This document is from the collections at the Dole Archives, University of Kansas. http://dolearchives.ku.edu only to have his body snatched on arrival in • POLITICS Washington by the Democratic cavemen leading Congress. To win in '96, the theory goes, Clinton needs to restore his centrist soul and create some distance between his politics and his party. "Triangulation," it is called among his advisers, though on the Stomping on Principle Hill the preferred term is "striangulation." The disgust in Congress and the pros­ Clinton and Dole: Just because we said it doesn't mean we meant it pect of headlines about the Helurn of the Waffler were enough to send Clinton By NANCY GIBBS 1996; the President had found a theme, at battles with Newt Gingrich's bloodthirsty somersaulting again in a press conference. least one to strum with a high-tax-bracket G.O.P. troops to endure a betrayal by their He argued that he did not actually regret the TONEMENT IS AN ANCIENT AND ART­ crowd. He had first marketed it a few days own President. "He can shove it," an angry tax hike he had just renounced. What he ful tradition in Washington, when earlier during a speech in Williamsburg, House Democrat said in a closed-door meant to say, he painfully explained, was politicians kneel to confess their Virginia, before the Business Rourtdtable. meeting of the House Democratic Whip or­ that nobody likes raising taxes. And if he was faults and promise to sin no more. To get hiS plan through Congress, he told the ganization. "I've resigned myself to the fact misunderstood, if his listeners could not get AMaybe it was the example ofhun­ corporate chieftains, he had to "raise your that he won't stand [up] for anything." the subtlety of his argument, then he should dreds of thousands of men converging on taxes more and cut spending less than I From the Democrats' perspective, not have said it. Though this was not much the capital in a call to genuine repentance wanted to, which made a lot of you furious." Clinton's Hip-flop on taxes couldn't possi­ comfort to his allies on Capitol Hill, Clinton that inspired President Clinton and Boh He got away with it that time, taking credit bly have come at a worse time, when the spokesman Mike McCurry maintains that Dole to do some penance themselves last for pushing through a brave budget without Senate Finance Committee was passing a congressional Democrats should stop whin­ .•.. ,. week. But in their case, the gestures of tal<ing the blame for the very ingredients $245 billion tax cut and the House was ing. "It works for them to be against the apology wound up looking more shameful Republican plan," McCurry says. "They than the original sin. don't have to have a plan themselves. But In what some Democrats now con­ that's not good enough for the President of sider a pathological pattern, Clinton dis­ the U.S. They don't realize Clinton has tanced himself from an achievement he bought them a lot of space by making a had long defended: the 1993 budget deal powerful argument against the Republican he sold as a valiant attempt to cut the deficit, Medicare cuts. They should grow up." lower interest rates and make the tax sys­ For the beleaguered Democrats, the tem more progressive. What looked cour­ only consolation in the spectacle of Clinton ageous two years ago was looking costly teetering on the balance beam was the sight last week when Clinton stood before a well­ of Bob Dole throwing out his back on the heeled crowd of donors in Houston. And so uneven bars. Having months ago pandered he abandoned text and principle and ad­ to his party's right flank by returning a con­ Jibbed a confession. "Probably there are tribution from a gay Republican group, people in this room still mad at me at that Dole astonished both friends and foes budget because you think I raised your tax­ Tuesday by announcing to Ohio reporters es too much," he said. "It might surprise you that he was going to accept the contribution to know I think I raised them too much too." after all. Dole's campaign manager Scott But it was not really my fault, the Pres­ Reed had returned the contribution from ident explained. Clinton managed to blame the Log Cabin Republicans in August, a the Republicans, even though they had campaign insider explained, in the belief voted unanimously against the budget plan, that once conservatives found out about it as well as members of his own party, even and complained, he would have to reject though he nearly twisted arms out of sock­ it anyway. So he acted early to avoid any ets to get their support. It was because the messy headlines. Now here was Dole re­ c.o.P. leaders refused to help him pass a versing the decision, blaming his staff for leaner budget plan, Clinton suggested, that the "mistake" and tidying up in a Clinton­ he was forced to make a deal with profligate like way: he would take the money after all, Democrats to win the votes he needed. Dole said, but he would not take any more. Never mind that his crusade had cost Republicans grumbled that Dole can some fatally loyal Democrats their jobs. that made it brave in the first place. But pushing thtough its plan to downsize Medi­ hardly dub Clinton an invertebrate while "I can't tell you what was on the President's sooner or later, he was bound to be cited care by $270 billion. Though Clinton has he himself wiggles between principles. In a mind," says Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, for a moving violation. "We missed it," ad­ vowed to veto the Medicare bill, Democrats Wall Street journal essay, Gingrich booster the freshman Democrat who became noto­ mitted a senior White House official, after in Congress have no faith he will stand firm and political augurist Arianna Huffington rious back home for casting the deciding Clinton went further in Houston. "We a few weeks from now, when either a deal called Clinton a "counterfeit" and Dole a vote and lost her seat as a result. "The only should have caught it, but we didn't." gets made or the government shuts down "composite-a collage of positions deter­ thing I can tell you is what he said to me With a little help from Reuter and the for lack of money. At that point, they predict, mined by polling data and focus groups," on the night of the vote, and that was that Washington Times, the c.o.P. certainly did; the President will buckle and accept a plan and predicted that in a matchup, the coun­ without this, the country would have come commercials were on the air by the end that hits the Democrats' core constituencies: terfeit would win. The idea of that choi ce to a screeching halt." And never mind that of the week. Republican Party chairman the elderly, the poor, labor, minorities. helps explain why voters tired of gamey Clinton had actually proposed even more Haley Barbour correctly called Clinton's Some Democrats thought they spotted party politics ache for the only candidate spending in his 1993 "stimulus package" version of events "a preposterous fairy tale." the fingerprints of Clinton's stealth G.O.P. who has yet to say whether he belongs to a and even bigger tax increases: $359 bil­ But his gleeful indignation was nothing adviser Dick Morris, who brought to the party at all. -Reported by James Carney, ' lion, vs. the $258 finally approved. compared with the fury of Democrats on White House the theory that Clinton, a New Michael Duffy and KJtron Tumulty/Washlntlon That was then, and this is campaign the Hill, who were too bruised from their Democrat reformer, was elected President 60 TIME, OCTOBER 30 , 1995 59 l ... ' .. ~ . Nothing can quite explain the remarkable ~oinci- ¥ - : • • _ • ·_;:t. ,, .. ~ ·- ' . - dence that here in the prairie town . ci_(.Russell, ·~ ; •. :.. ' Dean Banker, who department store,' ~·· . .. tge 0ater. Maybe, he · .