Admitting Your Mistakes - A Nod to Bill Clinton

I rooted for Bill Clinton the first time he ran for president, but only because he was running against George Bush.  I was never a fan, though.  I knew he was smart, but he never seemed particularly committed to anything.  Once elected, I felt like he was a disappointment - the hope he inspired in people committed to social issues dashed against the rocks of ambition and the desire to be re-elected.  He compromised with people who would never, ever like him no matter what he did.  All in all, I felt like he squandered his chances.

Fast forward to today, and I see something I respect and actually admire in Bill Clinton.

You see, Clinton has come out three times recently to publicly admit to and apologise for several policies of his administration.  In July of this year, while addressing the NAACP national convention, Clinton admitted that, “I signed a [criminal sentencing] bill that made the problem worse.  And I want to admit it.”  He continued by saying that, “Most of these people [serving extremely long sentences for relatively minor crimes] are in prison under state law, but the federal law set a trend.”  

Former President Clinton was referring to an anti-crime law from 1994 that did a lot of things.  The provision that had one of the most enduring effects was the sentencing guidelines it introduced.  It was one step on the path towards the United States having the world’s highest incarceration rate.  Whether Clinton was signing a bill that reflected his own beliefs or simply following the political winds of the times is a whole other question, but the fact that he took responsibility now for a policy that some still think worked was brave.  

Clinton also famously signed the Defence of Marriage Act in 1996.  He didn’t like the law, didn’t believe in it, and signed it anyway.  At the time, it was the politically popular thing to do; rather to not sign it would have been a politically damaging thing to do.  Clinton, not a politician known for principle, signed and then, over the next few years backed away from it.  Finally in March of 2013, he said the law was wrong - unconstitutional in fact - and expressed publicly that he hoped the Supreme Court of the United States would overturn it (which they did).  

Finally, after the monstrous earthquake in Haiti in 2010, Clinton was named UN Special Envoy to the country as they attempted to recover from the devastation.  Several months later, he admitted that the economic policies of his administration (which continued those of other presidents) regarding Haiti had damaged the country’s economy.  The U.S. pursued a policy that pushed Haiti (and many other countries) to eliminate tariffs on imported agricultural products so that people would be free to pursue other economic opportunities.  

According to the policy, Haitians would save money buying cheaper imported food (from countries like the United States).  Former farmers could find work in cities working in industries (like textiles).  Haiti’s cheap labour would be appealing to companies seeking to make products that relied on inexpensive labour.  

Or so it was supposed to go.  American rice farmers, and American corporations selling food to Haiti did very well.  Haitian farmers went out of business, Haiti was no longer self-sufficient as a food producer, and not enough of those jobs appeared in cities.  Most importantly, Haiti was forever more going to have to spend money importing food.  

On 10 March 2010, Clinton said, “It may have been good for some of my farmers in Arkansas, but it has not worked.  It was a mistake.”  He went on to apologise, saying, “I had to live with the consequences of the loss of capacity to produce a rice crop in Haiti to feed those people because of what I did.”  

If you’re a Haitian farmer, an advocate for equality, or a parent of someone who has spent a long stretch of time in prison for a relatively minor crime, it may be too little too late, but at least Bill Clinton can admit his mistakes.  

I can’t wait to hear George Bush’s apology for Iraq.  Just wait another 10-15 years.