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.
