Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, April 24, 1993 TAG: 9304240086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: WARREN FISKE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
They also expect to play a little golf.
The president and Hillary Rodham Clinton are expected to arrive by helicopter at 9 a.m. at the Kingsmill resort, a site chosen for its high security and proximity to Washington. The Clintons are scheduled to leave at 11 p.m. for Camp David. No news conferences or public events are scheduled.
The Democratic senators, including Charles Robb of Virginia, arrived by bus around noon Friday and are scheduled to return to Washington on Sunday.
The meeting comes at an important juncture because the administration, which will pass its 100-day milestone next week, suffered an embarrassing setback Wednesday when Democrats abandoned a $16.3 billion jobs bill after failing to break a Republican filibuster.
Many political scientists and Democratic senators say Clinton needs to reach out to moderate Republicans on key parts of his legislative agenda, including health care, national service and campaign finance reform.
Clinton acknowledged as much at a White House news conference Friday, saying he did not have an "adequate strategy" for dealing with Republicans.
The president gave himself good marks overall Friday for his first 100 days in office.
"We are moving in the right direction," he said.
"It's amazing how much has been done" in his presidency, Clinton said. He cited swift congressional passage of a $500 billion deficit-reduction plan, his adoption of an environmental policy "dramatically different" from the Reagan-Bush era and his proposals for tough voluntary standards for schools. He also noted work on health care, welfare reform, political finance and lobbying reform plans.
"More will be done," he promised at his second full-dress news conference since taking office.
Clinton is expected to spend a good part of today briefing senators on his health care plan, for which he has yet to release cost figures.
"Democratic senators are a little worried about how the president is planning to handle health care," said William Schneider, a political scientist with the American Enterprise Institute. "They want to be reassured that the program is on track and that it won't require a whole list of new taxes."
A spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell, D-Maine, said the three-day meeting has been an annual event for Democrats since 1987.
Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press.
by CNB