Posted on 01/10/2012 8:26:43 AM PST by SmileRight
Welfare reform has been touted by Bill Clinton as one of the great achievements of his administration. But hold on a minute. GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says it’s one of his major successes as speaker of the House. Rick Santorum, whose bid for the Republican presidential nomination has been resuscitated by the Iowa Caucuses, even claims to have been an author of the landmark welfare-to-work legislation.
With all those claiming paternity, I’m reminded of the proverb: “Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.”
Unfortunately, the name of former U.S. Rep. E. Clay Shaw, who represented South Florida in Congress for 26 years, never is mentioned by those seeking credit for welfare reform. Yet, the gavel used in 1996 by Speaker Gingrich to signal passage of the measure...
(Excerpt) Read more at bizpacreview.com ...
Nothing wrong with everyone getting credit, as long as they get something done.
But no one wishes to claim the ownership of the bogus doctor fix used to say they balanced. All that money sayed by cutting doctor pay lasted five minutes.
Oh sure, we had plenty of genuine conservatives back then. Gingrich worked with them and with some Conservative Dems and a few moderate Dums in the South to approach Clinton with Welfare Reform.
It took several tries, but Gingrich got it done.
That same quote came to mind when I read this piece, but this is really how all things end up done in Politics. . . for good or for bad. There is never a successful lone wolf and that is why politics is such a strategic game!
“Clinton vetoed the legislation twice, but when GOP standard bearer Bob Dole made it an issue in the 1996 presidential campaign, Clinton decided to get on board.”
So is this a dictatorship where only one person is responsible for legislation? Was not Newt a part of the welfare reform? Then what is the problem?
Without Speaker Gingrich’s leadership, passion, and stubbornness, Welfare Reform does NOT get done.
Period. End of story.
Gingrich is the one who made it an issue.
Gingrich is the one who shepherded the legislation.
Were there other players? Sure, but Gingrich made it a priority and gave it a timeline.
He got the damn thing passed.
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