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For information on receiving a free trial subscription to INEWS World News Daily via E-mail send E-mail to INEWS@AOL.COM WORLD WIDE WEB: http://members.aol.com/inewscirc/inews.html ================================================================== DISTRIBUTE FREELY '96 ELECTION SNAPSHOT VOL.1 #19 SUBSCRIPTION INFO/GENERAL INFO - INEWS@AOL.COM TO REACH EDITOR ---------------- INEWSEDIT@AOL.COM CONTENTS: CAMPAIGN '96 STATUS REPORT DOLE CONSULTS WITH AIDES ON POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES TOBACCO FUNDING OF DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGNS DOLE SPENDS 4TH OF JULY CAMPAIGNING IN ILLINOIS CLINTON LEAD OVER DOLE NARROWING AMID NEGATIVE REPORTS FOREIGN POLICY SAID UNLIKELY TO BE MAJOR CAMPAIGN ISSUE GEORGIA PRIMARY TO BE SITE OF NATIONAL FOCUS SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITS COLLEGE DEMOCRATS UNVEIL AGENDA CAMPAIGN TRAIL TIDBITS JOURNALISTIC JUXTAPOSITIONS EDITORIAL EXCERPTS DOLE/CLINTON HEAD OFF ON SMOKING CLINTON CRITICIZES DOLE FOR COMMENTS ON C. EVERETT KOOP DOLE CONTINUES TO INSIST ON ABORTION VIEWS TOLERANCE STATEMENT TRANSCRIPT: CLINTON REMARKS AND Q&A ON THE ECONOMY JULY 5 ============================================== --------------- CAMPAIGN '96 STATUS REPORT JIM MALONE WASHINGTON Both President Clinton and his expected November opponent, Republican Bob Dole, spent the July fourth holiday campaigning in the middle west. The president was in Ohio and Mr. Dole visited Illinois, two states which figure to be election battleground areas in November. On his way to Ohio, the president stopped in southern Maryland to release the symbol of American independence, a bald eagle, into the wild. He also congratulated Russian President Boris Yeltsin on his re-election victory: "It is a clear that a majority, a substantial majority of the Russian people, voted for President Yeltsin and for the path of reform. I want to congratulate president Yeltsin on his re-election, it has a nice ring to it. I want to congratulate the Russian people most of all on this milestone." Bob Dole made another campaign swing through California this week.He raised nearly 3-million dollars in campaign contributions and drew a distinction between himself and President Clinton on the question of leadership: "And I think America right now needs some leadership, somebody to look you in the eye and mean it, not just look you in the eye and say it. Look you in the eye and mean it." Mr. Dole is vowing to fight for California's 54 electoral votes in the November election despite numerous public opinion polls which indicate the president has a big lead in the nation's largest state. The Dole campaign ran into more trouble this week on the issue of regulating tobacco. Candidate Dole engaged in a contentious television interview over the question of whether or not cigarettes are addictive. Several Republicans say they are frustrated by the Dole campaign's apparent inability to avoid distractions like the smoking issue and to focus instead on his policy differences with President Clinton. Some analysts are also warning that Mr. Dole is missing an opportunity to cut into the president's sizable lead in public opinion polls before next month's national party conventions. Larry Sabato, professor of government at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, says: "He has got a tremendous gap to close. He needs this time (before the conventions) to let people know who he is and also what some of his ideas are for the future. And he is squandering these opportunities." But the election is still four months away and most political analysts caution that a lot of things can happen between now and November fifth. Political consultant Charles Cook argues Bob Dole still has some opportunities to cut into the president's lead in the polls: "I think you will see his (Dole's) image sort of fill out (become more complete) some. And I think that Whitewater is not all over. I think we are going to see more revelations that will probably erode the president's support even more than it has already." The presidential campaign may get a new participant next week, former Colorado Governor Richard Lamm is expected to formally announce his candidacy for the presidential nomination of the new reform party, a party started last year by 1992 independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. Mr. Perot has not yet decided whether he will seek the reform party nomination as well. --------------- --------------- DOLE CONSULTS WITH AIDES ON POTENTIAL RUNNING MATES SUZANNA ANDERSON WASHINGTON The presumed Republican presidential candidate, Bob Dole, has met with key campaign advisors to discuss potential running mates. Senior Republican aides say they discussed a number of prospects at campaign headquarters in Washington but did not give any clues as to who would share the Republican ticket. Robert Ellsworth, who heads the vice presidential search team, says the process of choosing a candidate is picking up speed. He says several men and women are being considered, including well-known figures from outside of politics: "The candidate for vice president has to be seen to be presidential, of presidential quality. Second, it should be somebody who re-inforces Bob Dole's conservatism and third it has to be somebody with whom Bob Dole could work well with at the top of our government." Advisors say they want to make sure the search for a running mate is handled in a private, dignified manner. Campaign officials have hinted Mr. Dole might wait until just before next month's Republican national convention to announce his vice presidential choice. --------------- --------------- TOBACCO FUNDING OF DEMOCRATIC CAMPAIGNS DEBORAH TATE WHITE HOUSE One of the hottest issues in the U.S. presidential campaign is tobacco. The Clinton Administration has criticized presumptive Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole for accepting donations from the tobacco industry, charging that the contributions have influenced Mr. Dole's position on the dangers of smoking. But news reports say the Democratic Party has also been the recipient of donations from tobacco interests, and President Clinton Friday found himself defending such funding. It was Bob Dole who sparked the debate about the tobacco issue when he suggested recently that tobacco was not necessarily addictive. Mr. Dole, in a television interview, also suggested that surgeon General C. Everett Koop, who served under the Republican administration of President Reagan, might have been brainwashed when he declared tobacco addictive in 1988. That comment got the immediate attention of President Clinton, who tried to use it to his political advantage in a campaign-style stop in Chicago on Tuesday: "This morning Senator Dole suggested maybe Dr. Koop had been brainwashed by the liberal media. Well, I imagine Dr. Koop was surprised to hear that. I believe Dr. Koop knows more about the dangers of tobacco than the so-called liberal media or Senator Dole." Administration officials and other Democrats have accused Mr. Dole of being influenced by political contributions from the tobacco industry. According to Common Cause, a nonpartisan citizens lobby, tobacco interests contributed four-point-five million dollars to the Republican party from 1993 to 1995. But the organization also reports that the Democratic Party received 800,000 dollars from tobacco interests over the same period. And now a news report suggests Democrats have been trying to hide the fact that they have received such donations. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Democratic National Committee accepted 65,000 dollars from two major tobacco companies, Philip Morris and RJR Nabisco last May. The newspaper says the money was not placed in any of the committee's federal campaign accounts in Washington, but was instead distributed to state Democratic Party accounts around the country, accounts that receive far less media scrutiny. The paper quotes Democratic Party officials denying they were trying to hide the source of the funding. At the White House Friday, President Clinton defended such donations: "We have an open and free country, and citizens should be able to contribute to whomever they wish." But Mr. Clinton sought to contrast his efforts to ban tobacco advertising and sales to children with Mr. Dole's opposition to such proposals: "But when you see a pattern of contributions and a dramatic difference in policies, it is the policies and their impact on the American people that I am most concerned about. The American people should look at where I stand and where he stands, and they should decide whether they agree with us. And because the contributions are reported, they can decide whether the contributions have anything to do with the policy positions. That is how I think it ought to be analyzed." Dole campaign officials say their candidate's opposition to banning sales and advertising to minors is part of his fight against regulation of any industry. But public opinion polls show most Americans side with Mr. Clinton on this issue. The debate about tobacco and whether to regulate the industry comes as the president prepares to visit a key tobacco-growing state, North Carolina, on Wednesday. --------------- --------------- DOLE SPENDS 4TH OF JULY CAMPAIGNING IN ILLINOIS MICHAEL LELAND CHICAGO Republican presidential hopeful Bob Dole spent America's 220th birthday in the Midwest. He marched in the Independence Day parade in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, and reminded thousands of people after the parade that they live in the greatest country on earth. Bob Dole spent his fourth of July in very Republican Wheaton, Illinois, waving to thousands of people who turned out for the annual fourth of July parade, and stopping several times along the parade route to meet some of the onlookers. Both sides of Wheaton's main street were lined with people of all ages, some waving American flags, and others waving "Dole for president" signs. Paradegoer Steve Kim says the Republican will get his vote this November: "He's a man with great personal character and has shown that he will be a great leader. He has proven his leadership throughout his many years in the senate and he's a man with great integrity." In a speech following the parade, Mr. Dole remembered those American servicemen killed in the terrorist bombing of the U.S. military complex in Saudi Arabia, and said those responsible ought to be put to death. He also reminded the few thousand people in the crowd that they live in the greatest nation on earth, and pointed out that while empires like the former Soviet Union have come and gone, the United States and its democratic ideals have endured for 220 years. He also pointed out that Russians this week chose not to give up on democracy: "And just yesterday in Russia, voters once again showed their commitment to democratic ideals and free institutions. They have decisively rejected the communist past and chosen a democratic future. And I congratulate President Boris Yeltsin on this historic victory and I wish him well in the months and years to come." Of course, Mr. Dole came to the Midwest hoping for help toward his own electoral victory this November. Illinois is considered a key state in the upcoming election, and no Republican has ever been elected president without winning the Illinois vote. Mr Dole has promised several more visits to the state before November. --------------- --------------- CLINTON LEAD OVER DOLE NARROWING AMID NEGATIVE REPORTS By Stuart Gorin President Clinton continues to hold a lead over Republican challenger Bob Dole, but recent surveys show that lead narrowing amid recent reports of alleged wrongdoing in the White House and the simmering Whitewater scandal. A new Washington Post-ABC News poll gave Clinton a 54 to 40 percent lead, but that 14-percentage point advantage is down from a 22-point advantage in mid-May. And 56 percent of those taking part in the new survey believe the White House intentionally abused the power of the presidency for political purposes when it improperly obtained hundreds of sensitive FBI files on prominent Republicans. Half of the participants also said they believed the president knew about the efforts of staff members to obtain the files, and for the first time in the polls, 53 percent of the respondents said they believe First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton committed a crime in connection with Whitewater. Another survey, this one by USA Today/CNN/Gallup, showed the president with a 54-39 percent lead, but this 15-point advantage was a 4-point drop from a poll taken 12 days earlier. Despite the negative news for the president, the polls still showed strong approval ratings for the job he has been doing, including his handling of the economy and foreign affairs. On the domestic front, the White House has been busy counter-attacking still another new book, this one by retired FBI agent Gary Aldrich, which alleges among other things that Clinton sneaked out of the White House at night for a secret meeting with a woman at a nearby hotel, and that staffers were involved in homosexual activities inside the White House. The book, "Unlimited Access," touched off a frenzy of news stories but critics quickly pointed out that much of Aldrich's material was unsubstantiated, and the author soon said in interviews that some of his "facts" were "possibilities." White House senior adviser George Stephanopoulos criticized the book for failing "to cross any threshold of credibility," and the spokesman for the Secret Service said it is "preposterous" that the organization, which has the responsibility for protecting the president at all times, had documented the times he allegedly was missing. Mrs. Clinton called the book a "politically inspired fabrication." Involved in a controversy of her own over reports in a different book -- Bob Woodward's "The Choice" -- that in a session with a researcher in psychic experiences she had held imaginary conversations with the late Eleanor Roosevelt, Mrs. Clinton said earlier that the device had been "a brainstorming session" to help her with her own book that she was writing. The first lady also denied that the researcher with whom she met was her spiritual adviser. Top Clinton aides attempted to link Aldrich's book to the Dole campaign, noting that a publicity agent who helped promote it served as an unpaid volunteer during the Republican primaries. Dole campaign spokesman Nelson Warfield responded that the publicist had "no role" in devising campaign strategy and Dole himself brushed off the link, saying the Democrats were attempting to move the focus away from "legitimate questions" about the secret files on Republicans. But other Democrats said that if Dole continues to attack the president on Filegate, the Watergate scandal of the Nixon administration could come back to haunt him. According to Clinton re-election campaign spokesman Joe Lockhart, "Dole needs to be careful in shooting before getting the facts and in likening it to a scandal in an administration in which he played an important part. That is not a threat. It's a fact." Congresswoman Pat Schroeder called Dole "one of the real tough guys during the Nixon era." Meanwhile, Dole said his selection of a vice-presidential running mate will be determined prior to the August 16-19 Republican Convention, because he wants to avoid a distracting floor fight. Explaining that his search has begun "in earnest," he said there are "a lot of names out there" but he has to have someone "who can be fairly compatible with my philosophy." However, he also said the selection will not be influenced by the abortion issue. In a conciliatory move to moderate Republicans and to independent voters who do not share his opposition to abortion, Dole said he could pick someone who supports abortion rights. Some Republicans saw Dole's gesture as a much-needed overture to women, who the public opinion polls show as a group favoring President Clinton by wide margins. Said Ann Stone, head of Republicans for Choice, Dole's remarks were "music to my ears." His comments "go a long way toward quelling" the biggest fears among moderate Republicans, Stone said. She added that "Dole is sending exactly the right message. He's saying, 'You can trust me. I'm not a nut. I will make my own decisions.' The more he shows openness, tolerance and that he's nobody's puppet, the more it helps." But it could put him at odds with conservative Republicans, especially those aligned with the Christian Right. Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, said selection of a "socially liberal, Rockefeller-style Republican ... will hurt the ticket badly and make it difficult, if not impossible, to energize the grass roots." Dole received a major endorsement last week when James Woolsey, a former Clinton administration director of the Central Intelligence Agency, said the former senator "will offer a steady hand in guiding America's foreign policy." And speaking to a Veterans of Foreign Wars gathering in Texas, Dole said it is "a requirement, not an option" for the United States to modernize its armed forces, maintain its technological edge and develop and deploy a national missile defense system. But both Clinton and Dole regard themselves as having an advantage in the area of foreign policy. USA Today points out that in the wake of the bombing of an American military compound in Saudi Arabia, the president "is portraying himself as the sort of flexible thinker needed to negotiate a world where terrorism, ethnic rivalries and rogue regimes replace the Soviet threat." --------------- --------------- FOREIGN POLICY SAID UNLIKELY TO BE MAJOR CAMPAIGN ISSUE By Dan Pinegar Unless something either "really good" or "really bad" happens by the November general election, U.S. foreign policy is unlikely to become a major issue during the presidential campaign, according to two political experts on research and polling, who spoke recently in Washington at a forum on public diplomacy sponsored by the American Foreign Service Association. Fred Yang, a partner in the Garin-Hart-Yang Research Group, a political polling company for Democratic candidates, says that although President Clinton leads Republican Robert Dole in the polls by 16 points, the election is still "totally up to Bob Dole." Terry Cooper, who does political research for Republican candidates, seems to agree and says, "Dole has got to find his voice." Both Clinton and independent candidate Ross Perot had the right voice in the 1992 election, when people seemed to have low confidence in the government due to high unemployment and less pay, Cooper notes. To this point, Clinton seems to be ahead, says Cooper, for the primary reason that the president is "America's version" of talk show hostess Oprah Winfrey, able to "feel your pain," while at the same time being able to head off whatever strategy Dole's campaign develops. It is this ability to touch individual Americans, Cooper says, that keep voters believing in Clinton. Yang adds that while the American people may feel better off today than they were four years ago, the need for reassurance is still there. According to Cooper, the electoral focus that Dole should use to find his voice should include the issues of crime, education and the budget. Yang believes that to counter this, Clinton will focus on his own personal qualities, his character and ability to relate to the people and to the economy. In fact, Clinton recently has begun to tackle the typically Republican domain of values. While distancing himself from congressional Democrats, he has pushed hard to demonstrate this need for values, using as examples the incidents of the FBI shootout at Ruby Ridge and the recent upsurgence of black church burnings. Yet, the president still has to answer to the American people on why they have to take on more than one job to make ends meet economically, Yang notes. Although Clinton has "tried his best to be seen as a new Democrat, and not a tax-and-spend Democrat," Yang cites a Dearborn, Michigan, couple who cannot understand how Clinton can take credit for creating 9.2 million jobs, when the wife has had to take three of those jobs to make a living. Although both Yang and Cooper concede that the American public may not "buy into" the media hype about Paula Jones' sexual harassment suit and Whitewater, the situation concerning the FBI Filegate and the White House computer database that tracks information on people is another matter. These issues may be cause for Clinton to be somewhat concerned, although he is still ahead of Dole in the public opinion polls. For the most part, however, both political experts indicate that things are still unclear. The election season is only just getting underway, they note, neither party has had its convention, and it is still a mystery as to whom Dole will choose as a running mate, a potentially big factor in the election outcome. Cooper acknowledges that the selection of the Republican vice-presidential candidate is the one area which Dole can control in order to demonstrate his electability. The best choice, says Cooper, would be retired General Colin Powell, who would carry with him a large expected vote. Other possibilities, he says, include former Bush administration Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney, New Jersey Governor Christie Todd Whitman and Arizona Senator John McCain. If Dole wins the election, he would make foreign policy a top priority, not based on international social work as has been the case in the recent past, Cooper believes. For example, he says, there would be "no Jimmy Carter free-lancing, and no U.N.-controlled peacekeeping missions." Cooper also believes that Dole would use the United States' superpower status in world affairs as a pretext to build a new missile defense system. --------------- --------------- GEORGIA PRIMARY TO BE SITE OF NATIONAL FOCUS National focus will be on the Georgia primary election July 9 as both parties prepare for the battle to fill the seat of retiring Senator Sam Nunn, Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney fights to stay in office after the Supreme Court ruled the boundaries of her district had been drawn unconstitutionally, and the Democrats vie for a challenger to House Speaker Newt Gingrich. Nunn, a conservative Democrat, is stepping down after 24 years in the Senate. Max Cleland, a former state secretary of state and a wounded Vietnam War veteran, has no Democratic primary opposition for the post. On the Republican side, a six-way contest that involves at least three millionaires probably means there will be a runoff election August 6 between the two top votegetters. McKinney, Georgia's only congresswoman, faces three challengers in the Democratic primary. Her district was redrawn for this race because the high court ruled against the original use of racial considerations. An African American, she has now been moved into a white majority district. On the Republican side, three political unknowns are vying for the position. The Atlanta Constitution endorsed McKinney for re-election, saying that while "her fiery oratory has gotten her into trouble," she is "a courageous leader and an outspoken champion of those who often lack a voice in Congress." Gingrich has no opposition in the Republican primary for his House seat, but there is a hot race between two businessmen on the Democratic side. Georgia originally scheduled its primary for later in the month, but moved it earlier to avoid logistical problems with the Summer Olympics, which open in Atlanta July 21. A spokesman for the state secretary of state said "it was really an issue of convenience and traffic." --------------- --------------- SUPREME COURT OVERTURNS CAMPAIGN SPENDING LIMITS By David Pitts The U.S. Supreme Court has given political parties much greater leeway to spend freely to promote Congressional candidates. In a landmark decision on campaign spending, the high court, by a 7-2 vote, said the Colorado Republican Party's freedom of expression was violated when the party was cited for exceeding federal spending limits in the 1986 U.S. Senate campaign. The decision stopped short of stating that spending by political parties could be unlimited. But it greatly expanded the ability of political parties to support their own candidates. Observers consider the ruling significant because there are strict limits on how individual candidates raise money in their own behalf. However, so long as a political party spends money independently of a candidate, it can, in effect, support that individual's campaign with much greater spending than was the case before the decision. Justice Stephen Breyer, author of the majority opinion, said, "We do not see how a Constitution that grants to individuals, candidates and ordinary political committees the right to make unlimited independent expenditures could deny the same right to political parties." Justices John Paul Stevens and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented. Stevens said, "All money spent by a political party to secure the election of a candidate for the office of United States senator should be considered a 'contribution' to his campaign." Although the decision focused only on congressional races, observers said it appears to cast doubt on federal campaign restrictions on expenditures by political parties in presidential races as well. The court based its decision on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech. Reaction to the decision was varied. Craig Holman, of the National Resource Center for State and Local Campaign Finance Reform, said the decision was "a cause for worry" because it will increase the role of money in politics. But Bruce Fein, a lawyer and expert on First Amendment issues, welcomed the ruling. Writing in the Washington Times, Fein said, "If there is any more egregious affronts to freedom of speech than ceilings on political campaign contributions and expenditures, they do not readily come to mind. Speech without money is a farce." It was unclear what effect the decision would have on this year's elections. Both the Republican National Committee and the Democratic National Committee had supported the lifting of the limits. But the Clinton administration argued that the spending caps helped to prevent corruption. --------------- --------------- COLLEGE DEMOCRATS UNVEIL AGENDA By E. Mark Harang In a strategy to bolster President Clinton's re-election campaign and the Democratic Party, the College Democrats of America have unveiled a plan to register 1 million voters throughout the United States, turn out 6 million Democratic supporters, and provide 50,000 motivated volunteers between the ages of 18-29. At a rally attended by more than 300 College Democrats and prominent Democratic leaders on Capitol Hill June 25, David Wade, the president of the group and a senior at Brown University, said, "Our focus for the coming year is simple: re-elect President Clinton and Vice President Gore, return Congress to Democratic control, and elect Democrats across the country." The plan seeks to double the number of voters age 18-29 over the 1992 voter registration of 500,000. In a Newsweek poll of 18-29 year olds, young people would choose Clinton over Republican Bob Dole by a margin of 25 percent if the presidential election were held today, reflecting the effectiveness and popularity of Clinton's message to the youth of America, and a growing disdain for the perceived "anti-student agenda" of Bob Dole and the Republican Party. According to the poll, "51 percent of those surveyed would vote for President Clinton compared to just 26 percent for Dole and 17 percent for Ross Perot." "Young people are squarely behind President Clinton and everything he stands for," said Young Democrats of America Executive Director Nick Caggia. "Dole just doesn't have what it takes to appeal to young voters. No vision plus no issues equals no hope for Bob Dole." Meanwhile, on the other side of the political and gender spectrum, the National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) announced its plans June 26 to identify and enlist 1.5 million new voters and involve more women in the political process. NFRW president Marilyn Thayer said "while women boast a majority of the registered voters (53 percent), they show up at a rate 6-8 percent lower than men" at the polls. The women's organization plans to take its get-out-the-vote campaign across the country with the assistance of Republican elected officials. --------------- --------------- CAMPAIGN TRAIL TIDBITS -- Republican Task Force: Seeking greater voter participation in the future, the Republican National Committee's Task Force on Primaries and Caucuses on July 2 recommended incentives to encourage state parties to avoid compression of the schedule in the year 2000. The task force recommended to the party that states holding primaries or caucuses between March 15 and April 14 receive a 10-percent increase in their delegation allocations to the national convention, between April 15 and May 14 a 15-percent increase, and on or after May 15 a 20-percent increase. Task force chairman Jim Nicholson said the compressed schedule for 1996, which led to Bob Dole's early selection, did have an adverse impact on voter participation. -- Republican Convention: Final decisions have not yet been made for the Republican National Convention agenda, but organizers say conservative commentator Pat Buchanan, who is still a declared presidential candidate, will not be offered a prominent role, and may not be asked to speak at all. They said Buchanan's outspoken statements on issues such as abortion and his attacks on Dole during the primaries, would be at odds with the party's efforts to present a harmonious front. And prior to the convention, rather than hold public hearings on the party's platform, the Republican National Committee is asking for written input through the mail or the Internet. -- Democratic Platform Hearings: The Democratic National Committee announced its platform hearing will be held in Kansas City July 10, to accept both oral and written testimony. The party's Platform Committee will then prepare an initial draft to be presented at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Party officials meeting in their convention city this past week unveiled a plan to build an army of 50,000 precinct captains to turn out voters in 20 key states in November. The Democratic leaders said they would not let the favorable early climate breed overconfidence as they attempt to re-elect President Clinton and regain the control of Congress that they lost in 1994. -- Election Law Complaint: Three weeks after the Clinton campaign lodged a complaint with the Federal Election Commission accusing the Dole campaign of exceeding the limit on primary campaign spending, the Republicans have returned the favor. The Dole campaign committee is accusing the president of violating election laws by being personally involved in a $25 million advertising campaign paid for by the Democratic National Committee. The Clinton campaign's response was that the Republicans are only trying to divert attention away from their own problems. -- Reform Party: After gaining ballot access in Arizona and New York, Ross Perot's Reform Party is now certified in 20 of the 50 states. The move in New York was a merger with the Independence Party, which will change its name to the Reform/Independence Party. -- Dole Book: Bob and Elizabeth Dole wrote their joint autobiography "Unlimited Partners" in 1988. For this election year they have updated it, and to publicize the new version, they are making the rounds of the television talk shows. The book breaks little new ground but does lay out a partial campaign platform of tax cuts, an active foreign policy and an effort to shift government power to the states. For the voters, Dole said, the book provides "an introduction to two people who may be well-known by name, but that's about it." -- Name Recognition: Finally, Bob Dole has knocked President Clinton out of the lead. The Center for Media and Public Affairs, which keeps track of such things, reports that since the end of the primary season, the late night television programs have made Dole the butt of 136 jokes, compared to only 101 aimed at the president. --------------- --------------- JOURNALISTIC JUXTAPOSITIONS -- Wall Street Journal writer Albert Hunt: "The most salient issue for the swing voters is reducing federal spending and the budget deficit. This should play to Bob Dole's strengths. When asked what they want to hear from the Republican candidate in coming weeks, one-third of the swing voters say plays for dealing with the deficit. It isn't hard, though, to see the dicey dilemmas facing Senator Dole over the next seven weeks. He is under pressure to propose a huge tax cut. This, many of his political and economic advisers argue, would be in the spirit of Ronald Reagan and enable him to capture the economic high ground in the fall debate. But early indications are that it wouldn't play well with swing voters." -- Syndicated columnist Tony Snow: "Mr. Dole can't blame his failure on the collapse of Western civilization. He trails because he has nothing to say, and he will continue to lag because he doesn't intend to unveil his positions on such major issues as taxes until late July or early August.... Contrary to popular opinion, Mr. Dole's future is in his own hands. Bill Clinton has given people plenty of reasons to vote against him. The crucial remaining issue in this campaign is whether Mr. Dole can persuade Clinton skeptics that there is even one good reason -- other than his superior virtue -- to put him in charge of the country for four years." -- Washington Post writer E.J. Dionne: "The Republicans are in danger of blowing a really good hand. They have become so accustomed to puffing up every little fact and rumor about the Clinton administration into some huge scandal (usually including the words 'water' or 'gate') that they have forgotten the basic rule of scandal politics: When the facts are on your side, be judicious. Don't make up wild charges, don't be mean, don't leap to conclusions. Take your time. Let the story unfold. The Republicans just can't control themselves. Some of them seem to make a living out of trying to prove that every act by every Democratic president and every Democratic aide is exactly like every act of Richard Nixon and all of his men." -- Washington Times writer Donald Lambro: "The latest disclosure that the Clinton White House was going through FBI files of past Republican officials in what smacked of an attempt to dig up dirt on their political enemies may end up being the most damaging of all of the revelations about this chaotic presidency. The privacy and civil liberties issues raised by the White House's romp through personal and once-confidential FBI files has angered and disturbed some of Mr. Clinton's most loyal political allies who fear that some dangerous constitutional abuses may have occurred." -- Roll Call columnist Morton Kondracke: "President Clinton has enjoyed a huge TV advertising advantage over Republican Bob Dole for the past year, but the Republican Party plans to make up for it with an air avalanche this fall.... After the conventions, the two presidential campaigns are financed with public money, but the national committees can spend as much as they can raise on 'party-building' activities, 'issue-based' TV ads and get-out-the-vote drives." --------------- --------------- EDITORIAL EXCERPTS -- San Francisco Chronicle: "The rush to make something out of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's meetings with a noted New Age psychologist, Dr. Jean Houston, crosses the line.... So what if Mrs. Clinton paused from the rights of the political fray for imaginary guidance from Eleanor Roosevelt or Gandhi? It would seem a few more of our leaders might benefit from canceling a session with their pollster and taking a few minutes for spirituality." -- Spokane (Washington) Spokesman Review: "In 1992, Democrats howled that the Bush administration had 'turned to the hateful, dangerous tactics of Joe McCarthy' when the State Department was caught browsing Bill Clinton's passport files.... Vice President Al Gore led the chorus of unhappy Democrats calling for Bush's scalp. Noticeably, Gore is silent about the implications of Filegate." -- Washington Post: "Controversy swirls around both, but it ought to be possible to separate the probe of the improperly requisitioned FBI reports by the Clinton White House from the effort to sort out fact from fiction in former FBI agent Gary Aldrich's book.... The White House, for understandable reasons, prefers to divert attention from the files scandal to the Aldrich book, which contains angry and unsubstantiated charges against the first family and White House staff.... The president and his friends are justified in being angry about this. But it is its own separate issue. The Aldrich book doesn't make the files case any better, doesn't resolve it and doesn't make it go away." -- Baltimore Sun: "Campaign finance reform suffered its second body blow in as many days last week when the Supreme Court ruled that political parties can spend as much as they like in congressional races so long as they act 'independently' of actual candidates. This could open the door wider to the vast sums of money flooding into the political process. It put the court ever closer to the view that First Amendment protection of free speech may, in the end, block efforts to limit the power of well-financed special interests." --------------- --------------- DOLE/CLINTON HEAD OFF ON SMOKING VICTOR BEATTIE WASHINGTON President Clinton and his presumptive challenger, Republican Bob Dole, have clashed over cigarettes, whether they are addictive, and who receives campaign contributions from the tobacco industry. Mr. Dole, on the campaign train in Wisconsin and California, also took aim at the news media for what he calls bias toward Democrats. Mr. Dole, expected to be named the Republican presidential nominee at next month's party nominating convention in San Diego, is campaigning in vote-rich California: "Let me give you the good news first. This election is moving in our direction." Mr. Dole refers to recent public opinion polls showing the gap narrowing between himself and the president. However, Mr. Dole's recent comments that he is not certain tobacco is addictive have sparked controversy: "I've said, I don't know if it's addictive. I'm not a doctor, I'm not a scientist. My answer is, 'don't smoke.'" He also criticized the Clinton Administration for presiding over a rise in the use of marijuana. The administration recently launched a new anti-drug initiative and is seeking to regulate nicotine as a drug. While Mr. Dole opposes that, he favors steps to keep tobacco products away from children. The former senate leader also blasted the news media and what he calls the hypocrisy of the Democrats for suggesting he, Mr. Dole, is beholden to the tobacco industry. Both major parties have received campaign contributions from the tobacco industry. --------------- --------------- CLINTON CRITICIZES DOLE FOR COMMENTS ON C. EVERETT KOOP MICHAEL LELAND CHICAGO President Clinton is accusing his expected Republican challenger Bob Dole of playing politics with the issue of smoking. The president made his comments while on a campaign stop in Chicago. The president was reacting to comments Mr. Dole made earlier Tuesday in a televised interview. The likely Republican nominee for president suggested that former U.S. surgeon general C. Everett Koop was "probably brainwashed" by media reports into denouncing Mr. Dole's stance on tobacco's addiction. Mr. Dole had said last month he was not certain tobacco was addictive for everyone. Speaking to a senior citizens' conference in Chicago, Mr. Clinton said if fewer people smoked, government could spend less money to treat smoking-related illness. He says the best way to reduce the number of smokers, is to keep children from taking up the habit: "Three thousand children a day begin smoking. One thousand of them will have their lives shortened because of it. And along the way, society will pick up a significant part of the health care bill. Now that's one way to save money." The president says state and federal governments spend ten-billion dollars a year treating smoking-related illness. He hopes to reduce the number of young smokers by restricting their access to cigarettes, and crack down on cigarette advertising aimed at young people. Earlier Tuesday, Mr. Dole tried to clarify his controversial comments about tobacco by saying there is mixed opinion about its addiction even in the scientific community. Mr. Dole said the former surgeon general supports his bid for the presidency, but watches what he called the liberal media reports on his tobacco comments. Mr. Dole is a former smoker himself,and says adults should be able to make their own choices about smoking, but that the best choice would be to stop. And he says young people should not even take up the habit. --------------- --------------- DOLE CONTINUES TO INSIST ON ABORTION VIEWS TOLERANCE STATEMENT JIM MALONE WASHINGTON Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole continues to insist a statement of tolerance on the issue of abortion be included in this year's Republican party platform. Mr. Dole made the comments as he and his wife Elizabeth began a new round of interviews tied to the re-release of their 1987 joint autobiography entitled "Un-Limited Partners". Mr. Dole's demand for a statement acknowledging the views of abortion rights supporters in the Republican party has angered one of the party's core constituencies, Christian conservatives who oppose abortion. But in a television interview (NBC Today) Monday, Mr. Dole made it clear that he is committed to a statement of tolerance in the Republican Party platform which welcomes the support of abortion rights supporters as well as those who oppose abortion: "You know in my view you are either tolerant or intolerant. You are either inclusive or exclusive. You can be pro-choice or pro-life and still be a very good Republican. That is the bottom line." By airing the issue now, Mr. Dole is hoping to avoid a politically divisive fight over abortion at next month's Republican convention in San Diego. But some conservative Republicans and supporters of presidential candidate Pat Buchanan are vowing to fight any change in the abortion language from previous conventions which calls for a constitutional ban on abortion. Ralph Reed is the influential head of the Christian Coalition. He says any statement of tolerance in the party platform should be applied to all issues which divide Republicans, not just abortion: "The only difference that I have with Senator Dole is that I do not believe that that (the declaration of tolerance) should be attached only to the pro-life plank. I think it ought to be a generic declaration of tolerance because there is disagreement on a lot of issues, term limits, trade, immigration." As he begins this new round of media interviews, Mr. Dole is accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth, currently on leave from her job as president of the American Red Cross. Mrs. Dole has been considered as a possible presidential or vice-presidential contender in Republican circles in the past. But for now, she is focusing her energies on helping to elect her husband as president: "He is honest, absolutely honest. Trustworthy. His word is his bond. And also because he has exceptional leadership skills. And I think that is exactly what America wants in the leader of the free world." Asked about his vice presidential choice, Mr. Dole says retired joint chiefs chairman General Colin Powell has made it clear to him that he does not wish to take part in elective politics this year. But other than that, Mr. Dole is saying little about who is on his vice-presidential list, only adding he intends to select his running mate before the start of next month's Republican convention in San Diego. --------------- --------------- TRANSCRIPT: CLINTON REMARKS AND Q&A ON THE ECONOMY JULY 5 WASHINGTON President Clinton told reporters in the White House briefing room July 5 that "Today, we had good economic news for America's working families." Unemployment has dropped to 5.3 percent, he said, and the American economy "has created 10 million jobs since the beginning of this administration. "The deficit has been cut more than half," he said, "and wages for American workers are finally on the rise again. We have the most solid American economy in a generation. "And it's good news when America can have high job growth, strong investment and low inflation." Following is the transcript: (begin transcript) THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today, we had good economic news for America's working families. Four years ago today, unemployment was nearly eight percent, job growth was anemic, the deficit was at an all-time dollar high, wages were stagnant. We promised to take these economic challenges head on. Our critics said it wouldn't work. But today's news, once again, proves them wrong. Unemployment has dropped to 5.3 percent. The American economy has created 10 million jobs since the beginning of this administration. The deficit has been cut more than half, and wages for American workers are finally on the rise again. We have the most solid American economy in a generation. And it's good news when America can have high job growth, strong investment and low inflation. In 1993, we put in place a comprehensive strategy -- cutting the deficit, expanding trade, rewarding work, investing in the skills and the education of our people. We have a lot more to do. We must make sure that every American has the tools that he or she needs to make the most of the opportunities in this new economy. We have to make sure that income growth continues. That's why we should balance the budget, pass the Kassebaum-Kennedy health reform bill, raise the minimum wage, improve pension security and improve access to college and training for all Americans. Our strategy is working, and this is no time to turn back. On this Independence Day weekend, we Americans have a lot to celebrate. Just yesterday, the Russian people also showed the power of democratic ideals and free markets by turning out in large numbers to vote for the forces of reform. And by reelecting President Yeltsin, the Russian people have decisively chosen the path of progress. This morning I spoke with President Yeltsin to congratulate him on his victory and on the victory of the Russian people. The United States and Russia have accomplished a great deal over the last three and a half years. I expressed to the President my determination to build on that progress, to advance the security and the prosperity of both the American and the Russian people. I wish all Americans a happy Fourth of July weekend. We have two things to celebrate -- more than 10 million new jobs and a continued hope for a greater peace and stability in the world in the wake of the elections in Russia. Q: Are these jobs all in the service area? I know that President Chirac sort of nicked you a little at the summit, saying that they were basically fast food - THE PRESIDENT: Yes, but that's actually not accurate. Martin Bailey's going to come up here and brief you, from the Council of Economic Advisors, about them and he can talk about this in great detail. But our analysis shows that the new jobs -- of the new jobs, the vast majority are in higher income job categories and are full-time jobs. So we believe that there is not only a stabilizing of the economy, but a stabilizing upward of the economy if you look at the job mix, if you look at the categories in which they are. Q: When will you see President Yeltsin again? And how did he sound, did you ask him about his health? How did he sound? THE PRESIDENT: I didn't have to ask him about his health because he sounded so good. We joked. I told him that, you know, in January, a majority of the people of Russia said they wouldn't vote for him for reelection. And so he had a remarkable turnaround. He sort of took the "comeback kid" label away from me. (Laughter.) But he sounded quite good. And in answer to your question, I don't know when we're going to meet again. But he is going to have some folks coming over here to see us. And Vice President Gore is going soon to Moscow -- I think within a week, a week to 10 days -- to take up his regular meetings with Prime Minister Chernomyrdin. So whatever we need to deal with in the near term we'll probably use that channel as we normally do. Q: Are you prepared for your Whitewater testimony on Sunday, and how do you feel about another session? THE PRESIDENT: Fine. Q: Mr. President, a question about campaign contributions. Your administration has been very critical of Senator Dole for accepting a lot of money from the tobacco industry. Yet, there is an article today in the Wall Street Journal saying that the DNC had accepted a lot of money from tobacco industries and had kind of been channeling it out to the Democratic state parties. Is there any difference in Dole accepting money from the tobacco industries and your administration? THE PRESIDENT: Well, first of all, look at what I have said. What I seek to highlight is the difference in our policies. There is also a huge difference -- I mean, it's roughly, I think, a five to one difference in the ratio of contributions. I think over 80 percent of their money, I believe, is the tobacco industry's money I believe has gone to Republicans. And what I've been critical of is the apparent impact of this. We have evidence of the Republican Party chairman calling state Republican officials around the country, when the Republicans out in the country are thinking about doing the responsible things, to restrict access of young people to tobacco and urging them not to do certain things. And we had the repeated opposition of Senator Dole to what we're trying to do to restrict the advertising of tobacco products to children and the distribution of them, and going to areas where he thinks there will be a receptive audience for that and attacking my policies. So what I think is, you know, we have an open and free country and people who are citizens should be able to contribute to whomever they wish. But when you see a pattern of contributions and then a dramatic difference in the policies, it is the policies and their impact on the American people that I'm most concerned about. And the American people should look at where I stand and where he stands and they should decide whether they agree with us. Then because all the contributions are reported, they can decide whether they think the contributions have anything to do with the policy position. That's how I think it ought to be analyzed. (end transcript) --------------- --------------- FREE OFFER FROM PUBLISHER "CLIP" NEWS SERVICE INEWS DAILY IS NOW AVAILABLE THROUGH E-MAIL FREE TRIAL LOW COST ROYALTY FREE REPRODUCTION RIGHTS AVAILABLE International News E-Wire Service (INEWS) is an English language daily, covering news of the world. INEWS provides up-to-date and accurate world news. 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