Clinton Finally Voices His Philosophy

By Bill Schneider/CNN

WASHINGTON (Dec. 13) -- President Bill Clinton is renowned as a political tactician and strategist. But he's rarely called a philosopher, or a man of deep conviction.

Nevertheless, in an important speech to the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) on Wednesday, Clinton came as close as he has ever come to laying out a coherent political philosophy. And an agenda for his second term.

He calls his philosophy "the vital center": "The vital center the DLC has been trying to forge with new ideas and mainstream values for more than a Decade now," Clinton explained. "The vital center that has brought so much progress to our nation in the last four years."

Three principles lie at the core of Clinton's philosophy. First, the purpose of government is problem-solving, to wit: "We envision a government that gives people the tools to solve their own problems."

Second, problem-solving requires a broad consensus: "The American people must come to a common understanding about how to proceed before we can hope to succeed."

Third, and most important, politics has become the enemy of problem-solving: "For years, politicians treated our most vexing problems here, like crime and welfare, the budget deficit, as issues to be exploited, not problems to be solved."

The view that politics is the enemy of problem-solving is deeply felt by Americans. It explains the voters' contempt for professional politicians and their attraction to leaders who claim to be above politics -- figures as diverse as Ross Perot, Colin Powell and Pat Buchanan.

Clinton is the most accomplished professional politician of our time. He's never had another career. How can he, of all people, claim to be above politics?

The answer? By repudiating ideology: "Our agenda isn't liberal or conservative, It's both and it's different."

In his speech, the president focused attention on certain problems high on the liberal agenda, like inner-city poverty. How do we solve it? With some old-fashioned liberal remedies ("Yes, I'm going to try to get Congress to set aside some funds for the cities where unemployment is critically high"); some old-fashioned conservative ideas ("We must bring the freshest ideas to bear on how we can bring the power of private business to the inner city"); and some new-fangled post-ideological mixtures ("These jobs we know, because of the condition of the federal budget, must come primarily from the private sector, with incentives from the government like tax credits and wage and training subsidies").

It's a philosophy of pragmatism -- whatever works. Solve the problem. Just do it.

It's a philosophy of consensus: "I stand ready to forge a coalition of the center, a broad consensus for creative and consistent and unflinching action."

It's a philosophy that rises above politics: "We cannot afford to continue the politics of personal destruction and division that have taken too much of the lifeblood of this country already."

Bill Clinton rises above politics. It's a neat trick. It's a neat political trick. In fact, it's the political Play of the Week.

Once again, President Clinton has shrewdly read the mood of the country. He knows what Americans want: a leader who can put politics aside and solve their problems. Well, if that's what people want, President Clinton is determined to be the one to give it to them.

Liberals have been so silent about the president's move because, after all, it's hard to quarrel with success and Clinton's a winner. But there's also another reason.

Liberals are losers. They've lost their power base in American politics -- the House of Representatives. And Democrats fell further behind in the Senate after this year's elections.

And how about governors? All the progressive states have Republican governors -- New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, California -- no Democrats.

Even in the nation's big cities -- New York and Los Angeles -- Republican mayors.

And in Chicago is a mayor named Daley, not exactly a name revered by liberals.