Surf Wiki
Save to docs
politics

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

Clintonism

Political ideology by Bill and Hillary Clinton

Political ideology by Bill and Hillary Clinton

FieldValue
nameClintonism
logo{{#invoke:multiple image
total_width300
perrow2
borderinfobox
image1Welref.jpg
image2Bill and Hillary Clinton leaving Air Force One (cropped1).jpg
image3Hillary Clinton (32910381696).jpg
image4Clinton-Gore rally in Las Cruzes (November 1, 1996) VzsA4.png
colorcode
founderBill and Hillary Clinton
nationalDemocratic Party
ideology{{ubl
Cultural liberalism<ref>{{cite webtitleBill Clinton: Life in Brief Miller Centerurl=https://millercenter.org/president/clinton/life-in-briefwebsite=millercenter.orglanguage=endate=4 October 2016}}
Bipartisanship<ref>{{cite webtitleDon't Ask, Don't Tell Resourcesurl=https://www.war.gov/Spotlights/Dont-Ask-Dont-Tell-Resources/website=U.S. Department of Defense}}
Fiscal conservatism<ref>{{cite webauthorVeronique de Rugytitle=Was Clinton More Conservative Than Bush?quote=Perhaps most importantly, there was a substantial reduction in federal spending as a share of gross domestic product during the Clinton years. Using the growth of domestic spending as a benchmark, Clinton was the second most conservative president of the post-World War II era, trailing only Ronald Reagan.url=https://www.cato.org/commentary/was-clinton-more-conservative-bushwebsite=Cato Institutelanguage=endate=July 25, 2002}} (Clintonomics and neoliberalism)
Third Way<ref>{{cite newslastEdsallfirst=Thomas B.date=28 June 1998url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/06/28/clinton-and-blair-envision-a-third-way-international-movement/0bc00486-bd6d-4da4-a970-5255d7aa25d8/title=Clinton and Blair Envision a 'Third Way' International Movementnewspaper=The Washington Postpage=A24access-date=19 July 2020archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181213150257/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1998/06/28/clinton-and-blair-envision-a-third-way-international-movement/0bc00486-bd6d-4da4-a970-5255d7aa25d8/archive-date=13 December 2018}}(Triangulation)}}
countrythe United States
colorsBlue
positionCenter to center-right

|Cultural liberalism |Bipartisanship |Fiscal conservatism (Clintonomics and neoliberalism) |Third Way(Triangulation)}} Liberal internationalism Clintonism refers to the political and economic policies of Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as the era of his presidency in the United States. Members of the Democratic Party who are aligned with these political policies and practices are called Clinton Democrats.

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a pro-Democratic Party establishment, argues that Clintonism "stands for economic growth and opportunity; for fiscal responsibility; for work, not welfare; for preventing crime and punishing criminals; and for non-bureaucratic, empowering government" and further says that "these policies are key to the successes in the beginning of the 21st century."

On the other hand, some critics of Clinton associate Clintonism with "coddling big money (except guns and tobacco), financial scandals, winning at any cost, flip-flopping and prevaricating".

Characteristics

Clintonism refers to the centrist or neoliberal wing of the United States Democratic Party centered on former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former First Lady, Senator, Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, both in their times in office and subsequently. It is also thought to encompass many other prominent people, including campaign consultant Dick Morris, journalist Sidney Blumenthal, Democratic National Committee Chairman Steven Grossman, politician and governor Bill Richardson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, Treasury Department Secretary Robert Rubin and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While the primary qualification is being aligned with or part of the inner circle associated with the Clintons, the ideology can be said in broad outline to favor certain policies:

  • Free trade: an essential component of his economic policy, Clinton worked to pass the NAFTA and create the World Trade Organization.
  • Balanced budget: Clintonism is associated with restraining the growth of federal spending in order to allow lower interest rates and freer monetary policy.
  • Greater willingness to use and fund the military
  • A willingness to compromise on social issues such as abortion and LGBT rights. Bill Clinton signed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, although it was struck down by the Supreme Court and repealed by the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act.
  • Reform or reduction of some government programs, exemplified by the ending of Aid to Families with Dependent Children as part of welfare reform.
  • Internationalism, particularly the expansion of NATO.

The ideology is sometimes thought of as part of the Third Way, a brand of politics that is said to include (at the time or since) Prime Minister Tony Blair's New Labour in the United Kingdom, the Liberal Party in Canada under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, and the Social Democratic Party in Germany under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. According to Vanity Fair, Clintonism is foundationally "based on the baby boomer credo that you truly can have it all".

References

References

  1. (4 October 2016). "Bill Clinton: Life in Brief {{!}} Miller Center".
  2. "The Clinton Administration's Law Enforcement Strategy: Fighting Gun Violence and Keeping Guns Away from Criminals and Our Children".
  3. (December 2025{{subscription required)
  4. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Resources".
  5. "Fifty Years Since Stonewall: The Change in Public Opinion {{!}} Roper Center for Public Opinion Research".
  6. (18 October 1994). "Gay Survey Raises a New Question (Published 1994)".
  7. Veronique de Rugy. (July 25, 2002). "Was Clinton More Conservative Than Bush?".
  8. (June 1, 2020). "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". [[Oxford University Press]].
  9. Edsall, Thomas B.. (28 June 1998). "Clinton and Blair Envision a 'Third Way' International Movement". [[The Washington Post]].
  10. Layne Donovan. (February 2, 2022). "A Different Kind of Democrat: Kyrsten Sinema and Bill Clinton’s Triangulation Strategy".
  11. link. (2002-09-06, ''[[Blueprint (DLC magazine)). Blueprint]]'', January 18, 2002.
  12. [http://www.commondreams.org/views/040900-104.htm "Democrats Suffer From a Bad Case of Clintonism"] {{Webarchive. link. (2007-06-13 , ''[[Los Angeles Times]],'' April 9, 2000.)
  13. Sherman, Gabriel. "Confessions of a Clintonworld Exile".
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

bill-clinton hillary-clinton presidency-of-bill-clinton american-political-neologisms democratic-party-(united-states) liberalism-in-the-united-states centrism-in-the-united-states eponymous-political-ideologies political-positions-of-presidents-of-the-united-states political-positions-of-state-governors-of-the-united-states hillary-clinton's-tenure-as-first-lady-of-the-united-states hillary-clinton's-tenure-as-secretary-of-state third-way political-terminology-of-the-united-states
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about Clintonism — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report