Editorial: Too early to dismiss president

Monday, Jan. 10, 2000 | 9:10 a.m.

Some commentators and Republicans believe Bill Clinton will have difficulty carrying out his agenda in his final year as president. Entering the so-called "lame duck" period of the American presidency, Clinton's task at pushing through legislation admittedly is made more difficult by the fact that members of Congress may be more confrontational -- and less willing to compromise -- since they won't have to face him in another year. While some presidents might be content to take it easy as the twilight sets in on their presidency, Clinton appears to be taking a different tack.

Last week, after meeting with Democratic congressional leaders, Clinton outlined an aggressive legislative agenda, which included many of his proposals that previously were rebuffed by Republicans last year. Among some of the highlights Clinton will offer again: more funding to build and modernize local schools, some tax cuts, a minimum wage increase, allow prescription drug benefits for those on Medicare, and adoption of a "real" patient's bill of rights. These legislative initiatives are common sense measures and, in a recognition of their popularity, Republicans attempted to pass variations of some of them last year. The problem is that they were half-hearted measures that didn't amount to much. For instance, the GOP leadership said it wanted to pass a patient's bill of rights, but its version was so weak it seemed as if it had been written to protect h ealth insurers instead of patients.

Clinton has been counted out many times before, but every time he seems to dust himself off and push for an agenda that resonates with voters across all party lines. If the Republican-controlled Congress were smart, it would engage the president on these issues and see where there might be room for common ground. GOP intransigence in Congress over the past two years has prevented reforms in many areas, whether it's in campaign finance laws or health maintenance organizations. For some Republicans, there is such a hatred for Clinton that even on issues where they know he is right, they will oppose him simply out of spite. If this GOP-led Congress continues this reckless course, it will only have itself to blame if it's tagged as a "do-nothing" Congress.