Nexus of Thought: Was Bill Clinton more of a Conservative than a Progressive?

Friday, December 7, 2018

Was Bill Clinton more of a Conservative than a Progressive?

My answer on Quora.

Bill Clinton was part of a political movement known as the Third Way. He was not a progressive in the FDR sense of the word nor was he a liberal in the JFK mold. Many of Clinton’s policies were legitimately conservative. However he combined the necessary progressive elements when it suited him.

He continued the Free Trade policies of Messrs. Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He raised taxes on higher income earners and cut defense spending. The debt to GDP ratio dropped during his term in office but he was also driven to take a hard line against spending by Newt Gingrich’s fiscally conservative House.

Clinton was an Internationalist. He lowered tariffs and was involved in the final round of negotiations that saw GATT been replaced by the WTO (World Trade Organization). The latter was given more clout in enforcing trade agreements.

In Foreign politics he continued with the Interventionist agenda that saw the US become more deeply involved in the Balkan conflicts. His policies in the Middle East did not substantially differ from either Reagan or Bush, with Clinton actually signing into law the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 which called for regime change policies geared against Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship. His greatest success on the Foreign policy front was his role in promoting Northern Ireland’s Good Friday Accord.

Clinton’s SCOTUS appointments - Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer - however fall under the progressive side of the equation.

Socially he took a hard line against crime with the Omnibus Crime Bill. However he was not averse to support gun control initiatives with his ten year long Assault Rifle ban.

Clinton took a strong stance against Illegal immigration with the Illegal Immigration and Reform Act (IIRIRA) and even recommended reducing legal immigration.

In terms of marriage he came out against gay marriage signing into law the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in 1996.

In short…he seems more practical than ideological, which is often the hallmark of a Conservative and on virtually every front is more to the right of what the Democratic Party is today.