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POLICY LUNCHEON AGENDA 
Tuesday, July 21, 1992

Schedule:
· Interstate Transportation of Municipal Waste Act -- Pending.
· Senator Coats may want to comment.
· Senator Specter may also want to comment.
· Lots of amendments expected -- but Committee will move to table all but relevant amendments.

· Energy Bill -- vote on Cloture on Motion to Proceed scheduled to occur Wednesday -- at a time to be determined.
· Senator Rockefeller's coal provisions are a major problem but it appears that we are close to a compromise.
· Senator Wallop may want to comment.

Other Likely Issues:
· Consideration of Appropriation's bills likely to start early next week as bills become available.
· Senator Hatfield may want to comment.

· Freedom of Choice Act will likely follow Energy.
· Senator Hatch may want to comment.

· Urban Aid package among those issues Senator Mitchell wants to bring up.

Other:
· Only 17 working days to August recess.
· Senator Mitchell is threatening votes at any time -- 5 days a week.

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Poll Watch 
A Review of Recent National Polling Data

From the Office of the GOP Conference Secretary 
Bob Kasten, Secretary

Bill Canfield, Staff Director 
Rick Dearborn, Deputy 
202-224-3496

Contents
7/21/92

Handwritten: B.C.C. (illegible)

1)	Who Were the Dem Convention Delegates ? 
(Wash.Post Poll: 496 delegates to the Dem Convention surveyed 6/22-7/8; margin of error +/- 4.5%; rel. Wash. Post 7/12/92)
2)	The Economy: Its Current Status 
(The Withlin Group Poll: 1,054 adults interviewed 7/8-10; margin of error +/- 3.01% ; Wirthlin Group rel. July, 1992)
3) If the Election Were Held Today…
(L.A. Times Poll: 1,067 RVs -- 295 Perot supporters surveyed 7/16-17; margin of error +/- 4%)
4) Who Are Perot's Supporters ? 
(L.A. Times Poll: 7/17/92)
5) Issues of the Most Concern to Perot Supporters 
(L.A. Times Poll: 7/17/92)
6) Single Most Important Issue Facing the U.S. 
(The Wirthlin Group Poll: July 1992)

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1)	WHO WERE THE DEM CONVENTION DELEGATES ? 
(Wash. Post/ABC Poll: 496 delegates to the Dem Convention interviewed 6/22-7/8; margin of error +/- 4.5 %; rel. 7/12/92 -- Wash. Post)

	1992 Dem. delegates to the convention	General Population
		Democrats	Overall
Liberal vs. Conservative:
Very Liberal	12%	3%	2%
Liberal	40	31	25
Moderate	42	39	38
Conservative	3	19	26
Very Conservative	--	4	6
Education:
High school or less	10%	66%	61%
Some college	18	18	18
College graduate	28	11	15
Postgraduate	44	5	6
Age:
18-24	1%	13%	14%
25-29	3	11	11
30-39	19	21	24
40-49	31	16	17
50-59	28	12	12
60+	18	27	22
Religion:
Non-Catholic Christian	51%	62%	63%
Catholic	36	29	28
Jewish	9	3	2
Other non-Christian	1	2	2
Labor Union Members:
Yes	28%	20%	18%
No	72	80	82
Employment:
Employed	83%	64%	68%
Employed full-time	75	52	56
Employed part-time	8	12	13
Unemployed	2	7	6
Laid off	--	2	1
Retired	11	19	17
Full-time homemaker	3	6	6
Student	1	2	1
Race:
White	74%	69%	82%
Black	17	21	10
Hispanic (may be of any race)	6	8	6
Other	3	2	2
Income:			
Under $30,000	12%	59%	51%
$30,000-$50,000	20	26	27
More than $50,000	68	15	22

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2)	THE ECONOMY: ITS CURRENT STATUS
(The Wirthlin Group Poll: 1,054 adults interviewed 7/8-10; margin of error +/- 3.01%; rel. Wirthlin July)

Q: “Compared to a YEAR AGO, do you think the national economy has gotten better, gotten worse, or stayed about the same?”
Gotten better 10%
Gotten worse 61
Stayed the same 28
Don’t know/Refused 1

Q: “And thinking about a YEAR FROM NOW, do you think the national economy will get better, get worse, or be about the same as it is now?”
Get better 33%
Get worse 24
Stay the same 38
Don’t know/Refused 5

3)	IF THE ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY…
(L.A. Times Poll: 1,067 RVs – 295 Perot Supporters surveyed 7/16-17; margin of error +/- 4%)

Q: “If the election for President were being held today and the candidates were Bill Clinton, the Democrat and George Bush, the Republican, for whom would you vote: Clinton or Bush?”
Candidates	ALL 7/17/92	7/17/92 Perot Supporters: Post-Perot Withdrawal
Bill Clinton	52%	59%
George Bush	32	21
Perot	2	7
Someone else	1	2
Don’t know	13	11

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4)	WHO ARE PEROT’S SUPPORTERS?
(L.A. Times Poll: 1,326 adults surveyed; 1,067 RVs – 295 answered as Perot supporters 7/16-17; margin of error +/- 4%)

	Perot Supporters
Party Affiliation
Democrat	27%
Independent	30
Republican	25
Political Ideology
Liberal	37%
Middle	26
Conservative	26
Gender of Respondent
Male	32%
Female	24
Age of Respondent
18-25	34%
26-44	30
45-64	28
65+	20
Income of Respondent
Less than $20,000	24%
$20,000-$40,000	29
$40,000-$60,000	27
More than $60,000	30
Ethnic/Racial Groups
White	29%
Black	22
Education
High school graduate/less	26%
Some College	28
College/more	32
Location of Home
City	23%
Suburb	38
Small town	29
Rural	22
Regions of the Country
East	28%
Midwest	26
South	28
West	35
Respondent Union Membership
Member/in-Household	30%
Not member/not in-household	27

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5)	ISSUES OF THE MOST CONCERN TO PEROT SUPPORTERS
(L.A. Times Poll: 7/17/92)

Q: “What issue or problem would you particularly like to hear discussed by the candidates running for President this year?”
Issues	Perot Supporters
Economy	32%
Unemployment	28
Health care	12
Taxes	11
Deficit	11
Poverty	7
Crime	6
Family Leave	5
Abortion	5
Foreign Policy	5
Environment	4
Trade	4
Cities	4
Other/Under 4% response	31

6)	SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE FACING THE U.S.
(Wirthlin Poll: July 1992)

Q: “What is the SINGLE MOST important problem facing the United States today?”

Pocketbook/Economy	44%
The Economy/recession	17
Unemployment	16
Deficit/Fed. Debt	7
Other	4
Social	33%
Drugs	6
Crime	4
Health care costs	4
Poverty/homelessness	4
Education	3
Environment/pollution	3
Racial Problems/discrimination	2
Other	5
Foreign Policy	5%
Too much foreign aid	3
Foreign policy (general)	1
International trade/Imports	1
Other	16%
Decline in moral values	7
AIDS	2
Government Corruption	2
Other (vol.)	5

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U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee

Talking Points
July 21, 1992

Don Nickles, Chairman 
Kelly D. Johnston, Staff Director

The Democratic Platform: At Odds With Itself

"Our party platform is out of the mainstream. It is on the far left. It is radical. It is extreme and does not represent the view of a majority of the people in this country."
Robert Casey, Governor, Democrat of Pennsylvania, McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, July 13, 1992

"A New Covenant with the American People," the 20-page 1992 Democratic platform, calls for "a revolution in government." That revolution, it promises, will decentralize the federal government; restore America's economic greatness; put government back on the side of working people; restore basic American values; and face up to "tough choices."

But what starts as a revolution turns into a full scale retreat toward failed Democratic platforms of the past: more government, higher taxes, and values counter to those shared by most Americans. As in 1988, the Democratic platform may be more noteworthy for what it doesn't say than what it does.

It is a platform at odds with itself; "facing up to tough choices," but failing to make a single one. It promises to "make government more decentralized" but creates several new federal programs without eliminating a single one. It honors business as a "noble endeavor" and vows "to create a far better climate for firms," but proposes little tax relief and no regulatory relief for America's job-creating entrepreneurs and businesses. It calls for creating jobs through more government spending, not more private investment.

Orwellian Contradictions
Government Growth: Less is More
The platform says, "We vow to make government more decentralized . .. take power away from entrenched bureaucracies and narrow interests in Washington."

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But the platform calls for the expansion or growth of several existing federal programs and the creation of at least five new ones, including:
· A civilian research agency to manage research in new technologies
· "A national public works investment and infrastructure program";
· "A national apprenticeship-style program" for the non-college bound
· "A civilian conservation corps"; and
· A National Police Corps

Additionally, Democrats call for statehood for the District of Columbia and "support fair participation for Puerto Rico in federal programs."

The Deficit: Sacrifice with More
The platform says, "Addressing the deficit requires fair and shared sacrifice of all Americans for the common good."

But the platform's strategy for addressing the deficit is to "generate more revenues" through economic growth and making "the rich" pay more taxes. The only cut: a 3 percent annual reduction in "federal administrative costs" over four years and "nonproductive programs."

Additionally, the Democrats provide for economic growth almost entirely through more government spending. The only tax incentives proposed include an investment tax credit - the President has already proposed a 15% investment tax allowance - and "a capital gains reduction for patient investors in emerging technologies and new businesses."

As for taxes on the so-called "rich," most small businesses file individual income tax returns - many of which will pay those higher taxes called for by the Democratic platform and its nominees for President and Vice President.

Restoring Community: Blame Where Credit is Due
On one page of the Democratic Platform, "Republican leaders" are criticized for urging "Americans to turn inward, to pursue private interests without regard to public responsibilities."

But in the very next paragraph, they acknowledge that the "resources required to solve our problems" can be found in "America's non-profit sector, which has grown rapidly over the last decade," while Republicans were in charge of the White House.

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National Defense: Something for Nothing?
The platform says, "America is the world's strongest military power and we must remain so." It calls for a "survivable nuclear force" but endorses a comprehensive test ban that some say could prohibit America's ability to ensure the safety of America's nuclear weapons.

Additionally, it calls for "substantial savings beyond those promised by the Bush Administration,"- the Clinton Economic Strategy calls for $58.5 billion in cuts over four years, above the $50 billion proposed by President Bush over the next five years - but "strengthening our rapid deployment capabilities" and "maintaining the superiority of our military personnel and of our technology," and maintaining a U. S. troop presence in South Korea.

The source of its "substantial savings" is not listed; no weapons programs are suggested for elimination. The only specific reduction that is mentioned: "Reducing the size of our forces in Europe, while meeting our obligations to NATO." The platform also calls for creating jobs in law enforcement at home for departing military personnel.

Missing in the Democratic Platform
Here are at least seven issues missing from the Democratic Platform:
· Balanced Budget. The Democrats make no mention of balancing the federal budget.

· Line-item veto. A key element of the Clinton Economic Strategy is the use of the line-item veto - denied to President Bush by Congress -to cut $10 billion in "pork barrel projects." Mention of the line item veto was excluded in the Democratic platform.

· Legal reform. No mention of liability or tort reform that could lower health care costs and improve America's economic competitiveness.

· Regulatory reform. No mention of easing government regulation of the economy.

· Veterans. No mention of the past contributions made by America's veterans, except that "we will honor and support our veterans" who lose their jobs due to Democratic cuts in defense spending. Veterans are not mentioned in the platform's "Affordable Health Care" section.

· POW-MIA's. Despite recent attention to and new developments regarding Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from past wars, no mention is made of any effort or commitment to account for them.

· Honey Price Support Program. The only federal program specifically singled out for elimination by the Clinton Economic Strategy - "end taxpayer subsidies for honey producers"- was excluded from the Democratic platform. Clinton's running

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mate, Al Gore, has consistently supported the honey program in the Senate, including an April 25, 1992, vote to table a Brown amendment to eliminate it.

Welcome Aboard
The Democratic platform embraces the following Republican initiatives:

Enterprise Zones
"We will encourage the flow of investment to inner city development and housing through targeted enterprise zones."

Resident Management and Homesteading
"We support tenant management and ownership, so public housing residents can manage their own affairs and acquire property worth protecting."

Helping Emerging Democracies
"Promoting democratic institutions by creating a Democracy Corps to send American volunteers to countries that seek legal, financial and political expertise to build democratic institutions ... " (President Bush in 1989 created the Citizens Democracy Corps, chaired by former Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis, to help spur private investment in emerging democracies).

Observations About the Democratic Platform
"Every alcoholic knows the first step to a cure is to admit the problem. With the 1992 campaign platform . . . the Democratic Party bids to enter the Betty Ford Clinic for liberal additions."
Editorial, The Wall Street Journal, July 14, 1992

"I have a hunch, that they' re [Clinton and Gore] much more liberal underneath and will prove it when they' re elected."
George McGovern, The New York Times, July 14, 1992

"The Clinton platform is a passionate argument for using government again to solve social and economic problems."
E. J. Dionne Jr., The Washington Post, July 14, 1992

Staff Contact: Kelly Johnston, 224 – 2946

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