Clinton Turned Private Vacation Into a Chance to Meet and Greet

Aides had said that Bill Clinton’s Southern California weekend would be strictly for relaxation, with no public schedule and perhaps few trips out of the Summerland estate where and he and his family were staying.

But, as he has done before, the President-elect had other ideas.

Although Clinton could have gone jogging in any of the area’s remote, eucalyptus-scented lanes, he chose instead to run through the bustling center of Santa Barbara. He could have dined at any of dozens of restaurants, but he chose a burger joint whose owner had bought a $195 saxophone to lure him--and to win some splashy headlines.

Just about every time Clinton spotted a crowd, he ignored security considerations and went for it, hands outstretched.

Thus Clinton’s four-day visit gave the President-elect not only a bit of fun but also perhaps the best chance since the election to show the style that he is likely to adopt in the Oval Office. Here was the chief executive-to-be against the dazzling backdrop of the California coastline, looking youthful, energetic and seemingly eager to engage any average American who wandered near.

Many local residents and California political observers gave top marks to Clinton’s trip and what it suggested about his intention to build support by continuing a sort of permanent campaign after the election.

“You can’t keep him from getting out there to meet and greet,” said Rep. Robert T. Matsui (D-Sacramento). “His energy level. . , his informality suits California. He understands what California leaders want from their elected leaders. He’s looking ahead and he’s decided he’s not going to lose touch with the state like George Bush did.”

But a few political analysts said that they wondered whether Clinton was promising too much and building expectations too high by suggesting that he would maintain a campaign-style interaction with the American people. Since presidential honeymoons inevitably end and accessibility becomes more and more difficult, such suggestions could come back to haunt him, they said.

The four-day trip was rich with symbols that associated Clinton with beautiful people and average ones. The President-elect, appearing in a tuxedo, mingled with the Hollywood sitcom glitterati at a party Saturday at the Ritz-Carlton Huntington Hotel in Pasadena.

He tossed a football at the Glendale Galleria, recalling a 40-something President of 30 years ago. He played golf, jogged and played volleyball with muscled and tanned Santa Barbara beach-goers.

But with his politician’s pallor, no one mistook him for a Californian. “That might actually help you with most people,” said Ken Khachigian, a Republican political consultant. “The average schmo might say: ‘Hey, I look better than the President.’ ”

In jeans and a sweat shirt, Clinton went out Sunday night to the comfortably cave-like burger joint, the Nugget Bar & Grill in Summerland, whose owner had wanted him to play the sax. Summerland is a wealthy enclave. But at the Nugget, Clinton and his family shared accommodations with construction workers and painters, although he did not pick up the musical instrument.

Clinton may have scored, too, with a Sunday afternoon barbecue with 80 old friends from Arkansas flown out for the occasion. The party suggested that the President-elect is a man who remembers his friends and his roots.

Clinton took nearly 10 minutes out of his Monday morning jog to talk to a Santa Barbara AIDS activist, Jim Nissley, as he ran down South Padero Lane, just outside the Summerland mansion’s gates. “I’ve never met a politician who impressed me so much, and I’ve met a lot of politicians, said Nissley, who urged Clinton to drastically increase spending for AIDS education.

Nissley’s praise was typical of reactions of local residents, although some fretted that regular presidential visits could bring a tidal flow of disruptive tourists and ill-mannered newspeople.

Thomas Mann, a specialist on the presidency at the Brookings Institution, said Clinton’s stress on publicized contacts with average people is a way to build the support Clinton will need as he starts making tough choices about national problems. The campaigning is all the more necessary, Mann said, at a time when the disaffection with government and politicians is high.

Mann said Clinton’s attitude is in sharp contrast with the view of George Bush, who drew a sharper line between politicking and governing.

He said Clinton is unlikely to provoke a negative reaction to his common-man image-building, as President Jimmy Carter did. “Carter came in trying to take the trappings and ceremony and majesty out of the presidency. People didn’t take to it,” Mann said. Clinton recognizes the value of such symbols, he said.

Khachigian, the Republican political professional, also gave Clinton high ratings for his performance on the California trip. “He’s making an extremely good impression right now, and he’s benefiting from all the good will people have for a new President,” said Khachigian, who was campaign manager for unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Bruce Herschensohn.

But Khachigian said that the Clinton team might be making a mistake by creating the impression that the President-elect was going to “do it right” and maintain more accessibility than his predecessors.

When he becomes President, Clinton will be far busier with the overwhelming problems of the world. And as he begins making unpopular choices, as he inevitably will, public appearance may bring out animosity rather than adulation.

Security problems will grow, and a lot of impromptu mingling “will drive the Secret Service crazy,” Khachigian said. If Clinton is not receptive to their warnings, they might go to Hillary Clinton, he said.