Grade Bill Clinton’s presidency

[TheReckoning]

B- in my view.

[vitoNova]

Along with Hussein, the only other A+ president of the past 68 years. 

[True Whig]

B-.

+ Pragmatic and thoughtful policy-maker. Focused on good government
+ Moderate across the board (though a bit too laissez-faire on some economic issues)
+ Willing to compromise with his ideological opposition without vilifying them most of the time (unlike Obama)
+ Supported peace in the Middle East

- Flawed moral character (but that's hardly exceptional for a U.S. president)
- Balkan, Somalian interventions didn't work as intended, Oil for Food w/ Iraq
- NAFTA

[Alben Barkley]

A-. Accomplished some fantastic things, oversaw arguably the best economy and best period of peace and prosperity in US history. 23 million jobs created, more than any other presidency. Poverty cut greater and faster than in (almost?) any other presidency. A budget surplus for the first time in centuries. Expertly handled intervention to stop a genocide in Kosovo, and generally very competent foreign policy.

But he failed to get a few things done like healthcare (not totally his fault though), and his scandal was a largely self-inflicted wound that probably caused his VP to lose. Yes, he was still popular. Yes, Gore probably could have won if he embraced him anyway. Yes, the whole thing was a stupid obsession of the GOP and media that never would have happened in another era. Yes, they were out to get him already for any reason, even things that really weren’t his fault. But still, at the end of the day, if Bill had kept it in his pants, the world would probably be a better place today. And as an even greater president once said, “the buck stops here.”

Other than that, however, there’s little for me to criticize in his record and presidency. One of the greats, and I think slightly better than Obama which makes him the best president since LBJ at least.

[TML]

B.

On the surface, he was pretty popular among the general electorate. However, some of the policies he enacted would later contribute to the rise of the current strongly right-leaning incarnation of the Republican Party.

[HisGrace]

I gave him a D, although there are some things I like about him particularly on economics. Balanced the budget while mostly cutting taxes, cut military spending, welfare reform, NAFTA.

But the mistakes are just too big. His foreign policy was kind of a mess and put us on the road to 9/11 and our current problems. He wanted to be a big internationalist but had no idea what he was doing and no strategic vision. His changes to the Community Reinvestment Act are also one of the causes of the financial crisis. Then of course there's the impeachment, which isn't as bad as Watergate or all of Trump's garbage but is still a black mark against him. Having an affair isn't a part of your job performance as president, but perjury and teetering on the edge of obstruction of justice are. I would have voted to convict and remove.

[dw93]

Overall, I'd say he was a luckier, but less ethical version of Obama and thus I would grade him more or less the same way as I did Obama:

Compared to the other Presidents of the last 50 years? A-

Compared to all the Presidents in history? Somewhere between a B- and a C average.

I will say that Clinton was a better leader of the Democratic party than Obama was.

[harpercanuck]

Very good president. america was prosperous, less divided and the future seemed great.