Shrinking Government Must Not Neglect Poor, Clinton Says

President Clinton, delivering his State of the Union address to a skeptical Republican majority in Congress, Tuesday night urged Americans to overcome their differences and build a nation in which the less fortunate are not forgotten as the federal government shrinks.

Speaking as his reelection campaign effort moves into a higher gear, Clinton cataloged his administration’s accomplishments--ranging from a strong economy to progress toward peace in Bosnia. But he spent most of his 61-minute address in the House chamber urging lawmakers and the nation to meet the challenge of a threatening, yet promising moment of change.

“The era of big government is over,” he said, drawing loud applause from the Republican side. Then he drew applause again--from his Democratic allies--when he went on to say: “But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves.”

He declared the nation fundamentally strong. Yet he insisted that the country’s economy and social fabric must be strengthened, and--sounding much like the Republican opposition he has battled all year--he placed the burden to do so on families and communities. The central government can no longer be called on to cushion all the blows of a rapidly changing economy.

“We know big government does not have all the answers,” he said. “There is not a program for every problem.”

His long list of policy proposals included a call for a new “war on gangs,” steps to ensure temporary health insurance for employees who lose their jobs, campaign finance reform and a new scholarship program. He spoke approvingly of the notion of public schools requiring uniforms for their students.

And he said that he will convene a meeting of entertainment industry officials next month to “work with us on concrete ways to improve what our children see on television.”

Most of Clinton’s dozens of policy prescriptions were not new and officials were careful to note they would impose no new financial burden that would set back the cause of balancing the budget.

Clinton made clear that he is squarely behind the central goals of the GOP agenda--balancing the budget, lowering taxes, reforming welfare, shrinking government and staunching illegal immigration. But he parted company with Republicans again and again, asserting that the GOP would trim what he considers the government’s essential role in education, environmental protection, Medicare and Medicaid.

White House Chief of Staff Leon E. Panetta said that Clinton hoped the speech would draw a sharp contrast between his vision of a caring and compassionate society and what Panetta called the “survival-of-the-fittest mentality, which is what you’re seeing in the Congress.”

Republican Response

Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.), delivering the Republican response, took issue with Clinton’s “elitist” vision of federal intervention in every cranny of American life.

The leading contender for the GOP presidential nomination, in a likely preview of the election campaign to come, used his response to challenge the president on a range of issues, from welfare reform to the federal budget.

The Republican vision of America, Dole asserted, is one of frontier self-reliance and selfless sacrifice.

Clinton had promised that he would not be harshly partisan and for the most part he was not. He did not dwell on the two parties’ differences over Medicare--a sore subject--and he even praised Dole’s military service.

But he did take on the GOP over the two shutdowns of the federal government, saying that he challenged all in the chamber to “never, ever, shut the federal government down again.” The line drew thunderous applause from the Democratic side but baleful expressions from some Republican members.

The president, as is his custom, worked on the speech right up to the moment that he began to deliver it. But despite the fears of his aides, Clinton did deliver on the White House’s promise to wrap up the speech sooner than he did last year, when he spoke for a record 81 minutes.

Taking up the most divisive issue he faces, Clinton declared that a deal to balance the federal budget is still within reach. And he urged Republicans to join him in seeking such an agreement.

“I am convinced that we will balance the budget and make permanent deficits yesterday’s legacy,” he said. Clinton went out of his way to praise the Republican opposition for “the energy and determination they have brought to this task.”

But he brushed past this still-unresolved issue after a relatively brief discussion and returned to his broader assessment of the country’s prospects.

Clinton’s speech came at a moment when the unresolved budget issue is stirring bitter partisan feeling. But unlike last year, when some GOP members hissed and booed and even left the chamber as the president’s address dragged on, many Republicans listened in silence. It was by design.

Hours before the speech, GOP legislators caucused on the appropriate body language to display before the national television audience. Having taken hits in public opinion polls for their contribution to the budget gridlock, Republican leaders instructed their members to be polite. A threat to wear buttons mocking the president was not carried out.

“Why make trouble for ourselves?” one GOP aide said.

Freshman Rep. Jon Christensen (R-Neb.) also circulated among fellow Republicans a copy of a morning newspaper editorial suggesting that the president would be armed with heckler responses--one-liner retorts.

“Let’s not take the bait,” Christensen pleaded.

Clinton cited progress on a number of social problems but said that substantial challenges remain. He cited seven areas where government, families and communities can make progress toward national goals:

Families

Clinton insisted that even in a time of strained federal resources, government must provide a safety net for distressed families and individuals. Clinton called for enactment of welfare reform, and he proposed new measures to direct capital to impoverished urban areas. He urged Hollywood to reduce violence on television and in the movies. He proposed steps to restrict tobacco sales and advertising to minors. He repeated past calls for programs to reduce teen pregnancy, domestic violence and delinquent child support payments.

Education

The president proposed a new scholarship program for college-bound high school students who graduate in the top 5% of their classes. The program would provide $1,000 grants to these students at an estimated annual cost of $125 million. He offered support for charter schools, publicly funded institutions run by parents and teachers. He asked Congress and corporations to fund his goal of providing Internet access to every school in the nation by the year 2000, and he called on states to raise their standards for pupils and teachers.

Economic Security

Clinton asked Congress to pass legislation to consolidate job-training programs, raise the minimum wage and expand pension benefits to employees of small firms. He supported a bipartisan measure that would provide health insurance for the temporarily unemployed and make health care benefits portable from job to job. He also made an appeal to “protect and strengthen” Medicare and Medicaid.

Crime

Clinton announced a new anti-gang initiative that includes a request that the FBI coordinate a nationwide war on gangs and youth violence. As expected, he named Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a star of the Persian Gulf War and now head of the U.S. Southern Command in Panama, as the new director of the White House Office of Drug Control Policy. He announced a “one-strike-you’re-out” policy that would give public housing authorities the power to evict any tenant found with guns or drugs or continually involved in drug trafficking.

Environment

The president warned Congress not to undo two decades of bipartisan efforts to protect the nation’s land, air and water. He supported a plan to reward companies who clean up polluted industrial sites in impoverished urban areas. He noted that the administration had streamlined environmental compliance and enforcement, and he asked business and communities to find cheaper and more efficient ways to protect the ecology.

Foreign Policy

Clinton repeated his assertion that while the United States cannot solve all the world’s problems, the sole remaining superpower has an obligation to lead where “our values and our interests” demand it. He touted his role in bringing warring parties to the peace table in Northern Ireland as well as the Balkans and the Middle East.

Political Reform

Against the advice of several top congressional Democrats, Clinton raised the topic of campaign finance reform, a subject of much talk and little action on Capitol Hill for many years. He advocated passage of a reform measure introduced by Sens. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) that would reward political candidates who limit their campaign spending and attempt to outlaw political action committees.

Early in the speech, Clinton acknowledged the contributions to society of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is under subpoena by a federal grand jury investigating the Whitewater controversy. He characterized Mrs. Clinton, who observed the speech from the House gallery, as “a wonderful wife, a magnificent mother and a great first lady.”

Following a tradition started by President Ronald Reagan, Clinton invited a handful of guests to share front-row seats with the first lady.

Among them were Sgt. Jennifer Rodgers, 30, one of the first Oklahoma City police officers to reach the federal building bombing in Oklahoma City last year.

Times staff writer Gebe Martinez contributed to this story.