I am reading that book right now. I am only in the 150s, so I have a long way to go.
But Blumenthal's book is really good. I am learning a lot. What I find interesting is how Clinton had to go through so much hositility. I am reading about the health care debacle.
The debate that is very interesting is the one over the anti-terrorism bill. What I find suprising is why Democrats didn't mention that Clinton tried to enact anti-terrorist measures, but that the GOP opposed them tooth and nail. I wonder why little mention has been made of the anti-terrorism bill.
I find it so refreshing that Blumenthal is reminding people of how the GOP was defending the likes of Randy Weaver and David Koresh just a few years ago. I wonder why that has been mentioned either.
For another good read, check out David Halberstam's War in a Time of Peace.
His conclusion is very interesting. He essentially says the two institutions most damaged after the Vietnam war were the military and the Democratic Party, and it's been such a struggle for either institution to move out past that shadow.
2. Also pay attention to the debate over the surplus. Notice that the first
option they rejected is the option Dean embraces: don't run surpluses/give people money back in the form of a tax cut/make sure the rich get their tax break even though the tax code is already regressive.
6. Dean's for balanced budgets. That means raising tax revenue when...
..you're running defecits. But it also means cutting taxes when you're running surpluses. This is what Dean did in VT. According to Blumenthal, it's the first thing Clinton rejected when they were making plans for the surplus in the late 90s.
10. I was under the impression that Clinton gave the middle class a tax cut
Edited on Tue Oct-28-03 02:34 PM by Bandit
while increasing taxes on those making over two hundred thousand dollars. He also increased child tax credits and college expense tax credits. He used his mix of tax cuts and tax increases to create a surplus while every single Republican said it would devestate the economy.
4. i just finished that book a few weeks ago. I liked it.
I didnt realize Clinton, Blair, and other heads of state where having "Third Way" conferences all of the time.
The book was long but the "dish" was always interesting. It was a good look into the mind of a DLC insider. I enjoyed reading it because I get exposed to a mindset quite different than my own.
I'm on Chap. 2 and it's so refreshing to read this intelligent account of those years. This book will be required reading in history classes in the future.
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