Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton: on Government Reform
Al Gore:
ReGo made federal government smallest since 1960s
The GOP rallying cry against big government was meant to undermine people's trust in the efficacy of widely accepted federal programs like Social Security, Medicare and public education. Through an initiative known as "Reinventing Government," headed by
V.P. Gore, the federal government was smaller than it had been since the Kennedy Administration. I knew that any continuing federal role had to be demonstrably effective, putting more police on the street, for example, or more teachers in the classroom.
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.380-381
Nov 1, 2003
George Bush Sr.:
Claimed records of White House Office of Personnel Security
The Office of Personnel Security, despite its imposing title, did not perform "security checks"--that was done by the FBI. Nor was it responsible for security--that was the job of the Secret Service.
I never quite figured out what else it did, but it was responsible for keeping track of present White House employees, making sure their clearances were up to date, and giving security briefings to new White House personnel.
When President Bush left the White House in January 1993, his people took all the files of the Office of Personnel Security--which they were allowed to do under the Presidential Records Act--for the Bush Library.
The incoming Administration thus had none of its own records (as distinct from the Secret Service's records) of the permanent employees in the White House.
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.371
Nov 1, 2003
Hillary Clinton:
Called for ban on all soft money in 2000 campaign
When the focus of the [Senate debate with Rick Lazio] turned to campaign commercials and the use of so-called soft money, the moderator showed clips of a Lazio commercial. The ad was paid for with soft money, large contributions that could be used by
political committees to attack a candidate’s opponent. I had earlier called for a ban on all soft money, but I wasn’t going to commit to it unilaterally. The Republicans had refused to forswear the use of soft money from outside groups, some of whom were
busily raising $32 million in support of Lazio’s Senate bid. Near the end of the debate, Lazio marched over to me, waving a piece of paper called the “New York Freedom from Soft Money Pact”--and demanded my signature. I declined as he shouted, “Sign
it right now!” I offered to shake hands, but he kept badgering me.
I wasn’t sure how Lazio’s confrontational ploy would be received. Opinion polls soon made it clear that a lot of voters, especially women, were offended by Lazio’s tactics.
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p. 520
Nov 1, 2003
Hillary Clinton:
Defined appropriate high crimes for impeaching Nixon in 1973
[Working on the Nixon Impeachment inquiry]: Andrew Johnson was the only previous President to be impeached, and historians generally agreed that the Congress had misused its solemn constitutional responsibility for partisan political purposes. [Our
committee chair] was committed to running a process that the public and history would judge as nonpartisan and fair, no matter what the outcome. I helped draft procedural rules to present to the House Judiciary Committee. I attended public meetings of th
committee and sat at the counsel's table while the chairman presented the procedures he wanted the members to accept.After working on procedures, I moved on to research the legal grounds for a presidential impeachment and wrote along memo summarizing
my conclusions about what did--and did not--constitute an impeachable offense. Years later, I reread the memo. I still agreed with its assessment of the kinds of "high Crimes and Misdemeanors" the framers of the Constitution intended to be impeachable.
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p. 67
Nov 1, 2003
Hillary Clinton:
Triangulation replaces partisanship with a dynamic center
Dick Morris helped Bill develop a strategy to break through the wall of obstructionist Republicans.When opposing camps are in two polar positions, they can decide to move toward a third position--like the apex of the triangle--what came to be called
"triangulation." This was essentially a restatement of the philosophy Bill had developed as Governor & as Chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council. In the 1992 campaign, he championed moving beyond the "brain-dead" politics of both parties to craft
a "dynamic center." More than old-fashioned compromise of splitting the difference, triangulation reflected the approach Bill had promised to bring to Washington.
When, for example, the Republicans tried to claim ownership of welfare reform, an issue
Bill had been working on since 1980, Bill would avoid saying no. Instead, he would support the objectives of reform but insist on changes that would improve the legislation and attract enough moderate support to defeat the extreme Republican position.
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.290
Nov 1, 2003
Newt Gingrich:
Contract With America: deep cuts in Medicare/Medicaid/taxes
Conventional wisdom says that the party in control of the White House usually loses congressional seats in the midterm elections. Newt Gingrich and his cohort of self-described Republican "revolutionaries" appeared eager to capitalize on the trend. In
September, Gingrich stood on the steps of the Capitol, surrounded by like-minded members, to unveil his game plan for midterm victory: a "Contract With America." The Contract provided the basis for Republican proposals to abolish the Dept. of Education,
make deep spending cuts in Medicare, Medicaid, education and the environment and slash tax credits for the working poor. The Contract was a strategy to nationalize local elections and turn congressional races into a referendum on Republican terms.
Newt Gingrich's glee [was unmoderated on election] night. He would become the next Speaker of the House, the first Republican since 1954. He magnanimously offered to work with Democrats to push the Contract with American through Congress in record time.
Source: Living History, by Hillary Rodham Clinton, p.249-257
Nov 1, 2003
Page last updated: Feb 14, 2019