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Getting rid of the fairness doctrine was part of it, and general deregulation, which allowed those who were partisan, venal and clever to do whatever worked for them. Right-wing radio and Fox News grew out of it - using repetition and the psychology of resentment and victimhood and fear to literally mine money those people most harmed, financially, from the policies of trickle down (wealth inequality) and deregulation (subprime crisis). Bill Clinton playing Republican lite and working with the business/finance establishment and libertarian interests (Alan Greenspan, his Federal Reserve chairman, was a long-time serious devotee of Ayn Rand's vision that only the elites should run things, with a dismissive, even disgusted view of the average person), with his massive crime bill, trimming of the safety net (e.g., "work-fare" in place of welfare) and the financial deregulation that guaranteed the subprime collapse. Just the Internet itself ,as a phenomenon, contributed to a coarsening of dialog as anonymous people could pose as toughs, as well as unleash the true racists, Trump took advantage of most. The internet is siphoning advertising money away from print media - it's no surprise they are largely failing or choking along. The valuations of Apple and Google are in the stratosphere.

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Bill Clinton was way down on my list of who to blame for the messes of the 90’s (zippergate notwithstanding.). Do you remember Rupert, Newt, Tom Delay, Dick Armey and the crew of evil ushered in as Daddy Bush was kicked out? (And don’t forget Dick Morris.) Fox was top dog in a flash and Clinton looked damn good to me. Sort of like today. The repubs brought their worst, the crooks, the sexual predators, the Pharisees, haters, and the greedy bastards. Anything the Dems brought to the table was tastier by a country mile.

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Yes, compared to the competition, Clinton looked OK. Which is a sad commentary on the 90s.

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Not as sad as today. It's the 90's on steroids.

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Indeed.

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after that bullshit crime bill and "welfare reform," I just couldn't vote for Clinton in '96 and did my usual protest vote for the most outrageously left-wing person on the ballot.

I like to refer to him as the best Republican president of the twentieth century.

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I didn't vote for that southern-fried piece of shit twice. And the only reason I voted for his wife was because of her opponent. When I read the whole story of how he fucked around with the draft, I realized you couldn't trust the bastard further than you could see him with your eyes closed.

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I GOT it. I think I might be fonder of Hilary than you are.

I feel this way because she made three or four "outrageous" charges which the other side mocked merrily until those charges turned out to be entirely true. but I also get that she and Bill were (or are or whatever) a team of sorts.

feels like a wash to me. but we don't have them to kick around anymore.

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Fortunately.

If Hillary had won in 2016, the Republicans were planning to bring *everything* to a screeching halt. With R majority in House and Senate, they'd likely have impeached her by March of 2017.

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Are you happy about that. Guess I have been lucky in knowing that the least disgusting was the better choice in politics.

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