Bill Clinton: Primary domestic accomplishments, NAFTA and Welfare Reform, Balanced budget

George Bush: Primary domestic programs: Steel tariffs, massive farm subsidies, increased federal intervention in education, increasing spending at the fastest rate since the LBJ administration.

Who is the liberal here on domestic issues?

I don't see how liberals can't balance a budget since they did it without any republican votes back in the 90's.

Clinton was much more liberal on social issues like abortion and the environment. I don't think Bush is any more liberal, just less effective. Many of those Bush programs are just soulless attempt to get votes and donations.

Where I come from results is what counts. It appears to me Bush is more liberal, maybe due to Clinton's "soulless" attempt to win votes.

I'm sorry but i think Bush I created NAFTA

Anyway, i think Bill Clinton was more into domestic issues because of the prosperity that we had during his "era"

Looks to me like Clinton was more fiscally conservative. Bush's 'social conservatism' is a negative IMO.

Listened to a Noam Chomsky tape the other day. In one of his lectures he called Clinton a moderate Republican, based on his policies and actions while in office.
I believe welfare reform was republican sponsored legislation that Clinton signed reluctantly, then took credit for after it seemed to be working.
Feel free to correct me if I am wrong, but I heard it on TV so it has to be true.

That's right, Bill. Clinton did sign on to welfare reform but due to political necessity, not enthusiasm. But Chomsky has a point: Clinton's first term policies and "triangulation" political strategy were under the guidance of Dick Morris, a moderate Republican. Morris is one of the smartest "nuts and bolts" guys in politics but he's a shifty little weasel. I like him and I trust his analysis but I'd count my fingers after shaking hands with him.

Bush is more "liberal" than Clinton in the sense Hugo means, that of increasing the size of government. I wouldn't call him liberal though, just a big government conservative. The problem with that is when a Republican President is a big government guy, the Congressional Republicans won't oppose him on it and neither will the Democrats, who like big government. At least with a Democrat in the White House the Republicans would be doing their job as the opposition party.

NAFTA was passed under the Clinton Administration, with Clinton's strong support. Probably, only a Democratic administration could have got NAFTA passed. I will agree that Bush is more socially conservative, you see little action in that arena. The appointment of judges is probably the only area where Bush is definitely more conservative.

NAFTA was first drafted by George Bush and later changed and implemented by Bill Clinton. They both stink for supporting those socialist programs.

Remind me again how I'm benefiting from socialist NAFTA?!?

Remind me again how the socialist welfare reform benefits me?!?

Wasn't it Clinton that tried to pass his socialist Health Care Program using his wife?

Socialism doesn't work. When will (true) Free Trade prevail?

You seem confused.

Welcome Chucky. I'm not sure if you have read our rules yet or not, but we really stress that posts here be constructive. Being ranted at is rarely constructive.

And Rattlesnake - being constructive applies to you too.

NAFTA is a socialist program? since when does socialism benefit large corporations while hurting workers? (NAFTA has sucked jobs out of this country, as was predicted) NAFTA is a corporatist program (corporatism=fascism; fascism should more rightly be called corporatism as it is a merger of the corporations and the state-benito mussolini, founder of fascism)

neither clinton nor bush are really liberal. both would be considered right of center.(as would most of both major parties) this doesn't mean neither have liberal views on things. I would agree clinton was more liberal when it came to social issues and paid more attention to home, where bush is conservative on many social issues, but doesn't pay much attention to the domestic issues (unlees it can be tied into foreign ones) so I would say of the two clinton was closer to the center then bush is.

President Bush (even though I voted for him) has increased spending and government programs more than Bill Clinton ever did. Sometimes I think Clinton was more of a Republican than Bush.

Welcome. Which ones? Please provide examples - it makes for a much more constructive debate.

just off of the top of my head, the department of homeland security is an un-needed excuse to make government bigger, and the patriot act is something Clinton would have never done, that just gives more un-nessisary power to the government.

Just because one increases government spending it doesn't make anyone more of a liberal. I'd say they were both rightists, but Clinton was a little less rightist. Clinton set up much more sound enviromental policies, wasn't as much of a warmonger and tried to be more multilateral than Bush ever did.

I think Clinton qualifies as a moderate republican- look at his stance on certain issues- most m0d repubs are pro-choice, enviromental awareness without the "Peta" craziness, and fiscal restraint. I think two of his policies I very much directly am benefit too (he was reluctant on welfare reform, but he insisted that daycare assistance be fully funded as part of the program)- were pure common sense. His keen interest in federal housing assistance (first time home buyers etc) really made what would be a good economy into a great economy, and was a very effective tool for deficit reduction- a paleo-conservative issue.

I have never been a huge fan of tax and spend except if it grows the overall economy, but I am dead set against Bush's borrow and spend, and damned if I know how to place that one! I don't think we have EVER had any kind of president that "borrows" from our future (tax breaks, mostly for the wealthy) but doesn't cut spending by an equal amount, a move even he knows would probably send us into a depression. That particular economic strategy is neither liberal , conservative, republican or democrat, just really stupid in it's own un-labeled way LOL

GOD I hate the patriot act. I'm not paying taxes so the goverment can spy on me. I'm paying taxes so Presidents can fly around in fancy airplanes and say a bunch of spin. Wait a minute....

Welcome.

Please try and stay on topic (a comparison of the last two president's policies and which were more liberal). Also, it helps if your posts are constructive to this debate. Thanks.