Democrats: time for a 2020 view of the Clinton Legacy.

It takes time to get some historical perspective, enough to understand the full weight of an era. Historical analysis of the Obama era may still await, but the Clinton era can now be accounted for, and that analysis has much to teach voters currently considering voting for a Democratic candidate in the 2020 primary.

Consider these Clinton legacies.

MASS INCARCERATION

Clinton did not begin the trend of over-policing and underserving of low-income, Black, Brown and Indigenous communities but his administration steeply accelerated those trends with specific policies: three strikes you’re out, the war on drugs, and welfare “reforms” like workfare.

Q: Does your candidate/party support policies that will lead toward police abolition? Toward economic justice? Do their policies treat addiction as a health issue for all people, not just wealthy white addicts?

NAFTA

“Free” Trade. Clinton ushered in NAFTA, which removed all legal barriers to corporations seeking profits without pesky restrictions tHat protect workers, the environment and future generations.

Qs. Does your candidate/party advocate fair trade policies that support unions without borders, protect the environment and plan for future generations? Did they support Trump’s NAFTA 2.0 that removes borders for corporations, erects them for working people, gifts big pharma, destroys people’s right to stay home and creates more economic refugees?

BOMBING IRAQ

The Clinton administration engaged in war crimes, destroying the economy and infrastructure and environment of a developed nation, sacrificing the lives of a generation of Iraqi children, to protect the interests of big oil and set the US up for an era of endless war.

Qs. Does your candidate/party support a policy that recognizes the sovereignty of nations that produce resources multinational corporations desire? Do they support policies that encourage renewable resources, peace, a complete reversal of over five centuries of imperialism, inaugurating reparations to the global south and leading in a global war on climate change?

DON”T ASK DON”T TELL

Clinton’s policy toward gays in the military, hopefully strikes you as outrageous today, but in reality, shaming as public policy is not unusual. Shaming is endemic in welfare and immigration policies. These policies protect the needs of employers and the military, creating legal levers to control people and keep them vulnerable. Dehumanizing people makes it hard for them to assert their rights. Don’t Ask Don’t Tell may have shored up a lagging military force. It was NOT a step forward for GLBTQ rights. To the contrary, it set a template for other shaming legislation like Trump’s anti-Trans policy.

Q. Does your candidate engage in shaming people for who they are, or for their circumstances? Check out both their rhetoric and their policy proposals.

METOO#

Clinton didn’t just lie about “having sex with that woman.” He said he was being stalked by his intern. Women accused him of rape during this election campaign. His wife continually supported him.

Qs. What can we learn from Bill and Hillary Clinton about sexuality, sexual abuse? What should we expect of our leaders? In 2020 will we set a clear bright line, supporting the right of leaders to have private sex lives, and the right of all human people not to be sexually assaulted? Can we make it clear that the marital and relationship statuses of candidates, their gender preferences etc, are not relevant or up for debate? On the other side of that bright line, are we clear that we will not elevate leaders who abuse, take advantage of subordinates, lie to protect their own reputation at the expense of others, harass, rape, or protect their spouses who rape in order to shore up their own power?

CLINTON ECONOMIC BUBBLE, INEQUALITY, AND CLIMATE CHANGE.

Clinton said he was creating a “bridge to the 21st century.” The economic upturn of his period trickled up, built no green infrastructure, and like other bubblies, its burst hurt those on the economic bottom most. His policies led to an unprecedented coalition of labor and environmental activists demanding a different direction at the Battle for Seattle.

Q. Does your candidate put forward economic policies for reversing inequality and saving the planet?

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

Clinton did a good thing, putting Hilary in charge of advocating for universal health care. Together they put that goal on the democratic agenda.

Q. Does your candidate embrace and forward the Clinton legacy of advancing universal healthcare?

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