) are covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act and millions of workers have benefited from FMLA since its enactment. President Clinton has proposed expanding FMLA to allow workers to take up to 24 unpaid hours off each year for school and early childhood education activities, routine family medical care, and caring for an elderly relative.

Improved Access to Affordable, Quality Child Care and Early Childhood Programs. Under the Clinton-Gore Administration, federal funding for child care has more than doubled, helping parents pay for the care of about 1.5 million children in 1998, and the1996 welfare reform law increased child care funding by $4 billion over six years to provide child care assistance to families moving from welfare to work. Since 1993, the Clinton-Gore Administration has increased funding for the Head Start program by 90 percent, and in FY 2000, the program will serve approximately 880,000 children - over 160,000 more children than in 1993.

Increased the Minimum Wage. The minimum wage has risen from $4.25 to $5.15 per hour, increasing wages for 10 million workers. The President and Vice President have called for an additional increase to $6.15 over two years.

Enacted the Workforce Investment Act. The Workforce Investment Act reformed the nation's employment and training system so that it works better for today's workers. The WIA empowered individuals by giving adults more control and choice over their training or retraining and providing universal access to core labor market services; streamlined job training services by consolidating a tangle of individual programs into a simple system and creating a nationwide network of One-Stop Career Centers; enhanced accountability through tough performance standards for states, localities, and training providers; and increased flexibility so that states can innovate and experiment with new ways to train America's workers better. All 50 states are now up and running and the number of One-Stops has reached 1,200 nationwide.

And so on...

[RaleighNCDUer]

13. I was poor, then. I kept waiting for that 2nd min. wage increase

which never showed up. Wages froze in 94.

Truth be told, the economic boom in the 90s was more despite Clinton than because of Clinton. There was that initial bump in the minimum, but what really kicked it off was the tech boom. In 92, most PCs were still using dual floppys, and the newest, high end (such as I could not afford) has as much as 20mb memory. By 2000, memory was counted in the gigabite range. The explosive growth in computers, the internet, .com companies, fueled the growth of the 90s.

Clinton had nothing to do with that.

He, OTOH, pushed NAFTA through, over the objections of most Democrats. He used a Republican model for welfare reform. He pushed mandatory minimums for drug crimes, which incarcerated and subsequently disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of mostly urban black youth. He did nothing to slow the closing of state mental facilities across the country, vastly increasing the homeless population and making jails and prisons the default housing for the mentally ill.

I'm glad we had that boom on his watch - just so the republicans can't take credit for it - but when you come right down to it that's mostly what he did -- watch.

[mzmolly]

14. A right wing talking point to be sure.

"...the economic boom in the 90s was more despite Clinton than because of Clinton."

Clinton's economic packages worked. The talking point you note above is Hannity-esque.

I too was poor. I grew up in poverty. I was raised by a single Mom who was on welfare and suffered from mental illness. She later married my step father who was a construction/laborer and was a casualty of Reagans union busting tactics.

I saw how the people of the areas in which I lived benefited DIRECTLY from Clintons policies.

It's a shame people HERE don't understand how Presidental budgets/policies impact average Americans.

[RaleighNCDUer]

16. Well, your profile declines to tell where you're from, but I'll betcha

you weren't living in the 'heartland' in those days. I was in Nebraska and NC through the 90s, and the Clinton boom pretty much passed me by. Rural America was not much benefitted by by it. California did well, as did select other areas like Atlanta, but it was not a tide that lifted all boats. Then again, I was not employed in the tech sector.

And it's bullshit to say I'm using RW talking points just because I don't think Clinton is a god. If you want RW talking points, just look at the arguments favoring NAFTA.

[mzmolly]

20. I didn't say that Clinton was a God, I said his economic policies worked and benefited the poor.

I will say that yes, I am speaking as the former resident of a major metropolitan area. However, most of the people I know who benefited from Clinton policies were not "employed in the tech sector."

Regarding http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Free_Trade_Agreement">NAFTA:

Since the agreement had been signed by Bush under his fast-track prerogative, Clinton did not alter the original agreement, but complemented it with - NAAEC and NAALC. After intense political debate and the negotiation of these side agreements, the U.S. House passed NAFTA on November 17, 1993, by 234-200 vote...

NAAEC and NAALC are not being properly enforced by the Bush administration.

Also:

Despite their support for NAFTA, the polls in Canada and Mexico have tended to show that citizens see their own country as the loser in NAFTA, and to see the United States as the winner. The U.S. public has viewed Mexico as the winner and has been narrowly divided about whether the United States is a winner or loser in NAFTA.<42>

As you note, the NAFTA ideal was a Republican one and Clinton added protections that are not being enforced today.

I do agree that our candidates have to do a better job representing Rural America, specifically family owned farms. I also think we need to revamp our trade system and support strong Labor Unions once again. The aforementioned is why I support John Edwards.

[Evoman]

12. When your swimming in a pool of shit, the pool of dirt you were swimming

in last year seems like heaven.

[jackson_dem]

17. Clinton's record on poverty and jobs speaks for itself

[BenDavid]

18. You really wanna know, I am the go to guy on this issue:

Since the economy is the hot topic these days, let’s just look at what President Clinton did for minorities in terms of economic gains — even though Obama dismisses those achievements. So lets take a look see, shall we.

Unemployment Rate for African Americans and Hispanics Remains Historically Low. Under President Clinton, the Hispanic unemployment rate has dropped from 11.3 percent in January 1993 to a record low of 5.8 percent in March 2000. The unemployment rate for African Americans has fallen from 14.1 percent in January 1993 to 7.1 percent in March 2000–one of the lowest levels on record for African Americans.

Here are additional economic accomplishments of the Clinton/Gore administration — as of 2000 (during the administration’s second term) — that also had a direct positive effect for minorities:

18.2 Million New Jobs. …
Unemployment at 4.2 Percent in March …
Highest Share of New Jobs in Private Sector in 50 Years. Since the President and Vice President took office, the private sector has added 16.7 million new jobs–with 2.4 million jobs added in the past year. Since 1993, 92 percent of the 18.2 million new jobs have been in the private sector–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 the Clinton-Gore Administration, real wages have risen 6.1 percent–compared to declining 4.3 percent during the Reagan and Bush Administrations. After adjusting for inflation, wages have increased almost 2.7 percent in 1998–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. …
Manufacturing Jobs Have Increased. After losing 2.1 million manufacturing jobs between 1981 and 1992, the economy has created 350,000 new manufacturing jobs since 1993. After losing 46,000 jobs in the auto industry during the Bush Administration, the United States has 147,000 new auto industry jobs under the Clinton-Gore Administration.
Inflation Rate Is the Lowest Since the 1950s. …
President Clinton signed the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, “which passed Congress without a single Republican vote.”

It raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2% of taxpayers,<35> while cutting taxes for 15 million low-income families and making tax cuts available to 90% of small businesses.<36> Additionally, it mandated that the budget be balanced over a number of years, through the implementation of spending restraints.

Listen Obama supporters ff you think that President Clinton and Vice President Gore accomplished those amazing turnarounds for the economy and for minorities by singing “Kumbayah” with Republicans, you’ve just shown how naive you are.

And you’ve exposed how uninformed you are about the brutal history of U.S. politics where every progressive step is spattered with the blood, sweat and tears of all who fought so hard for those gains.

[mondo joe]

19. I love the elitists who think the poor are too dumb to be trusted to make their own choices.

The same thing has been said about the less educated.

It's disrespectful, it's undemocratic and it's sad.

[mzmolly]

22. Hear hear!

:toast:

[joeybee12]

21. Maybe because the poverty rate declined during his 8 years?

Maybe because more people had better jobs and they paid better?

Not a mystery to anyone not blinded by hate for all things Clinton.