These staffers resent Morris as a duplicitous outsider who has worked for more Republicans than Democrats. They’re building a case against Morris – with his inadvertent help. Last week, chief of staff Leon Panetta forced Morris to file a financial-disclosure form. It revealed that Morris picked up $18,500 in 1994 and 1995 for steering corporate clients to a top GOP lobbying firm. Other advisers point out that during the ‘92 campaign, the consultant spread rumors about Clinton’s alleged womanizing. And White House insiders charge that Morris makes up polling data to back his moderate arguments.
Morris is giving his enemies some room for hope. A liberal group in the White House, which includes George Stephanopoulos and Harold Ickes, has wanted to purge the guru for ideological reasons since he came back into Clinton’s orbit after the ‘94 elections. This faction was delighted when Clinton chastised Morris recently for sharing poll results with Bob Dole that indicated a budget deal would be in everyone’s political interest. Morris then wrongly blamed Stephanopoulos for leaking the Dole memo; Clinton scolded Morris again.
The backbiting reflects a serious debate. Morris believes Clinton should stress values. In a draft of the State of the Union speech, Morris had Clinton sounding like ““family counselor-in-chief,’’ urging unhappily married couples to stick it out, says one adviser. Stephanopoulos and Ickes thought Clinton ought to focus on the growing gap between rich and poor. Clinton, typically, chose to do both. The president may not do exactly what Morris says, but he’s not about to get rid of him. The president credits Morris with engineering his comeback in Arkansas in 1982 and with skillfully moving him to the center now. And Clinton still thinks Morris is his best bet to stay in office after 1996.
