Re: the Clinton years

[Gil Skillman <gskillman@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Michael writes:

> Gil seems to be saying that Clinton rode the rightward drift that had
> come before -- beginning I believe in the Carter years.  Clinton was very
> smart.  He knew what was happening.  Instead of putting things right, he
> shifted the Dems. even farther to the right.  Sam Smith in his Undernews a
> week or so ago, showed that this tactic won him reelection, but also
> propelled the Dems. downward.

This assumes that the Dems weren't headed in a rightward direction in any
case.   And again, even granting this point, it remains the case that Bush
II is much worse than Clinton--though perhaps less disappointing, since
Dubya's policies are more or less exactly as one would have expected prior
to his installation by the Supreme Court.


> I have only gotton through the first Clinton chapter so far, but Pollin
> seems quite balanced.  He is not "blaming" Clinton, only saying that
> things were not going well during the "boom."

I don't know who you're quoting here, because I never stated that Bob
Pollin "blamed" Clinton for the changes.  Indeed, I agree with your
assessment of his book.  As you can see from the rest of my post, my main
issue is with those who would assert that there is no important difference
between Clinton and Bush II.  And I agree that the economic boom of the
1990s benefited workers considerably less in relative income terms than did
earlier, milder expansions--but again, more than the current almost-jobless
economic upswing under Bush.

Gil



>  --
> Michael Perelman
> Economics Department
> California State University
> Chico, CA 95929
>
> Tel. 530-898-5321
> E-Mail michael@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx