“Insane”

by digby

Blogger ate the comments below, so I’m going to post this in response to those who felt I had gone “insane” and they would never read this blog again because I said “Bill Clinton was the best Republican president in my lifetime.”

First of all, it was not meant as a slur. Perhaps I should have added that he was also the best Democratic president in my lifetime, which he was, but that was not my point. I’m a great fan of Clinton’s and voted for him happily both times.

“Republicanism” is not inherently evil. Before we became ridiculously polarized by the right wing ideologues, it was common to split tickets in this country. I’ve done it myself a time or two and I consider myself to be a hard core liberal. And there were times that if forced to vote for certain Democrats back in the day there’s no way I could have done it. A whole bunch of racist assholes used to be Democrats. The lablels are only useful up to a point.

The fact is that Bill Clinton governed in the only way he could with an out of control GOP congress and a hostile press: as a moderate centrist. All successful presidents pragmatically survey the political terrain and move forward the best way they can and Clinton was admirably successful at getting things done through a centrist triangulation strategy. I’m not criticizing him for it. I’m amazed that the man was able to pass any legislation at all. It’s a testament to his gifts that his presidency wasn’t a total failure considering what he had to work with.

I’m a Democrat and always have been. To call me a Naderite is absurd. But in my lifetime Republicanism wasn’t always a dirty word, which is why I always couch my extreme criticism with the words “modern Republicans.” Looking back, Dwight Eisenhower was a good president who moved this country forward in ways that would make any modern progressive proud. That tradition of Republicanism is good for this country. I only wish we had some today. It is in that sense that I called Bill Clinton the best Republican president in my lifetime.

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