Difference between revisions of "Bill Clinton vs. George W. Bush"
(→Links: link to original interview; another quote) |
(→Links: tucker) |
||
Line 82: | Line 82: | ||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
* '''2006-09-26''' | * '''2006-09-26''' | ||
+ | ** [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15029671/ 'Tucker' for Sept. 26]: more discussion of Clinton's interview ("The former president lost control of himself famously during a FOX interview on Sunday."), with Terry McAuliffe (former DNC chairman) defending Clinton and attacking Bush; Tucker seems to take a sympathetic stand but comes up with things like "eight years of negligence on the part of the Clinton administration". | ||
** [http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2006/09/arguments-for-your-obstinate-uncle.html Arguments for your obstinate uncle...]: some more comparison points (by Russ Daggatt, with some [[David Brin|Brin]] commentary) | ** [http://davidbrin.blogspot.com/2006/09/arguments-for-your-obstinate-uncle.html Arguments for your obstinate uncle...]: some more comparison points (by Russ Daggatt, with some [[David Brin|Brin]] commentary) | ||
** [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215397,00.html Bill Clinton's Fox News interview] | ** [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215397,00.html Bill Clinton's Fox News interview] |
Revision as of 11:42, 28 September 2006
Overview
Defenders of George W. Bush sometimes argue that Bill Clinton set a new (lower) standard for presidential behavior. While this is at best a "he did it first" argument, and more likely just changing the subject, it is worth setting the record straight on the matter in order to minimize the amount of time spent being sidetracked.
This page is a seed article. You can help Issuepedia water it: make a request to expand a given page and/or donate to help give us more writing-hours!
|
Related Pages
- See the discussion page for substantial discussion on this topic.
- Balkans vs. Iraq: A comparison between one campaign under Clinton and one under Bush
Specific Points
Bill Clinton | George W. Bush | |
doubled the Border Patrol early in his first term | severely cut Border Patrol funds1 | |
Subject of lying | his personal life | significant matters of state |
Severity of lying | charged with perjury2 (lying under oath) | aforesaid lies were merely official statements and not under oath |
charged with obstruction of justice2 | informally accused of attempted destruction of Democracy | |
Economy | "It's The Economy, Stupid" | |
Average annual GDP growth | 3.6% | 2.6% |
Non-farm employment | added 22.7 million jobs | added 3 million jobs (worst record of any US president in 70 years) |
Unemployment | 7.3% -> 4.2% | 4.2% -> 4.7% |
Real median household income | grew by $5,825 | fell by $1,273 |
poverty rate | fell 3.5% (6.4 million fewer people) | rose 1.3% (5.4 million more people) |
S&P 500 | + 308% (435.49 -> 1342.54) | - 2.1% (1342.54 -> 1314.78 as of 9/22/06) |
NASDAQ | + 395% (700.77 -> 2770.38) | - 20% (2770.38 -> 2218.93 as of 9/22/06). |
Federal Spending as % of GDP | 22.1% (fiscal 1992) to 18.4% in 2000 | back up to 20.8% (fiscal 2006) |
total executive branch employment does not include classified numbers for CIA, DIA, NSA, & other intelligence agencies; does not include outsourced jobs |
down by almost 450,000 (2.225 million -> 1.778 million) | up by almost 100,000 (to 1.872 million). |
Federal Debt | deficit of $290 billion —> surplus of $236 billion (fiscal 2000) | increased by almost $3 trillion (as of 2006) |
Public Debt as % of GDP | -16.4% | +4.4% |
See also Balkans vs. Iraq
Note 1
"savagely cut funds [to the Border Patrol, and continued] cutting till the border tsunami began bothering even his most loyal redstate supporters"[1], leading to the 2006 immigration crisis
Note 2
These charges were made by Republican-led congress but acquitted by the Democrat-led Senate, a decision which many (especially but not exclusively Republicans) disagreed with vehemently.
Bumper Stickers
"No children died / when Clinton lied." – seen 2006-09-22
Quotes
"Republicans used to observe derisively that Clinton had a difficult relationship with the truth. Bush has a difficult relationship with the truth, too. It's just a different – and perhaps more grave – kind of difficulty." – William Saletan
Links
- 2006-09-26
- 'Tucker' for Sept. 26: more discussion of Clinton's interview ("The former president lost control of himself famously during a FOX interview on Sunday."), with Terry McAuliffe (former DNC chairman) defending Clinton and attacking Bush; Tucker seems to take a sympathetic stand but comes up with things like "eight years of negligence on the part of the Clinton administration".
- Arguments for your obstinate uncle...: some more comparison points (by Russ Daggatt, with some Brin commentary)
- Bill Clinton's Fox News interview
- Keith Olbermann comments ("A textbook definition of cowardice"):
- '"At least I tried," [Clinton] said of his own efforts to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. "That’s the difference in me and some, including all of the right-wingers who are attacking me now. They had eight months to try; they did not try. I tried."'
- "Mr. Bush, if you are now trying to convince us by proxy that it’s all about the distractions of 1998 and 1999, then you will have to face a startling fact that your minions may have hidden from you. The distractions of 1998 and 1999, Mr. Bush, were carefully manufactured, and lovingly executed, not by Bill Clinton, but by the same people who got you elected President."
- Keith Olbermann comments ("A textbook definition of cowardice"):