European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 09, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday february 1993 commentary the stars and stripes Page 15 Nanny problem part of baby Boom culture from the Start the spotlight on Bill Linton has illuminated not just a Man but a generation. His hapless search for female attorney general is providing an awkward Case in Point. The Nanny problem has now Sun two potential attorneys general and Given the first baby Boom president a dramatic unwelcome tutorial in one of the new pit Falls of this new Era. " Zoe Baird might have been dismissed As a Fluke but for Kimba Wood. Both women hired illegal immigrants Hilllawrence As baby Sitters reflecting what turns out to be a relatively common practice among professional mothers around Clin ton s we have Here a social Struc Ture a social routine said Todd Gitlin a sociologist at the University of califor Nia at Berkeley. Professional women want competent help that they can hire cheaply. Those people tend to be recent arrivals. And a considerable number of them will be Clinton took responsibility for Baird s downfall but is blaming the Sec Ond half of the double stumble on Wood whom aides said denied three times she had this Type of problem. It s hardly the Way a president wants his term to Start As potential rivals and foes assess his strength. But some observers say these Are the inevitable consequences of moving beyond the conventional Pool of older male candidates for top government is trying to break a pattern said Ann Lewis former political director of the democratic party. These Nomi nees Are breaking new not that earlier contestants did t have problems. But they were different. Lewis recalls trying to deep six William French Smith s nomination As at Torney general because he belonged to a club being sued for refusing to hire women. "1 sent pages of testimony around the Hill trying to suggest there was a prob Lem with an attorney general who knowingly belonged to a club that knowingly discriminated against women Lewis said. Smith got his Job. So did supreme Back illegal Welcome aboard ii Couzo use court Justice Clarence Thomas despite allegations of sexual harassment. But Douglas Ginsberg lost a supreme court scat Over his marijuana use. Clinton him self weathered severe controversy Over his Vietnam Era draft history. The so called be Baird problem is the latest of sense emblematic of the Boomer Era. Clinton advisers Are now posing the household help question to male Job contenders and another attorney general candidate has said he failed to pay social Security to a Domestic worker. Still most expect women will be far More affected. Two career families Are vulnerable and disproportionately women professionals Are vulnerable said Karen , president of the Detroit bar association. Many professional men have spouses who stay at Home. It s not going to happen to Gitlin said child care is now a category of sin for female Public figures similar to the draft Issue for men. Child care professionals acknowledge the Pool of Domestic workers is largely immigrants Many of them illegal. Some say americans shun household work be cause it does t pay enough others say it s a cultural thing americans put Premium on autonomy and just Don t want that Type of work. Like Many parents Wood and Baird solved the problem by hiring illegal help. While Baird broke a 1986 Law in doing so Wood hired her Sitter shortly before that Law was passed and technically has done nothing wrong. But Clinton advisers decided the distinction would be lost on the millions of people who were outraged by the idea of Aird As the nation s top cop. Fairly Ornot Many arc viewing Wood through the same prism. She s getting criticized not Only for hiring the woman but also for putting Clinton on the spot. The moment you decide you re going to be a Public person you have to Bare your soul. It s poor judgment to get involved in a situation like that and not be upfront said Hector Richard jr., a Law yer from san Juan puerto Rico. Cathy Orcell a partner in baby buddies Agency of Beverly Hills calif., said her clients Are increasingly willing to Shell out the higher salaries commanded by Legal workers. Particularly since Baird an particularly if they arc lawyers. If i have an assistant District attorney calling you know this person in t making half a million dollars a year. But because of their position they have to hire somebody Legal said Orcell. It would be foolish not to. You d be jeopardizing so the associated press despite distractions Clinton keeping to Agenda -. A l to1 1 m 4 a n am of a my i 1 after straying from the script president Clinton is Back on his message or messages one or two a Day no diversions allowed. It s a Ronald Reagan technique Back for a democratic idea is simple making it work at the White House is not. Too Many issues too much pressure to answer them All at once. Presidents always try to control the Agenda of issues to keep their own on top. Reagan people worked at it by picking one message at a time making it their focus and putting word out across the administration to Bear Down on the same Point. They did t always succeed sometimes events defy the most determined image making strategy. But the tactic helped that administration focus on its primary goals especially during the first term. Clinton admires that kind of straight ahead strategy after his Early problems As a candidate he Stucko i luring his Campaign for the White House and said when he won that he would keep a Lase like focus on the economic concerns that were key to his distractions came quickly and the new presi swinyg8dsclosures they hired illegal mrm Grants for h0st�on Sec Foo controversies but hard is sues ought x debate and Jam the White House the e phone i nes with Calls from people who want to Register views ". 1 know that it defies the momentary conventional Wisdom i think we re off to a pretty Good Start the president said feb. 1, starting a work week in which he chose the topics. First he told the nation s governors he would Cut Federal strings and give them More leeway in dealing with the Federal state medicaid program of health care for the needy. Next Day he went Back to that forum of former colleagues to restate his Long standing proposal for welfare Reform including a two year limit after which recipients would have to go to work. That was an outline there is no legislation ready and won t be until later this action will wait at least until 1994, perhaps longer. Even so by going Back to that Issue Clinton kept a pledge managed the Agenda and offered a reminder that he had run and won As a differ ent kind of Democrat not bound by Liberal formulas that once were party orthodoxy. That message was tuned with his push for the fam ily leave Bill and with word that he d told democratic congressional leaders of plans for a $31 billion proposal to stimulate the Economy both fixtures in his Campaign. So was his Call for Campaign finance Reform the topic atone of his sessions with congressional democrats. Walter Mears that was the Agenda and Clinton enforced it. "1 have nothing to say about that he asked about reported features of the economic plan he will pre sent to Congress on feb. 17. What about the controversy Over Gays in the military we re not Here to talk about that that problem in t settled. Clinton is going to have to face it twice Over his initial Compromise order to ease the Barrier to enlistment by homosexuals and Over the final terms that Are due in six months. He is pledged to end theban and can t change that despite opposition in the Mili tary and in Congress. For All that both his forums and his messages put the Agenda Back on his terms. Even Republican governors said they liked what they d heard from their for Mer colleague suggesting his experience May make him More sensitive to their has t been the Case with the past two governors who got there. Aid to the states was Cut sharply during the administration of Reagan the former governor of California those reductions began and Federal Revenue sharing with the states ended under Jimmy Carter for Mer Georgia , too at the Capitol. Clinton went there twice to see Senate and House democrats talk about his pro Grams and seek Unity for speaker Thomas s. Foley said it was t a ques Tion of smoothing ruffled congressional feathers. He said again As he has said so Well that we Are going to succeed or fail together Foley said. The associated pow
