Executive sweet - White House perks

Washington Monthly, Jan-Feb, 1993 by Christopher Georges

Think the last round of perk-purging got them all? Take a glimpse at the high life in the White House

"Imagine what it's like to fly first class on the best airline," says one Bush aide. "Well, think of one level better; now you're getting close to what White House travel is like." Bragging perhaps, but the sad truth is that he's right. And the perks don't just come at 20,000 feet; back on earth there's the White House Mess, the 29-car limo fleet, the health care benefits, the free gym, and more. How could this be, you ask? Didn't they clamp down on all those White House freebies back when they put the House bank out of business? Not a chance. Despite the podium pounding and the mea culpas from congressional and White House big wigs over perks, the dirty little secret on West Executive Drive is that as far as White House goodies go, it's business as usual.

And quite a business it is. The White House employs a staff of nearly 100 butlers, doormen, maids, drivers, chefs, waiters, "gift analyzers,'' florists (four of them), and calligraphers (five). Travel costs for the president and his staff come to more than $100 million annually. The total budget for White House expenses? About $150 million. The real cost of presidential perks, however, can't be measured in dollars, but by the attitude it engenders among the president's top aides. Eating lunch, for example, means a short walk down to the Mess where the waiter (who has been your personal waiter for the past two years) sits you down (at the table with an engraved pewter ingot that bears your name), and serves you a drink (which you didn't have to order because he already knows what you like). After that kind of treatment, you might just feel a little grander than the average person.

Of course, with the arrival of Bill Clinton, there's some hope that this may change. After all, central to his anointment was his ability to convince people that he does in fact empathize with the average American; that he's as likely to lunch at a Northeast McDonald's as at the West Wing Mess. But there's no guarantee that the Clintonires won't rely on the same arguments as have administrations before them to preserve their special status--namely that the perks make them more efficient and the freebies are no grander than those enjoyed by, say, business leaders or high priced lawyers.

Care, free

That, of course, may be true, but it's also true that their private sector counterparts don't make policy for the rest of America. Which is why the issue of perks can't simply be dismissed, as it often is, as a matter of a few harmless goodies that make life just a little bit easier for hard working White House staffers. Consider the health care perk, which is arguably the most damaging of them all, as it can easily blind top policymakers to the urgency of the nation's problem. White House big shots not only automatically receive the very best of health insurance plans (for just $100 per month), but have access to some of the best doctors and most sophisticated medical facilities in the nation. The White House medical unit, led by the president's personal physician, is on call 24 hours a day to care for any medical emergencies that any White House brass or Cabinet members may encounter. And while the nation's first doctor and his staff won't offer regular checkups, the office does work as a referral service. "We'11 make sure you get into the best location at the best price," said President Bush's physician Dr. Burton Lee III. If such solicitous service were not a given at the presidential mansion, we might today be debating how to improve on our universal health care plan instead of still trying to create one.

At the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, Congress, although still clinging to some of its perks --such as free parking in and around the Capitol and at airports, amnesty from parking tickets in D.C., and limousine privileges--has at least cut out some of its freebies. Gone are the discount gym, car wash, and haircuts, free flowers, bargain gift shop, and House bank. It wouldn't hurt for the Clinton administration to pick up where Congress left off. No one, of course, wants our government leaders to go without health insurance or be forced to walk to lunch in the rain, but as Clinton's top aides find themselves drawn into the presidential bubble, one way they can keep their feet on the same ground as--and their ears attuned to the problems of---the rest of America, is to close the gap between the way the White House staff and the rest of us live.

And just what sacrifices would that entail? For one, it would mean making travel with the president a little less regal. Here's a sketch of what it's now like to be a part of the president's travelling entourage:

About the only strain is getting yourself and your bags to your White House office. Once there, a member of the trip crew will ferry your personal belongings to the plane. A limousine or helicopter will be waiting outside the White House to rush you to Andrews Air Force Base where you'll board Air Force One. Once in your seat (and every seat is first class caliber), you'll most likely be served---even though you didn't place an order for--your favorite drink in a crystal glass. "The stewards make it a point to know what each of us likes," explains one White House frequent traveller. "And from then on, the flow of food and service is endless"--which helps explain the $40,000 per hour cost of maintaining the plane. Perhaps you need to conduct some business? Secretarial support is at the ready to place a call or take a memo. "It's what I call 'low impact travel,'" explains one Bush aide. "High impact travel is lugging your bags to the airport, standing in line, and arguing when you can't get a seat. None of that here."