People so readily forget the errors of the Clinton Administration, thinking a congenial smile rebukes all. NAFTA effectively screwed millions of Americans living in single industry towns out of work as jobs outsourced abroad. Cost of healthcare skyrocketed. Massive real estate foreclosures began. Mass terror attacks (Timothy McVey, Uni-bomber, WTC '93). The President's own impeachment and sex-capades. Are we really prepared for 2.0 (if you doubt the belief that Hilary's just a figurehead)?
If America's truly a nation that embraces and upholds justice and equality for all, where anyone regardless of gender or race has a fair shot to govern, they'll elect a candidate this time that embodies the diversity of America and not again fall back to status quo norms and traditionalist picks.
I have to say, for all of Bill Clinton's problems, he was a great leader. He brought the Congress together to pass key legislation. Lots of great things were passed in the 1990's: a balanced budget program in 1993, SCHIP/children health insurance program, I actually agreed with how Clinton handled the terrorist threats in the 1990's as opposed to just blindly invading nations that had nothing to do with terrorism.
His sex-scandals are personal, and the American public now respects personal space more than they did in the 1990's.
The Clintons tried to handle health care with a new system they tried to get pushed through in 1993-1994, and they failed. They tried, however, and did a good job at it. They were up against insurmountable odds, odds that have been chipped away at and now semi-universal health insurance is now possible in 2008-2009. They laid the groundwork for what is possible today, the skyrocketing costs just added to the snowball. If the Clinton health plan of 1993/1994 had passed, we wouldn't have had the current healthcare mess.
I'm assuming with your quotes that you are an Obama supporter, but Obama has many, many faults. He's been caught with his pants down before. I quoted an article where he fell right into the nuclear energy lobby and gave into them big while he's been in the Senate. To be honest, Obama sounds great. His visions are nice, but he hasn't demonstrated that he can truly change the nation.
In my opinion it doesn't matter if its Hillary or Obama in the legislative sense. If Republicans control enough seats in the Senate (in other words, if Democrats don't have 60+ seats to overcome fillibuster) and Democrats can't retain Congress, there will be little real change. Its the system, not the politician.
Luckily in a Parliamentary Democracy when a new party controls the House of Commons, you really get change and things happen. Whether that change is good or bad is another thing, but at least you know who is responsible and who to replace. Here its so convoluded that it almost doesn't matter which party out of our lock-and-step two party system is elected.
Are there benefits to the American system of government? Yea. But while Parliamentary systems have their problems, its amazing to see how religious and unreasonable the American government has become. We're funding religious welfare programs in the billions, we have schools that teach against evolution, and we have laws that are inspired by GOD, not by equality and justice for all.
I guess its because of the people, we have an uneducated population that does not respect science enough to consistently elect good governments and use ration and understanding as the basis of decision making.
Its not all of America, but its too significant a number that believes in ignorance over reason. Its unfortunate.