Reagan and Clinton's Reaction to Liberalism

Liberalism and the Reactions of Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton

Liberalism is a political concept that supports and protects human rights and freedom. Liberals believe that the violation of these freedoms and rights is the major challenge facing politics since time immemorial. Most liberals also argue that the government has a duty to protect the rights and freedom of individuals. This paper analyzes the reaction of leaders like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton to liberalism.

Ronald Reagan's Response to Liberalism

During the U.S. presidential elections in 1980, Ronald Reagan won and some people, mostly liberalists, began claiming that such a victory was a disaster for the U.S. The reason behind this claim was that Reagan used to be a fascist. Reagan had a political slogan that stated “Putting Americans back to work,” a statement that scared some people. Reagan wanted the US to stand tall and become the most powerful country in the world (Ragan 65). Reagan’s first address during his inauguration day addressed issues concerning the American economy, the idea of being proactive in leadership, the right of every American citizen to have heroic dreams, and posted a rhetorical question: “How can we love our country and forget the countrymen?”

Bill Clinton's Response to Liberalism

Similarly, Bill Clinton was criticized by liberals for different issues that Clinton experienced. For instance, the former president got accused for sexual offenses that had no proof. Some Americans believed that such claims were pure political propaganda aimed at tarnishing Clinton’s reputation. His first two years in office was full of criticism from both journalists and Republican leaders who believed that he was not liberal. Clinton believed that it was necessary to overcome the challenges that the system faced by then. As he signed the “Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act,” Clinton argued that the law would take care of children by providing safety and adoption of children living with disabilities (Clinton 1484).

Conclusion

In conclusion, most people criticize political leaders for their liberal stands without doing an in-depth analysis of how these leaders carry out their activities in office. Being liberal does not mean that a person stays in power totally flawless, now that human beings are prone to error. Both Clinton and Reagan had their challenges, but they reacted almost similarly to liberalism by providing Americans with above average kind of leadership.

Works Cited

Clinton, William J. “Remarks on the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity             Reconciliation Act of 1996 and an Exchange with Reporters.” Weekly Compilation of            Presiential Documents 32.34 (1996): 1484-1487.

Reagan, Ronald. The Reagan Diaries: Extended Selections. Harper Collins Publishers, 2007.