Bill Clinton as Richard Nixon

--Andrew Wolstan (ready to be read)

Introduction

It is important to place the Clinton Presidency into proper context with a comparison that most aptly describes it. Bill Clinton as a politician is similar to Nixon and their administrations share many characteristics as well. In the midst of the Clinton-Obama primary slugfest, husband Bill’s public voice has somewhat faded into the background, but in many ways he is clearly central to many of the primary’s issues. His voice in the campaign is still strong and if Hillary Clinton gains the nomination and especially if she wins the Presidency, his influence will be extremely important. Even if Hillary Clinton is not a contender for the Presidency in November, properly examining the Clinton presidency can also give us proper perspective about the evaluation of current and future leaders.

Backgrounds

There are many similarities between the two and their backgrounds. Both Clinton and Nixon grew up in households that were affected by poverty and did not have political pedigree. Clinton and Nixon ascended to their first major political offices at young ages, Clinton as the governor of Arkansas at 32 and Nixon as a House Representative from California at the age of 33. While this may seem relatively common, the fact that both of them did not come from political families makes this more notable. In addition, both lost gubernatorial races that were critical to their development as politicians. Nixon cited these similarities while discussing Clinton in an interview, adding that they were both political outsiders: Clinton from the South and Nixon from the West.

Accomplishments

There are many comparisons to be made, but Clinton’s political method of operation and many of his political viewpoints are similar to that of Richard Nixon. Although it was partly the work of a Republican Congress, Clinton approved a major overhaul of the welfare system in an effort for reform. Nixon also oversaw a welfare reform initiative in his Presidency. The welfare reform initiative under Nixon was focused most specifically at distributing the responsibilities to local agencies. Clinton and Nixon both had great expansions in environmental legislation that were great extensions over what had previously been passed. Clinton long fought to eliminate racial injustice and while Nixon may have privately made many racist comments, he oversaw the final de facto desegregation of Southern schools.

Notes on the Scandals

If you read the ten sentence summaries of the Clinton and Nixon presidencies the only similarity that you will likely find is the scandals they encountered during their time in office. However, with the exception that each felt themselves to be above the rules, the reason for the beginning of the scandals are fairly different. Clinton got himself into trouble because he couldn’t keep on his pants, while Nixon was done in by his paranoia. In reality, the cover-ups of the wrongs were what got each of them in trouble, and their attitudes that they were above reproach certainly would have contributed to that, but analysis of other aspects of their Presidencies and leadership provides more insight for an evaluation of Clinton’s presidency with regard to history and the current Presidential race.

Political Personalities

A major driver towards their political successes were the political defeats that they suffered, Clinton losing the Arkansas gubernatorial race and Nixon the Presidency to Kennedy and the California gubernatorial race two years later. Nixon would later describe the time after his loss in California as his time in the wilderness, and he moved to New York where he sharpened his political and foreign policy expertise. Clinton also learned a political lesson following his loss in 1980. During his first term as governor, Clinton had young advisors and along with them he pursued a progressive agenda and he challenged powerful business interests in the state. Clinton was re-elected to the governorship in 1982 and pursued a more moderate course, focusing on education, and he was much more aware of the political implications of his actions in a conservative state.

Neither Clinton nor Nixon was the traditional candidate for their party. Nixon had many beliefs that were not in line with those of the traditional Republican party establishment. The regulatory state expansion with implementations such as OSHA during his Presidency and negotiations with China ran against the conservative Republican base. Similarly, Clinton’s welfare reform and efforts to produce a balanced budget were not traditionally liberal ideas about which many in his party were unhappy. This is partly a result of the times that they served as President and the political realities of those times, but its also a result of who they were. Neither of them were establishment candidates or Presidents.

Clinton and Nixon were both extremely aware of how the public perceived them, with minds toward their lasting legacies. While nearly every President is conscious of their legacy, Clinton and Nixon were particularly mindful of how they would be remembered by history. Nixon was also very concerned with his legacy. David Gergen recounted that when he was in the Nixon White House, it was required that they know what the headline would be from an event before it would be scheduled. In addition, Nixon scheduled his motorcade in Rome to travel during rush hour so it would appear that countless Italians showed up simply to see him drive by. Clinton is famous for consulting polls with regard to all of his decisions while in office, a habit he increasingly practiced starting in his second term as governor of Arkansas. This was certainly something that was beneficial for reelections, but also served to ensure popularity with the public that was a concern all the way through both of his terms as President.

Conclusion

The comparisons between Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon can help us place the Clinton Presidency and Bill Clinton properly within history. At a time when the Clinton Presidency is being evaluated daily, it is important to understand that he is much like the outsider that came twenty years before him.