RECORD TYPE: PRESIDENTIAL (TRP NOTES MAIL) CREATOR: Ron Klain ( CN=Ron Klain/O=OVP [ OVP ] ) CREATION DATE/TIME:26-SEP-1996 09:00:36.00 SUBJECT: Updates TO: Albert Gore ( CN=Albert Gore/O=OVP @ OVP [ OVP ] ) READ:UNKNOWN CC: Heather M. Marabeti ( CN=Heather M. Marabeti/O=OVP @ OVP [ OVP ] ) READ:UNKNOWN TEXT: A few items this morning: 1. Bill Signing. This is on track, still; we basically traded the role we prefer for you (introducing the POTUS) to get this slot for MEG. I think it will be nice. 2. Income Stats. As I told you on Tuesday, there is some very good news out of the Census Bureau today: a startling annual report on incomes and poverty. Among the highlights: the largest one year jump in family income since 1985; the lowest black poverty rate in history; the lowest senior citizen poverty rate in history; the biggest drop in child poverty in 20 years. Typical family income is up $1,630 since Bill Clinton's economic plan passed -- and income inequality scored its largest drop in 27 years last year. (My new debate one-liner: "America is on the right track, Jack.") POTUS will hype these stats in his bill signing statement (which occurs after 10:30am, the embargo time on the figures) and in his post-caucus statement on the Hill. 3. Parks. Katie has a lunch memo item on this; Panetta and Hilley reassured me this morning that we are pushing a veto threat on this hard, and they will consult w/Katie if there are any changes or negotiations. 4. Immigration. We continue to push privately to have Title V (which contains all the noxious provisions about legal immigrants) dropped, as a price for putting this in the CR. But the fact is that our leverage is slight, and the bill INCLUDING THESE BAD PROVISIONS passed the House yesterday 305-120. Also, Bill Carrick is urging the President to sign the bill no matter what, saying that Calif comes back in play if he vetoes it. (Note that DiFi was the only Dem Conferee to sign the Conference Report.) 5. FAA Auth Bill. This is very dangerous, and I will talk to Elaine about it. But this Bill, which contains some good Gore Commission recommendations and language, is now in trouble because Hollings added the labor fix that Fred Smith had wanted for Fed Ex, and now labor is putting a hold on this bill. Obviously, the conflict between Fed Ex and Labor is a very delicate one for us. 6. Dole Ad. He's up with his new spot today, which attacks us for proposing 484 new government programs at a cost of $2 trillion over the past four years. There is some sentiment to attack this by picking at Dole's methods and Dole's math, but to me, that risks a reprise of the 1992 debate with the Bush campaign over whether Clinton had raised taxes 117 times in Arkansas (or just 116, as was later calculated by Betsey Wright). Instead, we should stick with our core message: under Clinton-Gore, the deficit has been down four years in a row; it is down 60%; and the government is the smallest since JFK. PERIOD.