It could have been the twelve disastrous years under Reagan-Bush that left the country with the largest debt since the Second World War, three recessions, the stock market crash of 1987, $160 Billion spent rescuing the Saving & Loan industry, the post cold-war peace dividend spent invading Panama and Iraq (the first time), or the looming threat of seeing more American jobs being shipped overseas through NAFTA during a harsh economic turn-down. My opinion is that the primary reason, if you exclude that Ross Perot received 18.9% of the vote, was affordable health care for all American citizens.
Americans did not want another free-market dogmatist, they wanted a fresh face to run the affairs of state and provide them with minimal health care coverage, that other great superpowers like Denmark and Australia were able to provide to their own. During his candidacy Clinton heavily promoted and invested in the theme of health care reform. However, after loosing the lower house in '94 to Newt (who names their child after an amphibian?) Gingrich, Clinton switched teams and told everyone, "Don't ask and Don't tell!"
Sixteen years later the Obama administration and USA are in the same conundrum that 'Bubba' was facing in 1993, but worst. Bill Maher states what has been obvious for years, that the Democrats and Republicans who hold power are merely two heads of the same mutant jackass, that has long been ridden by the rapacious lobbyists of K-Street. When the actions of Nicholas Sarkozy, the conservative president of France, is demonstrably more liberal than the policies of Barack Obama, what really then is the most appropriate label for the current American president?
Maher with his classic sarcasm tells:
Every time Obama takes on a major 'progressive' cause there is a major party standing in his way; the Democrats...
When you go to the polls your choice is for the guy who voted for the first bailout or the guy who voted for the next ten...
Shouldn't there be one party that unambiguously supports cutting the military budget, a party that is straight up in favor of gun control, gay marriage, higher taxes on the rich, universal health care, legalizing pot, and steep direct taxing of polluters?
...What we need is an actual progressive party to represent the millions of Americans who aren't being served by the Democrats, because bottom line: Democrats are the new Republicans.
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