sub 5% unemployment would be considered a resounding victory for a Clinton presidency. In fact, it was.
[[[[ Let's do a time tunnel thing and picture Clinton in his third term. The dot com bubble blurts and he resorts to government intervention and attempted control of the markets. The U.S. economy is headed to the dumps.
The Bush tax cuts never happen. 9/11 happens and clintons advisor's appeal to him to placate the muslims around the world. Clinton apologizes to muslims around the world and offers aid to muslim countries.
With no aggressive action against the muslims they get more radical and more anti U.S. We, and the other western powers vacillate between appeasement and briber to try to save civilisation.
However the tidal wave of extremism has washed over the developing countries of the world. Most succumb to extremism and the “buffer zones” that were the third world countries is no more.
Extremist muslim governments now abut the developed countries who still try to placate the muslim masses. Now the world is faced with several bad choices. Islam, totalitarian communism, or western type civilization which is facing the needed to give in to the other two or fight the muslims and communists.
In fact, at that point western civilization is no longer possible. In trying to buy the votes and allegiance of it's citizens it has wasted valuable time and resources. Western civilization as we know it is gone. ]]]]
That is what was facing us when Bush or any other president took office in 2001. Clintons presidency was NOT the cause of the bubble of the 90’s, just the beneficiary of a cycle.
No dot com bubble and Clinton's presidency is viewed as it was... just a lucky blip in time for a president. Clinton was only held in check by the Republican congress or he would have been viewed far worse. His big government ideas were counter conducive to further growth and advancement.
So Clinton presidency would still be being cursed for the harm it cause the American economy. NOTHING he did advanced the excellent position he inherited from previous administrations. He was not the cause of the growth.
The best that can be said is that in spite of his leanings (big government socialism / totalitarianism) he effectively played NO role to effect on our growth and advancement. Technology rolled over him and his administration.