Chicago Democratic Primary

In Illinois, one of the striking effects of the Obama landslide is the outpouring of rhetoric about &ldquo;change&rdquo; and the need to move away from the policies of the past.&nbsp; While I agree with this whole-heartedly with regard to Bush and his administration of arrogance, incompetence and lies, this rhetoric has bled over to the Clinton years as well.&nbsp; My problem with this is that in an effort to embrace Obama and his powerful message of change, we have felt the need to stamp Bill ClintonBill Clinton as something less than one of the greatest presidents that this country has ever had.&nbsp; <br /><br />While Hilary and Bill Clinton are by no means the same person, people have to understand that she not only promises saving this country from a republican created hell, she has already been part of one of the most exciting and powerful eras that this country has even seen.<br /><br />So as a reminder, I thought I&rsquo;d point out some of the high points of the Clinton Presidency:<br /><br />Longest economic expansion in American history<br /><br />More than 22 million new jobs<br /><br />Highest homeownership in American history<br /><br />Lowest unemployment in 30 years<br /><br />Raised education standards, increased school choice, and doubled education and training investment<br /><br />Largest expansion of college opportunity since the GI Bill<br /><br />Connected 95 percent of schools to the Internet<br /><br />Lowest crime rate in 26 years<br /><br />100,000 more police for our streets<br /><br />Enacted most sweeping gun safety legislation in a generation<br /><br />Family and Medical Leave Act for 20 million Americans<br /><br />Smallest welfare rolls in 32 years<br /><br />Higher incomes at all levels<br /><br />Lowest poverty rate in 20 years<br /><br />Lowest teen birth rate in 60 years<br /><br />Lowest infant mortality rate in American history<br /><br />Deactivated more than 1,700 nuclear warheads from the former Soviet Union<br /><br />Protected millions of acres of American land<br /><br />Paid off $360 billion of the national debt<br /><br />Converted the largest budget deficit in American history to the largest surplus<br /><br />Lowest government spending in three decades<br /><br />Lowest federal income tax burden in 35 years<br /><br />More families own stock than ever before<br /><br />Most diverse cabinet in American history<br /><br />I am surrounded now by people who are amazed that anyone would want to &ldquo;look to the past&rdquo; rather than &ldquo;vote for change&rdquo;.&nbsp; I am amazed at how quickly they forget.<br /><br />