January 4, 2014

"For progressives, there were a lot of inspiring things about Bill de Blasio’s formal swearing in as mayor on Wednesday.... Then there was President Clinton."

Jarrett Murphy, writing in The Nation:
[I]n spite of his rock-star status and brilliance as an orator, Clinton has questionable value as a symbol of the kind of progressive change de Blasio has promised. He’s more accurately a symbol of dashed progressive hopes....

In office, however, Bill Clinton pushed NAFTA over labor’s objections and sought Most Favored Nation trading status for China in the face of severe human rights concerns. He waived human rights requirements to facilitate Plan Colombia, which provided military aid to the Bogota government. He oversaw much of the financial deregulation that enabled the 2007–08 financial crisis. He widened federal authority to impose the death penalty. He signed into law the harsh 1996 immigration bill, backed measures that vastly expanded executive power to fight “terrorism” and supported the odious Defense of Marriage Act.
How could Murphy miss Bill Clinton's crushing of all the progress that had been made on sexual harassment awareness in the recent "they just don't get it" era?



Not one gender-related word even as this commentator of the left purports to enumerate Bill Clinton's sins against progressivism!

18 comments:

Saint Croix said...

Maybe I don't like the "You just don't get it" montage because it reminds me of feminism.

Let's get out of here!

David said...

Er, ah, um, jeez, well . . . .

Income inequality!! War on Women!!!

mccullough said...

New York City saw a lot of progress over the last 20 years. De Blaiso will do his best to turn it into Detroit. That makes him a progressive.

Guildofcannonballs said...

As usual, Democrat Joe Biden held only the highest of principles and his error was being too nice to the nominee during the Thomas hearings.

He didn't lie as Justice Thomas claims, he in fact was too fair because Democrats Good.

There was SO much evidence against Thomas but darned old Joe decided he just couldn't allow anything that would bolster the supposed victim's tale because Democrats Care Too Much About Rules And Tradition and White Men Suck.


Guildofcannonballs said...

In reality, the Thomas hearings were a witch hunt but like Hillary! getting booted off a witch hunt for being too extreme for members of a witch hunt, A. Hill lied too stupidly and without a shred of decency so even extremists decided to only offer tepid support for her lies.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Excerpted from EO-History: The now-retired general counsel and chief of staff of the House Judiciary Committee, who supervised Hillary when she worked on the Watergate investigation, says Hillary’s history of lies and unethical behavior goes back farther – and goes much deeper – than anyone realizes.

Jerry Zeifman, a lifelong Democrat, supervised the work of 27-year-old Hillary Rodham on the committee. Hillary got a job working on the investigation at the behest of her former law professor, Burke Marshall, who was also Sen. Ted Kennedy’s chief counsel in the Chappaquiddick affair. When the investigation was over, Zeifman fired Hillary from the committee staff and refused to give her a letter of recommendation – one of only three people who earned that dubious distinction in Zeifman’s 17-year career.

Why?

“Because she was a liar,” Zeifman said in an interview last week. “She was an unethical, dishonest lawyer. She conspired to violate the Constitution, the rules of the House, the rules of the committee and the rules of confidentiality.”

That is from patdollard.com.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Too bad Paul Ryan didn't make Joe defend his own personal War on Anita during the debate instead of sitting around getting called a bullshitting liar.

Of course dignifying Hill's vile accusations wasn't on the table, but bringing up all the quotes of feminists against Biden, especially by dead women who can't retract their claims of discrimination, could not have hurt more than getting slapped around like a 40 year old creep who tries portraying himself as a choir boy.

PB said...

Progressives like Murphy cling to the failed idea of modern "liberalism" as a utopian goal that can be achieved. They just don't get that it is their very core beliefs that have caused great damage to our nation, economy, and society. If their ideas get free rein history has show how they turn into totalitarian dictatorships and hundreds of millions of people lose their lives.

They just don't get it.

chuck said...

"...severe human rights concerns."

Progressives raising human rights concerns is beyond ironic. The moral preening on display is disgusting in its lack of self awareness.

test said...

He oversaw much of the financial deregulation that enabled the 2007–08 financial crisis.

Sad but not surprising the progs are still clinging to this myth.

Kev said...

(the other kev)

The Nation disapproves.

In related news, my dog farts.

Michael said...

How apt to quote Maya Angelou, perhaps the worst "poet" to occupy our land. New York is in for a very rough ride. Unlike the vast American landscape which can accommodate a vast amount of political nonsense NY is closed in and subject to an explosiveness the rest of the country is spared . Remember to woman who thought Obama was going to make her car payments? What similar expectations have been jammed down the yaw of the poorly informed underclass in NY? What will their reaction be when the "income inequality" which the new Mayor claims to eradicate in fact increases? Because it will.

The progressives will be happy to have their new boondoggle City jobs, as will their friends and families. It is the same sad tale. The bureaucracy will grow, the poor will remain poor. The welfare rolls will expand to feed the progressives who want to help. The children will become dumber still. Bewilderment will ensue.

South of Houston, south of Central Park north, all will be well. The lunch deliveries will still arrive on time and as ordered, a stunning efficiency. The bonuses will correlate with performance relative to competitors. The annoyed will depart to Dallas or Charlotte or Atlanta.

The City deserves it, however. They can get bigger high horses to ride. The Russians in the vast condos rising on 57th street will not give a shit one way or the other.

Michael said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

Before everybody goes off the deep end...Red Ken Livingstone was not the end of London.

Michael said...

Lars. Good point. But at least he cured economic injustice.

Known Unknown said...

I doubt Hope, Arkansas is a hotbed for producing progressives.

Anonymous said...

Michael said...

Lars. Good point. But at least he cured economic injustice.

1/4/14, 11:08 AM
___________________________

lol

PatHMV said...

Of course, Bill Clinton never claimed to be a "Progressive." To the contrary, he was the leader of the "Third Way," the movement to create a middle path between liberalism/progressivism and the right. He ran on a platform of being a practical, "get things done" politician who could feel our pain.

If he actually dashed the hopes of any progressive, it's because they weren't paying any attention to him or his platform when he was running in the Democratic primary against actual leftists such as Jerry Brown.