A sentence from John Derbyshire today: "The most left-wing U.S. administration in living memory, securely in power for 8 years, with all the revenues of the post-Cold War 'peace dividend' and the internet boom to spend, couldn't give us universal health care."
The most left-wing U.S. administration in living memory? Huh? Derbyshire doesn't remember the Johnson Administration? The Great Society? The War on Poverty?
Securely in power for 8 years? Huh? He doesn't remember, uh, impeachment?
All the revenues of the post-Cold War? Huh? President Clinton, like, ended the deficit. Started paying down the debt.
Couldn't give us universal health care? Huh? He tried. Tried real hard. It was defeated. Not by President Clinton. By the Senate.
Comments (1)
Hey Partha,
I know I'm preaching to the choir, but on a similar point, I have to object to many conservative bloggers' assertions that the Democratic party is dangerously leftist these days.
I don't understand this. The Democratic party has abandoned AFDC, one of the pillars of the New Deal; the national leadership abandoned the unions and signed onto an international trade agenda; at the insistence of governors like Dean and Mark Warner, the Democratic party has dropped handgun control of its agenda; none of the major candidates' healthcare proposals come close to rivaling the massive program offered by Clinton in 1993; all the candidates continue to emphasize balanced budgets.
The party as a whole can be described as left of center, but "leftist" or "far left"? I think there are lots of leftists or far leftists who would disagree. Face it, there is no left in the United States. Only Rockefeller/Eisenhower Republicans.
Posted by Amitava Mazumdar | September 10, 2003 3:31 PM
Posted on September 10, 2003 15:31