Clinton Aides Shaping Conference : Economy: More than 100 experts and average Americans will discuss President-elect’s platform. It’s unclear whether Perot will be invited.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — President-elect Bill Clinton will invite more than 100 experts and average American “stakeholders” to an economic brainstorming session Dec. 14 and 15 in Little Rock to “put meat on the bones” of his economic plans, aides said Tuesday.

Offering new details of the much-discussed conference, aides said it would be loosely structured and intended to draw comment on all the particulars of Clinton’s economic platform, from investment tax credits to job-creation to worker retraining programs. Aides emphasized that the gathering would not alter the broad outline of Clinton’s program but could shape some details of the plans he will submit to Congress next year.

“This is assessment, it’s input,” said Mickey Kantor, the former Clinton campaign chairman who is organizing the conference. “It’s part of a continuing process of learning and analyzing what’s going in the economy.”

Aides plan to present Clinton with a master list of thousands of possible participants by the Thanksgiving holiday and said that he may make his selections over the weekend.

Although the invitations are not yet in the mail, two prominent Orange County Republicans who broke with the party ranks early on to support Clinton’s presidential bid are expected to attend.

Western Digital Chairman Roger W. Johnson said he and developer Kathryn Thompson would take part in the discussion on economic issues.

“I think there will be lots of issues regarding priorities; what do people think are most important,” Johnson said. “Short-range versus long-range (priorities); probably some discussion on particular details on how best to go about certain things. Capital gains (taxes) for example.”

Johnson also said the discussion probably would not include recommending nominees for key economic policy positions in the new Administration.

“There’s a sense to get regrounded. The governor all along has continued to reach out as he’s headed down the path he’s laid out,” Johnson said. “Now we are going to have to get down to business and start laying down some detailed proposals.”

While aides declined publicly to identify any expected participant, one aide said civil rights leader Jesse Jackson is likely to get his publicly stated wish to take part. Still unclear was whether an invitation would go to independent presidential candidate Ross Perot, whom Clinton once identified as someone he would like to have working with his Administration.

Clinton aides attempted Tuesday to further lower expectations about the event. Those expectations initially soared when one transition aide referred to the gathering as a “summit.” Since then, aides have insisted on calling it a “retreat,” “conference” or “audit.”

Kantor compared the meetings to opinion-gathering sessions that Clinton used during his 12 years as governor to float major proposals.

He said the conference would begin with four or five roundtable sessions in which participants would engage in discussions without prepared papers with Clinton and Vice President-elect Al Gore. The general meetings will take place at the Arkansas Statehouse and smaller ones are planned for Little Rock hotels, Kantor said.

He said sponsors would invite live TV pool coverage of the event. He said he expects participants to include economists, representatives of large and small business and “real” people. Kantor was unspecific about who those people might be but he said the conference would draw “a wide diversity of folks,” including those who struggle with the economy every day.

Republicans, he predicted, will participate.

Kantor cited as a possible discussion topic Clinton’s proposal for an investment tax credit. This proposal should be talked about “by people who have to deal with that kind of situation every day in business, whether it’s small business or big business, small banks, big banks, consumers,” Kantor said.

Aides were asked about the need for such a conference, considering that Clinton has discussed his proposals--and gathered public comment--over a yearlong campaign. Asked if these economic plans had not been “discussed to death,” Kantor replied: “We’re going to discuss them to life.”

Clinton’s aides attempted to dampen speculation that an unannounced trip to Little Rock on Tuesday by Sen. Lloyd Bentsen (D-Tex.) and a visit by Colorado Sen. Tim Wirth signaled that they are closer to being named Cabinet secretaries.

Bentsen, the 71-year-old chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and one of the most powerful congressional leaders on economic affairs, has been widely rumored to be in line for the key job at Treasury.

Wirth, who heads a Senate subcommittee on energy regulation and conservation, has been mentioned frequently as a possible secretary of energy or Interior.

Spokeswoman Dee Dee Myers said that Wirth, a Colorado Democrat who did not seek reelection this year, met with Clinton “to discuss a broad range of issues relating to the transition and the new Administration.”

As for Bentsen, transition communications director George Stephanopoulos, said, “I think he’s just going to have a general discussion about a number of issues with the governor today.”

Bentsen, a Democrat from Texas, is highly regarded by the business community and was a leader in the congressional fight to expand individual retirement accounts. He also was a major opponent of the Bush Administration’s attempts to lower capital gains taxes without a corresponding increase in taxes for the wealthy.

Last week, Bentsen met in Washington with Clinton transition director Warren Christopher. Bentsen has said in recent days that he is “happy where I am,” and many who know him well say he prizes the independence he has as a Senate leader--something he would sacrifice if he became a Cabinet member.

Others close to Bentsen said privately that he has clearly left the door open to be considered for Treasury. Myers said that Tuesday’s meeting did not “rule (Bentsen) in or out.”

The transition aides were asked whether new signs of life in the economy--including a rise in durable goods orders--might make it unnecessary for the new President to propose a multibillion-dollar economic stimulus program.

“I don’t think we’ve reached that point yet,” said Stephanopoulos. He said he saw hopeful signs in a rise in the consumer confidence index and news of improving durable goods orders. But he noted that housing starts are down and unemployment claims “are still up.”

“Even the most hopeful signs we see right now are still mixed. . . . We still need a significant economic package next year.”

Stephanopoulos said Clinton would not use his Thanksgiving weekend trip to Southern California to tour South Central Los Angeles neighborhoods.

He said Clinton had been to South Central “several times” during the campaign. “I don’t (think) that he’ll necessarily go back on this trip, but you can count on him being back there as President,” he said.

Transition aides said they will announce today the names of leaders of the transition teams, called “clusters,” that will study the workings of various federal departments and recommend any changes to Clinton.

Times staff writers James Risen in Washington, Ronald Brownstein in Little Rock and Gebe Martinez in Orange County contributed to this story.