Clinton Stages Debate With Heckler Workers World Party Candidate Crashes Democratic Fundraiser
Republican Bob Dole has been pressing President Clinton for a third debate and Sunday it happened - but Dole, unfortunately, was nowhere to be found.
Instead, Clinton matched wits with Gloria La Rivera, the vice presidential candidate of the Workers World Party, which is on the ballot in 12 states.
She heckled the president for several minutes in a bizarre encounter in the unlikeliest of settings: a $1,000-per-person fund-raiser in the ballroom of a suburban hotel filled with well-heeled Democrats.
Hecklers are a common occurrence on the campaign trail, and usually Clinton dispatches them genially within a few seconds. But La Rivera was more persistent than most, chiding Clinton about welfare reform and a host of other topics.
Clinton seemed irritated as she continued her harangue just a few feet from his podium. Finally, he tired of trying to wait her out and began offering point-by-point rebuttals.
“Hey, wait, this might be interesting,” Clinton said. “She talked about the war on the poor. Facts are inconvenient. We had the biggest drop in child poverty last year in 20 years. Second fact: We had the biggest drop in poverty in households headed by women in 30 years. … What else should we talk about? I like this.”
White House aides glowering at La Rivera and scurrying to find security personnel to escort her out evidently liked it less. Finally, the woman was hauled away, as Clinton bade her farewell. “Bye,” he said with a wave. “Bye, bye.”
It was certainly the most colorful exchange on a day devoted largely to increasing the already swelled coffers of the Democratic Party. Earlier, Clinton attended services with the predominately black congregation of the New Hope Baptist Church. There was gospel music that had some of the 800 or so parishioners dancing in aisles, and Clinton said their rousing reception had a bracing effect.
“About this time of year, people in our line of work are tired on Sunday morning,” Clinton said. “They hurt from head to toe. Well, I’m not tired anymore.”
After church, Clinton attended the fund-raiser for the Democratic National Committee and the Senate campaign of Rep. Robert G. Torricelli, D-N.J., where he met his heckler.
From there the president helicoptered to another fund-raiser at a Tarrytown, N.Y., estate that used to belong to Nelson Rockefeller and then went to a fund-raiser at a Manhattan hotel. Money from the latter two events is to be split equally among the DNC, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which benefits House candidates. The day wasn’t scheduled to end until the wee hours in Cleveland, where Clinton plans a Monday morning rally.
It was unclear Sunday afternoon what happened to La Rivera after she was led away by Teaneck police. The White House referred questions to the police, who referred questions to the Newark branch of the Secret Service, where an agent said there was no one around authorized to answer questions.