SCAPEGOAT:

MY LIFE (2004) Bill Clinton (New York: Alfred A. Knopf) 957 pages.

It is a long march and numerous hours of reading to finish MY LIFE. Scapegoat refers to a life experience that President Clinton had as a youngster. He was butted and beaten by a goat. I will save that for later.

The first half is the most interesting because it covers his early life and the governorship of Arkansas. In a New York minute, most Americans would trade the 90’s for the current chaos that the USA faces now. This of course means 9/11. About half the voters even though they were disappointed with Clinton at the end of his term, now see him as the most productive information age progressive of the last of the 20th century.

Further, he was up against a standing electorate of about 45% who are moderate conservatives to conservatives in a conservative culture. Further, he was one of them. His southern roots should have oriented him to conservatives and so his turn coat southern progressivism was unthinkable.

To say he was a satyr or womanizer places him among many presidents. Yet, he lacked discretion. Other than 2 or 3 episodes (Jones, Willey, and Lewinsky) his accounts are silent about the others. Why did he risk his presidency in an indiscreet manner?

His biological father had married and sired children before marrying Clinton’s mom. She did not know about these previous children. His biological father was an abusive alcoholic in whom he learned to compartmentalize (a standard defense mechanism) his personal and public life. Further, his ethnic heritage had some Irish and Native American background of which both groups appear biologically, psychologically, and sociologically to be vulnerable to addictions.

LAST, THE SCAPEGOAT HYPOTHESIS IS PRESENTED HERE. CLINTON WAS BEATEN AND BUTTED SEVERELY BY A GOAT WHEN HE WAS A CHILD AND WAS SAVED BY A NEARBY FARMER. HIS FACE AND FOREHEAD WERE BLOODY. IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT THE FRONTAL CEREBRAL CORTEX WAS DAMAGED. THIS AREA IS THE BIOLOGICAL MORAL CENTER OF HUMANS. YOU DAMAGE THIS AREA AND YOU GET A DIFFERENT HUMAN BEING LESS TRUSTWORTHY THAN BEFORE.

This MAY be the reason that he appeared not to show the usual remorse that comes to many souls. He did admit his sins in the book and on the Oprah Winfrey show.
Further, he indicates that he has had numerous hours of both individual and family therapy.

However, after saying that, politics is hardball and his adversaries did everything including breaking the law or flexing it to get rid of him. Conservative parties are the natural over dog in the United States and his presidency was a threat. Jim Leher asked the former president on PBS toward the end of his term what it was like to face an “almost conspiracy?’ Clinton was finally happy that some in the mainstream press would characterize his opposition in such a way. The book is moderate in tone, although he saves his best salvos for Kenneth Starr. However, GOOGLE lists over 365 books written by Right wing politicos and leftist whose writings appear in their titles to be downright screeds. One he mentions, David Brock has now fallen away from the Right and admits to lying in his previous books and articles about Clinton.

The second half explains his battles that have by now become standard stories among political junkies. What impressed this reviewer was how trivial all of this sounds now in the more chaotic times that we live.

Clinton’s other contribution is the centrism he brought to the Democratic Party. As much as it is disgusting to American Liberalism, the only Democrats that can be elected are folks that at one time were called Moderate Republicans. Liberal and Labor Democrats may win in certain districts but lose overwhelmingly in national elections. As this is being written, the Democratic Party is united more than at any time since the NEW DEAL. This does not mean that the Democratic Party candidate will win, but suggests like 2000, the race could be close.

Democrats can no longer afford the luxury of ideology. They must present a centrist position in a turbulent time. Two issues that seem to be ever current in all of his battles from attorney general of Arkansas to president of the United States are abortion and gun control.

If the Supreme Court acts to overturn Roe v. Wade and guns become unrestricted, it would appear that two meat and potato issues that divide the country may help the Democratic Party. One can not see the NRA support the underdog party, but may not spend time and money when they know the opposition is beaten on this issue. What kind of punishment a lady will receive if she has an abortion is an interesting side bar, but will be left for another time.

"Clintonism" was also discussed on C-Span by scholars both in support of and opposed to William Jefferson Clinton. Their most germane observation is that his “third way” and his presidency must still wait for the full fifty years to be judged.

David Stockman, Budget Director under Reagan noted in Clinton’s book that heavy expenditures under Bush/Reagan/Bush administrations are meant to “starve the beast.” The beast is the domestic programs including social security, Medicare, and Medicaid. If successful, privatization of the plans will lead to more corporate growth in the private sector.

Much of “Clintonism” has already been reversed. The former president said so in his last chapters and afterward. What may be attractive about the former president is that he looks better in retrospect than he did immediately after leaving office. He is a tremendous campaigner and could help the Democratic nominee.

A special note, he mentions his campaign in Iowa during the general election. He stopped at the Quaker Oats plant to see some of the latest biotechnology and give a speech with Al Gore. I was there. I had a doctor’s appointment nearby and left to see a major event just a block away. Interested in what was going on, I walked toward the crowd. Al Gore was warming up the crowd and then Clinton spoke. He had the audience. I was standing next to a secret service agent dressed in plain clothes. Across the street from the Quaker Oats plant is a central city motor hotel. One of the windows opened, I mentioned it to the secret service person who was already on the phone and the window was closed. Yes, there was grassy knoll leading up to the hotel. No shots were fired, and Clinton went on to become president of the United States.

MY LIFE is the story of his long march from poor white to white house in about 50 years. In this account there is more detail than the anti-Clinton movie PRIMARY COLORS, however the accuracy and validity depends on your values and how the book withstands critical review.