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HOW IS IT PLAYING?
September 22, 1998The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Transcript |
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Although pundits and politicos continue to assess the fallout, the importance of President Clinton's testimony will be measured by how the American public responds. In order to gauge the reaction outside Washington, the NewsHour is beginning a four-part series on how one town is dealing with the revelations. Betty Anne Bowser reports from Omaha, Nebraska.
JIM LEHRER: We’ll have reports the next four nights on how the saga of President Clinton’s troubles are playing in Omaha, Nebraska. Betty Ann Bowser has part one on the videotape.
A real audio version of this segment is available.
NEWSHOUR LINKS
September 21, 1998:
NewsHour historians discuss the president's testimony.
September 21, 1998:
Two former federal prosecutor's discuss how the testimony looked to them.
September 18, 1998:
Shield and Gigot analyze the partisan struggle over the release of grand jury evidence.
September 18, 1998:
How is the world media covering the Lewinsky matter?
September 15, 1998:
Two members of the House Judiciary Committee debate releasing President Clinton's videotaped testimony.
September 14, 1998:
A discussion on the media's coverage of the Starr report.
September 11, 1998:
The Starr report and White House rebuttal.
September 11, 1998:
Mark Shields and Paul Gigot debate the potential impact of Kenneth Starr's referral to Congress.
Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Starr investigation, the White House and Congress.
OUTSIDE LINKS:
The White House homepage.
The House Judiciary Committee.
A growing city with a small-town feel.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: Omaha, Nebraska still manages to have a small town feel -- even though a strong economy has caused its population to swell to well over 300,000 people in the last few years. It's the kind of place where people of all ages get together for tailgate barbecues -- then cheer on their "mavericks" – the University of Nebraska at Omaha football team.
The population is 83 percent white -- 13 percent African American -- 3 percent Hispanic. Politically, the number of registered Republicans and Democrats are almost dead even. But in both 1992 and 1996 President Clinton did poorly statewide.
Giving the tape mixed reviews.
When the videotape of Mr. Clinton's testimony was played on television yesterday morning, most people were at work. But at some businesses TV sets were on and people watched with interest. Republican businessman Gilbert Johnson took it all in while he got his haircut at the Beverly Hills hair salon in West Omaha.
GILBERT JOHNSON: I think like everybody else in the country, I've been waiting for it. I was looking forward to It, hoping it would answer some questions for me. And I've been watching and listening to it all day, on TV, radio, car, home, business. I've been watching as much as I can.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: A mile away, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, about two dozen students were glued to the TV set in a student lounge. Freshman Maria Henderson -- previously a Clinton supporter -- said the president's performance changed her mind.
MARIA HENDERSON: Before, I didn't really care, as long as he was, you know, doing his job. I didn't think it was really important to what he's doing. But then, as I watched this, he's defensive, so it makes you feel that he's really trying to cover something up.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: But the tape didn’t affect freshman Joel Kozisek.
JOEL KOZISEK: It's his personal life. It's his private space. I think he's entitled to it. And they've just been pushing it way too far, and nothing that's been said or that I've already heard will change my opinion.
[Click here to read how the editor of the university newspaper describes the situation on her campus.]
BETTY ANN BOWSER: Downtown at "The Diner" in the old market section of Omaha, breakfast business was brisk, but only a handful of people watched the president and reactions were mixed. Bob Snyder is a state employee.
BOB SNYDER: I think I've heard about all I want to hear. I think now what's going to happen is now the Democrats will go after Republicans and we'll never get nothing done anymore as far as the country is. It’s going to be Republicans getting the Democrats, Democrats getting the Republicans. And everybody better have a clean closet.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: Stacie Spies-Matz didn't think the tape should have been released. Her father, Al Spies, was glad it had been. But both agreed the president didn't do very well.
STACIE SPIES: I really don't like to see our president in this kind of role. I don't think it's good for the image of our President. So I don't really like seeing it.
AL SPIES: Watching him this morning, it just made me feel more strongly that he's a liar, and he looked more pompous than I would have expected.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: Actor Brian Guehring had just planned to do his laundry and not watch the tape, because he thought too much attention had already been paid to the president's troubles.
BRIAN GUEHRING: I don't know what they're gaining by releasing the videotape in addition to the Ken Starr report, and doing all this. I mean, I think there is a certain political aspect. They're trying to really embarrass him.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: But he wound up see the testimony anyway because it was playing in his neighborhood Laundromat. He thought the president didn't do as poorly as advance news coverage had suggested.
BRIAN GUEHRING: He's a lawyer. I mean, the whole this is -- it's lawyers versus lawyers. And of course, when you get in that situation, there are going to be all these trapping questions and then he's going to try to be evasive to avoid admitting that is not true and giving him time to think about things. And so that doesn't surprise me.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: Convenience store owner Chris Keeton had his TV set tuned in. But he soon had enough and turned it off.
CHRIS KEETON: Every time I pick up the paper, all you’re reading about is Clinton, Clinton, Clinton. What he does in his private life hasn’t anything to do with running the country. He's made some bad decisions, yes, but we as humans make bad decisions.
Teachers and religious leaders struggle to deal with the explicit nature of the charges.
RABBI ARYEH AZRIEL: At certain times in our lives we may be pointed in a very wrong direction --
BETTY ANN BOWSER: All over Omaha members of the Jewish community are examining decisions they've made over the last year. It’s Rosh Hashanah -- a time for atonement and redemption. And when it was announced that the president's testimony would be released on one of the holiest days in Judaism, Rabbi Aryeh Azriel was offended.
RABBI ARYEH AZRIEL: I'm sick to my stomach. I think we've had enough. We are drowning in a sea of words and paper. It's time to let us breathe some fresh air.
GRANVILLE WELCH, Teacher: (in classroom) Let me see a show of hands on that. How many are kind of anxious to see where this goes? Raise your hand.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: South high school teacher Granville Welch was so worried parts of the tape would be offensive that he decided not to show to his students any of the live broadcast. Instead, Welch brought in opinion pieces, editorials, and tapes of news broadcasts as a way to teach his students about the Constitution and government.
GRANVILLE WELCH: Since January when this story broke, the sexual aspect has been there, and there's been that precaution and that cautionary note that some of the material is just far too rough for young folks to handle. And so with none of us really knowing the particulars of this videotape, it just makes good sense not to be showing that in the classroom in perhaps violation of family dictates.
BETTY ANN BOWSER: Welch said he may show his students an edited version of the tape at some point. In the meantime, he thinks his students -- like most people in the country -- will depend on edited excerpts on television and in print to form their opinion of how the president did.
JIM LEHRER: Tomorrow night, how religious leaders in Omaha are dealing with the Clinton-Lewinsky matter.
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