re: Was Bob Dole really the best the Republicans could muster in 1996?

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No repub was beating clinton in 1996.

The economy was hot, bill was an incredible politician who convinced a whole lot of folks that he was a "new type of democrat" aka moderate and reasonable.

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This.

You can't discount that even if Bill Clinton was as far left as his wife, he was smart enough to not show it. James Carville was also a master at advising him.

Remember, both welfare reform and the last balanced budget came under Clinton, he signed both. He might not have been originally been on board, but he was smart enough when he knew Newt Gingrich's policies had the support of a majority of the voting, taxpaying class, to jump on it and take credit.

Bill Clinton was a realist, and having that quality as a President will actually make him look good in the eyes of history compared to some of the other Presidents. He wasn't a disaster like Jimmy Carter or Lyndon Johnson.