Clinton Retains High Job Rating; Gore Image Hurt

WASHINGTON —  Despite a barrage of unseemly revelations about his party’s political fund-raising, President Clinton has retained a lofty job-approval rating of 63%, while Vice President Al Gore’s image has been tarnished by the negative publicity, according to the Los Angeles Times Poll.

Almost 7 in 10 Americans hold Clinton responsible for fund-raising excesses that have been exposed by the media and in congressional hearings. Yet it is Gore, who has been embarrassed by disclosures about his telephone solicitations and participation in a Buddhist temple fund-raiser, who may be paying the larger price politically.

Just 34% of survey respondents reported a “favorable impression” of the vice president, compared to 59% for Clinton. More than 4 in 10 of those who identified themselves as independents said that they viewed Gore less favorably because of information about his role in fund-raising activities.

The national survey of 1,258 adults was conducted Sept. 6-9, a period when the news was filled with stories about Gore’s fund-raising problems and a Senate panel was gearing up for a new round of hearings. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 3 percentage points.

“Even with all the allegations swirling around Clinton, people still like him,” said Susan Pinkus, director of The Times Poll. By contrast, she added, fund-raising embarrassments “are chipping away at Gore’s image.”

More broadly, The Times findings underscored strong cross-currents within an American public that is increasingly upbeat about the country’s general path, even as it views the political finance system with distaste and harbors mixed feelings about the Clinton administration.

For example, Carol Ball, a retired teacher from Lansing, Mich., said of the president: “I admire him a lot--but some of the things that come out against him make you wonder. . . . He’s a person you want to have confidence in, even though maybe you shouldn’t.”

Disclosures about Gore, she said, have been disappointing: “I always thought he was really upright, a very honest person. It’s just very hard for me to believe all this.”

Those surveyed described crime, drugs, homelessness, education and a decline in morality as the worst problems facing the country.

But more than 7 in 10--73%--said the U.S. economy is doing well. Just 25% disagreed. And 42% said the nation is moving along the “right track,” while 47% took a more negative view.

While that finding may be less than euphoric, it is the most positive response to the right-track question in a Times Poll since 1991.

Such numbers may hold at least part of the key to understanding the president’s high popularity ratings at a time when nearly half the public believes that he personally knew of questionable political donations in the 1996 campaign--and 68% hold him responsible for fund-raising excesses. Among those who said that the nation is on the right track, for example, 76% expressed approval of Clinton’s performance in the White House.

Clinton’s approval rating also may reflect views that he is “in touch with the public and how things are going in the country,” said Stuart Rothenberg, a political analyst in Washington.

Indeed, to many of those surveyed, Clinton’s performance in office is a very separate matter from the well-chronicled tactics that financed his reelection.

Take Bill Hoover, a retired public relations executive in Waco, Texas, who was among those not pleased by such fund-raising allegations as acceptance of money from overseas. Nonetheless, Hoover offered approving words for Clinton’s performance in the Oval Office: “The country’s coming along pretty good. He hasn’t gotten us into war. . . . I’m willing to say he’s done OK with some things.”

For Gore, who until recently enjoyed a nearly pristine public image, the poll results could be sobering. According to the survey, 42% of political independents and 24% of Democrats--two groups that are vital to Gore’s future political success--view him less favorably in light of recent allegations. (Some 46% of Republicans also view him less favorably.)

Only about half of Democrats--48%--said that they have a favorable impression of the vice president, numbers that could undermine the view that he is virtually assured of his party’s nomination for president in 2000. Some 32% of independents and 25% of Republicans reported a favorable impression.

“To me these would be wildly encouraging numbers if I were [Missouri Rep. Richard A.] Gephardt, [Minnesota Sen.] Paul Wellstone or [former New Jersey Sen.] Bill Bradley,” said Rothenberg, referring to Gore’s potential Democratic rivals for the White House in 2000.

The Times’ finding of a 34% favorable rating for Gore was markedly lower than some other recent surveys. One by ABC News found that 49% of those surveyed questioned whether the vice president had the honesty and integrity to be president, a slip of 10 percentage points from March. The number saying that he lacked such traits jumped to 40% from 32%.

The Times Poll suggests that such doubts resonate with many who had focused little attention on Gore before the recent spate of stories about him.

“I didn’t know too much about him but after what he did, I just have less of an opinion of him,” declared Paul Kuschmann, a steelworker from Milwaukee.

One White House aide suggested that Gore’s poll numbers are the consequence of bad publicity and noted that a database search found 2,175 stories about the vice president’s appearance at a fund-raising event at the Hsi Lai Buddhist temple in Hacienda Heights, Calif. But “when this is all said and done, Gore’s going to be shown to have been completely honorable in all this,” said Paul Begala, a counselor to the president. “His numbers will spike back up.”

More than 1 in 5--23%--found examples of well-heeled foreign contributors gaining access to Clinton as most objectionable. Slightly smaller shares of those surveyed cited special access to Clinton for large contributors from this country as well, and the practice of providing overnight stays in the White House to donors.

More than 6 in 10 respondents said that the nation’s system of campaign financing needs improvement and virtually half--47%--called for a fundamental overhaul. Eight in 10 would restrict the use of “soft money” contributions to political parties, which have been at the center of controversy.

Of those who would blame just one of the major parties for seeking foreign money, it is the Democratic Party that is most widely cited, with a fifth blaming Democrats alone and just 2% pointing to the GOP. However, 73% said that both parties committed financial abuses in the 1996 presidential and congressional elections.

Slightly more than half the public--53%--believes allegations that the Chinese government sought to influence the 1996 elections through illegal contributions, the survey showed.

Times staff writer Elizabeth Shogren contributed to this story.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE TIMES POLL: Clinton’s Ratings

As allegations of fund-raising abuses continue to swirl around President Clinton, he still maintains a high job approval rating.

President Clinton’s job approval rating*

Now

Approve: 63%

Disapprove: 31%

****

Which political party, if any, sought illegal campaign contributions from foreign interests?

Both equally: 61%

Democratic party: 19%

Republican party: 2%

Neither party: 6%

Don’t know: 12%

****

Did Clinton know bout questionable campaign contributions received by the Democratic National Committee?

Clinton knew: 46%

He didn’t know: 36%

Don’t know: 18%

****

Which of the alleged campaign fund-raising abuses do you find the most objectionable?

Large contributions from foreign nationals who met privately with president: 23%

Large contributors meeting privately with president to promote their own agendas: 19%

Selling a night in Lincoln Bedroom: 15%

Large donors invited to coffee meetings with president: 6%

Other: 1%

All of the above: 19%

Nothing objectionable: 4%

Don’t know: 13%

****

How much have you heard about allegations that Vice President Al Gore improperly solicited campaign contributions?

A lot / some: 49%

Not much / Nothing: 48%

Don’t know: 3%

****

Do you think Gore knowingly did anything unethical or illegal by raising funds at a Buddhist temple or by soliciting contributions by phone from his White House office?

Unethical: 36%

Illegal: 23%

Nothing improper: 24%

Don’t know: 17%

****

HOW THE POLL WAS CONDUCTED

The Times Poll contacted 1,258 adults nationwide by telephone Sept. 6-9. Telephone numbers were chosen from a list of all exchanges in the nation. Random-digit dialing techniques were used so that listed and non-listed numbers could be contacted. The sample was weighted slightly to conform with census figures for sex, race, age, education and region. The margin of sampling error for all adults is plus or minus 3 percentage points; for certain subgroups the error margin may be somewhat higher. Poll results can also be affected by other factors such as question wording and the order in which questions are presented.

Times poll data are also available on the World Wide Web: https://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/POLLS/

Sources: L.A. Times Poll