First Lady Is Center of (Political) Attention

From the vantage point of Hillary Rodham Clinton’s living room, things suddenly weren’t looking so hideous.

Democratic congresswomen arrived from all over the country, juggling schedules and catching red-eyes. Ten of them took a bus from the Capitol. They gathered in the elegant White House residence early last week, drinking coffee from china cups and eating danish. Nobody mentioned the M-name. They knew what to say, and they knew what not to say.

It was as if the girls had come over with a quart of Ben and Jerry’s to say we know your husband’s a skunk, but life goes on. Only in this scenario, it was hard to tell whether Mrs. Clinton needed the congresswomen as much as they feel they need her.

With Democrats possibly in deep political trouble but with the first lady enjoying her highest public approval ratings, the 25 or so lawmakers and Mrs. Clinton agreed to join forces in a series of campaign stops between now and Nov. 3. Their goal: Energize the female voters they believe can tip the scales to the Democrats’ advantage.

“The margin of victory in this election will be women,” predicted Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, the Carson Democrat whose idea it was to invite Mrs. Clinton to link up with them. “We must fight with all our might to reach the core of the Democratic Party. And who better to do it than women?”

And who better to do it with than Hillary Clinton--a magnet to women’s issues.

Those who plan to hit the campaign trail with her include Reps. Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, Zoe Lofgren of San Jose, Lois Capps of Santa Barbara and Lucille Roybal-Allard of Los Angeles.

While they have hardly pledged their allegiance to President Clinton as the House considers impeachment hearings stemming from his affair with Monica S. Lewinsky, these lawmakers are spending a lot of time reminding themselves of the pro-women policies he has shepherded: from abortion rights and child care to family leave and appointment of the first female secretary of State.

They are equally aware that Clinton’s reckless sexual behavior has helped jeopardize the reelection chances of three Democratic women senators--Barbara Boxer of California, Patty Murray of Washington state and Carol Moseley-Braun of Illinois--and given Republicans a shot at a bigger margin in the House.

But if the president helped put them there, it may be the president’s wife who is best equipped to help repair the damage. Indeed, the first lady already is campaigning vigorously, with a stop planned Friday at a San Francisco fund-raiser for Boxer.

“We honest-to-goodness need her,” said Rep. Lynn C. Woolsey (D-Petaluma). “We don’t want the issues in this country to be buried because we get buried with them.”

Part of the strategy is to target so-called soccer moms--suburban women expected to be among those most demoralized by the scandal. With Mrs. Clinton as the star attraction, the touring Democratic congresswomen hope to energize them with reminders that women have much to lose in this election.

“The issues closest to the core of women’s lives are on the chopping block,” said Elizabeth Toledo, vice president of the National Organization for Women. “And having a group of the most powerful women in the country collectively coming together to say, ‘Wake up, there are other issues out there,’ could be very effective.”

An estimated 1 million female registered voters in California do not vote, an untapped bloc that exists in many states, according to Millender-McDonald. “American women need to step up to the plate now and let their voices be heard,” she said. “We want to make sure women recognize that we will be the ones who make the difference.”

Discussing last week’s White House gathering, which stretched from a planned half-hour to an hour-and-a-half, Millender-McDonald said: “Women feel the pulse of women, and it was pounding hard in that room . . . . We have had disasters in our lives, in our children’s lives, and we have been able to step up and change the cycle. That’s what we’re doing here.”