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.... this is 2016, not 1992 or 1996, and things have changed — particularly within the Democratic Party....
After his exchange last week, Clinton said he almost wanted to apologize and said it was regrettable that the two sides had talked past each other. He then campaigned Sunday on his wife’s behalf in three African American churches, seeking to ensure the strongest possible minority support for her in next Tuesday’s New York primary (which looks likely). On Monday, he was still trying to explain himself for what had happened the week before...
The Black Lives Matter episode is not the only example of how the Clinton presidency is seen in a different light today. Clinton’s staunch advocacy of free trade, his support for financial institution deregulation and the fact that his economic team was staffed by Wall Street figures all are viewed with far greater skepticism by Democrats today. That is why Sanders has gathered such energy behind his candidacy and why Hillary Clinton has had to tack left to keep up with the base. Bill Clinton was an eloquent advocate of free trade, as a candidate in 1992 and as president. Former president George H.W. Bush, after listening to Clinton make the case for the North American Free Trade Agreement at a White House ceremony, quipped that it should be pretty clear why the silver-tongued Clinton was now occupying the Oval Office and he was on the outside.