WASHINGTON - President Clinton's second inaugural address presented a vision of a political harmony that Capitol Hill hasn't seen in recent years.
Clinton's plan to join hands with Republican congressional leaders in bipartisan projects was the talk of the town last weekend, as politicians and spectators speculated about the fate of the partnership between a second-term president and the 105th Congress.
"The American people returned to office a president of one party and a Congress of another. Surely, they did not do this to advance the politics of petty bickering and extreme partisanship they plainly deplore," Clinton said in his inaugural speech Monday.
"America demands and deserves big things from us - and nothing big ever came from being small," he said.
Last year, clashes between House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and the Clinton administration were intensified by election-year squabbles, and some expect the absence of a looming election to encourage bipartisan efforts.
"People want somebody to look at the larger picture and get away from the sparring of the last political campaign," said U.S. Rep. Sander Levin (D-Bloomfield Hills).
"It is our hope and I'm sure the president's hope that in the next four years we can find some sort of middle ground," said U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Menominee).
Republicans have the majority in Congress by a smaller margin this time, which may make both sides more willing to compromise.
Bipartisan initiatives will be difficult but not impossible, said U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Holland).
"I think it'll be tough," Hoekstra said. "Some people are still bitter about 1996, the election. I hope we can get over it."
U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.) said he was positive about potential for solid bipartisan efforts. "There will be some continuity, obviously," he said.
After "two years of bitter partisanship in the Congress," members are left with an electorate increasingly disenchanted by the political process, Sander Levin said.
But constituents still expect their elected officials - the president and members of Congress - to work together, said U.S. Rep. Debbie Stabenow (D-Lansing).
"They want to know we're doing something positive that affects their life," Stabenow said.
Members and citizens are looking for a little give-and-take on both sides to avoid gridlock on the Hill.
"The country is neither to the right as some Republicans would like to have it or to the left where the Democrats (would like it)," said Ann Arbor resident Jim Stapleton, who attended the inauguration.
The GOP-controlled Congress will keep Clinton near the center on the political spectrum, Stapleton said.
"There are things that he promised to (do) that are going to send signals that he's sneaking back to the left," he said.
Hoekstra said "creativity and innovation" will be the keys to finding a political middle ground this term.
Even the first lady said she will work to make sure "bipartisanship" isn't just a word.
"We're going to work really hard to make everything the president said today a reality in the hearts and minds of the American people," Hillary Clinton told the crowd at the Midwest Ball on Monday.
Stupak said the president will be in the legislative driver's seat this term. "He has the biggest club on this ... which is the veto," he said.
Ethical problems
While the 104th Congress pushed through numerous pieces of legislation in its first few weeks of session, the 105th Congress has spent its opening days dealing with ethics questions surrounding the speaker.
Although some House Democrats have taken advantage of the doubt in trust in Gingrich to promote the Democratic Party, others say the hearings have been distracting.
"The longer we are mired in that, the less time we have to do what we were sent here to do," Stabenow said.
"The ethics stuff has just taken center stage here," said U.S. Rep. Lynn Rivers (D-Ann Arbor).
Rivers, a member of both the 104th and the 105th Congress, said she has noticed a vast difference in the two terms.
"Now a substantive Congress is not engaged," Rivers said. "The ethics stuff has been on the front of everybody's thinking. It's such a dramatic thing."
Hoekstra said he doesn't think the Gingrich situation will continue to deter the progress of the House.
"I'm fairly optimistic unless the whole things boils down to partisan bickering," Hoekstra said. "There are too many issues for us to be stuck on ethics issues."
Members of the Michigan state Legislature said they don't think the ethics situation will affect the progress of state lawmakers this term.
Gingrich must work quickly to re-establish his credibility, said state Rep. Don Gilmer (R-Augusta). He said that scandal can indeed "cast a shadow over the entire House" and that productivity will increase as soon as people's suspicions are alleviated.
Gilmer said that unless Gingrich can repair his image, people will always ask, "Isn't he that guy who played fast and loose with some money somewhere?"
State Rep. Mary Schroer (D-Ann Arbor) doubted the state will be affected by the scandals in any tangible way.
"That just seems to be so far from where we are," Schroer said.
New year, old issues
Certain issues will inevitably reach the U.S. House and Senate floors again this year, including higher-education opportunities, welfare, health care and a balanced budget.
"They're the same issues," Rivers said. "It's a continuation of what we discussed in the last two years.
"I think we're going to see some major fine-tuning," she said.
Hoekstra said he has three main goals for the 105th Congress, namely reaching a balanced-budget agreement with the president, finding a way to save and improve medicare and adding a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution.
He personally will be spending a great deal of time working on education issues, Hoekstra said.
Stabenow said she too wants to implement higher education changes.
"Too many families I know have to choose between sending their child to college or taking care of their families," Stabenow said.
Stabenow said the issue of welfare reform must be revisited, but that she does not expect big changes to those passed last year.
"The reality is we're not going to see major changes in that bill because of the composition of Congress," she said.
Michigan women look to have impact
Michigan voters sent three women to the U.S. House this term: Rep. Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-Detroit), Rivers and Stabenow.
"I am very pleased that we've gone from zero to three women (from Michigan) in the Congress in a very short amount of time," Stabenow said.
Rivers was previously the only woman representing the state in Washington. She said she is happy to have some female counterparts.
"I know them. I like them. I consider them friends," Rivers said.
Stabenow said her biggest task so far has been rifling through the thousands of applications she has received for positions on her staff, but that she expects to tackle other important tasks.
"I want to look at the issues that affect men and women and their families every day," Stabenow said.
Rivers said campaign finance reform will be another key issue on which she hopes to have input.
Legislators look for mirror issues in Michigan
The recently convened Michigan Legislature also has a new look this term. Democrats won control of the state House in November, but the Senate and the governor's office remain in GOP hands.
Gilmer said that given the change in the "balance of power" in the state House, lawmaking will be more difficult this term than it has been in recent years.
"I don't expect to see a lot of major initiatives passed," Gilmer said. "High-profile issues are going to have a much more difficult time passing."
There will likely not be as many public acts passed, Gilmer said. "We're going to be tinkering around the edges," he said.
Gilmer said that progress will only be made with extreme dedication and hard work. "It's going to take a lot more compromise and negotiations," he said.
"We'll be dealing with salt-of-the-earth issues that everybody's concerned about, that transcend party lines," Gilmer said.
Other Michigan legislators said they are hopeful about progress that might be made for Michigan.
"I would hope that on many issues we will find things we can agree on," Schroer said. "I hope we can do the right thing for the people of the state."
State Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek) said he has no reservations about working with a Democratic House and a Republican Senate.
"It's never been a problem before and I don't foresee it being a problem now," Schwarz said. "There will probably just have to be more time investment on issues."
Most state lawmakers said they will have to visit smaller versions of issues facing the U.S. Congress, namely welfare and health-care reform.
Schwarz said state legislators must focus on higher education and budget issues, as well as enacting an increase in Michigan's gasoline tax.
"The big thing February through June is always the budget," Schwarz said. "But there'll be 100 other dogs and cats that legislators are interested in."
Susan Schafer, a spokesperson for Gov. John Engler, said the governor is still working to put his legislative agenda together.
"We're seeing how it's all going to work," Schafer said. "We're willing to work together and do what we need to get done."
