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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (July 8, 1993)
By The Associated Press Edited by deft Singer NEWS DIGEST Nebraskan Thursday, July 8,1903 Clinton seeks alliance TOKYO — Absent the reliable Soviet bogeyman, President Clinton is banking on a desperate desire for economic growth to bind the world’s wealthier democracies into a modern alliance. In his initial overseas mission, Clinton is bidding to become the first president to integrate economics into American foreign policy. Others have talked about promoting growth and creating new jobs, but Clinton is her alding nothing less than “a new era.” Economics - not the Cold War, an energy crisis, terrorism or the Chernobyl nuclear disaster - is actual ly the central issue at this week’s global economic meeting. Clinton proposes to keep the focus on it, the war in Bosnia-Hcr/cgovinaasidc,and to carry Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Canada into a new alliance with the United States that is committed to global economic growth. “The new global economy is here to stay,’’Clinton said. “We can’t wish it away. We can’t run from it.” It is a serious undertaking. The well-being of millions of people in both prosperous and poor countries could depend on the outcome of nego tiations to construct a modem trading arrangement with special attention to fast-growing Asia. “The West today faces a crisis of employment, of leadership, of will,” Robert D. Hormats, a former Assis tant Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, has observed. “The risk of nationalism, regionalism and frag mentation of a global economy in this post-Cold War period, arising as dis illusionment with the economic per formance of Western governments, political parlies and institutions, grows.” The challenge facing Clinton, the six other leaders and special guest Russian President Boris N. Yeltsin is to find remedies before breakouts of racial disorder and political extrem ism infect their democratic systems. It is a task more subtle and poten tially more dangerous than the Cold War competition that pilled West against East and provided a rallying cry for Clinton’s predecessors. Presidents before him besecchcd Americans and U.S. allies to join in a crusade against the Soviet Union, to contain communism and to be pre pared to fight and even to die in defense of democracies. The atom is intended to expand the world’s econ President Bill Clinton omy by up to $6 trillion over the next decade and create 2 million jobs in two years in a West experiencing chronic unemployment. Clinton is doing all this fully aware that his program must play well at home. He wants to crack open Japa nese markets for auto parts, agricul tural products and other American goods in a job-creating push to reduce American unemployment below the current 7 percent level. His pitch is that the United States can thrive only if Japan and Europe, particularly Germany, adopt free trade policies, lower their interest rales and pull together with America. Kerrey seen as OMAHA — Party loyalty isn t going to silence Bob Kerrey. The Democratic jun ior senator from Nebraska said he’s not trying to make enemies, but he’ll cooperate with the White House staff his way. “Their definition of cooperation is you vote with us every single time,” Kerrey said. Taking care to differentiate Presi dent Clinton from his staff, Kerrey said he’ll continue to speak out about issues important to him - deficit re duction, health care, culling the size of the federal government. “I would prefer not to make people angry,” Kerrey said in a recent inter view. But it is clear that if Kerrey’s views clash with Clinton’s, Kerrey will continue to air his opinions. When Kerrey’s primary challenge sputtered and Clinton won the Demo cratic nom i nation, the Nebraskan cam paigned for the Arkansas governor. Once Clinton took office and start ed proposingjobs programs and tax increases, Kerrey found himself again in the challenger’s role. As Clintonys S16 biIIion economic stimulus jobs bill headed for defeat in May, Kerrey was among a small group of Senate Democrats refusing to upport the measure. They said new government spend ing was not what citizens wantkl. As the budget debate began, Kerrey joined his Democratic colleague from Nebraska, Jim Exon, in fighting Ginton’s plan to tax energy. In the view of some members of the news media, Kerrey became a thorn in the administration’s side. The Wall Street Journal praised him in a column headlined “Maybe We Elected The Wrong New Demo crat.” New Republic magazine said in a cover story that Kerrey is a bigger problem for Clinton now than he ever was on the primary campaign trail. Kerrey said he was uncomfortable being cast as an opponent of the pres ident. And he hinted that there might be a difference between public per ception and reality. “I’ve been doing most of my talk ing and discussing with the adminis tration in private,,rsaid Kerrey, who is up for re-election next year. Horse gets caught in middle of sibling dispute Two brothers have been given ci tations after one allegedly struck the other’s horse w ith a car, and h is broth - cr retaliated by smashing the car’s roof. The Lancaster County Sheriff’s office said the incident stemmed from adispute about trespassing on proper ty owned by the men’s father. Jay Stems, 49, maintains the prop erty, authorities said. But Earl Stems, who lives on the west side of the road, told authorities he has the right to ride his horses on the land. Earl Sterns said he was doing just that about noon Saturday when his brother tried to run him down and hit the horse, Bruce reported. Jay Stems tola omcers ms orotner smashed the lop of his 1982 Chevrolet station wagon with a metal object tied to a rope, causing $250 in damage. Earl Stems admitted hitting the vehicle, reports indicated. He was cited for criminal mischief. Jay Stems was cited for third-de gree assault. Nelson to pay close attention to state flooding The water’s so deep in the Missou ri River that the Trident submarine USS Nebraska could probably travel to Nebraska City for its commission ing ceremony, Gov. Ben Nelson jok ingly said today. But Nelson, who leaves Friday for the ceremony in Connecticut, said that he’s keeping an eye on flooding in southeast Nebraska. Nelson said Pawnee County au thorities told him Tuesday night that a part of the Nebraska Highway 8 bridge southeast of Pawnee City col lapsed and fell into the south fork of the Big Nemaha River. Nelson said Nebraska’s flooding isn tas widespread as tnai in lowa and Illinois. But, he added that for the people in Falls City and Ruk) and Nebraska City, that’s little consolation. “As someone said, the aquifer is full, the reservoirs are full, the rivers are full, and so is my basement,” Nelson said. Perot support still strong WASHINGTON — Ross Perot’s supporters are ignoring entreaties from the major political parties to form a powerful “radical middle” in Ameri can politics anchored by a deep alien ation from government, according to a study released on Wednesday. The national survey of 1,200 Perot voters showed strong allegiance to Perot despite doubts about his own ability to serve as president and many policy differences within the Perot fconstituency. More than loyalty to Perot, the research attributed this solidarity to a distinct reluctance of these indepen dent-minded voters to align them selves with the Democratic or Repub lican parties. -44 (Perot supporters are) worried about a Republican Party preoccupied with abortion and the Christian right — Greenberg, Democratic Leadership Council -99 " The study was commissioned by the Democratic Leadership Council to help it map a strategy for Clinton to court Perot supporters. The poll and a seriesof subsequent “focus group” discussions with Perot supporters in California, Ohio and Maine showed many shared Clinton’s policy goals and were open to sup porting him - if he delivered on defi cit-reduction, welfare reform and other major promises. But it also showed Perot support ers arc skeptical that Clinton can pro ducc, that they are lull of doubts about his leadership abilities and experi ence and also deeply pessimistic that any president can tame Washington. “They fully expect a corrupt, gridlockcd system to keep any leader from succeeding and helping peo ple,” said Stanley Greenberg, who conducted the research for the DLC and who a Iso work s as Cl in ton ’ s pol I - stcr. The DLC, a maverick, moderate party organization Clinton led before entering the presidential race, is often at odds with the party’s ideology. The poll, which was conducted in late April and with the focus groups in May, said alienation from govern ment was the glue holding together the diverse coalition that gave Perot nearly 20 percent of the vote last November. That solidarity defies the history of past independent and third-party can didacies, whose supporters began trickling back to the major parties soon after elections. “The Perot bloc is radical in its alienation from the established par ties • forming a kind of radical middle bloc - divided evenly between conscr vatives and liberal-moderates,” Greenberg wrote. Below the shared anti-establish ment sentiment, however, Greenberg found considerable divisions within the Perot bloc. Republicans had an edge among Perot voters on the issue of taxes, and among Perot supporters who believe the middle class gets a raw deal from its government. But despite a largely Republican voting history, most Perot voters share Clinton’s support of abortion rights and arc “worried about a Republican Party preoccupied with abortion and the Christian right,” Greenberg wrote. Sports wire Bledsoe anxious to prove worth BOSTON — Drew Bledsoe needs lime to gel used to his over night rise to riches, just as he’ll need patience before New England Patriots coach Bill Parcells lets him quarterback the team. He hopes the second adjust ment comes sooner than the first. “Money doesn’t bring status,” the top choice in April’s NFL draft said after signing a six-year con tract this week.‘‘A big goal of mine is to change as little as possible because I’m pretty happy right now.” The contract “is the heaviest commitment that a team has ever made” to a draft choice, said Leigh Steinberg, Bledsoe’s agent. Steinberg said the deal, signed nine days before training camp, is worth an average of $2.48 million per year, placing its value at SI 4.88 million, with a $4.5 million sign ing bonus was paid up front. The quarterback, who left Wash ington State after his junior year, said he wants to make a speedy transition to die pro game, then leave it up to Parcells and offen sivc coordinator Ray Perkins 10 decide “when I’m ready lo make a contribution.” Before this week’s news con ference lo announce the signing, Bledsoe bought a red and blue uc for his powder blue shirt. But the jeans he wore showed his recent status as a 21 -year-old college stu dent. So did his plans for the week. Bledsoe had been driving his Chevrolet Suburban across coun try from Washington state with three friends when he was inter rupted in South Dakota with word the agreement was near. He flew to Boston, but was ea ger to rejoin his friends in Chicago to complete the journey lo his new hometown. “I’ll meet them there, probably find the wreckage (of the truck) on the side of the road,” he joked. ‘There’s no way I can say (wealth) doesn’t change you as a person, because there is a great deal of responsibility to young peo ple," he said. “I’m still going to be the same guy” to his parents and friends.