Clinton, Eager for Battle, Takes Some Jabs at Perot

Undaunted by the long shadow of Ross Perot, a victorious Bill Clinton left Los Angeles on Wednesday eager to begin his general election campaign for the presidency and jauntily challenging both the Texas billionaire and President Bush to a series of debates.

“Let’s get the campaign going. Let’s have it be a real campaign,” the Arkansas governor said in the wake of primary victories Tuesday in California and five other states that finally clinched the Democratic presidential nomination for him.

Final returns in California gave Clinton a 48%-40% victory over the state’s former governor, Edmund G. (Jerry) Brown Jr. Although Clinton’s victory margin was below his showings in other contests Tuesday, the campaign accomplished its main goal of avoiding an embarrassing loss here.

Turning his attention to Perot, Clinton voiced skepticism about his expected foe’s efforts to portray himself as a political outsider.

Rather, Clinton asserted, Perot “has been a very effective professional political operative over the last 20 years.”

Answering questions at an appearance before executives of ABC network affiliates gathered at a Century City hotel, Clinton said: “He has lobbied Congress for more consideration than certainly I have.”

Stressing his contention that he, not Perot, is the real agent for change, Clinton added: “I’ve done the things other people talk about.”

Clinton also said the hiring announced Wednesday by Perot of political operatives Hamilton Jordan, a former Jimmy Carter aide, and Edward J. Rollins, a former Ronald Reagan political strategist, demonstrates that the Texan is more of a conventional candidate than his supporters assume.

He also took a jab at the hirings, saying, “I’d like to know how much they were both paid to do it.”

Before leaving Los Angeles for his home in Little Rock, Clinton appeared on the Arsenio Hall show, playing the saxophone and chatting with the popular talk show host.

The governor’s advisers said both of Clinton’s Wednesday appearances were aimed at getting his message delivered more directly to the public, reflecting their increasing disenchantment with the candidate’s coverage by the news media.

“We’re going to go right to the people,” said Los Angeles attorney Mickey Kantor, Clinton’s campaign chairman. He said Clinton intends to continue appearing on nationally televised talk shows and at town hall-type meetings where his proposals can reach audiences without a filter.

In the same vein, the Clinton campaign is planning to produce several of its own call-in shows to allow him to expand on his message.

Clinton himself decried much of the coverage of his campaign, particularly in California. He said virtually all of the questions put to him during recent TV interviews concerned campaign strategy and handicapping the race.

Such a preoccupation with the contest to the exclusion of issues “turns the people off. It makes them sick,” he said.

In answer to a question from ABC newsman Ted Koppel, Clinton said he is “absolutely willing” to engage in a series of debates with Perot and Bush on such single subjects as how to reduce the federal budget deficit.

“People are just aching, I mean literally aching, for information about how do you generate jobs, educate people and solve social problems. . . “ he said.