A Powerful Address by the New President : Clinton’s speech to Congress sets stage for domestic debate

Whatever your party affiliation or political predilection, whomever you voted for or did not vote for last November and whatever you think of this new Administration’s first month in office, marred by at least a few very public miscues, you’ve got to hand it to William Jefferson Clinton. He gave a strong address to a joint session of Congress Wednesday night.

For a President known best for his skill at campaigning, Clinton now is off to an auspicious start at the more difficult and important task of governing.

The President seemed at the top of his game in the address. He rattled off facts and figures without stumbling once, he improvised deft comments in a few key spots and he pushed through the hourlong speech with a sense of command and direction. There were some nice lines, some thoughtful pauses and the warm smile.

FIRST THE PITCH: On the speech’s substance, it must first be said that this is an address that his two predecessors would not have given. It called for a government of considerable action, of great involvement. Its philosophy is that many, if not all, problems can be solved by government and that the market, however magical it sometimes seems, does not have enough magic to solve enough of America’s problems.

The substance of the speech was also different from those of his predecessors because it contained so many details: facts and figures on cutting programs, raising income tax rates on the wealthy, imposing an energy tax across the board. He spoke of cutting government costs and of the need for all Americans to sacrifice for the common good.

His vision was appealing--we are all in this together and we won’t get out of this difficulty unless we all work at it together.

“The test of our program cannot simply be: What’s in it for me?” Clinton said. “The question must be: What’s in it for us?”

And his approach was aimed to the specifics--more Head Start for kids, more urban aid, more apprenticeship programs for the out-of-work. He took aim at the colossal deficit, arguing that we either must pay more now or pay a lot more later.

NOW THE DEBATE: Well into the address Clinton asked America to buy his program as a piece, not pick at it endlessly. “If it is taken as a whole,” said the President, “it will help all of us.” That, however, may be too much to ask--not only of Congress but of the American people as well.

Clinton’s address was only the first step in this considerable process of government. It is a source of comfort that this first step was executed with such aplomb. But other parts of the process of review--from the formal review by Congress to the informal one by the people and the press--will now kick in.

The big question about the Clinton plan will not be whether it is bold, which it certainly is; or whether it is thoughtful, which it certainly is. The question will be whether the numbers add up to a sensible and coherent economic program, whether the fiscal equation of tax hikes, program innovations and government cuts meets the challenge of beginning to trim the federal deficit while also helping stimulate the economy.

Americans who will have to pay more taxes and public officials who have to answer to their constituents have the right, and duty, to ask hard questions--but honest, searching questions that probe: Is this the right shape for the big turn in American domestic and economic policy that people voted for last November? That answer might be yes, or a qualified yes, or no. But at least the process has begun, the difficult questions are being asked and real choices have been brought to the table. This is what the President is supposed to do. And Bill Clinton did that Wednesday night with great skill.