Wage Increase Deceptive, Say Feds

Another Snow, Another Day Off In W-b Area

Sunday, January 16, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 





Thank heaven Clinton's a bad liar &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This is interesting: Despite all the negative media coverage Bill Clinton
has been getting lately, he's racking up great numbers in the public-opinion
pollsAccording to a USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll released last week, 62 percent
of Americans hold a favorable opinion of President Clinton -- up 7 percent
since November. And Clinton's job approval rating remains at 54 percent -- not
down even a single point in the wake of last month's media frenzy over
Clinton's alleged extramarital adventures and the continuing controversy over
his questionable financial dealings back in Arkansas. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; You can't have a silver lining without a cloud, of course: The percentage
of those polled who consider Clinton honest and trustworthy dropped 5 percent,
from 54 to 49. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So what's the message here? That's easy: Clinton's constituents don't trust
him as far as they can throw him -- but it doesn't matter because they think
he's doing a good job. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In fact, 60 percent of the poll's respondents declared that the allegations
about Clinton's personal life and his controversial Whitewater real estate
investment are irrelevant to his performance as president and that the news
media ought to busy themselves with more important matters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 At first glance, these poll results seem strange, to say the least. How in
the world can the American people give thumbs up to a president who they know
in their hearts is a low-down, lyin', cheatin', stealin', two-timin',
double-dealin' lizard? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Well, folks, we've covered this ground before. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Way back in the winter and spring of 1992, back when Clinton was just one
of several Democrats vying for the opportunity to challenge George Bush in the
presidential race, the very same phenomenon occurred. Voters would say that
they didn't trust Clinton, that they didn't believe a word he said, that they
thought he had the integrity of a rattlesnake. And then they would step into
the voting booth and cast their ballots for this thoroughly untrustable
gentleman known as William Jefferson "Slick Willie" Clinton. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This went on throughout the primary season. Even on Election Day, when
Americans chose Clinton to be the leader of the free world, exit polls showed
that lots of voters still didn't trust this son of a gun. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There seems to be nothing Clinton can do to erase that "Slick Willie"
image. But it apparently doesn't matter -- any more than it mattered during
the primary and general election campaigns. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe what's happened here is that the American people have become so
accustomed to seeing politicians lie and cheat and steal, that honesty is no
longer a requirement for public office, even for the highest office in the
land. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maybe people are saying, "OK, we know this Clinton is slippery but he's no
worse than most of the other characters we could have elected. At least with
Clinton, the slipperiness is right upfront; everything is on the table." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 What we've got here is a situation that's the next best thing to honest: We
know we need to keep an eye on him, and he knows we're watching him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In a way, it's sad that things have come to this. On the other hand, it
isn't so bad. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The truth is, Clinton's "Slick Willie" tag is a misnomer. He isn't slick at
all. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Clinton may be one of the worst liars in the history of American
politics, which is why he's always getting caught. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 You know how he is -- all that lip-chewing, all those vague, carefully
chosen words, all that clumsy dissembling. Wasn't it Lincoln who said you
can't fool all of the people all the time? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Clinton can't fool any of the people any of the time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So. Who would you rather have leading the greatest nation Earth: a lousy
liar who can't pull off the smallest fib without tying himself up in knots, or
an accomplished prevaricator who can expertly hide the truth and consistently
get away with it? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The answer is obvious: Give us a president who looks like he's lying even
when he isn't. That way, he'll never put anything over on us. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bill Thompson, former associate editor of The Times Leader, is a columnist
with the Fort Worth (Texas) Star-Telegram.

Thank Heaven Clinton's A Bad Liar 
This Is Interesting: Despite All The Negative Media Coverage Bill Clinton Has 
Been Getting Lately, He's Racking Up Great Numbers In The Public-opinion 
Polls.

Thank Heaven Clinton's A Bad Liar This Is Interesting: Despite All The Negative Media Coverage Bill Clinton Has Been Getting Lately, He's Racking Up Great Numbers In The Public-opinion Polls.