Heading South, Clinton Leaves Fund-raising Questions - Dec. 30, 1996
Clinton Gets New Year Advice At Renaissance Weekend
By Jill Dougherty/CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN, Dec. 31) -- Teeing off for his last golf game of 1996, President Bill Clinton hooked one, sliced one and grounded one.
But the new year brings new beginnings, in golf as well as politics.
The president begins 1997, surrounded by 1500 other "Renaissance Weekend" participants, a group of super-achievers who aren't too sophisticated to walk around sporting oversized name tags.
Clinton began the day at a seminar entitled "Spiritual Life In A Secular Society".
Participants deny this is some kind of liberal Democratic thinkathon. Regulars include arch-conservative Richard Viguerie and evangelicals who say they feel right at home.
Evangelical leader Tony Campollo said, "I can share my convinctions and my beliefs without feeling that someone is going to jump down my throat and wipe me out."
In fact, seven Renaissance Weekend participants have run for president: four Democrats and three Republicans.
Only 50 of the 500 families at this weekend are engaged in politics. But several attending were willing to offer their president a little advice for the coming new year.
Olympic medalist Edwin Moses said, "In America we know the kids are not as physically challenged as they could be and also in terms of education we need to really pay attention to the next generation."
J.F.K. advisor Ted Sorensen says Bill Clinton should make history, internationally. "The world is crying out for leadership and the abolition of arms and support for the United Nations and mutilateral organizations and for paying attention to Africa and other parts of the developing world that have gone off the map," Sorensen said.
Bill Nye, the Science Guy, says the president should take a really bold step for America -- go metric. "He's not going to get re-elected, right...so he can just go for it!"
One thing you can be sure of, that's not the last bit of advice the president will get this year.
This story originally appeared on CNN's "Inside Politics."