Platform : Clinton and the Presidential Mystique

When President Clinton appeared on MTV recently, a young woman asked him what style of underwear he preferred--briefs or boxer shorts. Clinton answered, politely, that he wore briefs. Both the question and the response created a controversy over whether the President, or any public official, should be asked or respond to that kind of question. Here is a sampling of opinions:

MORT SAHL

Satirist, Los Angeles, appearing in “Mort Sahl’s America” on stage in New York

Clinton picked MTV so he can scarcely be shocked. You know, MTV has changed our thinking. I understand that if you go to the Sharper Image you can buy a portable smoke machine so that you can look like Sylvester Stallone walking into the room in real life. The President should be apprised of this.

Of course, the cynicism of going into that crowd--Gore likes that kind of crowd, too--pre-pubescent. I guess it’s perfect, they’ll ask about Kurt Cobain and Clinton can say, “I feel your pain.” He usually says that to people like the head of Tyson Farms talking about General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. The President says he’s practicing the politics of hope. Hope is on the emotional chain just before you get to despair.

You know the White House Correspondents’ Dinner? It’s notoriously savage, or has been in the past. The fact that Clinton could take (the MTV controversy) and make it the major thrust of his remarks meant that what he had done is gag the press very successfully. It lowered the level of debate. And, meanwhile, let’s not forget that the President is doing Perot’s act: the town meeting.

ETHAN BAUMFELD

Senior, Huntington Beach High School

I don’t believe it was an appropriate question even in that informal session. The President is afforded a certain level of respect because he or she is the symbol, the banner carrier for our nation. Although he received many votes from young voters, I believe that question took too much for granted.

The purpose was to talk about issues that concerned young Americans and the world in general. Certainly, this was not on the top 10 list of really pressing issues.

JEFFREY COLE

Director, UCLA Center for Communications Policy, Westwood

Some presidents have tried to create a mystique about the presidency. Television has pierced that.

On the evening news we’ve seen: Lyndon Johnson lifting his shirt to show his scar after gallbladder surgery; Richard Nixon shoving his press secretary; Gerald Ford stumbling, falling and bumping his head; Jimmy Carter complaining about hemorrhoids; Ronald Reagan falling asleep during Cabinet meetings, and George Bush throwing up on the Japanese prime minister.

Clinton eschews most of the trappings of the office: one glimpse of him in his running shorts or playing the saxophone told us he is incapable of reverting to a distant, cool style. So, we’re comfortable asking whether or not he wears boxers or briefs. We will remember that he was asked the question and replied with good humor far longer than we will remember the answer.

SHELLEY BERMAN

Actor-comedian, Los Angeles

Recently, President Nixon was being discussed in some of the high schools and one of the students said, “Who is he? I’ve never heard of him.” Not many kids are going to say, “Who is he?” about Clinton because he’s getting out there and talking everybody’s language. The wonderful thing he did when that girl asked that question was that he didn’t scold her for her presumption. And he didn’t refuse to answer, which would have been scolding indirectly.

Here’s a guy who can’t win for losing. If he had said “That’s not the kind of question I think I should be answering” next day he would have been the worst sport in America. The fact that he did answer the question with dignity, and without a pun, caused many people to say he shouldn’t have answered the question. So what should the man do?

GINA MERINO

Senior, Fullerton High School

It all depends on the setting. I think this question was OK to be asked and answered because of the relaxed setting. In a debate of a more serious nature, it would be inappropriate.

I was surprised that a girl had the guts to ask the President that. I wouldn’t ask anyone that question. But the fact that he handled it well, his answering it honestly, I think shows that he’s just like everyone else. I think the President appeals to the youth of America because he can act like a real person.

MARK P. PETRACCA

Co-author, “The American Presidency, “ associate professor of political science, UC Irvine

Should it have been asked? Why not? You put yourself in a room with a group of young people, these are the kinds of things young people are curious about. I don’t think there’s much harm in humanizing the presidency. There’s something healthy about that humanization as long as respect for the person and the office endures.

While no one at the time would have ever thought of asking George Washington whether he had false teeth, our first President certainly didn’t intend to create a distance between him and the people. He asked people simply to call him “Mr. President” rather than “Your Excellency.”