BY SAUNDRA AMRHEIN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Call it self-interest, call it looking at the bigger picture, but some local female backers of President Clinton continue to support him despite his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
The reason, they say, is his stance on issues important for children and families.
"If you ask the question, are women and children better off now than six years ago, the answer is a resounding yes," said Milly Diehl of Fort Mitchell.
Ms. Diehl, 47, was a Kentucky delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1996. She believes in Mr. Clinton's policies as much today as she did two years ago, even though she called his current situation a "mess."
"I don't think there's any question women and people in general in this country are disappointed," said Ms. Diehl, a regional coordinator for the non-profit Pritchard Committee for Academic Excellence in Kentucky.
"But I do not believe it's an impeachable offense, and it does not fall into the category of high crimes and misdemeanors."
Censure would be OK
Mr. Clinton should be censured by Congress but stay in office for larger concerns like the country's economy, education reform, jobs for welfare recipients, family leave and other legislation important to women, Ms. Diehl said.
As for accusations of perjury, she's not surprised when someone lies about an affair. Many women are more concerned about what Mr. Clinton can accomplish than his personal character, she said. "We elected him as a government leader. He was not chosen as our husband or a Saturday night date."
Shirley Huelsmann, 58, another Kentucky delegate to the convention two years ago, said that if Mr. Clinton lied under oath it might change her opinion about him.
Not my business
But the sexual relationship with Ms. Lewinsky is not the country's business, said Mrs. Huelsmann, chairwoman of the Kenton County Democratic Executive Committee and a Fort Mitchell resident. With three adult children, she's more interested in Mr. Clinton's record on education reform and financial assistance to college students than the tawdry details in the report by independent counsel Kenneth Starr. Mr. Starr's probe makes her "livid."
"That's his personal life, and I don't think they should have been able to investigate his personal life like that," she said. Women's groups have been called hypocritical for their backing of President Clinton during this debacle.
Self-interests
But women are no different from the rest of the population, which supports Mr. Clinton in part because of the strong economy, said Dr. Judith Trent, communications director with a specialty in political communications and women in politics at the University of Cincinnati.
Depending on the poll, the president's job approval ratings remain high, from 59 percent to 67 percent.
"They are self-interested and they have already known the character flaws about this president," Dr. Trent said. "Now, should he change his position or his support of those issues important to women, he's going to lose that support."
They all do it
Female voters might also be tolerant of Mr. Clinton's sexual forays because they have grown accustomed to it in male politicians, said Robin Sheets, director of the Center for Women's Studies at the University of Cincinnati.
"Many women are used to powerful men behaving badly, and it's not as if we could change that overnight," Ms. Sheets said.
"It could be that part of what you're hearing is women shrugging their shoulders and thinking of the guy across the street or their uncle. I don't believe men are beasts, but I think in our culture, we have had to live with a double standard whereby powerful men can break the rules all the time."
