MediaWatch: November 1996
Table of Contents:
Whatever You Say, Mr. Clinton
Shortly after the election Clinton's aides told reporters that the voters wanted an end to congressional investigations. They didn't have to convince reporters of anything. They already agreed. NBC's Tom Brokaw noted on election night: "There is also a theory, however, that if the Republicans begin to engage once again in a lot of investigations that it will not do well for them four years from now. Because the country in all the exit polling that we're seeing so far is saying, `Hey let's get on with the business of solving the real problems that we have out there.'"
Over on CBS, Dan Rather echoed Brokaw, asking Senator Trent Lott: "True or false, that part of the Republican agenda is now to try to paralyze the White House with so-called ethics inquiries?" The next morning, NBC Today substitute co-host Matt Lauer asked RNC Chairman Haley Barbour: "Exit polls show us that the economy was still the number one issue on people's mind last night. And although character and trust play a role, people choose candidates based on their handling of the issues. With that in mind, what do you say to people now who look to Republicans in Congress and say, `Hey, move forward on key legislation. Don't get bogged down on investigations into the Clinton White House?'"
When Sen. Al D'Amato announced he would back off his Whitewater probe in the Senate, reporter Jim Miklaszewski concluded on the November 7 NBC Nightly News: "White House officials are under no illusions and still expect Republicans to vigorously pursue investigations on other fronts. But they're also encouraged that D'Amato's announcement may signal an end to any high-profile political witch hunts." Tom Brokaw returned to his theme on the November 7 Don Imus radio show, but added a new twist: it's in the Republican leaders' self-interest to halt the investigations. He claimed "A lot of these new Republican leaders, Trent Lott and others, have their own presidential aspirations four years from now. They'll want to get things done because I think that's the underlying message from the country here -- solve the problems. And yes there are some real problems within the administration that need to be investigated, but there are agencies and ways of doing that without tying up Congress in these expensive hearings."
A post-election Pew Research Center poll of voters determined that while thirty percent said Congress had "gone too far" in investigating Clinton, the majority did not: 31 percent thought Congress had not gone far enough and 35 percent indicated that "it has handled the matter about right." If only the media were that evenly split.
