[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 14 (Monday, April 12, 1993)]
[Pages 552-553]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Exchange With Reporters En Route to the Opening Day Baseball Game in 
Baltimore, Maryland

 April 5, 1993

Affirmative Action in Baseball

    Q. Mr. President, what do you think of Jesse Jackson's protest 
today?
    The President. I think it's an informational protest. I think it's 
fine. The owners put out a statement a few days ago which they say was 
the first step in, you know, efforts to increase minority ownership and 
minority increases in management. I think we should. I'm encouraged by 
Don Baylor's appointment out in Colorado. And I think it's time to make 
a move on that front. So, I think it's a legitimate issue, and I think 
it's, like I said, it's an informational picket and not an attempt to 
get people not to go to the game. So, I think it's good.

[[Page 553]]

    Q. Do you think they're moving fast enough?
    The President. Well, I think that it was a good first step. And I 
think you'll see some movement now. And I think it's an issue that 
deserves some attention, and they're obviously going to give it some. 
And I think that Reverend Jackson being out there will highlight the 
issue. So I think it's fine.

Stimulus Package

    Q. Mr. President, how about the logjam in the Senate on the economic 
stimulus plan? Do you think they'll be able to break that and get 
cloture?
    The President. I don't know. We're working at it. I mean, it's a 
classic--there was an article in the paper today, one of the papers I 
saw, which pretty well summed it up. They said, you know, it's just a 
political power play. In the Senate the majority does not rule. It's not 
like the country. It's not like the House. If the minority chooses, they 
can stop majority rule. And that's what they're doing. There are a lot 
of Republican Senators who have told people that they might vote for the 
stimulus program but there's enormous partisan political pressure not to 
do it.
    And of course, what it means is that in this time when no new jobs 
are being created even though there seems to be an economic recovery, it 
means that for political purposes they're willing to deny jobs to places 
like Baltimore and Dallas and Houston and Pittsburgh and Philadelphia 
and Portland and Seattle. It's very sad. I mean, the block grant program 
was designed to create jobs in a hurry based on local priorities, and 
it's one that the Republicans had always championed. Just about the only 
Democrat champions of the program were people like me who were out there 
at the grassroots level, Governors and Senators. I just think it's real 
sad that they have chosen to exert the minority muscle in a way that 
will keep Americans out of work. I think it's a mistake.

Note: The exchange began at 11:45 a.m. aboard the MARC train en route to 
Oriole Park at Camden Yards. In his remarks, he referred to civil rights 
leader Rev. Jesse Jackson. A tape was not available for verification of 
the content of this exchange.