THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, January 26, 1995 TAG: 9501260395
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TONY WHARTON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 127 lines
In urging Americans to become better citizens Tuesday night, President Bill Clinton touched on an issue that cuts to the core of democracy and potentially to the credibility of his presidency.
``Our civil life is suffering,'' Clinton said near the beginning of the State of the Union speech to Congress. ``Citizens are working together less, shouting at each other more. The common bonds of community which have been the great strength of this country from its beginning are badly frayed.''
Clinton's theme is one that is being discussed by a widening circle, but until Tuesday it was largely confined to academia and think tanks.
In a nutshell, the question being considered is this: Is democracy most at risk from the inside, because people are shouting moreand talking less, because too many are acting more out of self-interest than the common good, because people simply don't even know their neighbors?
Americans should shoulder their civic responsibilities and have the courage to act for the common good, Clinton said. The question, some on the forefront of the debate wonder, is whether he can follow through as well.
At one point Clinton seemed to make community the main thrust of his address, saying, ``That is what I want to talk to you about tonight. . . . All Americans have not just a right, but a responsibility to rise as far as their God-given talents and determination can take them, and to give something back to their communities and their country in return. Opportunity and responsibility go hand-in-hand.''
Most press accounts took little notice of those parts of Clinton's speech, focusing instead on how the new Republican majority in Congress received him, how far he might be retreating from previous positions, and whether he ``won or lost'' in the polls.
But the re-examination of America's public life appears to be gathering steam. It has focused sharply since 1988, when the bitter presidential election convinced some observers that American politics was failing to serve voters.
The concern about public involvement has been driven, too, by evidence of less social participation: Membership in PTAs nationally has dropped from 12 million in 1964 to about 7 million today. Membership in the League of Women Voters has dropped 42 percent since 1969, and the Red Cross has reported 61 percent fewer volunteers since 1970.
The Clinton White House has been exploring the subject through its ``Reinventing Citizenship Project,'' coordinated with the Center for Democracy and Citizenship at the University of Minnesota and with other groups.
White House officials, especially William Galston, deputy assistant for domestic policy, have met with authorities on citizenship from across the country, starting last January. A report on those early meetings said, ``The point was to explore how to begin creating a partnership between citizens and government, building on President Clinton's rhetoric; and to look at strategies for invigorating public life, generally.''
Michael Lerner, the editor of a magazine called Tikkun, is one of the White House's most prominent sources of thinking on citizenship. He has been talking with the Clinton administration since its first days.
Lerner, however, is dissatisfied with Clinton's performance.
``This is very similar to themes from his campaign,'' Lerner said of the State of the Union address. ``He's been very powerful when he's been able to talk about transcending the ethos of selfishness in American society and reinvigorating public life.
``But he has a tremendous credibility problem. When Clinton looks out on the world, he has this division within himself, like everyone else, between the part that wants to look to his highest visions and ideals, and the part that says he can't look to that, he'd better look to his self-interest, which is popularity and polls.''
Tuesday, Clinton said: ``Our common ground is shifting out from under us. The PTA, the town hall meeting, the ballpark - it's hard for many overworked Americans to find the time and space for the things that strengthen the bonds of trust and cooperation among citizens.''
Some Virginians addressed similar concerns during a series of community conversations held last year by The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star. Although the conversations focused on crime and punishment, the citizens participating said there were deeper problems.
``Our community looks like the biggest shopping center and bedrooms in the world, and I feel alienated,'' said Kim Cook, a psychotherapist in Arlington. ``There's no community. Every one of us owns that big house in the suburbs.''
Dr. Alvin Harris, a physician in Franklin, said: ``I think one of the major problems we run into is how do you convince people to buy into American citizenship. . . . The real solution is for all of us to become better citizens and try to relate to those people in our community in a better way, in a more positive way.''
Robert D. Putnam, director of the Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, wrote recently that Americans are engaging in fewer church groups, fewer PTAs, and even fewer bowling leagues.
He argues this is a potential threat to democracy. The quality of government, he said, is ``determined by longstanding traditions of civic engagement, or its absence.''
Until now, many of these issues have been discussed primarily by universities, foundations, newspapers and city halls. Magazines like the Kettering Review, the Journal of Democracy and Tikkun regularly feature articles on the decline in citizenship.
Clinton's speech is one of the first times the issues have been addressed so publicly.
Lerner, from Tikkun magazine, contrasted Clinton's advocacy of citizenship with Jimmy Carter's ``malaise'' and George Bush's ``1,000 points of light.''
``Clinton is not saying the American people are screwed up,'' Lerner said. ``That is the central thing most people heard from Jimmy Carter. That's a very important difference. He's not saying, `You've failed.'
``There would have been a great deal of similarity with Bush, had Bush been serious about that and been willing to use his administration and his office to help people coordinate their volunteering.''
The White House and others said Clinton will probably talk more about these issues. Jay Rosen, director of the Project on Public Life and the Press at New York University, said he would like to see Clinton push the national debate.
``Clinton should be thinking far more dramatically than he's thinking now,'' Rosen said. ``Rather than thinking about how to deal with the Republicans, he should be going in a whole new direction and thinking about creating a national dialogue on serious issues that gets us somewhere, such as reinvigorating citizenship.
``People are looking for something else than what they're getting from national politics. It's a recognition that government is not necessarily the solution to all political problems.'' ILLUSTRATION: ASSOCIATED PRESS
President Clinton, Vice President Gore and House Speaker Newt
Gingrich applaud Congressional Medal of Honor winner Jack Lucas.
KEYWORDS: DEMOCRARY CITIZENSHIP CIVIC BOWLING ALONE by CNB