Bill Clinton ran against....

[Blarch]

Bush sr. and Bob Dole ..

And never received a majority of votes, and preceded to lose seats in both houses.

We have placed him on this pedestal over the years, calling him the most powerful force in politics, calling him the Big Dog...ect...

But maybe he wasn't 'all that' ...maybe we are seeing the real Bill Clinton in his wifes campaign. Maybe he WAS 'all that' and we are seeing the de-crowning of the king.

Who was the real Bill, and where did he go ?

[joeybee12]

1. Um, there were 3 candidates both times...

...and in 1996, he would have easily gotten over 50% without Dimwit Ross...he still got the most votes...he was still the guy who ended 12 years of Repuke rule...and you can't blame him for 1994...that was the fault of the cowardly and corrupt Dems (remember the congressional post office scandal?) who were making their own beds to be tossed out of.

[texas_indy]

3. "he would have easily gotten over 50% without Dimwit Ross" - NOT

Ross stoled this people from Shrub #1, many who were pissed about "NO NEW TAXES".

If not for Perot, then Shrub #1 would have won.

Texas is Obama country! VIVA OBAMA!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fd-MVU4vtU

[Blarch]

4. touche.

[dansolo]

6. I thought it was about an even split

A third would have voted for Bush, a third for Clinton, and the rest not voting.

[jackson_dem]

10. You are right

[texas_indy]

11. Nope, check up and see what Ross Perot said later about both times

he ran. He was pissed at the Bush family and wanted to take them out and did that by drawing people from Bush.

Read Perot's speeches and handout from them. He was not a centralist in any manner. He cost Shrub 1 the election and marginal effect on the '96 election.


Texas is Obama country! VIVA OBAMA!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0fd-MVU4vtU

[jackson_dem]

9. The evidence says otherwise

But the right-wing chose to make excuses instead of accepting responsibility for the failure of Reagan-Bush economics. Now many of the anti-Clinton myths have been revived among Democrats thanks to Barack Obama's "movement for change" (® David Axlerod)...

[Maddy McCall]

2. Maybe if a frog had wings, it wouldn't scrape it's butt when it jumps.

Maybe.

[Big Blue Marble]

5. The Bill we knew was a projection.

He was a creation of what he wanted us to believe. And what that said about us.

Is that not true of every candidate including Obama?

[Redstone]

7. Your point with the pointless smear being, exactly what?

I'm just curious as to your motivation.

Redstone

[Kermitt Gribble]

8. Real constructive

smearing Bill Clinton. We've lived through 16 years of repukes smearing him, now we have to live through Dems smearing him.:eyes:

[Canuckistanian]

13. Right you are

Although Bill hasn't had an admirable record in this primary season, it's totally unfair to call his whole presidency into question.

The man is still respected by a majority of Americans and the majority of the WORLD.

[Martin Eden]

12. Bill Clinton was the best president, by far, since 1980.

That makes him a pretty Big Dog in my book.

[unblock]

14. bill clinton was a one-man bulwark against the rabid-right-wing tidal wave

you have to judge a president by the times. did clinton enact a slew of liberal laws as fdr did? no, but then, fdr would have gotten nowhere had he served in clinton's era.

why? because fdr was elected with an overwhelming mandate to do SOMETHING to handle the depression, and he had huge support in both houses of congress. the supreme court was his only real opponent.

would fdr really have been able to accomplish more than clinton if the media was overwhelmingly in the control of the right-wing? if both houses of congress were republican? if there were a thousand and one investigations into his private life, trying to smear and entrap him? if they had impeached him on the flimsiest of pretenses? of course you just KNOW the republicans would have exposed his wheelchair and heaven knows what they would have done to his wife.

similarly, imagine if clinton had been president while having unambiguous support of both houses and the media.


finally, imagine where the "republican revolution" would have been had we had 8 years of a republican president instead of 8 years of clinton, and shudder. personally, i think stemming that tide was a HUGE accomplishment, and he practically did it single-handedly by sheer force of personality.