For Republicans, the political scene gets sweeter by the day. Clinton can't stay out of trouble, Bush can't get into trouble, and Reagan is making an important resurgence, laying claim to his rightful position in history. The parallel timing of Clinton's very public decline and Reagan's low-key ascension has left Bush free to lead without intense scrutiny and distraction. Let's take stock of the past five weeks:
After eight years in office - years that laid the base for the current economic expansion and general American morale boost - Ronald Reagan is solidifying his position amongst the most influential men in US history.
A Gallup poll released Monday found that 18 percent of Americans consider Reagan "the greatest United States president," ahead of Kennedy (16 percent), and Lincoln (14 percent). Clinton received a paltry nine percent. This marked a huge jump for Reagan, who ranked fourth last year, well behind JFK, the former number one vote recipient.
Reagan's resurgence in popularity did not happen by accident. His heightened reputation is the result of a national refocusing on his presidential vision, coupled with the acknowledgement that he brought eight years of dignity to the White House - dignity absent during the Clinton era. Popular historians are helping to build a legacy for Reagan that will be hard to surpass, at long last including information about his impact on American politics and his positive contributions to world security.
While some argue that Americans who answered the poll were simply showing respect for the aging former president - Reagan is 90 years old and recently suffered a broken hip - Reagan's high polling numbers reflect the reality that he helped free the world from the grips of communism and strengthened American hegemony, both militarily and economically, in the process.
Reagan's impact is much more than a laundry list of foreign-policy accomplishments. Even Clinton learned political lessons from Reagan. When Clinton announced in his 1995 State of the Union address that "the era of big government is over," it was an admission that Reagan had shifted beliefs by moving the focus from government to people. Today, politicians talk about the size of a tax cut, not whether to give one - a testament to Reagan's vast political impact.
As Reagan makes a historical resurgence, however, Clinton falters - a result of his failure to learn Reagan's sense of decorum. Upon his departure, Clinton was rightfully lambasted for taking an obscene pile of political gifts - with a hefty price tag - proving once again that he has no capacity for shame. Just a few hours later, a firestorm broke out over his inconceivable pardon of fugitive Mark Rich, a man who has been on the run for more than 15 years. Suddenly, one year of intense legacy building was ruined and for the first time, nothing Clinton said seemed to help.
Clinton gave back many gifts, paid for others, but newspapers still commented on the lack of class he showed upon his exit. With his wife becoming a senator, taking pricey items from political donors showed little tact, not to mention political forethought.
The Mark Rich pardon, far more damaging to his legacy, spiraled out of Clinton's control. Everyone - including his principal defenders - seems to have questioned the pardon of a fugitive, evading justice in Switzerland, who hid more than forty million dollars from the government and never stood trial. The point of a pardon is to wipe clean the slate of someone who has served his debt to society - an authority that is sacred and which requires much care. But this pardon comes with an odor of money wafting through the air - money that Rich's ex-wife gave for Clinton's presidential library.
The Clinton presidency ended the way that it conducted itself through the last eight years - with little dignity, not interested in what others thought. Clinton's arrogance, not his achievements, is what will likely be remembered when Gallup conducts its poll, 12 years from now, asking who people think was America's greatest president. On account of his hubris, Clinton will not share Reagan's fate of having pundits and historians vindicate his actions.
In the midst of this legacy hoopla, moreover, George W. Bush, whose intellect is the subject of many late night TV jokes, has opened his presidency with incredible political acumen - showcasing his ability to use "niceness," much like Reagan, to placate even his most ardent opponents.
Bush's top strategist, Karl Rove, has worked out the schedule brilliantly. Bush started with visits to key Republicans and Democrats, showing through action his commitment to bipartisanship. The Bush team has garnered bipartisan support for his tax cut, a long overdue reduction. Bush has even signaled a willingness to work on issues ranging from campaign reform to social security to a prescription drug benefit program. All of this, and an anti-ballistic missile shield, have shown Bush's moderate, right-leaning, agenda.
More importantly, Bush has managed to avoid the minefields that plagued the first weeks of many previous presidents. In short, Bush has had a very successful start because he, unlike Clinton, learned both of Reagan's lessons: dignity and political shrewdness.
Republicans have waited eight years to regain their position atop the political spectrum and in a short time have been handsomely rewarded. Leaving aside the fact that Republicans now control both houses of congress, the majority of governorships, and the presidency, they also hold public opinion. As the founder of modern conservatism enjoys a rebirth, the self-proclaimed "new democrat" founders - leaving one to ponder the identity of the real comeback kid. All the while, Bush sails along uninterrupted. A beautiful day - if only it could last.
