Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 28, 1993 TAG: 9302280073
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
CLINTON GETTING SOME NEW FANS
DURING LAST FALL'S campaign, the newspaper reported on how five local families made their decisions on voting for president. Now we're asking them how they think President Clinton is doing.
Although neither Jeannette Hayes nor her husband, Robert, voted for Bill Clinton in November, five weeks into his presidency they're both giving him thumbs up.
Clinton has moved quickly on what the First of five parts Hayeses believe are several major issues - Cabinet appointments, health care and tax reforms.
On one hand, that pleases Robert Hayes, who felt the country was eager to start fresh under a new administration. But Clinton's fast pace also worries him, because he doesn't think it allows time to thoroughly think things through.
The Hayeses said they think Clinton is savvy about people.
"He knows how to get the people involved and get them on his side. I like that a lot. That's one thing that hurt George Bush. He didn't appeal to the people," Hayes said, although he voted for Bush.
The Hayeses said they also find Clinton's receptiveness refreshing. Although he was interested in Ross Perot during last year's campaign, Hayes said he feared Perot would not be open to others' ideas.
"But Clinton is not like that," Hayes said. "He's quick to say, `If you don't like my idea, what would you like better?' But he makes them accountable. They can say they don't like his plan, but they have to have one of their own to replace it."
Both Hayeses said they like Clinton's willingness to admit his errors and, when he's wrong, to step back and rethink his position.
"I think it shows a human side," Jeannette Hayes said. "It seems like he's made a lot of mistakes in a short time. But he's got a tough job. Every move he makes is televised or written about, and a lot more people are watching. Maybe he's not making more mistakes; maybe we're just seeing them more."
Some moves the Hayeses considered mistakes include Clinton's tackling the issue of gays in the military so quickly; nominating Zoe Baird, who later admitted hiring illegal aliens as household workers, for attorney general; and discouraging Kimba Wood from seeking the same post after she admitted she'd done the same thing.
"That's what I mean about not thinking things through," Robert Hayes said.
But the Hayeses said they appreciate Clinton's making extra efforts to diversify his Cabinet. Although they don't feel they know a lot about the individuals, they're generally pleased with Clinton's appointments, including that of his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to head his health care task force.
They said they'd like more information about the specifics of Clinton's economic plan. They watched both of his televised speeches and read several accounts of them. But questions, especially about how they would be affected by proposed tax changes, remain.
"One area I feel really strongly about is making sure the cuts are done before any taxes are raised. There's so much deadwood in the government," Robert Hayes said.
Jeannette Hayes, who voted for Perot, said she felt sure he would have cut a lot of fat from government had he won. She and her husband said they think Clinton recognizes Perot as an unofficial force in his administration.
Robert Hayes noted that Secretary of State Warren Christopher seems to be handling most international interactions, with Clinton merely keeping tabs. The Hayeses said they like that arrangement for now, because they think domestic issues deserve priority. And they don't think resolving those issues will be easy.
"Clinton's got a lot of great ideas. I worry about if he'll be able to get the support and backing he'll need from Congress and the legislators and people to carry them out, though," Robert Hayes said.
"Reality is going to be the real test," Jeannette Hayes said. "It's coming out now that Clinton made a lot of promises during his campaign that weren't realistic - like cutting the budget without raising taxes. He seems to have thought he could do things no one had ever done before."
Jeannette Hayes, a broker assistant for Merrill Lynch, recalled how she watched the stock market fluctuate after each of Clinton's speeches. She said she felt the swings reflected how many people, including she and her husband, feel about the Clinton administration.
"People want to feel good, but they're afraid to. They're skeptical, especially about the tax issue and how it's going to affect them," she said.