On balance, The Agenda illustrates the pluralist views of American democracy in which an elected president attempts to ensure that a wide range and variety of voices are heard in the formulation of policy, both domestic and foreign. Bob Woodward (1995), in describing Bill ClintonÆs ôagenda,ö suggests that Clinton promised something for virtually everyone û teachers, the welfare dependent poor, minorities, the wealthy and the middle class, the business community, and those needing health insurance or concerned with a rising budget deficit. This ôsomething for everyoneö agenda, as viewed by Jonathan Rauch (1994), represented an attempt to achieved unity from disunity, to reform the political system to return control of a ôreinventedö government to the ôpeople,Æ and a campaign against ôspecial interests.ö This is a set of values and concomitant actions that are de facto examples of pluralism.
In formulating policy and preparing legislation, as in the case of health care, Clinton drew heavily upon input from others; notable in the health plan policy development process were Hillary Clinton (given the lead role by her husband) and Ira Magaziner (Woodward, 1995). The inclusion of a national health care plan in the Clinton legislative and policy agenda is an example of pluralism at work in that the overarching goal of the plan, as described by Woodward (19950, was to ensure that all Americans (including the ôworking poorö and the uninsured and underinsured) would have the same access to health care available to more affluent or better insured Americans. To create a workable plan, says Woodward (1995), the Clintons created a task force that was, at least initially, composed of various individuals representing disparate points of view.
Rauch (1994) commented that Bill Clinton was put into office by an electorate that was, regardless of its differences and commonalities, generally frustrated with the failure of Washi...