I have never hid the fact the I both admire Bill Clinton’s great political gifts and despise how he wastes those gifts with his divisive antics. I also have to admit that the Democratic Convention, and I am sure the Republican one will be the same, is a load of over-the-top only-in-America trash. Having said this, Bill Clinton reminded us last night of what an amazing orator he is. He might truly believe what he said, he might not. He’s Bill Clinton, and he’s as good an actor as Ronald Reagan ever was, plus he’s also a lawyer, and last night he sure looked like he was missing being the country’s head hauncho.
Love him or hate him, Bill made the compelling argument of why the U.S. cannot afford another Republican term in the White House. Another Bill — Bill Moyers — in the same vain made a similar argument in last week’s Journal:
As wages stagnate, prices are soaring. Economists call this pain the “misery index.” It’s a combination of the unemployment and inflation rates, and it’s what politicians have in mind when they ask, “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” Well, the misery index is the highest it’s been since George Bush’s father became president, seventeen years ago.
. . .
This year oil hit a record high – $147 a barrel when last year, it was less than half that – around $68. A loaf of bread is up 14% from last year, a dozen eggs is up 33%, and pizza makers have seen the cost of their cheese soar from $1.30 to $1.76. Flour used to make the dough has tripled in price. As these prices soar, the value of homes is sinking. One in three home buyers since 2003 now owe more than their property’s estimated worth. Not only has home equity plummeted, so has the value of other holdings, like stocks and bonds and pensions, the investments families count on as a cushion during hard times.
Has the Bush Admininstration done anything that was not destructive?
Grave Error 