Reply #84: I see them both as really similar. Clinton has lots of fucked up

[Bluenorthwest]

right wing 'compromise' policies that I never supported, as does Obama. But the thing is, it is the policies, not the people. Clinton is responsible for DOMA being the law, he enacted bigoted law. Obama wants that repealed, but he also opposes marriage equality, which is a hair splitting sort of support for both the intent of the bigoted law, and the repeal of that law.
The standards I apply are two fold, first, my own standards. So those who do that 'marriage is a Sacrament' crap are never going to get anything from me but strong opposition. Same for other policy issues, I will hold to my standards, and judge any policy by my own standards.
The second set of standards I will apply to any and all politicians are their own self stated standards. Both Obama and Clinton have areas where they did what they said they would do, and areas where they failed to meet their own stated standards. When anyone says 'I intend to do X' and instead they do less than X, they have failed a standard they set themselves. For Clinton and for Obama, lots of campaign standards were put aside very quickly. For Obama, he went from mocking mandates and Hillary for supporting them 'trying to fix health care by mandating that everybody has to buy insurance is like trying to solve homelessness by passing a law that everybody has to buy a house' he said in a debate. Then he passed a bill with mandates, with barely a mention of his previous intense opposition to mandates. By his stated standards, he failed. He got a bill, but it sure as hell was not the one he ran on. Clinton tried to get what they called then 'gays in the military' and wound up with DADT. Failure, by his standards and mine.
But Clinton's policies were so unpopular with liberals that many made the argument that 'the two Parties are just alike', Nader was in the mix, and all of that. Many on DU contend that Gore would have won if all those Nader liberals had voted for Gore. So claiming the Clinton policy got a warm welcome or a warm farewell is just not reflective of the truth. I stuck with Gore, but many I knew went Nader or stayed home out of deep, painful disappointment in Clinton era policies. So either he was not criticized, or he was, but the history shows that he got much criticism.
I will compare Clinton to Obama in one way. One is, and the other will be, a two term Democratic President. And people will continue to criticize policy and to advocate positions. As they did then, now and hopefully for some long time to come.