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Thursday, 25 January 2007
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US Politics in the Post-Bush Era: Former White House Aide Lectures on the Clinton Legacy and the Comeback of the Democratic Party
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Democratic National Committee member and senior policy advisor Dr. Elaine Kamarck addressed the Clinton legacy and how it affects the future prospects of the Democratic Party in the coming US presidential race, at a lecture event organized by the Kokkalis Foundation, in Athens, today. Dr. Kamarck is visiting Greece as guest faculty in the executive training program organized by Harvard University in collaboration with the Kokkalis Foundation and Athens Information Technology (AIT).
An advisor to Democratic Senators and members of Congress, in the 1980s Kamarck was one of the founders of the New Democrat movement, which helped elect Bill Clinton president. She served in the White House from 1993 to 1997, where she created and managed the Clinton Administration's National Performance Review, also known as "reinventing government."
"One of Clinton's main political accomplishments was to improve the image of Democrats as able managers of the economy and to reduce Americans' hostility toward government", Kamarck argued. "By contrast," the expert went on to add, "Clinton's legacy on national security as well as on values issues is one of lost opportunities for Democrats, which cost them a drop in support from two vital groups: women and Catholics."
For Kamarck, the outcome of the coming presidential race will depend on the Democrats stand on two main arenas: national security and cultural issues, which for many voters are seen through the prism of candidates' individual character and family life. "In the post 9/11 world downplaying national security and changing the subject to domestic issues such as health care, education, and job security, is not an option," Kamarck stated. Democrats, the advisor added, "must unite the left and moderate wings of the party behind a coherent foreign policy that is based on a belief in America's special role in the world." Further, given the increasing role that religious faith, rather than religious denomination, and the traditionalism vs. modernism cleavage play in party realignment and electoral behavior, Democratic candidates have to establish a bond of trust with the electorate that is based as much on character and integrity as on policy agendas.
The event was attended by a capacity audience of the highest profile, including representatives from the Greek government and politicians, business leaders, foreign dignitaries, academia, and media representatives from Greece and the region.
About the Kokkalis Foundation
The Kokkalis Foundation was established in 1998 as a non-profit organization in Athens, Greece. It carries a broad regional vision and aims to contribute to many areas of the public, social, and cultural life in Southeastern and East-Central Europe, by undertaking actions that enrich the human capital in the region and building links between various institutions with parallel goals.
For more information please visit: http://www.kokkalisfoundation.gr.
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