Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 31, 1993 TAG: 9301310083
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: The New York Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
CLINTON SHIFTS FOCUS
Anxious to move beyond a fight over homosexuals in the military that President Clinton felt was forced on him prematurely, the administration plans an aggressive campaign in February to focus on the middle-class issues, like health care, that helped Clinton win election.The president has acknowledged that he fell short of his goal when he accepted a compromise on Friday allowing the ban on homosexuals to remain largely in place for six months.
But in the wake of the agreement, White House officials made it clear that they considered the gay ban a peripheral issue, and now plan to turn the discussion to health care, the economy and restructuring the welfare system.
Even though the issue looms as another potential problem in six months, administration officials say they're confident that voters demand no more from the president than that he stand by his principles.
"To even suggest you're going to win on an issue like this is crazy," said George Stephanopoulos, the White House communications director. "All you can hope to do is limit your losses."
Beginning with a meeting this week on health care with the nation's governors and leading up to State of the Union speech on the economy Feb. 17, Clinton hopes to persuade the public to forget his stumbling start and think instead about issues that surveys show continue to resonate with voters.
"You'll see action on ideas like health care, welfare reform, reciprocal service and the responsibility of people to give something to their country," said one close Clinton adviser. "All of that is solid middle-class, value-based agenda."
If this approach works, his advisers hope that most Americans will have trouble remembering the name of Zoe Baird, his failed nominee for attorney general, let alone the battles lost with Sen. Sam Nunn and Gen. Colin Powell over the ban on homosexuals.
The first order of business will be to win congressional passage of the family- and medical-leave measure that Bush vetoed and that Clinton has pledged to sign. That measure is expected to be voted on in the House and Senate this week.