Category Archives: Bill Clinton
Real Scandal
Politico had over 90 stories last week about the Herman Cain sexual harassment allegations. It’s still unclear just what is being alleged but it doesn’t appear to include pulling down his pants and ordering a subordinate to “kiss it”. That would be the charge against President Bill Clinton from about the same era.
Oddly, women’s groups swarmed to the defense of the “lovable rogue” and, after being impeached, he weathered the storm – minus his Arkansas law license.
None of us, however (at least not the 99%), weathered the storm caused by another scandal with racial overtones. Paul Sperry reported in IBD, how Clinton pressured financial institutions to make home loans to the un-creditworthy. Meanwhile, MSN Money quotes David Weidner, of Marketwatch, saying Clinton’s biggest mistake was the repeal of Glass-Steagall.
Business Week reported this week that, after stating a $4.4 billion loss for the third quarter, Freddie Mac will seek an additional 6 billion dollar bail-out from taxpayers.
Rule of Law
The president has ruled the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional and ordered the Justice Department not to defend it.
What is the DOMA you ask? Well, according to the WSJ…
it was passed in 1996 by large majorities in both houses of Congress and signed by President Bill Clinton.
The law says the federal government will only recognize marriages that are between a man and a woman. States can still allow same-sex marriages—and five states plus the District of Columbia have done so. But people married under those state laws aren’t accepted as married under federal law.
Same sex couples get unfavorable death tax treatment under the law…
For example, a woman inheriting money from her deceased same-sex partner doesn’t get the tax benefits that federal tax law allows for a person inheriting from a spouse.
A Washington Post editorial, however, points out the two edged swordiness of the president’s approach by asking if a future Republican president might refuse to defend Obamacare from constitutional challenges.
We’re All Investors Now
Republicans used to call it tax and spend. Now it’s mostly just spend. Democrats call it investing. For all the hope and change, things have stayed pretty much the same.
Poker Face
While endorsing the Obama tax deal during his Friday presser monologue, Bill Clinton cited Charles Krauthammer’s view that the deal was a big win for the Democrats. They just don’t recognize it. Maybe Obama is following Reagan’s advice that you can accomplish anything if you don’t care who gets the credit. It’s enough to make a Republican cry.