Clinton Goes After Dole In Ohio

PARMA, Ohio (Oct. 21) -- Attempting to woo back working-class Reagan Democrats, President Bill Clinton came to a suburban Cleveland community college to promote his education programs. And Clinton did what he usually doesn't do on the stump: he went directly after Republican rival Bob Dole.

"My opponent has a different view," said Clinton. "He opposed the creation of the Department of Education and now he says that he and Speaker Gingrich will eliminate it. I believe they're wrong and we're right. We need a Department of Education."

The president's campaign has released a new TV ad promoting his record on crime and defending his character, with the help of Marc Klaas, whose daughter was brutally murdered in California. "I hear people question the president's character and integrity," says Klaas. "It's just politics. When it came to protecting children, the president had the courage to make a difference."

Sticking by his carefully-crafted strategy, the president again avoided any direct response to Dole's latest criticism of a lack of ethics inside the Clinton Administration. Clinton is also ignoring allegations that the Democrats have improperly raised money from people with close ties to overseas interests. While he's ignoring that subject, the Republicans and the news media are not. Clinton prefers to leave the counter-attack to his surrogates. "Bob Dole talking about campaign finance reform," said Joe Lockhart, Clinton's campaign press secretary, "is like Doctor Jack Kevorkian talking about the sanctity of human life. It doesn't work. He doesn't have any credibility."

Clinton was campaigning Monday in Ohio and Michigan, states with a total of 39 electoral votes. Polls in both states show he's well ahead right now.

The latest Ohio Poll has Clinton leading Dole by 14 points, with Perot far behind.

The president is also in the middle of a last-minute, $15 million fund-raising campaign for Democratic candidates. His aides say he's anxious for Democrats to recapture control of Congress, in part to limit the Republicans' ability to pursue investigations into alleged White House irregularities.

Clinton Goes After Dole In Ohio

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