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Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: cool who wrote (7324)	9/29/1998 10:51:00 AM
From: Who, me?	Respond to of 13994

<<Most of America seems to agree--->> But what do likely voters think? Run against Newt To survive in November, desperate Democrats will try to attack Gingrich By Jay Severin MSNBC CONTRIBUTOR Sept. 28 - This is now a two-front war. Did you notice the troubled ship Clinton come about on the Impeachment Sea during the weekend? While the president's team will continue to fire at Ken Starr, they have trained their biggest guns on a new primary target: Newt Gingrich. The Democrats have about 35 days to make their case. And if they don't, their president —and their agenda — fall down and go boom. What's a desperate Democrat to do? Blame Newt, of course. THIS CRUCIAL TACTICAL move confirms Bill Clinton's correct belief that his prospects for impeachment will be decided not by lawyers or even by politicians, but by voters on election day. Says former Clinton White House chief of staff Leon Panetta: “This election is going to tell us a lot more what happens here with regard to the impeachment process than the impeachment process itself. If the Republicans win seats, I think that's trouble for the president.” Yes, one might call it “trouble.” One might more precisely call it “calamity.” The Democrats have about 35 days to make their case. And if they don't, their president —and their agenda — fall down and go boom. What's a desperate Democrat to do? Blame Newt, of course. On Sunday's edition of “Meet the Press,” Clinton enforcer James Carville declared his second war of the year: “Carville will be rolling into battle against Newt Gingrich, because Newt Gingrich is in charge of this entire investigation,” he said. There you have the entire Democrat party election strategy. Why gamble the election sweepstakes and the president's fate on an anti-Newt campaign? Because Gingrich is an easy and reliable target. With Clinton's supposedly high job approval rating, why not make it a naked referendum on impeachment: “Save Bill Clinton. Vote Democrat”? Team Clinton knows to beware of bogus polls. The fabled Republican backlash — voters turning against Republican candidates because of Ken Starr's tactics — has not materialized. And among Americans most likely to vote on election day, Bill Clinton and the Democrats are in very serious trouble. Consider these findings from the latest New York Times/CBS News poll of people most likely to vote in November. And remember that polls of people most likely to vote show some significant differences from standard opinion polls that sample the views of the general public. Preference for Congress: Democratic candidate: 41 percent; Republican candidate: 53 percent. Clinton Job Performance: Approve: 48 percent; Disapprove: 49 percent. What Should Congress do?: Impeach Clinton: 50 percent; Drop the matter: 28 percent. Thus must Democrats try their best to make this election a referendum on Newt Gingrich, not Bill Clinton. But given the nature and magnitude of the Clinton scandal, that is easier said than done. And even if they succeed, there is surely no guarantee it will work for them. Indeed, as most voters are fundamentally in favor of less government and lower taxes — the GOP mantra — the Democratic strategy risks creating the first real backlash of this event, against Democrats. Here's what a senior Massachusetts Democratic Sen. John Kerry has to say about Clinton's new attack-the-Republicans tactic: “I don't think that was advisable.” No, probably not. In the end, the president can survive only if Republican whip Tom DeLay speaks only for himself, or at least a minority, in saying, “I don't read the polls. I read the Constitution.”