THE PROGRESSIVE CONSERVATIVE, USA
An Online Journal of Political Commentary & Analysis
Volume VI, Issue # 132, June 21, 2004
Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
Government Committed to & Acting in Accord with Conservative Principles
Ensures a Nation's Strength, Progress, & Prosperity
WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON & RONALD WILSON REAGAN:
TWO DIFFERENT PRESIDENTS, REFLECTING
TWO DIFFERENT AMERICAS
By Christopher G. Adamo
FULL STORY:
Perhaps no greater contrast has existed in recent years between two leaders of a free country than that of former Presidents Bill Clinton
and Ronald Reagan. During the past two and a half weeks, a chain of events, which could not have been foreseen, focused national
attention on the two men in a manner that exemplified not only the stark differences between them as individuals, but also those
segments of America reflected in each.
Thus the remembrances of Ronald Reagan since he passed away on June 5, when compared with the circumstances surrounding the
release of Bill Clinton’s memoirs, will stand as guideposts to highlight the “fork in the road” the nation is approaching, and give clear
evidence as to the possibilities for its future. And it is a future from which there may be no turning back.
To begin with, it is important to note that as President, each had an entirely different set of goals. Ronald Reagan was, from the
beginning, about the business of bettering the country and the world, ultimately for the sake of the people. Bill Clinton, on the other
hand, was (and is) always and only about Bill Clinton.
Therefore, while Reagan's interests were served by the general betterment of America, whether or not he could claim any credit or
garner any political advantage from it, Clinton needed tribulation to be visited upon the American people, from which he could
grandstand as their savior.
The leadership of Ronald Reagan involved inspiring people to be the best they could be, and thus fortunes of the nation could only
improve. Such a people would, over time, be less and less dependent on the snares of government’s “helping hand.” In this aspect,
the Reagan approach to leadership was at complete odds with that of Bill Clinton.
Clinton saw the people, not as beneficiaries of a healthy nation, but as fuel for the engine of government. To be coerced into
servitude required a scheme wherein society would be divided into factions. The members of each faction would naturally feel
threatened by the others, and in response, would look to government as its salvation.
As prime examples, consider the response of each president to major crises occurring during their tenure. Within weeks after he was
inaugurated in 1981, Ronald Reagan was the target of an assassination attempt by John Hinckley. Remaining conscious up until the
moment of emergency surgery to remove a bullet from his lung, Reagan joked with doctors and expressed conciliatory sentiments
towards his assailant. Not once did he, nor any of his staff, ever attempt to blame the words or sentiments of his political opposition
as motivation for the attack.
On the other hand, when Oklahoma City’s Murrah Building was bombed on Clinton’s watch, in May of 1995, official White House
reaction was much different. Before the fires had been extinguished, and well before any suspect or motive could be surmised,
Clinton spokespersons were already pointing fingers of blame at his political enemies, in an effort to capitalize on the enormity of
the event.
Reagan’s insistence, throughout his Presidency, that his staff be properly attired while in the White House (with his own dress
setting the example), reflected not a pompous regard for himself as President, but a humble and respectful subservience to his
office. Clinton’s, casual treatment of that office revealed not only his contempt for it, but ultimately for all Americans.
Reagan’s America was “on parade” throughout the weeklong memorial observances following his death. Despite the mourning, it
was an America of hope and optimism, built on a foundation of decency and consideration for one’s fellow citizens. The America
of Bill Clinton could be gleaned from the ugly belligerence of this past Spring’s pro-abortion rally in Washington, D.C., or in the
partisan rancor and venom of Senator Paul Wellstone’s “memorial,” occurring late in the 2002 election season.
As the recollections of Ronald Reagan give way to the media frenzy surrounding the release of Bill Clinton’s “memoirs,”
the triumph and patriotism recalled from the 1980’s will be overshadowed by the shallow cynicism and “spin” of the Clinton years.
Americans should look long and hard at these contrasting visions of what their country may potentially become. Ronald Reagan
has been laid to rest, and Bill Clinton’s Presidency will likewise fade into history. Nevertheless, the character of each of the two
former presidents is evident in their party’s potential successors this election year.
LINKS TO RELATED TOPICS:
American Government & the U.S. Presidency
American Politics & Political Competition
Political Culture, Patriotism, & American National Identity
Morality, Decency, & Traditional American Family Values
Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer who lives in southeastern Wyoming and works in the field of industrial instrumentation.
He is actively involved in Wyoming's political process, serving as a delegate to successive Wyoming State Republican Conventions
and as a member of the Wyoming State Republican Central Committee. He has assisted Republican candidates for local and state
legislatures and for the United States Congress. His articles, which appear regularly in The Progressive Conservative, U.S.A.,
and on a number of other websites, reflect a major concern with the damage being done to Conservatism and Conservative causes by
the Liberal Leftist faction in the Republican Party as well as by the much larger and more powerful Liberal Leftist faction in the
Democratic Party. During the early and middle 1990s, Adamo was Editor of the Wyoming Christian Coalition's official news organ,
The Wyoming Christian. Adamo maintains his own Internet website, which is located at
www.chrisadamo.com.
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Dr. Almon Leroy Way, Jr., Editor
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