Clintonism

Clintonism
Clintonism
Founder	Bill and Hillary Clinton
Ideology	Third Way Neoliberalism; Fiscal conservatism; Cultural liberalism; Liberal internationalism;
Political position	Majority:; Center to center-left
National affiliation	Democratic Party
Colors	Blue
	Politics of the United States; Political parties; Elections;

Clintonism refers to the political and economic policies associated with Bill and Hillary Clinton, as well as the period of the Clinton presidency (1993–2001) in the United States.^[17]^[18]^[19] Members of the Democratic Party who align with these policies and practices are often referred to as New Democrats.^[20]^[21]^[22]

The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC), a now-defunct organization within the Democratic Party establishment, argues that Clintonism "stands for economic growth and opportunity; for fiscal responsibility; for work, not welfare; for preventing crime and punishing criminals; and for non-bureaucratic, empowering government" and further states that "these policies are key to the successes in the beginning of the 21st century."^[23] Despite this, some progressives have criticized Clintonism, with Common Dreams describing the ideology as "coddling big money (except guns and tobacco), financial scandals, winning at any cost, flip-flopping and prevaricating".^[24]

Characteristics

Clintonism refers to the centrist or neoliberal wing of the United States Democratic Party centered on former President Bill Clinton and his wife, former First Lady, Senator, Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, both in their times in office and subsequently. It is also thought to encompass many other prominent people, including campaign consultant Dick Morris, journalist Sidney Blumenthal, Democratic National Committee Chairman Steven Grossman, politician and governor Bill Richardson, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros, Treasury Department Secretary Robert Rubin and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

While the primary qualification is being aligned with or part of the inner circle associated with the Clintons, the ideology can be said in broad outline to favor certain policies:

Free trade: an essential component of his economic policy, Clinton worked to pass the NAFTA and create the World Trade Organization.
Balanced budget: Clintonism is associated with restraining the growth of federal spending in order to allow lower interest rates and freer monetary policy.
Greater willingness to use and fund the military
A willingness to compromise on social issues such as abortion and LGBT rights. Bill Clinton signed the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, although it was struck down by the Supreme Court and repealed by the 2022 Respect for Marriage Act.
Reform or reduction of some government programs, exemplified by the ending of Aid to Families with Dependent Children as part of welfare reform.
Internationalism, particularly the expansion of NATO.

The ideology is sometimes thought of as part of the Third Way, a brand of politics that is said to include (at the time or since) Prime Minister Tony Blair's New Labour in the United Kingdom, the Liberal Party in Canada under Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin, and the Social Democratic Party in Germany under Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. According to Vanity Fair, Clintonism is foundationally "based on the baby boomer credo that you truly can have it all".^[25]

References

^ Edsall, Thomas B. (28 June 1998). "Clinton and Blair Envision a 'Third Way' International Movement". The Washington Post. p. A24. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
^ Layne Donovan (February 2, 2022). "A Different Kind of Democrat: Kyrsten Sinema and Bill Clinton's Triangulation Strategy". Columbia Political Review.
^ Leigh, Andrew (2003). "The Rise and Fall of the Third Way". Australian Quarterly. 75 (2): 10–40. doi:10.2307/20638162. ISSN 1443-3605.
^ Geismer, Lily (June 1, 2020). "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". Journal of American History. 107 (1). Oxford University Press: 107–131. doi:10.1093/jahist/jaaa010. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
^ "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". Oxford Academic. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190075262.003.0006.
^ Abdelfatah, Rund (April 7, 2022). "Why Clinton, Reagan and Carter all embraced neoliberalism". NPR.
^ Veronique de Rugy (July 25, 2002). "Was Clinton More Conservative Than Bush?". Cato Institute. Perhaps most importantly, there was a substantial reduction in federal spending as a share of gross domestic product during the Clinton years. Using the growth of domestic spending as a benchmark, Clinton was the second most conservative president of the post-World War II era, trailing only Ronald Reagan.
^ Geismer, Lily (June 1, 2020). "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". Journal of American History. 107 (1). Oxford University Press: 107–131. doi:10.1093/jahist/jaaa010. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
^ "Bill Clinton: Life in Brief | Miller Center". millercenter.org. 4 October 2016.
^ "The Clinton Administration's Law Enforcement Strategy: Fighting Gun Violence and Keeping Guns Away from Criminals and Our Children" (PDF).
^ https://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal97-0000181133 ^{[bare URL]}(subscription required)
^ Brinkley, Douglas (1997). "Democratic Enlargement: The Clinton Doctrine". Foreign Policy (106): 111–127. doi:10.2307/1149177. ISSN 0015-7228.
^ Smith, Ben (July 15, 2009). "Clinton's internationalism". Politico. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ Mearsheimer, John J. (April 1, 2019). "Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order". International Security. 43 (4). doi:10.1162/i. ISSN 0162-2889. Archived from the original on 2026-03-01. This liberal approach to NATO expansion is reflected in how the Clinton administration sold that policy to the U.S. and West European publics.
^ Layne Donovan (February 2, 2022). "A Different Kind of Democrat: Kyrsten Sinema and Bill Clinton's Triangulation Strategy". Columbia Political Review.
^ Waddan, Alex (2002). "Introduction: The Problem of Defining Clintonism". Clinton’s Legacy? A New Democrat in Governance. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 1–21. doi:10.1057/9781403920157_1.
^ Ball, Molly (October 28, 2013). "The Redemption of Clintonism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ Purdum, Todd S. (December 30, 2016). "The Death of Clintonism". Politico. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ Lemann, Nicholas (June 8, 2017). "What Happened to Clintonism?". The New York Review of Books. Vol. 64, no. 10. ISSN 0028-7504.
^ Hale, Jon F. (June 15, 1995). "The Making of the New Democrats". Political Science Quarterly. 110 (2): 207–232. doi:10.2307/2152360. ISSN 0032-3195.
^ Kane, Paul (January 4, 2018). "What Democrats can learn from the centrists who got Bill Clinton to the White House". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ Geismer, Lily (February 13, 2025). "The Dead Hand of Clintonism". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ From, Al (January 18, 2002). "Clintonism Lives". New Democrats Online. Archived from the original on 2002-09-06. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ Cohen, Jeff (April 9, 2000). "Democrats Suffer From a Bad Case of Clintonism". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2026-04-10.
^ Sherman, Gabriel. "Confessions of a Clintonworld Exile". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-12-03.

External links

The New York Times cover story on Clintonism

[1] Edsall, Thomas B. (28 June 1998). "Clinton and Blair Envision a 'Third Way' International Movement". The Washington Post. p. A24. Archived from the original on 13 December 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2020.

[2] Layne Donovan (February 2, 2022). "A Different Kind of Democrat: Kyrsten Sinema and Bill Clinton's Triangulation Strategy". Columbia Political Review.

[3] Leigh, Andrew (2003). "The Rise and Fall of the Third Way". Australian Quarterly. 75 (2): 10–40. doi:10.2307/20638162. ISSN 1443-3605.

[4] Geismer, Lily (June 1, 2020). "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". Journal of American History. 107 (1). Oxford University Press: 107–131. doi:10.1093/jahist/jaaa010. Retrieved January 4, 2026.

[5] "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". Oxford Academic. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oso/9780190075262.003.0006.

[6] Abdelfatah, Rund (April 7, 2022). "Why Clinton, Reagan and Carter all embraced neoliberalism". NPR.

[7] Veronique de Rugy (July 25, 2002). "Was Clinton More Conservative Than Bush?". Cato Institute. Perhaps most importantly, there was a substantial reduction in federal spending as a share of gross domestic product during the Clinton years. Using the growth of domestic spending as a benchmark, Clinton was the second most conservative president of the post-World War II era, trailing only Ronald Reagan.

[8] Geismer, Lily (June 1, 2020). "Agents of Change: Microenterprise, Welfare Reform, the Clintons, and Liberal Forms of Neoliberalism". Journal of American History. 107 (1). Oxford University Press: 107–131. doi:10.1093/jahist/jaaa010. Retrieved January 4, 2026.

[9] "Bill Clinton: Life in Brief | Miller Center". millercenter.org. 4 October 2016.

[10] "The Clinton Administration's Law Enforcement Strategy: Fighting Gun Violence and Keeping Guns Away from Criminals and Our Children" (PDF).

[11] ttps://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal97-0000181133 ^{[bare URL]}(subscription required)

[12] Brinkley, Douglas (1997). "Democratic Enlargement: The Clinton Doctrine". Foreign Policy (106): 111–127. doi:10.2307/1149177. ISSN 0015-7228.

[13] Smith, Ben (July 15, 2009). "Clinton's internationalism". Politico. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[14] Mearsheimer, John J. (April 1, 2019). "Bound to Fail: The Rise and Fall of the Liberal International Order". International Security. 43 (4). doi:10.1162/i. ISSN 0162-2889. Archived from the original on 2026-03-01. This liberal approach to NATO expansion is reflected in how the Clinton administration sold that policy to the U.S. and West European publics.

[15] Layne Donovan (February 2, 2022). "A Different Kind of Democrat: Kyrsten Sinema and Bill Clinton's Triangulation Strategy". Columbia Political Review.

[16] Waddan, Alex (2002). "Introduction: The Problem of Defining Clintonism". Clinton’s Legacy? A New Democrat in Governance. Palgrave Macmillan UK. pp. 1–21. doi:10.1057/9781403920157_1.

[17] Ball, Molly (October 28, 2013). "The Redemption of Clintonism". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[18] Purdum, Todd S. (December 30, 2016). "The Death of Clintonism". Politico. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[19] Lemann, Nicholas (June 8, 2017). "What Happened to Clintonism?". The New York Review of Books. Vol. 64, no. 10. ISSN 0028-7504.

[20] Hale, Jon F. (June 15, 1995). "The Making of the New Democrats". Political Science Quarterly. 110 (2): 207–232. doi:10.2307/2152360. ISSN 0032-3195.

[21] Kane, Paul (January 4, 2018). "What Democrats can learn from the centrists who got Bill Clinton to the White House". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[22] Geismer, Lily (February 13, 2025). "The Dead Hand of Clintonism". The Nation. ISSN 0027-8378. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[23] From, Al (January 18, 2002). "Clintonism Lives". New Democrats Online. Archived from the original on 2002-09-06. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[24] Cohen, Jeff (April 9, 2000). "Democrats Suffer From a Bad Case of Clintonism". Common Dreams. Archived from the original on 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2026-04-10.

[25] Sherman, Gabriel. "Confessions of a Clintonworld Exile". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-12-03.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

[13]

[14]

[15]

[16]

[17]

[18]

[19]

[20]

[21]

[22]

[23]

[24]

[25]

v t e New Democrats topics
Ideology	Centrism Clintonism Modern liberalism Neoliberalism New Democrats New Democrat Coalition Third Way
Concepts	Liberalism Progressivism Centrism
Organizations and leaders	Groups Coalition for a Democratic Majority Democratic Leadership Council Moderate Dems Working Group New Democrat Coalition New Democrat Network Progressive Policy Institute Senate Centrist Coalition Third Way People: Will Marshall Philip K. Howard
Related	Activism Politics of the United States

Characteristics

See also

References

External links