At the White House, They'll Also Keep a Light on For Ya

Web-posted: Thursday, December 19, 1996

s if he hasn't been rapped enough, President Clinton is now being criticized for, of all things, being too hospitable and gracious a host.

In recent stories, The Washington Post described how wealthy people who raised millions of dollars for Clinton's campaign fund paid to spend a night in the White House and have dinner with Mr. and Mrs. Prez.

The stories told how on the very same night a Wall Street wheeler-dealer and his wife would be sacked out in Abe Lincoln's old bed while some big-time Philadelphia lawyer and his wife would be across the hall in the Queen's Bedroom.

And, according to the Post:"One California donor who stayed with his son in the Lincoln Bedroom said the president, dressed in a tuxedo, knocked on the door at midnight, found them watching a videotape on the White House and proceeded to give them a personal two-hour tour of it.''

Critics are saying that Clinton turned the White House into a Motel Six, although it sounds much more like he was operating a bed and breakfast for those who had the means to dash off a $100,000 check.

While some consider it tacky for the president of the United States to be running the White House as sort of a fat-cat motel, I think it was simply a good idea gone awry.

If you think about it, the White House is owned by the people of the United States.

Although the most popular overnight stop for rich campaign contributors was the Lincoln Bedroom, it really wasn't Abe Lincoln's bedroom. Although Lincoln slept there during his presidential years, that bedroom and everything in it belongs to the people of this country.

So what is so wrong with the people of the United States sleeping in beds and bedrooms that belong to the people of the United States?

The only flaw in what Clinton did was soliciting and accepting millions of dollars in campaign contributions from his overnight guests.

Not that everyone who gave money got to flop in Abe's old bed. Some couldn't afford the going rates. As the Post stories said:

``Donors of $10,000 were included in a roomful of diners with the president. Those who contributed $100,000 dined at a table with the president, although sometimes 30 people were crowded in.

``Others were invited to golf outings, appointed to honorary commissions or handed podium passes to the Democratic convention. Raymond Lesniak, a New Jersey politician of Polish heritage who says he raised $1.5 million, traveled on Air Force One with Clinton to meet Polish-born Pope John Paul II at Newark Airport.''

What this shows is that there definitely is a market for the White House. And for rubbing elbows with the president and the first lady. And possibly for those who have trouble dropping off to sleep, maybe Vice President Al Gore.

President Clinton has established that there are a lot of people willing to spend $100,000 of their money to say that they have slept in the Abe Lincoln Bedroom or the Queen's Bedroom.

So why not make this a regular attraction and opportunity?

With one change in the procedure. And that would be that the money goes into the people's treasury rather than into Clinton's campaign fund.

All they would have to do is rent the spare rooms out five nights a week. Like any other motel clerks, the Clintons should be entitled to days off and could have their weekends free.

At $100,000 a night, just Abe Lincoln's Bedroom and the Queen's Bedroom could bring in $1 million a week.

And there are other smaller, less prestigious rooms that could probably be let for smaller sums, especially if they have radiators that hiss or clank.

What about Camp David? Here we have a beautiful people-owned retreat out in the country that sits empty and unused most of the time.

I'm sure there are all sorts of wealthy status seekers who would be eager to drop a pretty penny in order to tell their friends:"Yes, Marsha and I decided to get away from it all for a few days, so we went up to Camp David. I can see why Ike loved the place. Terrific rustic charm.''

And what about the foreign market, which was very generous to Clinton's campaign.

Because they are cooped up on their small island, the wealthy Japanese love to fly to distant vacation lands.

They would be prime customers for a night at the White House. Or even better, a tourist package deal that could include dinner and a round of golf with the president.

Why not? He's going to play golf anyway. So what is wrong with filling out a foursome with Japanese tourists willing to shell out big bucks?

President Clinton's fundraising methods have shown that he is a highly marketable celebrity. Just think about the kind of money he could bring in by playing host to Japanese tourists who would go home and spread the word to others:

"Oh, what great trip. Sleep in Lincoln's bed. Lumpy but OK. Then Hillary cook big breakfast, Al Gore drive us to golf course and tee it up with Bill. Then after dinner, Bill play saxophone and we all dance. They tell us that starting next month, new a la carte menu with sushi on it.

"So forget Disney World. From now on, I go Clinton World.''

© 1996 Chicago Tribune