The only thing more baffling than people who write 1000 page
autobiographies are the people who actually read them! I voted for Bush I in ’92 and Bob “ED” Dole
in ’96 but was still curious about the wild popularity of Bill Clinton and
hoping to hear his side of the story of what happened during his presidency. In my opinion, My Life is very illuminating when he describes his early years
which included his father’s death before his birth, being raised by a young
widow who left him with his grandparents while she attended nursing school, and
then growing up with a step father whose alcoholism eventually broke up the
family. Having known other men who have
grown up in similar family systems, they learn to observe, negotiate, and
survive. Unfortunately many who grow up
in such homes have serious personal struggles we don’t always recognize, but in
Bill Clinton’s life these skills were applied to the political life in such a
way that the moniker “comeback kid” was quite apropos. There are times when Clinton waxes eloquent about race relations
and civil rights for blacks and how these things were part of what he was
taught and personally believed as a child.
My untamed inner-cynic says this is true in much the same way a lot of
George Washington and Abraham Lincoln stories are, but who knows? Maybe he really was socially aware in the
south of the 1950’s. The run-down on his
years as president are fairly engaging.
As an evangelical Christian I was often appalled at his social policies
regarding abortion and homosexuals, but I also deeply appreciated others such
as family leave to take care of sick parents or to welcome the birth of a
child. Clinton was also a strong promoter of
religious liberty especially in the public schools which was virtually ignored
by his detractors. With regards to Clinton’s economic
policies I had no problems. He taxed
more, but he cut our deficit down and compared to the idiotic mess we are in
today, it sounds downright conservative to insist outgo be related to income in
some way. You’ll hear nothing of the
lurid details about Monica Lewinsky. Clinton assumes we either
know the story all too well or wishes we wouldn’t. You will hear about what happened at his
house when he finally confessed to Hillary and Chelsea and the whole nation his
misdeeds. Ouch. Can you say “Ice Box”? To his credit, he makes no excuses for his
behavior and did get marriage counseling and spiritual growth counseling from
several well-known evangelical ministers.
He also has some strong opinions about the Al Gore-George Bush election
showdown which are compelling in light of setting bad legal precedents for the
future. The other side of this is that
Gore’s “victory” is at odds with reality.
Time Magazine and other media paid Florida for their own recount after the
court intervention in 2000 and by every measurement, Bush won the popular
vote. While I do consider this book a
very celebratory form of history, it did explain his side of policy that was
frequently obscured by the many acrimonies that seem to freely float in Washington DC. My Life
states quite directly that Bill Clinton truly enjoyed being the president even
with its hardships and that comes off as the most believable part of the book.
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