Only the masses count

Reason? As L8217;affair Lewinsky broke last fortnight, it was the mostly Washington-based power elite which stood him down first. The predominantly male WASP White Anglo-Saxon Protestant crowd and the media rushed to judgment and were the first to begin talking of impeachment and resignation. Many wrotefinis to his Presidency within 48 hours after the scandal. It was the Average Joe and Jane in Peoria and Poughkeepsie 8212; the American Jhumritalaya 8212; who suspended their judgment. And as Clinton went over the Beltway elite to directly address the people in his State of the Union speech, they offered a resounding endorsement of his Presidency.

In poll after poll taken after the address, Clinton8217;s approval rating has climbed to dizzying heights, sometimes crossing 70 per cent. 8220;These are good times for America,8221; Clinton told the American people in his landmark speech, and the polls show that the people too are more optimistic about their country than at any time in the last two decades.

Many political scientists and pundits have now developed a new sense of respect for the public. The people, it appears, have focused less on Clinton8217;s private life than on his performance in office, although they have also noted his public character and professional integrity. Although 53 per cent of respondents in onepoll did believe Clinton had an affair with Lewinsky down from 57 per cent when the scandal broke, 55 per cent said he has the honesty and integrity to continue serving as President up from 51 per cent when the scandal broke.

This split verdict and incredible dichotomy is driving right wing pundits nuts. 8220;If parents cannot see that there is a problem with a man in office who they would not trust alone with their own daughter, then they have a problem,8221; conservative columnist William Bennett fumed. Others are wondering if this is a temporary backlash against the saturation coverage and oversensationalisation by the media.

No problem, say the parents. In fact, Americans consider adultery or fornication a less serious misdemeanor than lying. In the same poll quoted above, 82 per cent of the respondents said the allegations about lying under oath concerned them more than the allegations of the affair 12 per cent. 8220;The public looks very rational, much more sophisticated than we normally think of themas being. It8217;s the journalists who seem frantic and mob-like,8221; says Larry Jacobs, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota.

Even more surprisingly, it is the women who seem to be backing Clinton more, along with his usually strong Black constituents. Instead of feeling threatened or being miffed with repeated reports about his alleged peccadilloes, polls show women still like him and hold him in high regard. Although many prominent women activists and lawmakers said the accusations were 8220;troubling8221; they suspended judgment against the man who many consider an ardent feminist. 8220;At this point, when you have a president with such a strong record on women8217;s issues, there is no use rushing to judgment until the allegations are clear,8221; said one Democrat Congresswoman.

It is an acknowledged fact that Clinton has done more for women than any other President in the history of the country. He is the biggest abortion rights supporter to occupy the White House and his initiatives on issues likechild care, health and education has won him a huge following. He has assiduously wooed 8220;soccer moms8221; with bills like the Family and Medical Leave Act and his wife Hillary is seen as a pioneering First Lady in the Eleanor Roosevelt mode. He also appointed the first woman Secretary of State and judge to the Supreme Court. The Black community is another bulwark that stood by Clinton. The President is more popular in the community than any Black leader with a 90 per cent approval rating. More than 85 per cent of them dismiss the sex scandal as much ado about nothing. It is easy to see why. Blacks feel issues like racism, poverty, crime, drugs and employment are more serious than moral decline. Clinton not only does more than pay lip service to these problems with his steady endorsement of affirmative action and the like, but he genuinely seems to enjoy Black company. He goes to Black churches, sings gospel and may of his cabinet members and political aides 8212; including his friend Vernon Jordan and secretaryBette Curie 8212; are Black.

Faced with this push back, the Washington elite naturally steered clear of the sex scandal at their power dinner. When the gathering made the mandatory toast to the President, everyone rose to their feet and chimed, 8220;To the president of the United States.8221; One voice dryly added, 8220;And to his legal team.8221;

As the sex scandal that rocked America receded slowly to the background, media pundits sheepishly began discussing other subjects like health care and balanced budget. Meanwhile, Monica Lewinsky left Washington with her lawyer to return to California where she will visit her father, a doctor in plush Beverly Hills. Before he left the capital, her lawyer William Ginsburg did a media pentathlon on Sunday morning, appearing on all five different Sunday morning shows. Astonishingly, Ginsburg said in one TV interview that Clinton would survive the scandal. The remarks left everyone baffled after he had called Clinton a 8220;misogynist8221; during the first week.

A medical malpracticelawyer who was completely unknown in the US a fortnight back, Ginsburg is now the best known lawyer in the country, thanks to a score of appearances on television defending his client. Affable, fatherly and eloquent, Ginsburg corrected one reporter who asked him about his 15 minutes of fame. 8220;It8217;s 28 minutes,8221; he said, as he hurtled from one studio to another. Books, TV show and movie offers should be in the pipeline.

A White House internship is now the hottest ticket in town. Each year, thousands of students pour out of some of America8217;s most elite institutions and traipse the power pavements of Washington looking for stomping ground. Naturally, 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the White House official address, is the centre of attraction. The White House though is going to be even more careful in handling the 250 interns it usually takes in Spring. It is unlikely they will get within even sniffing distance of the Oval Office now. Even the Blue Pass, which enables entry to the West Wing, may be a no-no for theingenues.

Meanwhile, Vice-President Al Gore, whose own Presidential bid in 2000 would have been seriously impaired by the sex scandal, seems to be breathing a little more easily. To his credit, Gore stood by Clinton through the crisis, leading the cheerleaders in the State of Union address and urging the American public to 8220;stand by your man8221;. The surfeit of Clinton sex jokes did not spare him either. One joke went that had the allegations involved Al Gore, no one would have believed Monica Lewinsky 8212; a reference to Gore8217;s rather wooden and colourless personality.

Oh-oh. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has hired three interns to work at No. 10 Downing Street, according to The Economist magazine. They were hired at the suggestion of none other than Hillary Clinton, the magazine reported, who 8220;persuaded the Blairs of the glories of the White House interns programme on a recent visit8221;. Glory, glory, Hallelujah.

The Right wing loonies have in the meantime cranked up their presence on the Internet.The latest zippergate.com offers an introduction to the White House internship programme promising among other things 8220;part of the action in the pulsing, throbbing political scene of the hottest city in the world!8221;