Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.
Re: From Jan Bridge
Author: Jason Lefkowitz Posted: 12/15/1998; 4:40:52 PM Topic: DaveNet comments Msg #: 1293 (In response to 1267) Prev/Next: 1292 / 1294
From Kate Adams' great post in this thread:"I think Clinton DOES have a sense of morality; he just for whatever reasons has trouble doing the right thing *in his personal life*. He seems to be doing OK with his job, however."
That's the thing, though -- I honestly don't see any evidence that he has great moral fortitude in his professional life, either. Where are his Profiles in Courage? What issues, or allies, has he stood up for in the face of public opinion?
Clinton is very quick to drop people and ideas that no longer suit his needs. Many of his staffers felt deeply betrayed by his sudden 180 on welfare reform, for example. He cut them off at the knees in public because he wanted to make a political point about how he could be just as conservative as the Republicans.
Or ask any of the Democratic Members of Congress who needed his support to win close races in 1996, who he wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole because it was more in his interest to pursue Dick Morris' strategy of "triangulation". This strategy worked great for Clinton, who proceeded to beat poor Bob Dole to a bloody pulp, but it may very well have cost the Democrats the edge they needed to win back control of the House that year.
He dropped gays in the military like a hot potato when it polled badly. He threw Lani Guinier, Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood (among others) overboard without even a second thought when they started dragging his approval ratings down.
People are valuable to Bill Clinton as long as they are useful. When they cease to be useful, they cease to be valuable. This is a childish, immature way to handle human relationships. I'm a Democrat and it hurts me a great deal to say this about the leader of my party and a man I supported strongly in 1992. But the shallowness he has displayed in his relationship with Monica Lewinsky is also very much in evidence in his conduct as President.
-- Jason Lefkowitz
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