I don't think so, Kulindahr.
You have to remember that there hasn't been a real Democrat in office since Jimmy Carter. Bill Clinton was a quasi-Democrat who did raise taxes on the rich, but also drastically cut welfare benefits and bought into the deregulation bandwagon, culminating in the repeal of the Glass-Steagel Act in 1999.
This so wrongly characterizes Bill Clinton and what he did, and shows what I mean when I say Democrats have changed.
First of all, yes he raised taxes on the top 1.2% of taxpayers. And at the same time he lowered taxes for millions of low income workers AND substantively expanded the earned income credit for the working class, in addition to lowering taxes for most small businesses. He didn't simply "drastically cut welfare benefits," he created an environment that made working more advantageous than collecting welfare. Not only did the rich get richer and the government collect record surpluses, we had the lowest unemployment since the early 70s, record low poverty rates overall and, relevant to your welfare comment, record low poverty rates for single mothers, African Americans and the elderly. Blacks prospered better with Clinton as President than they'd ever before, and tons better than they're doing with Obama as President as they slip farther behind in this "jobless recovery" faster than any other group.
Democratic principles support the notion of welfare only in that it is a safety net for our most vulnerable citizens, but living off charity is not a Democratic principle. Bill Clinton, by reforming the welfare system (working with Republicans) and fighting hard to get bold good economic legislation passed, was governing with proud Democratic principles, helping those who lived in poverty get jobs and receive tax credits that helped raise them out of poverty.
It's also worth noting that after HillaryCare failed, Hillary Clinton worked with Ted Kennedy and Oren Hatch to get CHIP passed, which, though only for children, is what health care reform should be like - it guarantees health coverage for children of families with too much income to qualify for Medicaid but unable to buy private insurance because of pre-existing conditions or not enough money.
These kinds of policies and programs characterizes Bill Clinton as a principled Democrat, not quasi-Democrat, who actually led legislation that made people's lives better. It's a shame that so many Democrats, including Barack Obama, dismiss Clinton's accomplishments rather than learning from them and supporting policies and legislation today that could be as effective as Clinton's were in the 90s.
