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The Moderate Stance of Bill Clinton
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20124 |
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CURRENT ISSUES
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2 / 1992 |
1,870 Words |
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Gordon Young
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When Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton announced his presidential bid from the steps of Little Rock's Old State House in early October, there was no mistaking which voting block he hoped to court during the upcoming election. Clinton, who is still described by some as the "Boy Governor" despite his five terms in office and rapidly graying hair, mentioned the middle class twelve times in his 35-minute speech.
"I refuse to be part of a generation of Americans that fails to compete in the global economy and so condemns hard-working, middle-class Americans to a life of struggle without reward or security," Clinton told a lunchtime crowd of several hundred listeners. "For twelve years the Republicans have raised taxes on the middle class. It's time to give the middle class tax relief."
Shortly after the native of Hope, Arkansas, announced his presidential bid, Democratic National Committee Chairman Ron Brown said he was "delighted" by Clinton's decision to join the race.
"Both as governor and head of the Democratic Governor's Association, Bill has led the fight to reform our educational system with concrete ideas and has a proven record of leadership and commitment to building the American economy," Brown said.
It is Clinton's appeal as a "moderate" Democrat that gives him the greatest chance of defeating President George Bush in 1992, and he has worked hard to distance himself form the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. He is reaching out to the traditional democratic block of white, middle-class voters who feel their concerns have been squeezed out by special interest groups in the eighties.
Clinton still makes the traditional plea that government programs should be used to help the needy, but he is quick to emphasize the role personal responsibility should play in the equation. For example, he points to Arkansas where he championed a mandatory workfare project designed to train the poor and ensure that "everybody who can go to work do it." He backed policies to withhold driver's licenses from high school dropouts and punish parents who skip school conferences for truancy incidents. Clinton also increased efforts to track down fathers who neglect child-support payments.
"One of the worst social developments in this country in the last several years is the willingness of so many people--mostly fathers but sometimes mothers--to bring a child
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