Clinton Surfaces to Friendly Crowd

WORCESTER, Mass. — President Clinton on Thursday made his first political appearance since admitting to an inappropriate relationship with former White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky, as the White House began its efforts to repair his tarnished image.

In an address before a friendly audience, Clinton avoided any direct reference to the Lewinsky controversy, delivering a muted, noncontroversial speech on school violence.

The carefully controlled setting--an invitation-only event in a large, ornate municipal auditorium--resulted in a standing ovation for the president when he was introduced and a dozen smaller rounds of applause, with no hecklers to be seen. About 1,200 supporters filled the hall, with an overflow crowd of several hundred more.

Clinton’s presidential motorcade to the auditorium was greeted by thousands of onlookers, who lined the route from the airport--under bright, sunny skies--to get a glimpse of the beleaguered chief executive. Most were friendly, but at the auditorium, a small crowd chanted: “Resign! Resign! Resign!”

At least one local official, Worcester City Council member Konstantina Lukes, declined to join other local political leaders in greeting the president at the airport, largely because of the Lewinsky affair.

“I don’t approve of the president’s behavior,” Lukes told reporters.

But Rep. James P. McGovern (D-Mass.), whose seat is being targeted by Republicans in the November election, set the tone for the event when he said: “The people of this city, [of] the 3rd congressional district, are happy that you are here. This is not a city of fair-weather friends.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), himself involved in a messy scandal when he drove his car off a bridge on nearby Chappaquiddick Island in 1969 killing a young woman, told reporters Thursday that “people want to move on” in the wake of the Lewinsky matter. “They want to have a president who’s going to lead.”

For his part, Clinton was relatively subdued, almost circumspect. Wearing a formal black suit and patterned tie, he sat stiffly on the dais at the event, eschewing any opportunity to wave and smile at the crowd.

His eyes welled up as one speaker, a Baltimore policeman, spoke about his brother’s death.

The 22-minute speech also was low key. The president unveiled a new federal guidebook designed to help school districts avoid student violence. And he proposed the expansion of a program that provides college scholarships for applicants willing to serve as police officers after graduation.

He also urged members of Congress to take up “critical issues” such as using the budget surplus to bolster the Social Security trust fund, as he has proposed, to enact his various education programs and to pass the so-called “patient’s bill of rights” for those insured by health maintenance organizations.

“I come here, as I have gone across this country, to say to my fellow Americans, ‘This is not a time to celebrate but to be grateful,’ ” Clinton told his audience. “It is not a time to rest on our laurels, but to . . . face the long-term challenges of this country.”

After the speech, Clinton’s motorcade made a detour to Scanos’ Restaurant and Bakery in a predominantly Italian American neighborhood, where the president sat in a back corner booth and ordered a “steak bomb”--a steak submarine sandwich, without the usual cheese.

The reaction from ordinary voters varied. Laura Erickson, a 24-year-old teacher, said her stomach had “turned a little” when she watched Clinton’s Aug. 17 speech. But, she said, “I feel better. I’m interested in what he has to say today.”

Presidential advisors predictably pronounced the foray a success. Rahm Emanuel, a key political aide, said the “enthusiastic crowd” and “very warm reception” were a sign that support for the president remains strong and that Clinton is committed to the issues about which Americans care most.

The White House itself expressed satisfaction with Thursday’s effort. Spokesman Barry Toiv told reporters later that the president was “very pleased” with the response. “As you all saw,” he said, “the president got an extraordinary reception.”

Reaction from Republicans was less cheery. Eddie Mahe, a Washington-based Republican consultant, said Thursday’s event was “obviously staged”--with the president and his advisors “trying to persuade the Democrats that he is not radioactive.”

Jim Nicholson, chairman of the Republican National Committee, said in a statement that the foray came at a time when leading Democrats across the country were “openly questioning the validity of a Clinton presidency after he wagged his finger and lied in the face of every American.”

Despite White House efforts to keep the opportunity for backlash at a minimum, Clinton’s brief foray was not devoid of protests. As his motorcade traveled toward the auditorium, a heckler held up a poster reading: “Mr. Clinton, Time to Resign.”

Perhaps the most scathing placard of the day, however, was on Dooley’s Dry Cleaners along the road from the airport: “Dooley’s Welcomes President Clinton,” it read. “Monica should have had her dress cleaned here.”

Times staff writer Elizabeth Shogren in Washington contributed to this story.

For analysis and a continuing discussion on the Lewinsky matter, go to The Times’ Web site:

http://ukobiw.net./scandal