[lbo-talk] Gawker on Hitch

Carl Remick carlremick at hotmail.com
Wed Aug 11 16:03:08 PDT 2004



>From: Jeffrey Fisher <jfisher at igc.org>
>
>On Aug 11, 2004, at 8:35 AM, Doug Henwood wrote:
>
>>Carl Remick wrote:
>>
>>>Articulate? Prolix is more like it. Eight years of incessant
>>>unconvincing jive.
>>
>>What's so hard about admitting that Clinton is one of the best politicians
>>in like the history of the world?
>
>because ideological rectitude is deployed as a measure of effectiveness,
>competence, and skill.
>
>>He knows a lot and can talk fluently. With Goodman, he responded to a
>>whole series of questions of the sort he'd never been asked. It was an
>>extremely impressive performance.
>
>and he can do it because he actually thinks for himself, reflects on his
>actions and the world around him, and formulates opinions. as a result, he
>can genuinely reply to genuinely new questions, rather than just spitting
>out "the line", e.g., "america is strong."
>
>watching him at the convention and then on the daily show only confirmed
>his uncanny political sense. i hated him and a lot of what he did, but i
>honest-to-god miss him. his coming out in 1988 notwithstanding, clinton's
>got it. he could still win, today, if he could run. and to be honest, after
>the last four years, i'm not sure i wouldn't vote for him.

[Good ol' Clinton. His magic was lost on me, but I guess I must concede the mofo had mojo and was the very model of a modern major marketer. Clinton could sell band instruments to Prof. Harold Hill. One of the odder bits of Clinton nostalgia I've seen recently comes from the Weekly Standard, viz.:]

No Silver Lining in the Kerry Cloud There will be no consolation prizes for conservatives. by Fred Barnes 8/7/2004, Volume 009, Issue 46

THE PRESIDENCY of Bill Clinton had a silver lining for Republicans and conservatives. Thanks to Clinton, they made significant political gains in the 1990s. More important, they achieved three policy breakthroughs that in all likelihood would have eluded a Republican president: serious welfare reform, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and a balanced budget. Don't expect similar successes if John Kerry is elected to the White House. The chances are exceedingly slim Republicans will be able to pull off victories on conservative issues in a Kerry era. Why? Clinton was a "new" Democrat who endorsed some of the conservative agenda. Kerry is a conventional liberal who buys almost none of it except the goal of a balanced budget.

The delirious reception Clinton got at last month's Democratic convention makes clear that Democrats believe he was good for their party. In truth, he was even better for Republicans. In reaction to Clinton's first two years as president, Republicans made extraordinary political gains in 1994, not only capturing both houses of Congress but also winning a majority of governorships and a plurality of state legislatures. And since 1994, Republicans have largely held onto these gains. ...

<http://www.weeklystandard.com/Check.asp?idArticle=4460&r=onydh>

Carl

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