Casey explores possible presidential bid

By JON FEINBERG
Collegian Staff Writer

Robert P. Casey has no qualms about making waves in the Democratic Party.

The former governor, who was forbidden from giving an anti-abortion speech at the 1992 Democratic Nominating Convention, filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday. The filing will allow Casey to create an exploratory committee to assess the feasibility of a campaign for the presidency in 1996.

However, many local people agree with statements from the president's administration that a Casey candidacy would not pose a threat to President Clinton's re-election bid.

Robert O'Connor, associate professor of political science, said it is highly unlikely that Casey can take the nomination from Clinton.

"To challenge Bill Clinton," O'Connor said, "you need some money, you need some recognition, and you need some strategy for building a coalition of supporters."

Assessing these qualities is exactly what Casey's committee will do before he makes his final decision.

"Money is the big one," said Karen Walsh, spokeswoman for the exploratory committee. After evaluating the feasibility of a run at the nomination, Walsh said Casey will announce his plans in April or May.

But regardless of how much money he can raise, many people believe Casey's success will depend on his message.

If Casey concentrates on his controversial anti-abortion stance, O'Connor said he will not affect Clinton's chances.

"Bill Clinton is closer to the views of most Americans on the abortion issue than is Bob Casey," O'Connor said. The majority of Americans are neither hard-core pro-life, nor pro-choice, he said.

But Casey has said he will not base his campaign on one issue.

"If and when (Casey) makes a decision to run, he would lay out a comprehensive plan for running the country," Walsh said. At this point, she said, it is too premature to say exactly what this plan will contain.

And even though his candidacy is indefinite, Walsh said Casey's committee is not pleased with the Clinton administration's statements labeling the opposition as inconsequential.

"I think that's insulting to the millions of Democrats who are unhappy with President Clinton," Walsh said.

Locally, many Democrats do not believe that Casey can take the nomination away from Clinton.

"(Casey) is the first of, I think, many that will put their foot in the water and see what it's like," said Mike Schiano, vice president of the College Democrats.

In addition, Schiano said a Casey candidacy could be detrimental to Clinton's campaign because the primaries tend to bring out the worst in a candidate's platform.

Even if Casey is not successful, many people think that a competitor within the same party would be harmful to the president's popularity.

"Any time you have opposition it hurts a sitting president," O'Connor said. "It's not good news for Clinton if Casey follows through and gets on the ballot."