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The Clinton Legacy
Now that President Clinton has delivered his final two hour bloviation, now that we can fairly assess all of what he was done and prepares to do, we can begin to think about his all important "legacy". At least it seems important to him. I personally think it is all kind of silly. It is notoriously difficult to figure out what history will say about a person or events. For the same reason that biographies should never be written while the subject is alive, it is generally an exercise in foolishness to determine legacies while a President is still in office.
Nonetheless, the past seven years have provided enough of a sense of direction that we can begin to see a clear set of facts that will most likely coalesce into an important part of the Clinton Legacy. And they all revolve around a common theme.
Corruption.
"Wait", you say, "What about the economy?". Clinton has inherited a booming economy, courtesy of Ronald Reagan, and he has managed to avoid goobering it up. But before thinking of this in legacy terms, ask yourself if the economy would have been less robust if a Republican had occupied the Oval Office for the past seven years? Clearly Clinton is the beneficiary of a sound economy, not the cause.
There are three distinct types of corruption which define the Clinton presidency.
The first is Personal Corruption. Although the most obvious, this is probably the least meaningful. The man is a liar, a scumbag, a cheater, an adulterer, a seducer, and generally a slimy creepy sort of fellow. He is the sort of guy any sane parent would keep their children and loved ones away from. Although his vices are unleavened by any real virtue (when is the last time anyone mentioned "Courage" and Clinton in the same sentence?) this aspect of his Presidency will resonate least solidly with the future.
The second sort of corruption is Machine Politics Corruption. From Whitewater to Dan Lasater to the Travel Office to Vince Foster to Chinese Fundraising to abuse of the IRS this administration has been far more reminiscent of Tammany Hall than of Camelot. Historically defined corrupt administrations, such as Grant’s or Harding’s, have generally been a result of a President’s corrupt cronies taking advantage of their connections. But Clinton, or the lovely missus, has been the driving force behind his corruption. I think that history will look at this and see in it a defining example of ‘60s radical hubris, of the attitude that pursuing a morally righteous cause places one above mundane concerns about honesty.
The third and most important corruption that will define Clintonism is the Corruption of the Middle Class. The "Third Way" politics Clinton and Morris pioneered has fundamentally changed the face of American politics. Clinton has single-handedly moved the Democratic Party away from class-warfare liberalism and towards a party that defines itself by bribing the middle class into accepting the nanny state. Focusing on issues like Day Care, Education, Anti-Trust, Gun Control, and "Racism", he has managed to sucker large sections of the middle class into not only accepting but clamoring for federal intervention in their lives. He has harnessed the power of a dynamic economy to dramatically increase Federal Power, for no apparent reason other than to have increased power. The impact of this approach may be gauged by the need for the immensely popular front-running Republican to define himself as a "Compassionate Conservative", in essence leaning toward the Third Way from the right.
My assessment may be right, it may be wrong. But only a pot-smoking lackey from Tennessee would be crazy enough to think that he will be remembered as "One of our greatest Presidents".