Bill Clinton Grapples Uncomfortably With The Then And The Now

[Purveyor]

By Dan Balz April 12 at 1:24 PM

NEW YORK — For days now, Bill Clinton has been attempting to extricate himself from a confrontation with Black Lives Matter protesters, trying both to hold to his position and step back from it. It’s been an awkward dance.

But it speaks to a broader problem for the 42nd president of the United States. Clinton is caught in a time warp, having to grapple with how much the era in which he served, the events that occurred then and the actions he took as president have been reinterpreted and, by many in his own party, rejected.

Clinton is a gifted campaigner and remains a popular ex-president. There are few politicians more skilled than he at synthesizing and explaining issues or making a political argument, as he demonstrated repeatedly in his advocacy for President Obama in the 2012 campaign.

But this is 2016, not 1992 or 1996, and things have changed — particularly within the Democratic Party. Clinton’s exchange with the Black Lives Matter demonstrators over the 1994 crime bill and in particular Hillary Clinton’s use of the term “super predators” at the time brought into high relief the conundrum he and she face.

Among other things, that 1994 crime bill instituted tough sentencing provisions that resulted in high rates of incarceration for many young African Americans for non-violent offenses. It is seen in retrospect as having been too harsh and therefore a mistake. Many of the politicians who supported it then — including Sen. Bernie Sanders — have said it went too far. Hillary Clinton is in that camp. So is Bill Clinton.

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bill-clinton-grapples-uncomfortably-with-the-then-and-the-now/2016/04/12/0f964a0e-00bf-11e6-9203-7b8670959b88_story.html

[CentralCoaster]

1. And, Ricky Ray Rector. (nt)

[Land of Enchantment]

2. The 'Explainer in Chief' has trapped himself in a time warp, as has his wife because

they have surrounded themselves by like-minded individuals for the last 25 years. The Al From's of the DLC and DNC have molded and guided their perspectives based on the past. They cannot remotely identify with the younger generations much less show respect for their views, lifestyles and circumstances. Same with BLM, they are trapped by obsolete thinking and values I suspect they still hold despite their claims of 'evolving'. They have 'evolved' on so many issues they have become a different species.

Sadly, I doubt they will ever really 'get it' because they are not to be challenged on the real issues and are trapped by intellectual prisons of their own making.

[napi21]

3. Honestly, if he just explained the facts as they were back then, I think he'd be OK.

Many of the BLM members were either too young or not even alive back then, so they don't remember how unfair the sentencing was. I remember. Some received 10 years for the same crime someone else got probation, and some others received no penalty at all. The mandatory sentencing was adopted to fix that. Remind people why this bill was passed, what is was supposed to fix, and why he now believes it was too harsh .

[rhett o rick]

4. Wait a minute. "Many of the politicians who supported it then — including Sen. Bernie Sanders.."

While Sen Sanders did reluctantly vote for the bill he made it crystal clear then that he did not support the provisions in the bill that instituted tough sentencing. That was alll Clintons. Her fans will tell you she is "tough". She likes those tough sentencing laws. She likes the Prisons For Profits. See my sig line below.