Reply #60: It was a good and overdue exercise for me.

[Yossariant]

In fact, I agree with your objections.

Way back in 1975, when I worked for Jimmy Carter's campaign, my state was one of, if not the only, states that your own Jerry Brown won in the primaries.

And I supported him against Clinton when he ran back in '92.

Clinton ran from the left and governed from the right. Yes, NAFTA, Telecommunications, Welfare reform. YUCK. This guy's a Dem?!

OTOH, there really is an organized and vast right wing conspiracy with a sense of entitlement to govern.

And, when they lost the White House, they led that "Republican Revolution" with term limits promises, led by Tancredo. ;-)

I started liking Bubba more, and seeing the position he was in, when he stood his ground against them and let the government shut down.

So, thinking back, and having survived his presidency, I think he tried to accomplish what he could, given the GOP stranglehold on the Congress and the Democrats' penchant to "just go along to get along."

Last night, Mark Shields said that the Democrats have no winner-take-all primaries because the Democrats hate to see anybody lose. :) It's true. And I hate that.

I also believe that Hillary Clinton is about the only Dem in America who can stand up to them.

So, in the spirit of not throwing out the baby with the bath water, Bill Clinton did manage to achieve a few things.

The Brady Bill and more cops. The Family and Medical Leave Act. Cracked down on deadbeat Dads. Increased the Earned Income Tax Credit and federal funding for child care. Learning Tax Credits. Expanded Medicare. S-CHIP, expanding health care for kids. Insured the quality of tap water. Increased minimum wage. Worked for peace in Northern Ireland and Israel.

I won't talk about the economy because the facile "He was lucky" has been bandied about all too often. And, if that's the case, I'd have to believe that poor George Bush is just the "unluckiest" President in the history of America.

In any event, I am convinced that Barack Obama cannot win the general election.

And, given that the Republican Party is in decline and Hillary is not Bill, I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do with some Democratic support.