European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 14, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday june 14, 1994 commentary a. The stars and stripes Page 13digging up the positive Side to muckraking William Safire a a invidious was the deliciously defamatory word chosen by Lloyd Cutler White House counsel to denounce my use of a a bribery to characterize the undeclared gift of $100,000 in so called profit to the Clinton. In a used to that. Here Are three recent examples of investigations stemming from enlightened invidious Ness in this space and elsewhere and where they went. Three years ago a Cloud no bigger than a Many a hand a feared on the political horizon the Bank operated by the House of representatives was exposed As a Check kiting Center providing interest free Loans to perk maniacal members. Though High class Media downplayed the Story because no Public funds were involved late night talk show hosts sensed a rip off that would resonate with real people. The voter fury they fanned forced the previously complacent speaker to close Down the corrupted facility. But the Little Cloud was seeded with suspicion. A source told me that the House sergeant at arms a Casher of mysterious checks was the proteg6 of a powerful committee chairman. Absent hard evidence unable to Force suspects to talk what a a poor muckraker to do i trusted my source and my sniffer enough to speculate in print Why Hasni to the sergeant at arms been fired. Because he is under the Protection of rep. Dan Rostenkowski of  i like to think that this and a subsequent Jab at a pro styx a protege Quot helped awaken official investigators. Last october Jack Russ whose Mentor could no longer protect him pleaded guilty to embezzling $75,000 and concealing from Congress $221,000 in Check cashing Chi Canery. He Snow in jail. A did he implicate his Patron in co a plea or did he take the rap Well find out at Rostyn a trial. The Point is that muckraking a which ranges from speculative suspicion about Public figures to detailed exposes by teams of investigative reporters a often contributes to the continuous cleansing of augean stables. It is usually denounced As invidious a detrimental to reputation by both the fair minded and the culpable. Bert Lance used to say a a there a More muckrakers around these Days than  and Many times investigations stimulated by muckrakers fail to reach the level of prosecution. But even those can serve a purpose. Another example when press reports appeared in the 1992 Campaign that the passport files of Bill Clinton and his Mother were searched by state department political appointees looking for dirt the juror caused the appointment of Independent counsel. In a couple of months Joseph dig no vans grand jury is Likely to conclude that the search of the files was not unlawful but the perpetrator of the crime of disclosing their contents could not be found. No indictments will be handed up but a Public report will be issued about this abuse of Power sure to taint the record of former Secretary of state James Baker and his closest aides. As a result no future Secretary is Likely to run the risk of letting Hench women do political dirty work soon again. The Cost of the investigation was Public Money Well spent. Curiously raking this passport office muck turned up yet another invasion of privacy it became known that evidence was tainted by the illicit eavesdropping in Calls made through the state departments communications Center. In this space and elsewhere demands were promptly made to find and punish the snoops who a with no warranty secretly listened in on Calls made by private citizens. The Justice department has quietly closed that investigation into these a a overhears on the dubious grounds that the wrongdoing had become so routine for so Long that it amounted to a government policy. However even this Reno nonfeasance could have its positive effect individuals eavesdropped upon in the past who file civil suits May be Able to Force Justice to disgorge evidence about the specific invasion of their privacy. / and today officials at states comm Center politely ask callers beforehand if they want the Call  we in idiots Mark Success in scandal Mon Gering not merely in convictions obtained but in wrongdoing made costly and future predation averted. Banyan so Man with the muckraker gaze fixed downward missed seeing the celestial Crown in the sky. Such is the Chance progressive pilgrims take in airing suspicions and probing probes to probe but sometimes there a Gold in that thar muck. C now York Timo crime Issue May doom women candidates this is a Story of three women four men and an Issue. Together they could write the biggest headline of the 1994 election. The three women Are Texas democratic gov. Ann Richards up for re election and the democrats who Are running for governor in two other key states Kathleen Brown the California state treasurer and Dawn Clark Netsch the Illinois comptroller. A the four men Are their opponents California Republican gov. Pete Wilson Illinois Republican gov. Jim Edgar George w. Bush the Republican nominee for governor of Texas and Don Sipple the Campaign  to Vad Omann Hie fit consultant who numbers the other three among his clients. The Issue is crime which Sipple says is a the predominant Issue. The passionate Issue in All three  before exploring Sipples Contention pause for a moment to consider the change in american politics that has made women the democratic candidates and either favourites or very slight underdogs in what May Well be the most important elections of this year. What a revolution California Texas and Illinois Are not Only three of the five most populous states but the key battlegrounds in most presidential contests. It is no Accident that As they seek to give republicans a leg up on carrying California Illinois and Texas in �?T96, All three of Sipples clients Are pushing their differences with their women rivals on crime. Quot my instinct a he said in an interview a is that the voters Agenda would tend to favor a male  in poll after poll focus group after focus group he said a women candidates have the advantage on issues of education the environment and health care. Men Are rated More highly on jobs fiscal management and most dramatically on  the reason is pretty Clear. Voters by and Large want Tough action against criminals and they think the Guys Are less Likely to flinch. In Illinois and in California the Point is very was David s. Broder ily made. Edgar and Wilson favor the death penalty Netsch and Brown do not. Both women say that despite their personal feelings they will carry out capital punishment in cases prescribed by state Law. But Edgar and Wilson a who have been placed on the defensive on Many other issues a Are clearly not going to let their opponents slide off this one. Edgar a very first and of the general election which went up Early this month hit Netsch for votes in the state Senate a against mandatory terms for crimes committed with a gun. And life sentences for criminals convicted of three serious  a a she a like to Duck the death penalty Issue a Edgar said in an interview a but As governor you can to stand aside. The final clemency Appeal is to the governor. The governor appoints the Pardon and parole Board. If you have Strong feelings about capital punishment those have to come into  when i asked her about Edgar a tactic Netsch readily affirmed that a i have been consistent in my opposition to the death penalty a and added that a among the thousands of votes in be cast in the legislature in a sure they can find some that look strange on other crime issues. But she also argued that crime unlike education and tax policy her favorite issues is primarily a local not a state  and she pointed to her support of gun control Laws and expanded drug treatment programs. In California Wilson has an even easier time playing the crime Issue against Brown because both her father Edmund g. Quot path Brown sr., and her brother Edmund jr., or Jerry As he was known also walked at imposing the death penalty when they were governor. Wilson will not let voters forget that Jerry Brown appointed Rose Bird As chief Justice of the California supreme court and under her every single death penalty Appeal was granted. Kathleen Brown he reminds voters would have the same appointive Power As governor. In Texas the Case is harder to make. Richards supports the death penalty and brags that crime is Down 18 percent since she came to office. The motorcycle Riding governor May appear tougher than the gentlemanly son of the former president. But Bush said in an interview a i get a terrific response when i ask my audiences if anyone feels safer than they did three years ago. No one  Bush is hammering hardest on the need to crack Down on juvenile crime which is on the Rise suggesting that people As Young As 14 be tried As adults and if guilty be sent to adult prisons. Sipple said he warns his clients that voters will reject a simplistic solutions to crime or other problems and demand a credible policies that address their real  but in All three states his clients have clearly decided that crime is the hot Button Issue that can Best throw their women opponents off stride. And its hard to judge How much is real and How much is hype. Edgar for one acknowledged that the crime statistics in Illinois show the problem slowly abating. A but the visibility of crime a he said a is so much greater. You have to go 10 or 15 minutes on the evening news before you get past  that fact May make these key races Tough for women candidates c wait Sirj on Post