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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1993)
Clinton’s hedging on promises no surprise 1 could have told you that this was going to happen. The 43 million Americans who voted for Clinton have been played for the biggest suckers in recent political his tory. The 57 million who voted for Bush or Perot will have to pay for it. The amazing thing is not that Clinton is turning out to be a fraud, but the amazing rapidity it is occurring. He wasn’t even sworn in when talk of backsliding on promises began. Sena tor Daniel Moynihan (D-NY) noted that the “clatter of promises being thrown out the window” resounded throughout the capital last week. The long litany of betrayal began with Clinton’s economic team — Bentsen of Treasury and Panctla of OMB—calling for a rethinking of the middle-class lax cut. Pancua, a critic of Clinton’s economic proposals in the campaign, even hinted at a lax hike for the middle class. All this despite Clinton’s promise in the East Lansing debate not to do so. Clinton himself told reporters in Little Rock, Ark. that he would sub mit a “revised” package to Congress. All those wi^ voted for Clinton be cause they thought he would give them more money can kiss it good bye. Closely related to taxes is the prom ise to halve the budget deficit by 1996. Figures from the While House last week showed a deficit in 1998 at The 43 million Americans who voted for Clinton have been played for the biggest suckers in recent political history. $309 billion compared to earlier pro jections in the $240 billion range. Clinton’s advisers began crying foul, even though Clinton’s own numbers during the campaign showed a $426 billion shortfall in ’98 as well. Clinton’s promise to submit an economic plan to Congress before his inauguration also goes unfulfilled as of this writing. He is also lagging behind on staff appointments, a deadly sign which could paralyze his effec tiveness. When the staff is appointed, Clinton will go back on a promise to cut the While House staff by 25 per cent. Clinton’s promise to hold hisCabi net appointments to the highest stan dard of ethics possible is also in shambles. Commerce Secretary-des ignate Ron Brown faces conflict-of interest charges stemming from his law firm’s representation of “Baby Doc” Duvalier of Haiti and BCCI. Warren Christopher, Secretary of State-designate, has been accused of lying to Congress in 1977 about his knowledge of the Johnson Administration’s spying on radical protest groups in the late ’60s. Lying to Congress was what the Iran-Contra scandal was all about, wasn’t it? So where arc the cries for a special pros ecutor? Zoe Baird, Clinton’s choice for Attorney General, hired illegal Peru vian immigrants as nanniesand failed to pay their Social Security taxes. She settled with the government only weeks ago. Her actions came after the immigration reform law, which re quires employers to check the immi gration status of prospective employ ees. Again, where arc the calls for a special prosecutor? Nowhere to be found, although House Minority Whip Newt Gingrich has called for Baird to withdraw her name from consider ation. What little Clinton said about for cign policy suffers as well. He de plored the Bush Administration’s policy of repatriating Haitians and promised to change it if elected. After reading the election results, thousands of Haitians began building boats; 400 reportedly died when their boat sank. Clinton now has said he will continue Bush’s policy “tempo rarily.” The press that elected Clinton is beginning to smell a rat, with newspa per analyscsand Sunday-morning talk ing-head shows all reflecting the bc ginningsofa massive disillusionment. I am not surprised, nor am I disil lusioned. 1 expected this. To those who say “Well, all politicians break promises,” I reply “You’re right.” The thing with Clinton was his inces sant repetition of how change would do away with politics as usual, and how his detailed policies would be implemented swiftly and speedily. He raised America’s expectations, only to dash them on the rocky shoals of reality. It sets a disturbing pattern, one which will paralyze his presidency sooner than most — I give him until Labor Day. The end result may well be that four years from this day, on Jan. 20,1997, Bill Clinton will be an onlooker at the next inauguration. Kepfidd is a graduate student in history, an alumnus of the UNL College of Law, and a Daily Nebraskan columnist. South Padre Island “> Padre rReiitalSA Weal Estate N"| Fiesta Plaza at the foot of the bridge P.0. 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