
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, April 27, 1993                   TAG: 9304270028
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: NEW YORK                                LENGTH: Medium

POLL: AFTER 100 DAYS, SUPPORT MIXED

As President Clinton nears his 100th day in office, almost half of Americans in an Associated Press poll say he already has broken promises too often. But about the same number consider him a strong leader.

The leadership measure could be crucial for a president trying to push an agenda of change after winning only 43 percent of the vote in November. Those polled regard Clinton as a strong leader 49 percent to 37 percent, with the rest unsure.

The poll comes as virtually every political group in Washington is offering a 100-day report card on the new administration.

Congressional Republicans joined in the fray Monday, offering an advance report card - and video - of President Clinton's first 100 days in office Monday, savaging him as a tax-happy liberal even as they pledged cooperation in the second hundred days. GOP leaders painted Clinton as abandoning centrist campaign positions to curry favor with Democratic liberals and said his economic proposals raised spending too much and cut the deficit too little.

But in the poll, more Americans than not say Clinton has set the right tone for his administration, by 44 percent to 40 percent. But 48 percent say he already has broken his promises too often, compared with 34 percent who say he has kept his promises up to this point.

The poll indicates that a quarter of those critical of broken promises still respect Clinton's leadership. People who voted for him are much less likely than others to fault him for breaking promises, but nearly one-fourth are withholding judgment or have a mixed assessment, the poll found.

The national telephone poll of 1,014 adults was taken April 16-20 by ICR Survey Research Group of Media, Pa., part of AUS Consultants. Results have a margin of sampling error of 3 percentage points.

Clinton complained Sunday that it was "just not realistic" to expect that he could have moved on all his campaign commitments in his first 100 days. "That's why you get a four-year term, not a three-month term," he said.

Nonetheless the White House has weighed in with its own assessment of the Clinton's first-100-day accomplishments, a slick, 32-page brochure. White House Communications Director George Stephanopoulos said the administration so far has printed 2,000 copies of "Season of America's Renewal: First 100 Days" at a cost to taxpayers of $5,225.

by CNB