Posted on 08/24/2006 6:41:04 AM PDT by presidio9
That's the way I remember it too. "Forced down his throat" by the Republican Congress was exactly the way it happened.
The thing that really gets me, even today, is that the Big Creep turned around and took credit for it. I'll say one thing, I admire his chutzpah.
Wonder why his memory has failed him so badly.....
When I was actually doing the policy work it was during the Reagan years. So that was a bit longer.
Wonder what the explanation is? Why is he painting the debauched one as better than he really was?
Most curious.
Makes no sense to me either. Particularly under the Heritage Foundation banner.
You are correct .. he was dragged .. kicking and screaming to sign it. I always wondered why he didn't just veto it ..??
He could have used the standard dem line: "we [meaning the left] could have written a better plan .. however, we don't want to reveal what that is .. we'll wait until we get back in power".
Personally, I think folks here are responding to the headline and not reading the material (it's been known to happen).
Gosh, we had one heck of 2-man team back then, didn't we: one invented welfare reform, and the other, the internet. Oh, for the good old days.
Personally, I read the material. I also happen to have had some experience working "with" the Clinton Administration with regards to welfare reform.
So, there's that.
I'm not arguing, merely pointing out that when it came to symbolism-over-substance, Clinton was the master.
Unfortunately, when speaking of the Philanderer in Chief, there is no choice of words that fails to evoke unwanted images...
Okay. I'd agree with that.
Next this author will be extolling Clinton's passage of the middle class tax cut
Oh wait I forgot "He never worked so hard at anything in his life but just couldn't find the means "
Republican Congress=ACTION & SUBSTANCE!!
IF NOT for the GOP, welfare REFORM would NEVER have taken place. Period!!
However, I agree with the author that candidate Clinton's rhetorical support was significant. It was rank hypocrisy, he didn't care whether it was ever enacted or not, it was campaigning. President Bush has a better but not perfect record of actually doing what he campaigned on. Then Clinton was dragged kicking and screaming to ice his reelection, so he didn't veto. Now he takes credit.
Perhaps a lesson is that if Democrats are forced to say conservative things they don't really mean in order to get elected, it can ultimately be beneficial to the country. It is a fact that sometimes Dems will win. I'm glad they have to take the "moderate" DLC route to get elected to the Presidency. But sadly, while President, they use the moderate cover to give support to the hard left.
I give Bush credit where credit is due. And on the judiciary, tax cuts and the war on terror Bush has been great. But expanding the role of the federal government is a major difference between Conservative and Liberal philosophy, and Bush has been a liberal in this area. Some of it can be passed off on Katrina and the war on terror, but not the prescription drug program, not the no child left behind act. Realistically, Bush would be a lot more popular if he would attack the budget. Now most voters think the GOP is the party of big government. Is it too much to ask the President to at least pretend he cares about out of control run away government spending? I guess I am on the wrong forum if wanting to control the size of government is wrong.
The loopholes in the bill let "Welfare as we know it" pretty much intact in Minnesota which rejected following the Federal guidelines.
Gee whiz..... this is not the way I remember it. Am I senile or didn't he veto it twice?
(well maybe i do forget things but I remember bill clinton)
Clinton was right. Kill Vince Foster and Ron Brown.
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