Politicians Find Jogging With Clinton Is No Stroll in the Park
WASHINGTON, July 23—*Representative Bob Filner stopped jogging about four years ago because of a bad back. But when word came that President Clinton planned to spend the night in San Diego, the freshman lawmaker didn't think twice about inviting himself along for an early morning jaunt on the Coronado beach.
Not timid about seizing a political opportunity, Mr. Filner, who is 50, said: "It's a status thing. I thought there'd be some interesting pictures taken that I could use to talk about in a fun way with my constituents."
Little did the California Democrat know that Mr. Clinton, whom he thought "looked like a big lug," would outpace and outlast him. The President was unusually speedy that day because he did not want to be shown up by a group of Navy Seals who had joined them. So an out-of-breath and out-of-shape Mr. Filner dropped out after the first of four miles. The only pictures his constituents saw were cartoons in the local paper poking fun at his athletic prowess.
Politicians like Mr. Filner may think New Balance has something to do with the New World Order, and they may never exercise, but they cannot seem to resist trying to jog with the President.
Even the President of South Korea, Kim Young Sam, insisted that he jog with Mr. Clinton when the President was recently in Seoul, after delicate negotiations over speed, timing and dress. (Aides, fearful that his usual baggy shorts would offend Koreans, had Mr. Clinton put on a full-length running suit.)
Some politicians are seeking simply to borrow some Presidential prestige, others come to build good will with the President or to lobby him on particular issues. Most will say, of course, that they simply want to get in shape.
"Jogging with the President," said Steve Rabinowitz, a White House aide, "is bigger than an audience in the Oval."
But like Mr. Filner, many would-be runners underestimate the President's endurance and speed (he usually runs about three eight-minute miles). The White House now provides a "straggler van" to pick up people who conk out. And aides try to warn prospective runners that the President is no slug.
"On T.V., he looks a little like he's plodding along, but it's not like a stroll in the park," said Dee Dee Myers, the White House press secretary, who no longer jogs with the President because he is too quick for her. "He's deceptively fast."
Judy Collins, the singer and political enthusiast, spent most of her time in the straggler van. Richard J. Riordan, the new Mayor of Los Angeles, also ended up in it, emerging only when he spotted photographers. (His photo with the President was played prominently in The Los Angeles Times the next morning.)
So did Representative Cynthia McKinney of Georgia, who had not exercised in years. She prepared for her jog by buying a running outfit and doing some sit-ups the night before. 'Kicking Up Dust'
"I thought he'd chug along like a caboose," she said. "I thought it was an opportunity to see the President laid back and kicking back. But he was kicking up dust, and leaving me in the wind."
Susie Rodriquez, Ms. McKinney's press secretary, who also went on the run at Hains Point on the Potomac River, recalled, "I said, 'Cynthia, there are a bunch of press people, just try to make it to the first cameras.' "
Ms. McKinney said she was near collapse when the van picked her up and took her to the end point. That way, the freshman Democrat still got what she came for: her picture with Mr. Clinton.
But for the 1993 political set, jogging at 7 A.M. with the President is the most fashionable.
As often as five days a week, Mr. Clinton can be seen wearing a different baseball cap every day as he tries new routes through the streets of Washington, or whatever city he is visiting. He runs with a pack of supporter and friends, plus reporters and the ever-present Secret Service contingent.
Not one who likes to run around in circles, at least not when it comes to athletics, the President rarely uses the $30,000 jogging track built for him on the South Lawn with private donations.
"The track is very good in bad weather," Mr. Clinton told reporters during a run on the Mall one morning. "It's also very good for me at night or after dark, if I want to run. It's too much of a burden on the Service for me to run at night." Oval Office Tour, Too
Since Mr. Clinton takes his jogging seriously -- he once called it "my thinking time" -- it is not until he is back in the Oval Office that he converses much with his running mates.
On the eve of the most recent budget vote in the Senate, Senator Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, who was wavering, said he and the President, both in their shorts, "talked a great deal after the run about policy, about trade, about Vietnam."
The politics of exercise is, of course, a two-way street. Mr. Clinton knows the importance of building relationships (and winning votes) in informal settings. Who knows why Mr. Kerrey, who was wearing a "Hillary Knows Best" T-shirt, ended up voting with Mr. Clinton on the budget? Did they bond on the run?
By running in Vancouver, Canada, with Lieut. Gen. Barry R. McCaffery, who had been snubbed by a young White House aide weeks earlier, Mr. Clinton sought to repair strained relations with the Army brass. A Serious Golfer
While Mr. Clinton runs to burn off calories, the sport he really seems to enjoy is golf. So securing a golf invitation with the President -- and as many as six hours of his time -- is more difficult. He tries to play once a week, and his partners say Mr. Clinton is very competitive, always keeping careful score.
Representative Dan Glickman of Kansas, who golfed with Mr. Clinton last week, said: "I did not lobby him for any water projects in my district or anything like that. He's a serious golfer, and he hits the ball quite far, actually."
Reply With QuoteOriginally Posted by Jade Dragon
Need's more vacation.
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