Clinton rolls into Detroit

Speech avoids current troubles

While lawmakers struck a deal in Washington that paves the way for a full impeachment trial in the Senate, President Clinton strode into the Cobo Center in Detroit on Friday to address the Economic Club of Detroit.

Clinton, who came to Detroit at the urging of Mayor Dennis Archer, did not mention his current troubles during the 40-minute address that centered on the economic success his administration fostered. Clinton appeared in good spirits, cracking jokes throughout the address and enjoying a visit to the North American International Auto Show before joining the luncheon.

After the speech, Clinton shook hands with members of the club, many of whom urged him to "stay our president" and "not to stop fighting."

"As long as you guys stay with me, I'll be fine," Clinton told one well-wisher.

In accordance with the traditions of the club, Clinton answered questions submitted by the audience at the conclusion of the speech. Ranging from his stance on the Euro to the proposed increase in defense spending, the questions tested many of the President's beliefs.

The most developed of the answers was to a question posed not by a club member, but by a 12-year-old guest. In assessing who "the most interesting person he had met while president," Clinton moved the audience with his description of the relationship he has formed with South African President Nelson Mandela.

Michigan Attorney General Jennifer Granholm said she thought Clinton was, in a way, addressing the impeachment issue with his response to the question. Clinton said that no one in America has ever been through something like Mandela endured while imprisoned for 27 years because of his political beliefs. He urged the nation to look to Mandela when times get tough.

"You look at a person like Mandela and think I've got a lot to be grateful for," Granholm said.

University President Lee Bollinger, a director of the club, said it was hard to listen to the speech without thinking about the impeachment trial.

"It's hard to believe that there's a single person in this room that didn't think about it," Bollinger said after the speech.

He said it was impossible not to see analogies between Mandela and Clinton's current situation.

The first moments of Clinton's speech were filled with statistics, which reaffirmed what he called a time of American economic renaissance, including this year's unemployment numbers - the lowest peace-time rate in 51 years.

Yet Clinton's tone remained cautionary. The country should resist the temptation to sit back and discontinue efforts to maintain what is the first time in a generation that we've had the "financial space to think about the future," he said.

Clinton also urged the audience to remember that while some enjoy an ever-improving standard of living, many members of the population face an uncertain economic future.

The President said Americans must be ready to answer questions that face them every morning, regardless of their economic situation.

"What are you going to do today?" Clinton asked. "What are we going to do with our prosperity?

"We still have not met the challenges for the people of the 21st Century," he said.

Among these challenges is social security, an issue Clinton said must be dealt with "right now, this year, with no excuses."

Clinton outlined his goals for using the nation's prosperity to evoke positive changes in the nation. He said he hopes to:

n maintain prosperity and spread the benefits to the global economy.

n address issues of an aging population and the many children living in poverty.

n continue to allow the economy to grow while meeting the challenges of the environment.

n keep the budget balanced.

Clinton also issued a stern warning to Japan and Russia, claiming that the steel they are currently importing is under priced. While calling for free trade on the world market, he said everyone needs to "play by the rules."

"While I am very sympathetic to Japan's economic problems," Clinton said, "bankrupting America's steel workers is not the way to achieve growth."

01-11-99