The last time a Clinton ran on a platform of higher taxes and massive refugee resettlement, that Clinton lost big time.
Make no mistake, Hillary Rodham Clinton hasn’t just promised to raise EVERYONE’S taxes — sorry Fight for $15, she’s gonna come after you too. She has stated that she will increase the number of Syrian refugees brought into America by 550% over the number Barack Obama’s allowed in – even after officials have gone on the record admitting they aren’t sure of Wasil Farooqi’s citizenship and affiliation*.
Bill Clinton tried roughly the same approach once, although most have forgotten about it.
Roll the calendar back to the 1970s. In 1974 Bill Clinton was a law professor at the University of Arkansas. (Isn’t it interesting how so many liberal politicians have “law professor” on their resume?). Supposedly, in 1975 then Hillary Rodham tried to enlist in the Marine Corps. But, Private First Class Pantsuit wannabe was turned down – and thus she was denied her Full Metal Jacket resume line item – so a month or so later she married Bill**. In 1976 he ran for and won the Arkansas Attorney General seat.
As Attorney General, he made around $26,500 a year and Hillary brought home $24,500 from the Rose Law firm, which sounds like chump change until a) you realize those are mid-1970s dollar amounts and b) they were in Arkansas where the standard of living then was and now is fairly low. In today’s dollars, $186,000 was their combined annual income no matter how many media reports bemoan their “modest circumstances” living in an attractive 980 square foot home in Little Rock’s tony Hillcrest Historic District. Such a tortured hardscrabble existence on $186,000 per year, so the media narrative goes, forced the Clintons into the Whitewater land deal – you’ve heard the sob story before: Bill and Hill just wanted a shot at the American dream, at giving Chelsea more than they had growing up, blah blah blah. Of course Chelsea wasn’t born until 1980, but the narrative will ignore that part so anyway…
In 1978 Bill Clinton was elected Governor of Arkansas, which got them into the Governor’s mansion along with an extra $9,500 per year (in 1978 dollars) in his pocket. As Governor he promptly did what all liberal politicians do when they are elected to office. He dove head first into do-gooder nonsense that didn’t do anybody a lot of good. Notably:
– He raised car registration fees. Nobody I know enjoys the periodic ritual of paying however much their state charges to affix a month and year decal to a license plate. (The last time I had to do this in California the cost was almost $100 per vehicle). For the working poor – many dependent on their vehicle to get them to and from their place of work – paying more for the decal doesn’t help make ends meet. It’s more money they have to give to government and not use to buy the things they need. But ever the liberal do-gooder, Bill Clinton raised those fees so that every Arkansan paid more of their fair share. What a guy!
– In conjunction with the second worst President in United States history Jimmy “the Peanut” Carter, he opened Fort Chaffee up to thousands of Cuban refugees Fidel Castro had thrown into the sea. Castro was no idiot. He didn’t just expel “refugees” from the tropical island paradise liberals then and now believe Castro created about 90 miles south of Florida. Castro included some of Cuba’s worst criminals – rapists, murderers and the like; but not chronic violators of human rights and international law like himself, Che’, Raul Castro, etc. – in the bunch. Bill was happy to house them in barracks at Fort Chaffee. On June 1, 1980 the “refugees” rioted. Four barracks buildings were destroyed. A combined force of state police and national guard were called in to restore order and subsequently 2,000 federal troops were deployed to Fort Chaffee to keep the peace.
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The result?
Frank D. White defeated Bill Clinton in the next Arkansas gubernatorial contest. White was sworn in on January 19, 1981, becoming only the second Republican elected in Arkansas since Elisha Baxter left the office on November 12, 1874. This was one of three instances in which Bill was politically defeated:
– In 1974 he ran for Congress against John Hammerschmidt and lost. Notably, 1974 was a year in which Democrats won hand over fist across the country following the Watergate scandal and Vietnam. Hammerschmidt beat Bill Clinton, even though Hammerschmidt remained an ardent Nixon supporter in spite of Watergate. Hammerschmidt in 1974 became the first Republican elected to the House of Representatives from Arkansas since Reconstruction. It’s rumored that Bill’s 1974 defeat led Hillary to consider breaking up with Bill (they weren’t married yet) as she didn’t want to be linked to someone that wasn’t politically viable***.
– Bill Clinton planned to run for President in 1988. Bill also planned to leave Hillary for one of his many mistresses****. But then, the Gary Hart scandal erupted. Bill Clinton knew that in 1988 with Gary Hart fresh in everyone’s minds, leaving a wife and an eight-year old daughter for another woman wouldn’t make for good Presidential campaign optics. Instead, Bill delivered – and he delivered it horribly – the nominating speech for Michael Dukakis at the Democratic National Convention that year.
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Fast-forward back to 2016. Hillary is essentially promising to do what her husband lost to Frank D. White for thirty-six years ago. Why is she even viewed as a credible contender for the White House?
* As we have learned over the past eight years, when our officials navel gaze and say they don’t know, that typically means our worst fears have been realized. In the case of Farooqi, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to discover he was a resettled refugee with Islamic State connections. If we don’t even know which bad guys are already here, how do we have any hope of vetting tens of thousands of presumed Syrian refugees?
** Hilarious: when taken in context with the Clintons, “Love Will Keep Us Together” was a huge hit single for Captain and Tennille in 1975.
*** Refer to the song referenced in the item above. Hilarious.
**** Yep, you know which song to refer to. It’s still hilarious when taken in context with the Clintons.
Image: By White House photo – http://clinton4.nara.gov/WH/Family/html/inauguration1997.html, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=842496
