As Campaign '98 winds down, conventional pundit wisdom assumes that the Monica Lewinsky scandal will not matter at the polls. In the grand national scheme, perhaps that's true, but there are races in which it could have an effect: The Clinton sex scandal is an issue for many of the 31 House Democrats who voted for an impeachment inquiry. Their fates could reveal Monica's ultimate impact.
Rep. Charles W. Stenholm, D-Texas, led the Democratic push for an impeachment inquiry but still finds himself in a tough fight for re-election, forced to run radio ads emphasizing how he differs from the president. From the ads: "Charlie Stenholm is a man of deep personal faith who believes in telling the truth every time, all the time. Charlie Stenholm is also known for his independence, like the time earlier this year when he took on the president and organized a successful override of a veto to repeal an important military project in our district." (Houston Chronicle, 10/25)
Rep. Ellen O. Tauscher, D-Calif., is another incumbent to watch on election night. Facing a tough challenger who has repeatedly used the scandal against her, this self-styled "pro-business" Democrat is weathering the Monica storm, according to John King of the San Francisco Chronicle. If Tauscher is a "bellwether" of scandal impact, he wrote, then "Democrats can relax. Bill Clinton has made them do a lot of explaining, but he hasn't torpedoed their chances." (10/27)
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., has a different problem with his vote for an impeachment inquiry: He thinks it could hurt him. With calls to his office running 10-to-1 against his impeachment stance, Moran recently invited 65 Democratic activists to his office to "let them vent." Moran said his pro-inquiry vote cost him the assistance of party workers who put up yard signs, monitor the polls and distribute literature. Still, he has a wide lead over his opponent. Moran on his backing of the GOP inquiry: "I would have done the same thing if this were December and the election was already over, or if it were a neck-and-neck race." (Richmond Times-Dispatch, 10/18)
The Year of the Other Woman
Democratic women elected to the Senate in 1992's "Year of the Woman" have been widely criticized for keeping mostly mum on Clinton's personal troubles. Instead, they've tried to change the subject. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., is holding firm despite predictions of her demise, thanks to a feisty campaign targeting her GOP opponent, state Treasurer Matt Fong, on such hot-button issues as gun control and abortion. Boxer is winding up her campaign with a fierce assault on Fong's contribution of $50,000, from one of his political campaign accounts, to a group that opposes abortion rights. Boxer: "Fong's contribution shows that not only is he out of the mainstream, he is part of the extreme. . . . You write a check to a hate group, you're making a statement." (Associated Press, 10/27)
Democratic strategist Pat Caddell: "On the Clinton issue, she's suffering. Men in this state are very, very negative to her, and right now she's campaigning to win back as many women." (The Big Show, MSNBC, 10/26)
Abortion also figures into Washington Democratic Sen. Patty Murray's re-election equation. The National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League began running ads in the final days of the campaign to counter Republican Linda Smith's attacks on Murray.
The Family Research Council's Gary Bauer and other conservatives have long blasted Murray in hopes that Clinton's troubles would bring her down. NARAL president Kate Michelman: "Once again, we see Gary Bauer and his group attempting to influence the outcome of the election with ads misrepresenting the choice issue and his group's extreme agenda." (NARAL news release, 10/23)
Most pundits see no chance for Sen. Carol Moseley-Braun, D-Ill, to win. The Clinton scandal hasn't helped, but Moseley-Braun faces a number of ethics questions and other problems. She embraced Hillary Clinton's campaign help in the final days, and was "all smiles" during the first lady's two-day visit to Chicago. Hillary Clinton told a rally of Chicago Democrats, "We only have 45 Democratic senators. . . . If we lose even one, we are that much closer to a situation in which we cannot stop the Republican majority from working their will on the people of this country, particularly working their will on the women of this country." (Chicago Tribune, 10/24)
That Lieberman Lift
Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman, D-Conn., is a "hot property," thanks to his fiery Sept. 3 speech condemning President Clinton's relationship with Lewinsky. Democratic candidates around the country have been inviting Lieberman to campaign with them, hoping to "distance themselves" from the scandal. On Lieberman's schedule in the final week of the 1998 races: Connecticut, New Jersey, Minnesota, New York, Kentucky and Nevada. (Connecticut Post, Bridgeport, 10/27) Lieberman Chief of Staff Bill Andresen on the impact of his boss's Senate floor speech: "It makes him a bigger draw because he is a little bit better known. We got a number of calls after the speech. It did raise his visibility." (Associated Press, 10/27)
Back in the GOP Fold
After threatening to bolt from the Republicans over budget priorities, influential religious conservative James Dobson is now urging his flock to return to the GOP fold on Election Day. The Focus on the Family president credits the Clinton scandal for his change of heart. "It is my recommendation that power be given again to Republicans, primarily because of the Clinton affair," said Dobson, whose radio ministry reaches 5 million listeners each day. Dobson said that by supporting the Republican Party, he hopes to protect the candidates he considers "true conservatives," such as Sen. John D. Ashcroft, R-Mo. (The [Colorado Springs] Gazette, 10/22)
Keith's Big Crisis
The Monica scandal has prompted at least one television anchor to consider abandoning political coverage: Keith Olbermann, host of MSNBC's White House in Crisis and The Big Show. Peter Johnson of USA Today reported that Olbermann wants out of the nightly grind. Olbermann complains that the cable channel's executives "make him focus" on the White House scandal-the same scandal that has given his shows a big ratings bump. Privately, "some suspect Olbermann is sick of news, itching to get back into sports, and Fox is interested." (10/27)
J.R., in Clinton's Corner
Former Dallas star Larry Hagman, in London to promote the opening of the Clintonesque film Primary Colors, told British reporters the scandal has made him more supportive of the president.
Hagman: "I've got nothing against Bill Clinton. This Monica Lewinsky business is bull----. Mr. Clinton may not be the best of husbands. But he's been a good president. I've met him several times and I believe he's a decent man. I wasn't a particular supporter until this latest mess. Now I'm with him all the way. It's a mystery to me why the United States seems to be going out of its way to make itself a global laughingstock. I should think the good people of Britain can't believe the nonsense coming out of Washington at the moment." (London Daily Mirror, 10/27)
Hollywood Babble On
Rolling Stone has asked "the most credible minds in the culture" for their feelings on the scandal. A few responses:
Stevie Wonder: "Ten years ago, people were screaming about the explicit lyrics in rap music. Today, with great satisfaction and perfect ease, those same people have no problem putting explicit information on the Internet or any other form of mass media. . . . I'm glad I'm blind and can't see it."
Jack Nicholson: "The degree to which [Clinton] is able to wear his heart on his sleeve . . . is somehow more impressive to me than the negative side of all this. . . . If he can withstand this, it's a tribute to his power, his strength. I don't know how anyone can stand up as well as he has."
Will Smith: "Even though he may have done something that is completely inappropriate, Bill is a representative of the strength and power of this nation, so I take it personally when someone defiles that."
Melissa Etheridge: "It's time we realize we're all human. And that white, middle-aged men are not more perfect than anybody else. It's unfortunate the president lied, but I understand."
Susan Sarandon: "People aren't outraged that if you're poor, you can't afford a good education, that you can't get a hot meal. Dealing with problems on that scale is a far more significant test of morals than anything involved in this."
Jimmy Buffett: "You go out into the country, nobody gives a s--- about this. It's football season and hunting season in America, and they're more concerned about the economy than they are Monica Lewinsky, but the press just refuses to believe that. . . . So if it were up to me? I would book Bill Clinton vs. Ken Starr in a cage match in World Championship Wrestling and use the money to pay for education or something that is really important."
Waylon Jennings: "I think it's time we had a woman in the office. . . . A woman lacks one thing that a male has, and that's male ego. Which, of course, also gets in a man's way."
Lou Reed: "Who in their right mind would want to be president, except some lunatic who doesn't drink, doesn't smoke, who doesn't have sex?" (11/12 issue)
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