General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Obama's Social Security cuts = Bill Clinton's NAFTA [View all]Liberal_Stalwart71
(20,450 posts)Clinton was in fact responsible for continuing the NAFTA/CAFTA policies that had begun under previous administrations.
Sure, Clinton may have not begun those free trade policies, but he sure as hell wasn't trying to stop them.
In addition, Clinton set a lot of things in motion that has affected the economy today, such as supporting the repeal of Glass-Stegall (yes, it happened in the middle of the night, pushed by Republicans and forced onto Clinton's desk, but he didn't have to sign it!!). Clinton deregulated the telecommunications industry; he championed welfare reform that to this day has had a deleterious affect on poor and working families. (Welfare to work programs work well when the economy is thriving, but when it is not, these programs obviously do poorly, since there are no freakin' jobs!) Not to mention the notorious Omnibus Crime Bill that gave us the "three strikes" rules and minimum sentencing.
So even if Bill Clinton wasn't directly responsible for some of these actions, his involvement and acquiesence ensured their implementation and long term impact.
So while we're being fair, I will also admit that President Obama has not been effective at trying to undo some of the harms that President Clinton and his predecessors have inflicted on this economy via their regressive policies.