--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My - mine is based on the fact that Bill…" description: "\"My - mine is based on the fact that Bill Clinton has done - and I'm - this sounds like hyperbole, but he has done more harm to the Constitution and the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png" --- # My - mine is based on the fact that Bill Clinton has done… ![“My - mine is based on the fact that Bill Clinton has done - and I'm - this sounds like hyperbole, but he has done more harm to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights than any president since John Adams.” quote by Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png) > “My - mine is based on the fact that Bill Clinton has done - and I'm - this sounds like hyperbole, but he has done more harm to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights than any president since John Adams.” [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He claims Bill Clinton harmed constitutional rights more than any president since John Adams. **In simple terms:** Clinton allegedly damaged constitutional rights. Key Takeaway Consider the impact of executive actions on liberties. Themes politics constitution history Mood critical analytical Type political historical When to use this quote - policy analysis - historical comparison - civic education Key Concepts executive power civil liberties Questions to Reflect On - What evidence supports this claim? - How do we measure constitutional harm? A Different Perspective Subjective assessment may lack nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bill of rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bill-of-rights/) [Bills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bills/) [Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clinton/) [Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution/) [Constitution Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/constitution-rights-927638/) [Done](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/done/) [Fact Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fact-clinton-5159525/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm/) [Harm Constitution](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harm-constitution-5740558/) [Hyperbole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hyperbole/) [Hyperbole Harm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hyperbole-harm-5740559/) [John Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-adam/) [John adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/john-adams/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) ## Related quotes > [The fact that the Clinton campaign and the DNC paid intelligence officials in Russia for salacious and false information on President Trump is suspicious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-meadows/the-fact-that-the-clinton-campaign-and-the-dnc-paid-intelligence/) [Mark Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-meadows/) > [Hyperbole has been part of elections since the days of John Adams, and there's nobody better than Joe Biden to give us a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-pagliuca/hyperbole-has-been-part-of-elections-since-the-days-of-john-adams-and/) [Stephen Pagliuca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-pagliuca/) > [That term was used with hyperbole about the parts of the health care bill where doctors are mandated, if people are on Medicare and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/that-term-was-used-with-hyperbole-about-the-parts-of-the-health-care/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Bill Clinton outshines John Adams in that regard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/bill-clinton-outshines-john-adams-in-that-regard/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [When John Adams - when - James Madison was writing - pretty much writing the Constitution, he got a letter from Thomas Jefferson, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/when-john-adams-when-james-madison-was-writing-pretty-much-writing/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Numbered among our population are some 12,000,000 colored people. Under our Constitution their rights are just as sacred as those of any other citizen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/numbered-among-our-population-are-some-12-000-000-colored-people/) [Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/) > [The right to be let alone is the underlying principle of the Constitution's Bill of Rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erwin-griswold/the-right-to-be-let-alone-is-the-underlying-principle-of-the/) [Erwin Griswold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erwin-griswold/) > [The Founders who crafted our Constitution and Bill of Rights were careful to draft a Constitution of limited powers - one that would protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-franken/the-founders-who-crafted-our-constitution-and-bill-of-rights-were/) [Al Franken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-franken/) > [If the citizens of the United States are to turn away from the Communist Manifesto and preserve the purpose of the Declaration of Independence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-norris/if-the-citizens-of-the-united-states-are-to-turn-away-from-the/) [Chuck Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-norris/) > [And therefore, for the sake of my mater, without any regard for my own, I hope all those that have a due regard for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-walpole/and-therefore-for-the-sake-of-my-mater-without-any-regard-for-my-own/) [Robert Walpole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-walpole/) > [The Constitution and the Bill of Rights we designed to get the government off the backs of the people -- all the people. Those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/the-constitution-and-the-bill-of-rights-we-designed-to-get-the/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [You've got to protect the system of secular faith in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and Enlightenment values. That way, you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dreyfuss/you-ve-got-to-protect-the-system-of-secular-faith-in-the-constitution/) [Richard Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dreyfuss/) > [In recent years it has been suggested that the Second Amendment protects the "collective" right of states to maintain militias, while it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-halbrook/in-recent-years-it-has-been-suggested-that-the-second-amendment/) [Stephen Halbrook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-halbrook/) > [I believe all Americans are born with certain inalienable rights. As a child of God, I believe my rights are not derived from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/i-believe-all-americans-are-born-with-certain-inalienable-rights-as-a/) [Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/) > [In these sacred documents are embodied eternal principles that no man, group of men, or nation has the right to withhold from others. Here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-taft-benson/in-these-sacred-documents-are-embodied-eternal-principles-that-no-man/) [Ezra Taft Benson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-taft-benson/) ## More by Nat Hentoff > [My parents were Orthodox Jews but not very regular Orthodox Jews. I was bar mitzvahed and all that. But God was hardly ever mentioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-parents-were-orthodox-jews-but-not-very-regular-orthodox-jews-i/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [There are enough people who are starting to be actively involved that we can turn things around. And we need to encourage others to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/there-are-enough-people-who-are-starting-to-be-actively-involved-that/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[Margot Hentoff\] thinks - first of all, she - this I hear from a lot of people beside her. She thinks that men have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-thinks-first-of-all-she-this-i-hear-from-a-lot-of/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [My father was pretty independent. He was - he was arrested once in Nashville when he was on one of his sales trips because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-father-was-pretty-independent-he-was-he-was-arrested-once-in/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ My chronology is terrible. \[Work with William Shawn\] must have some ago. It was after he was fired by Newhouse. After New - when… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-chronology-is-terrible-work-with-william-shawn-must-have-some-ago/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ We disagree heavily on abortion \[with Margot Hentoff\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/we-disagree-heavily-on-abortion-with-margot-hentoff/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [Now that is dangerous, when the people don't know what's happening to their Constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/now-that-is-dangerous-when-the-people-don-t-know-what-s-happening-to/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[My wife Margot\] was the - I guess, the coordinator or the production manager \[of The Jazz Review\], and we got to know each… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-wife-margot-was-the-i-guess-the-coordinator-or-the-production/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [The book that really, really shaped my politics and has forever is Arthur Koestler's "Darkness at Noon," which is a novel based on terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/the-book-that-really-really-shaped-my-politics-and-has-forever-is/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I have I guess 3 passions. One is the Constitution. The other is jazz and the other is being an atheist prolifer which, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-have-i-guess-3-passions-one-is-the-constitution-the-other-is-jazz/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [If the American people have their health care paid for by the government, depending on their age and their condition, they will be subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/if-the-american-people-have-their-health-care-paid-for-by-the/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ \[A.J. Muste\] was - he - I don't know what he finally came out believing in, but it was some kind of higher being. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/a-j-muste-was-he-i-don-t-know-what-he-finally-came-out-believing-in/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [That is what is happening with the Tea Parties. I wrote a column called "The Second American Revolution" about the fact that people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/that-is-what-is-happening-with-the-tea-parties-i-wrote-a-column/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [I read like everybody - like every other writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/i-read-like-everybody-like-every-other-writer/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) > [ Margot \[Hentoff\] dislikes Bill Clinton because he's totally untrustworthy, and you really ought to have some faith in whoever's going to be your president. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/margot-hentoff-dislikes-bill-clinton-because-he-s-totally/) [Nat Hentoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) [Explore all 222 Nat Hentoff quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/) ## More Bill of rights quotes > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [“I have a recurring fantasy that one more article has been added to the Bill of Rights: the right to free access to imagination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-have-a-recurring-fantasy-that-one-more-article-has-been-added-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“manager’s bill of rights,” those basic things that you have a right to expect from your employees. Responsible employees: Are responsive to feedback Keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erika-andersen/manager-s-bill-of-rights-those-basic-things-that-you-have-a-right-to/) [Erika Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erika-andersen/) > [“To disarm the people is the best and most effectual way to enslave them." -George Mason - Father of the Bill of Rights”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-goodwin/to-disarm-the-people-is-the-best-and-most-effectual-way-to-enslave/) [Mark Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-goodwin/) > [A bill of rights is what the people are entitled to against every government on earth, general or particular, and what no just government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-bill-of-rights-is-what-the-people-are-entitled-to-against-every/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [The average citizen expresses pride in the American Bill of Rights and then seeks to protect his real estate by restrictive covenants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-allen-overstreet/the-average-citizen-expresses-pride-in-the-american-bill-of-rights/) [Harry Allen Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-allen-overstreet/) > [“Among those liberties which we in this UNION claim for the child, due to him as a person, is freedom of thought, the function…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parents-national-education-union/among-those-liberties-which-we-in-this-union-claim-for-the-child-due/) [Parents' National Education Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parents-national-education-union/) > [To be patriotic is to be able to question government policy in times of crisis. To be patriotic is to stand up for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sami-al-arian/to-be-patriotic-is-to-be-able-to-question-government-policy-in-times/) [Sami Al-Arian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sami-al-arian/) > [Everybody now seems to be talking about democracy. I don't understand this. As I think of it, democracy isn't like a Sunday suit to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/everybody-now-seems-to-be-talking-about-democracy-i-don-t-understand/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [We have a list of human rights - right to food, right to shelter, right to health, right to education, many such items which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/we-have-a-list-of-human-rights-right-to-food-right-to-shelter-right/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [If this nation is to be wise as well as strong, if we are to achieve our destiny, then we need more new ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-this-nation-is-to-be-wise-as-well-as-strong-if-we-are-to-achieve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In the first movement, our infancy as a species, we felt no separation from the natural world around us. Trees, rocks, and plants surrounded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-macy/in-the-first-movement-our-infancy-as-a-species-we-felt-no-separation/) [Joanna Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-macy/) > [To take a single step beyond the boundaries specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/to-take-a-single-step-beyond-the-boundaries-specially-drawn-around/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Bill of Rights was Madison, I'm going with Madison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-kaine/bill-of-rights-was-madison-i-m-going-with-madison/) [Tim Kaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-kaine/) > [The notion that Americans can be protected from "terror" by giving up the Bill of Rights is absurd. Democrats are complicit in this absurd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-craig-roberts/the-notion-that-americans-can-be-protected-from-terror-by-giving-up/) [Paul Craig Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-craig-roberts/) [Browse all 294 Bill of rights quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bill-of-rights/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My - mine is based on the fact that Bill Clinton has done - and I'm - this sounds like hyperbole, but he has done more harm to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights than any president since John Adams.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nat Hentoff" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-clinton-has-done-and-i-m-this/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bill of rights" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-clinton-has-done-and-i-m-this/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/14c/nat-hentoff-1615_bill-of-rights_my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-c_2354000.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My - mine is based on the fact that Bill Clinton has done - and I'm - this sounds like hyperbole, but he has…” — Nat Hentoff", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Nat Hentoff", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-hentoff/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My - mine is based on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-clinton-has-done-and-i-m-this/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-hentoff/my-mine-is-based-on-the-fact-that-bill-clinton-has-done-and-i-m-this/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```