-
https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/files/original/b0a7ed4702b705bd900782d4f56fa411.pdf
201714956b4fca9bdcd9551f2c815bda
PDF Text
Text
F O I A Number:
2006-0885-F
FOIA
MARKER
This is not a textual record. This is used as an
administrative marker by the William J. Clinton
Presidential Library Staff.
Collection/Record Group:
Clinton Presidential Records
Subgroup/Office ol* Origin:
Healtb Care Task Force
Scries/Staff Member:
Prunty
Subseries:
OA/ID Number:
3619
Folderll):
P older Title:
Speeches: Recent B.C. Sp.S [Bill Clinton Speeches]
Staek:
Row:
S
52
Section:
1
Shelf:
Position:
9
2
�THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
June 22, 1994
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
AT DNC SAXOPHONE CLUB RECEPTION
The Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, DC
10:10 P.M.
EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, H i l l a r y . (Laughter.) Thank
you, Chairman Wilhelm. And Deegee and Vernon and Ann Jordan. And
thank you especially, Sean Foley and J e s s i c a Wasserman, for leading
the Saxophone Club.
(Applause.)
I want to thank, too, Sean Burton and Jonathan Mantz for
helping to hold the Saxophone Club — (applause). And the
Homebuilders and Occidental Petroleum,' that helped to support this
event tonight.
I also want to thank the entertainers. I'm kind of
sorry I didn't Hootie and the Blowfish. (Laughter.) And I know
Paula Poundstone was funny, because she always i s .
(Applause.) And
I'm hoping I get to here a l i t t l e b i t of Chaka Khan and the St.
Augustine Church Choir. Thank you a l l for being here. (Applause.)
We j u s t came, as you know, from another event for the
Democratic Party, and one that was immensely successful. But i t
struck me i n that moment that the people who were there were a
stunning answer to those who say that t h i s i s a cynical and s e l f i s h
country, and that you are as well.
We had two pieces of good news already today — one's
light and one's not so l i g h t . The l i g h t one i s that the United
States won the soccer game tonight. (Applause.) I identify with our
soccer team — you know, they s t a r t as underdogs in t h i s deal. I
l i k e that. (Laughter.) And they're doing well. (Applause.)
And the thing that potentially, and I hope and pray w i l l
ultimately affect your.future in a very positive way, i s the formal
n o t i f i c a t i o n I received t h i s afternoon that the North Koreans are
w i l l i n g to suspend t h e i r nuclear program — (applause).
Then i t occurred to me that at the event where I j u s t
was, there were l o t s of people there, and they weren't a l l Democrats.
Some were Independents, some came up to me and said they were
Republicans — they were proud to be there at our party's event.
V i r t u a l l y every one of them, when our economic program passed l a s t
year, paid higher taxes so we could bring the d e f i c i t down and give a
tax break to lower income working people with families. Those people
aren't c y n i c a l . They did something that they believe i s good for
t h e i r country, good for t h e i r children and good for t h e i r future.
And I am grateful to them, because they are — (inaudible) — i n the
cynicism. (applause).
And then I look out at a l l of you and I r e a l i z e — f i r s t
of a l l , I look out at some of you,'and a -couple of you are my age,
which makes me feel — (laughter). Somebody said, some are older.
(Laughter.) I can t e l l you, you look good out there with a l l these
young people, but you can't turn i t back. (Laughter.) Even I can't
do that for you.
(Laughter.) But you are a rebuke to t h i s notion
�- 2-
that this whole idea of generation X, you know, i t ' s a bunch of
hooey. (Applause.)
What I want to say to you in brief i s this — f i r s t
me thank you for keeping the Saxophone Club together. I t means ;
to me. (Applause.) I t means more than you could possibly know i
there are young people who work in and around t h i s town, who bel:
in t h i s administration, who have stayed together, who were not j i
in i t for the campaign, and are not j u s t sunshine soldiers but ai
actually here for the long haul to make America a better place,
thank you for that. I t means so much to me. (Applause.)
The second point I want to say i s t h i s : We are doir.
what you h i r e d us to do, and that's important. When we had a l l t
events in the campaign, I told you I was fighting for your future
And I s t i l l am. And when we took office, I said I wanted to get
economy going, to bring the d e f i c i t down, to invest more in our
people, to make government work for ordinary people, and to empow
people l i k e you to seize your future.
And you look — unemployment i s down, jobs are up, n.
businesses are up. We're moving in the right direction. We're g<
to have three years of d e f i c i t reduction in a row for the f i r s t t.
since Truman was president — (applause) —
We're empowering people — 90,000 more kids i n Head
Start; 20 m i l l i o n more college students e l i g i b l e for low interest
student loans and better repayment. (Applause.) National service
w i l l s t a r t t h i s f a l l with 20,000 people year a f t e r next — 100,00(
young Americans revolutionizing — (applause) —
So, I t e l l you, we are f u l f i l l i n g the mission that yc
voted for, that you worked for, that you are a part of, and your
future i s a t stake.
And the third thing I want to say to you i s t h i s : I ' :
glad you're here, and I'm glad you're happy, and I'm glad you're
enthusiastic. You've made me happy, and you've given me new energ:
But l e t me t e l l you, what i s a t stake this year and next year and i
next year i s f a r bigger than Republicans and Democrats and Preside:
Clinton. I t ' s about what the attitude of the American people i s ar
what w i l l be the dominant s p i r i t of the American people as we move
toward the 21st century.
When we're having t h i s enormously important debate on
health care — and l e t me j u s t say, I put out a plan on health care
and H i l l a r y and I worked hard on i t , but we said we know i t can't b
the end a l land be a l l . We're happy to change i t . But for goodnes
sakes, work with us without regard to party or region. Work with u
and help to cover a l l Americans and solve t h i s t e r r i b l e problem,
(Applause.)
That's what we said.
And i t seems pretty simple to me. ^la-is»=cisE&the^only
countrx«.in*.the,jw,or.ld._with,* an-advanced^economy-.hadni-t—f'igtired-out ho
to c c s L e t ^ e v e ^ b ^ ^
heal^h^eare. T.oday^i-n--The"Washington-Post-'--there~wc^-an«a-rt"i-cle- on
the** Gernmr-heai-th-cariB-systempointing-out-they^"«e-spendi-ng«8Ti-5
r
J
o
r
What i s the problem?
AUDIENCE MEMBER:
Well —
Republicans
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Dole.
(Laughter.)
n
�- 3 -
THE PRESIDENT: ~ Listen, i t i s n ' t a l l Republicans,
^publican doctors, Republican nurses, Republican home
jive & -Orators, Republican businesspeople come up to me and say, I
ft !L
what you're doing. We have got to have universal health
coverage.
What i s the problem? Congressman Grandy from Iowa — wait, Gopher — relieved of the burden of running for office
~ ^~for Congress, f i n a l l y came out and said that the Republicans had
been given, quote, marching orders by t h e i r leader to not cooperate,
don't offer any amendments, you cannot vote for anything.
eait
0
AUDIENCE MEMBER: What about the country?
THE PRESIDENT: What about the country, yes.
(Applause.) Not about what the Democrats, what about the country?
And l e t me t e l l you what's at stake. This i s a big deal. When you
leave here, t h i s w i l l s t i l l be a stake.
They believe that they can win based on two things in
'94 and beyond — f i r s t , the overwhelming cynicism of the American
electorate bombarded every day by negativism, obsessively covered
with process and c o n f l i c t instead of substantive product. They
believe that the American people w i l l .either not know what we have
done, or they won't believe i t . And then they think they can divide
us i n a c u l t u r a l war over moral issues, r a c i a l issues and ethnic
issues. They must be proved wrong. (Applause.)
You look around t h i s room and you w i l l picture of
America. The diversity of t h i s country i s our t i c k e t to the future.
I t w i l l make us rich? i t w i l l make us strong; i t w i l l make us
powerful. I t w i l l make your l i v e s more interesting than any
generation of America that went before i f we can figure out how to go
into these c i t i e s and into these poor r u r a l areas and l i f t these
children up, and i f we can figure out how to l i v e together instead of
avoiding our problems and dividing ourselves. (Applause.)
> But we must not become mired i n the cynicism and the
negativism-that dominates the debate here everyday. And you know
better, and you can cut through i t . And i t ' s your l i f e . You've got
more years ahead of you than I do. I've already had more good things
happen to me than I ever deserved, or I ever could have dreamed of.
I'm up here thinking about what's going to happen to my daughter and
her children and your future. And I'm t e l l i n g you, we cannot cut i t
i f we permit an election i n 1994 to reward the people who have
stopped progress and t r i e d to create gridlock because there i s so
much cynicism that either people can't find out what happened good,
or they don't believe i t i f they do? and then they're diverted. We
cannot l e t that happen. (Applause.)
And so I ask you to leave here thinking that. Perhaps
the biggest honor I've had as your President i s to represent t h i s
country a t the 50th anniversary of the landings i n I t a l y and D-Day.
(Applause.) And I j u s t want to — we're having a good time, t h i s i s
a l i g h t night, but I want to t e l l you one very serious thing. Those
people did not put their l i v e s on the line so that t h e i r children and
grandchildren and great-grandchildren should l i v e c y n i c a l l y in,
America — (applause) — you couldn't look at row upon row of graves
over there and think, well, we're just sunk? we're j u s t stuck i n
_gridlock; we j u s t can't make anything good happen.
I want to t e l l you something. Most of the folks I've
known i n public l i f e the l a s t 2 0 years i n both parties were honest
. and decent and worked hard and t r i e d to do right. This thing we|re
dealing with now i s plumb out of hand, i f you w i l l forgive me using
some Arkansas d i a l e c t . (Applause.) A l l t h i s whole negative business
and a l l t h i s cynicism — i t i s an indulgence? and you cannot afford
i t . And i t i s not you that i s doing i t . You are not the cynical
�- 4 -
generation. I t i s the people that are older than you
f i l l i n g the airways f u l l of t h i s stuff that you don't
l i s t e n to. And you leave here determined not j u s t to
President and our party, but to help your country and
that
even
help
your
are
want to
your
future.
This country was not b u i l t by c y n i c s , i t was b u i l t by
b e l i e v e r s ; and i t w i l l be continued by b e l i e v e r s .
God bless you and good n i g h t .
END
(Applause.)
10:25
P.M.
EDT
�From my point of view, as the President in charge of the
budget, I've worked hard to get this deficit down for three years in
a row for the first time since Truman was President. I have done
things that people who say they're more conservative than me talk
about but don't do. We're eliminating over 100 government programs.
We're cutting 200 others. We're reducing discretionary spending for
the first time in 25 years, and still with the discipline to increase
investment in education and new technologies and training. We have
reduced defense all we can reduce it. And I think we are right at
the margin, and we should not reduce it any more, given the
challenges we face in this economy.
A lot of you will probably be called to testify or to
support the work of Senator Kerrey, Senator Danforth and others in
this entitlements commission, because you know that the only thing
that is increasing our deficit now is entitlements. Keep in mind,
when you strip all that away, some of the entitlements are going
down; Social Security is going up only with the rate of inflation,
and is roughly the same percentage of our GDP it was 20 years ago.
The only part of the entitlements going up much more rapidly than
inflation are Medicare and Medicaid -- the government's programs for
the elderly and the poor.
And I can tell you that unless we can bring them in line
with inflation, we will be forced to either let the deficit go up
again, raise taxes more than we should, or cut our investment in
public investment - in things you support -- to a dangerously low
level in a global economy. So that's what it looks like from my
point of view just from a budget perspective.
From your point of view, you know already that the
government does not reimburse Medicare and Medicaid providers at 100
percent of cost, so the costs are being shifted to you. The other
people who are shifting costs to you are businesses and employers who
do not have health insurance but who get health care. They are
shifting the cost to you.
Now, if our deficit goes up, and we have to bring the
deficit down, and we cut Medicare and Medicaid without fundamental
reform, we're going to shift more cost to you. And you will be put
in the position of paying more or covering less. Keep in mind - in
the last three years, three million American workers have lost their
health insurance. There are three million more Americans without
health coverage today than there were three years ago. You are also
paying for them in cost shifting.
\
So unless we have comprehensive reform, you will be put
in the position of some day coming to the end of how much you can do
managing your health care costs on your own, which you've done a very
good job of, almost all of you. And you will be facing the cost
8
�shift coming at you from the federal government and from the
increasing numbers of employers who don't provide any coverage.
Now, the third and most important thing of all - what
does this look like if you're out there working in this country and
you hadn't had much of a pay increase in the last 10 years; but you
know that your country's becoming more competitive; and you're
excited about the 21st century; and you know that you're raising
children who will have to change jobs eight times in a lifetime?
What are you going to do?
If you're a man and you have a premature heart attack,
or your wife gets breast cancer, your kid develops some strange
disease, and you have a preexisting condition? And you're being told
it's a brave new world out there - don't worry if you have to change
jobs, just get some new retraining; you'll do fine. And then it
turns out nobody wants to hire you because you've got a preexisting
condition.
Oh, I know there are those who say we can just legislate
these things. We'll just legislate the insurance reforms, say you
can't discriminate against anybody, and it will be fixed. Look at
the study that many of my adversaries in the Congress on this issue
keep citing ~ the Lewin VHI study. They say that all you can get
out of insurance reforms is coverage in the short run for 2.2 million
more people. They say that if you -- you look at the experience of
New York that tried to mandate insurance reforms alone. What
happens, a lot of people's insurance goes up, and a lot more people
opt out of the system.
I say, if you look at the rest of the world and you look
at us, we have 81 million Americans out of a population of only 255
million, 81 million of us live in families with people who have
preexisting conditions. But they all still need to be able to change
work seven times in a lifetime.
Thirty-nine million of us do not have health insurance.
There is no compelling evidence that we can both have quality and
cost control and stop cost-shifting in the absence of covering
everyone. There is no compelling evidence. The Lewin VHI study, so
often cited by those who say, well, we could get 91 percent coverage
in America, up from 83 percent, covering 97 percent of the cost of
health care if only we did this stuff, which doesn't require employer
mandates or of some other universal coverage. That's being talked
about. But if you notice, there's not been a bill really pushing
that.
Why? Because when you strip it away, you see that it
costs literally hundreds of billions of dollars over the next five or
six years tofinancethat in massive subsidies which basically
9
�benefit poor people, most of whom are not working, some of whom are
working, and does nothing for middle-class workers. Which means to
do that, instead of an employer mandate, we would have to go back and
raise the heck out of everybody's taxes, which we are not about to
do. At that level it would not be fair.
Now, how is it that every other advanced country in the
world and all of our competitors — we're only too happy to learn
from our competitors in every other way, and we're very proud when we
beat our competitors. And I don't know how many of you have told me
personally, we're better now than anybody else in the world at what
we do. We went through all kinds of agonies in the '80s and we faced
all these challenges, and now we're better than our competitors.
Well, our competitors, not a single, solitary one of
them, spends more than 10 percent of GDP on health care; we spend 14
percent, and we're the only people that can't figure out how to cover
everybody. Now, I refuse to declare defeat. Why should we jump in
the tank?
1
I heard the messages about what people didn't like about
our original proposal. Don't put restrictions on experimental drugs;
don't make businesses go into alliances if they don't want to; let it
be voluntary. People know their own interests. Let multistate
businesses have an approach which makes sense for all their
employers. We're making the changes that we heard people complain
about. Those changes are being made. We know we needed to make some
changes.
But if you remember, when 1 offered my health care plan,
I said, this is not the end all and be all; it's the beginning of a
debate. But what we need to decide is whether we're going to walk
away from this session of Congress without the debate. Harry Truman
said 50 years ago, Americans will never be secure unless we did
something about health care. Everybody thinks of Harry Truman now as
the fount of all wisdom. I come from a family that liked him when he
was unpopular. (Laughter.) But most Americans didn't like him too
much at the time. He kept telling them uncomfortable truths. He was
right 50 years ago, and it's still true.So, yes, we need to make some
changes in the original proposal I made. We put them out there.
But what we need is a quick, honest, forthright debate.
We need to deal with this issue this year because, until we do, we
will continue to spend a higher percentage on health care than our
competitors; you will continue to have costs shifted to you; your
government will continue to face the agonizing choice of continuing
to spend more and more of your tax money on entitlements, less on
investment, and still increasing the deficit and still shifting costs
to you.
10
�So, I ask. you, enter the debate and just tell people
what you have to do every day in your own businesses. You get a real
hard decision. If you don't want the thing to collapse, you can't
walk away. And almost always, you make a decision that is less than
perfect but is better than making no decision.
So I ask you, help me pass the reemployment bill. Help
us pass GATT. Help us pass welfare reform. But don't walk away from
health care. The numbers are big; they're enormous. And we can't
tell an average American, can't tell a mother on welfare, get off of
welfare and take a job so you can lose your children's health
insurance and start paying taxes for people to pay for their kids'
health care who stayed on welfare.
We can't tell a worker, give up your job security and
find a new security in your mind, in you ability to learn and change,
if your illness or the illness of someone in your family will put you
out of the job market. We must not ask people to choose between
being good parents and good workers. We cannot ask people to risk
their children's health to participate in the global economy.
And most importantly, we can't just keep working with a
system that is fundamentally flawed that we can fix. We can look
around the world; we know there are all kinds offixeshere. We may
have to do more for small business; I'm willing to do that. We may
have to do more, and we should, to make the thing less regulatory;
I've already made a lot of those changes. But let us not walk away.
When I spoke at Normandy a couple of weeks ago, in the
greatest honor of Presidency, to represent our country in
commemorating the 50th anniversary of D-Day, the thing that
overwhelmed me about that was that people did what they had to do
because there was no option; and they measured up and literally saved
the world. And that, in that moment, there was no option to be
cynical. There was no luxury available for people to avoid the
decisions before them, and they did not have the option to be
cynical.
Today, I tell you, we have fundamental decisions to make
about what kind of people are going to be into the future. Walking
away is an option that's not really there. Being cynical or negative
is always an option that's there, but it's something we pay a
terrible price for. This country can do what we have to do. We have
to be what the people that led the D-Day invasion were; they were
called pathfinders ~ the people that went first. That's what we're
being asked to do.
You live in an age which glorifies commerce and success
and international trade more than any other in the lifetime of
anybody in this room. Therefore, you have enormous responsibilities.
11
�THE WHITE HOUSE
O f f i c e of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
June 25, 1994
RADIO ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT TO THE NATION
The Oval O f f i c e
10:06 A.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This morning I want t o
t a l k about the progress we're making i n our d r i v e t o provide r e a l
health care s e c u r i t y t o America's working f a m i l i e s . But before I do,
I'd l i k e t o say a b r i e f word about f a m i l i e s who provide r e a l national
s e c u r i t y f o r the American people.
E a r l i e r t h i s week at F a i r c h i l d A i r Force Base i n
Washington State, s i x people died and more than 2 0 others were
i n j u r e d when an unhappy former airman brought an assault weapon onto
the base and opened f i r e . And now the m.3n and women at F a i r c h i l d
grieve again. Yesterday afternoon, a B-52 bomber from the 12th A i r
Combat Command, crashed at the base during a t r a i n i n g mission. A l l
four airmen aboard were l o s t .
Their deaths remind us again of the hazards and r i s k s
involved i n maintaining our s e c u r i t y and the debt of g r a t i t u d e we owe
each of our m i l i t a r y personnel. I want t o send my condolences and
prayers t o the f a m i l i e s of the airmen and the good people who w i l l
continue doing the hard work of freedom at F a i r c h i l d .
A f t e r months of debate, health care reform i s very much
a l i v e . And we have an extraordinary opportunity i n the next few
weeks t o make sure t h a t America iqlns, everv^othe^- adyanc^d nation by
guaranteeing health coverage t o each and every c i t i z e n — not through
a government program, but through p r i v a t e insurance and re.al
o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r small businesspeople and self-employed people t o
buy good insurance on the same terms t h a t those of us i n government
or people who work f o r b i g business can. I'm'committed t o making
sure we don't miss t h i s urgent opportunity. •
This week we had a h i s t o r i c development. For the f i r s t
time i n American h i s t o r y , and a f t e r 60 years of reform e f f o r t s ,
committees i n both houses of Congress have approved b i l l s t h a t
guarantee u n i v e r s a l health coverage, coverage t o a l l American
families.
Anyone who doubts the s i g n i f i c a n c e of t h i s need only
look a t the l a s t h a l f century. President Roosevelt f i r s t t r i e d t o
reform h e a l t h care but couldn't get t h i s f a r . President Truman t r i e d
several times and couldn't do i t . President Nixon proposed universal
health coverage w i t h an employer-employee j o i n t r e s p o n s i b i l i t y t o pay
for insurance, and he couldn't do i t . President Carter also t r i e d
without success.
These reform e f f o r t s never got t o t h i s p o i n t . Now that
we've come t h i s f a r , we mustn't t u r n back. Momentum i s b u i l d i n g
toward a s o l u t i o n f o r the health care c r i s i s . And as we s e t t l e on
one, we must make sure we go t o the root of the problems i n the
current system.
Half measures, quick f i x e s , things t h a t sound b e t t e r
than they a c t u a l l y w i l l work, w i l l only make matters worse. We have
MORE
�- 2 -
t o h e l p middle c l a s s Americans, whose economic success i s the key t o
America's p r o s p e r i t y , know t h a t they w i l l always have h e a l t h
s e c u r i t y , even i f they have t o change j o b s or i f they l o s e t h e i r
jobs.
The whole purpose of our economic program i s t o make i t
p o s s i b l e f o r hard-working Americans r o reap t h e p o t e n t i a l o f a v a s t l y
changing w o r l d economy. We're not p r o p o s i n g t o hand anybody
a n y t h i n g , b u t t o h e l p a l l Americans get t h e t o o l s they need t o have
good j o b s and s t r o n g f a m i l i e s now and i n the f u t u r e .
That's e x a c t l y what we have been d o i n g . We've worked
hard t o g e t our economic house i n o r d e r w i t h tough d e f i c i t r e d u c t i o n
and new investments i n e d u c a t i o n , t r a i n i n g , new t e c h n o l o g i e s , t h e
j o b s o f t h e 21st c e n t u r y . We've helped t o r e s t o r e t h e economy, and
more t h a n 3 m i l l i o n new j o b s have been c r e a t e d s i n c e I t o o k o f f i c e
l a s t year. We've made a dramatic p r o p o s a l t o move people from
w e l f a r e t o work. We're c r e a t i n g e d u c a t i o n a l and j o b t r a i n i n g
o p p o r t u n i t i e s t h a t w i l l enable people t o embrace change. We have a
tough crime b i l l about t o pass t h a t w i l l put 100,000 more p o l i c e
o f f i c e r s on t h e s t r e e t , w i t h tougher punishment, b e t t e r p r e v e n t i o n
f o r our young people, a ban on a s s a u l t weapons. We'll have t h r e e
years o f d e f i c i t r e d u c t i o n i n a row f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e s i n c e Harry
Truman was P r e s i d e n t .
But u n l e s s we address t h e h e a l t h care c r i s i s , these
o t h e r measures w i l l not do a l l they should f o r our people. Unless we
p r o v i d e coverage f o r a l l Americans, our economy w i l l c o n t i n u e t o
s u f f e r , and more and more Americans w i l l l a c k t h e s e c u r i t y t h e y need
t o t a k e advantage o f t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s t n a t l i e ahead.
We've heard a l o t about measures l a t e l y t h a t wouldn't
p r o v i d e coverage t o a l l f a m i l i e s . But make no mistake, measures t h a t
are h a l f - h e a r t e d would a t b e s t — a t best — guarantee t h a t t h i n g s
s t a y o n l y about as good as they are now.
The poor would g e t h e a l t h
c a r e ; t h e w e a l t h y would get h e a l t h care; t h e middle c l a s s would get
i t sometimes and n o t get i t sometimes, but they would be e i t h e r l e f t
out i n t h e c o l d or remain c o n s t a n t l y a t r i s k o f l o s i n g coverage.
Our s t r e n g t h i n t h e w o r l d has always been the
i m a g i n a t i v e i n g e n u i t y o f our middle c l a s s . But t h e l a c k of s e c u r i t y
about h e a l t h coverage i s p u t t i n g a roadblock i n t h e way o f middle
c l a s s Americans as more and more people have t o change jobs more
often.
Today, 81 m i l l i o n Americans l i v e i n f a m i l i e s w i t h
p r e e x i s t i n g c o n d i t i o n s t h a t c o u l d keep them from t a k i n g b e t t e r j o b s
o r c r e a t i n g new businesses, and a l r e a d y mean t h a t m i l l i o n s o f them
e i t h e r don't have h e a l t h insurance or pay t o o much f o r i t . I f middle
c l a s s Americans are h e l d back by w o r r i e s about t h e i r h e a l t h care and
the h e a l t h o f t h e i r f a m i l i e s , they o f t e n c a n ' t do what they must t o
succeed. And people on w e l f a r e , who ought t o become p r o d u c t i v e
members o f s o c i e t y , won't take jobs i f i t means g i v i n g up t h e i r
health benefits.
J u s t y e s t e r d a y i n M i s s o u r i , I met a woman who has moved
from w e l f a r e t o work, but who says t h a t when she l o s e s her h e a l t h
b e n e f i t s f o r her c h i l d r e n , she's not sure she can s t a y working and
may go back t o w e l f a r e . We'll ne t e l l i n g our people t h a t w o r k i n g
hard doesn't count anymore, when we'ask people who leave w e l f a r e t o
go t o work t o pay taxes so t h a t those who stayed on w e l f a r e can have
h e a l t h care f o r t h e i r c h i l d r e n w n i i e they g i v e i t up.
I know you
b e l i e v e we can't a f f o r d t o send t h a t message.
We s h o u l d n ' t assume t h a t d o i n g n o t h i n g w i l l p r o t e c t what
we have today e i t h e r . Nothing i s what we have done f o r years.
And
j u s t t h i s week, a new r e p o r t showed t h a t t h e percentage o f Americans
MORE
�w i t h o u t i n s u r a n c e has gone fronn 12 percent t o 15 p e r c e n t of our
p o p u l a t i o n i n t h e l a s t 12 years.
Now, t h a t ' s over 12 m i l l i o n Americans who don't have
h e a l t h i n s u r a n c e . I n t h e l a s t t h r e e /ears alone, more t h a n 3 m i l l i o n
Americans have been added t o the r o l l s ot t h e u n i n s u r e d . Even those
w i t h i n s u r a n c e today can't count on having i t tomorrow unless we f i x
our system and f i x i t now.
A c t u a l l y , not a l l Americans face t h i s k i n d o f r i s k .
Members o f Congress, along w i t h t h e P r e s i d e n t , and a l l f e d e r a l
government employees -- we have a g r e a t d e a l r i g h t now.
We work f o r
you, t h e t a x p a y e r s o f America, and you reward us w i t h h e a l t h coverage
t h a t c a n ' t be t a k e n away, even i f we get s i c k . Not o n l y t h a t , we
have a r e q u i r e m e n t t h a t employers c o n t r i b u t e most o f t h e c o s t o f our
h e a l t h p l a n . That's you, you're our employers, and we c o n t r i b u t e
some.
Now, I b e l i e v e every w o r k i n g American deserves these
same b e n e f i t s and t h a t same guarantee.
I t h i n k you ought t o t e l l
Congress t h a t you b e l i e v e t h e same t h i n g .
I n t h e weeks ahead, s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s w i l l again be
spending m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s — t e n s o f m i l l i o n s — t o b l o c k r e f o r m ,
I'm g o i n g t o do e v e r y t h i n g I can t o make sure t h a t t h e concerns o f
h a r d - w o r k i n g Americans don't g e t drowned o u t .
Harry Truman s a i d i t b e s t aoout 50 years ago when he
s a i d , "There i s no o t h e r way t o assure t h a t t h e average American
f a m i l y has a decent chance f o r adequate medical c a r e . There's no way
t o assure a s t r o n g and h e a l t h y n a t i o n . " I b e l i e v e 50 years i s long
enough t o w a i t t o make good on t h a t promise.
L e t ' s do i t t h i s year.
Thanks f o r l i s t e n i n g .
END
10:14
A.M.
EDT
�form — someth. .3 small businesspeople have been begging f o r f o r
years. (Applause.) The Emergency Management Agency, whic.i was the
source o f r i d i c u l e and anger and f r u s t r a t i o n and r e v u l s i o n f o r years
because i t was dominated by p o l i t i c a l appointees, now has a d i r e c t o r
from my home s t a t e who d i d i t f o r a l i v i n g . And he's the most
popular f e d e r a l bureaucrat i n the United States because FEMA has been
there i n ec-thquakes and f i r e s and tornadoes, when people needed i t .
Nobody w o r r i e s about whether the f e d e r a l government i s going t o be
there t o do ^ t s job anymore. (Applause.)
Rice farmers i n Northern C a l i f o r n i a , a few weeks, f o r
the f i r s t time ever, shipped t h e i r r i c e cut of p o r t s i n Northern
C a l i f o r n i a t o s e l l i n Japan, because the government i s working f o r
ordinary people again. (Applause.)
I don't know how many businesspeople I've hac come up t o
me i n t h e l a s t year and say, you know, I'm a Republican, but you have
the only a d m i n i s t r a t i o n where the Commerce Department and the State
Department work together t o t r y t o help me do business overseas, and
I appreciate t h a t .
(Applause.)
I wanted t o break g r i d l o c k . For seven years, the worl
trade agreement was t i e d up. I t was r a t i f i e d l a s t year by the
nations, and we're going t o implement i t t h i s year. For seven yea:
— seven years — even a f t e r the attempt on President Reagan's l i f e ,
w i t h h i s f i n e Press Secretary, Jim Br? "y, s u r v i v i n g by a miracle and
campaigning l i k e crazy f o r the Brady . .11 f o r seven years the NRA and
others t i e d i t up i n Congress. But we passed i t l a s t year.
(Applause.)
For seven years, even t i . . ugh i t had some b i p a r t i s a n
support, the Family and Medical Leave Act could not pass the
Congress, but we passed i t l a s t year. No p r e s i d e n t i a l vetoes.
(Applause.) Support f o r f a m i l i e s i n the workplace. (Applause.) For
six years now, p o l i t i c s has kept the crime b i l l from passing, but we
are on t h e verge of massing the most important piece of anticrime
l e g i s l a t i o n i n the h.story of the United States — more punishment
but more prevention; more p o l i c e . And the ban on assault weapons,
which l o s t j u s t two years ago by 7 0 votes i n the House of
Representatives, passed. We have brought an end t o the g r i d l o c k i n
t h i s country, and we should not l e t i t go back the other way a t
e l e c t i o n time.
(Applause.)
^Jow we're work v. j on h e a l t h care. F i r s t , the other side
; no c r i s i s .
sn t h e r e was a c r i s i s but we needed a
said t h e r ^
_ u t i o n . I saic.. f i n e ; here's my plan, y c i t e l l me how
bipartisa:
nange i t , but we've got t o cover everybody. Then they
we going •:
ing
ads saying I was t r y i n g t o give h e a l t h care t o the
started ru
which
wasn't t r u e . But I went out and l i s t e n e d t o
government,
I
said,
w e l l , maybe i t i s too bureaucratic. So we
people, and
ome
more,
and took out some of the mandatory provisions
changed i t £.
more
f
l
e
x
i
b
l e t o t r y t o make i t more responsive.
and made i t
And then a Republican Cor. ressman from Iowa named F: • i
Grandy stood up and t o l d the awful t r u t n t h a t he and h i s colleagues
had been given marching orders t o do nothing t o cooperate t o t r y t o
solve t h e h e a l t h care problems i n t h i s country.
The Governor of F l o r i d a was i n here today, t a l k i n g about
how he had a b i l l i n F l o r i d a t h a t was not mandatory, but would made
the s i t u a t i o n b e t t e r ; t h a t had the support of every o r g a n i z a t i o n i n
his s t a t e . And i t s t i l l died the i n Senate of the s t a t e of F l o r i d a
because there's a 20-20 s p l i t between Republicans and Democrats. And
w i t h a l l the i n t e r e s t groups saying, please do something about health
care, every l a s t Republican senator s t i l l voted a g a i n s t i t so they
couldn't say he d i d anything on h e a l t h care.
MORE
�Now, i n the Senate Finance Committee, there are a couple
of Republicans who have worked on health care f o r years, who are
t r y i n g t o come together and reach some accommodation. And I can t e l l
you they are under w i t h e r i n g pressure. But, f o l k s , those people who
say, l e t ' s j u s t cover 90 percent and f o r g e t about i t , i t won't work.
I t won't work. Three m i l l i o n working Americans have l o s t t h e i r
h e a l t h insurance i n the l a s t three years. We are going backwards.
We are the only country i n the world w i t h an advanced economy t h a t
has not f i g u r e d out how t o cover everybody.
Read the a r t i c l e i n The Washington Post today about the
German h e a l t h care system. The German health care system today takes
up a smaller percentage of the income of Germany than i t d i d two
years ago. I t ' s about 8.5 percent. Our health care system costs us
14.5 percent of our income, and we s t i l l can't f i g u r e out how t o
cover — we're not even at 85 percent anymore.
And a l l the solutions t h a t say, w e l l , l e t ' s j u s t not
make any tough decisions and go up t o 9 0 percent cost you a doubleton of money i n taxes, subsidize the poor — most of whom already can
at l e a s t get Medicare — and do not one s i n g l e s o l i t a r y t h i n g f o r the
working middle class, 8 0 percent of whom are those who don't have
insurance and who are t e r r i b l y insecure.
I'm t e l l i n g you, we have got t o face t h i s problem and
face i t now.
Harry Truman t r i e d t o get us t o do i t 50 years ago and
we d i d n ' t do i t , and we've been paying f o r i t ever since.
(Applause.)
Let me say that any time you quote Harry Truman now, the
Republicans stand up and clap, and everybody says, gosh, I wish we
had him around; i t ' s too bad we don't have anybody l i k e Truman
anymore. Let me t e l l you something, folks, I came from one of those
families that was for him when he was l i v i n g . (Laughter and
applause.) And a l o t of the people that brag on him today wouldn't
have walked across the street to shake h i s hand when he was in office
— (applause) — because he stood up for ordinary people and he told
extraordinary truths and he t r i e d to get us to face the problems of
our time. Now, in retrospect, we can see that he did a good job.
Every midterm e l e c t i o n i n the 2 0th century except one —
when President Roosevelt could not pass Social S e c u r i t y i n 1934 —
every other one has seen a loss i n both Houses, or a t l e a s t one
House, f o r the President i n power, h i s party, why? Because there i s
always a disappointment from the b r i g h t promise of the inauguration
t o t h e hard r e a l i t y of governing. Governor Cuomo used t o say, we
campaign i n poetry and we govern i n prose. (Laughter.)
But there i s a special problem this year. What i s i t ?
I t i s that there i s so much accumulated cynicism i n t h i s country, and
people are always told about the process, the c o n f l i c t , the ups, the
downs, the differences that a lot of people don't even know what I
have j u s t told you.
And our adversaries are banking on two things:
Number one, they believe the cynicism of the electorate w i l l , A,
cause them to say, I don't believe i t i f they hear what we have done;
and, B, cause them to blame those of us who are in i f we f a i l to
change because they bring back gridlock. And so they think they can
be rewarded i f they stop anything from happening. And the second
thing that they hope i s that they can divert the attention of a
s i g n i f i c a n t number of our voters from the crying issues that unite us
as a people by trying to launch another cultural war.
And t h i s i s not j u s t my opinion. There's a new book out
by David Frame (sp) conservative and former e d i t o r i a l writer of the
Wall Street Journal, that you can find adapted in Harper's t h i s week.
He says that conservatives f a i l to control the s i z e and cost of
government, and they've basically given that up. That's true; we've
done a better job of that than they did. So, instead, he predicts
p o l i t i c s in the future w i l l become a l o t nastier, and that the only
�<Your 'TELNET-MGR' c o n n e c t i o n has t e r m i n a t e d
AT DNC GALA RECEPTION
Imperial Ballroom
Sheraton H o t e l , New York C i t y
9:37
P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you v e r y much. Boy, he was h o t
t o n i g h t , wasn't he? (Laughter and applause.)
I t h i n k he's g r e a t .
(Applause.)
Thank you, Chairman Wilhelm, f o r your o u t s t a n d i n g
l e a d e r s h i p and f o r your e x t r a o r d i n a r y work on b e h a l f o f o u r
c a n d i d a t e s around t h e c o u n t r y . And thank you, Senator B r a d l e y , f o r
being here w i t h us t o n i g h t and f o r your work on t h i s event, and f o r
your s t e a d f a s t e f f o r t t o g e t a h e a l t h care b i l l o u t o f t h e Senate
Finance Committee t h a t a c t u a l l y p r o t e c t s t h e American people's h e a l t h
care.
(Applause.)
Thank you, Senator Lautenberg, f o r your f r i e n d s h i p ,
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o c a n c e l
your
�Thank you, Senator Lautenberg, f o r your f r i e n d s h i p , your
s-upport and your l e a d e r s h i p . And I want t o ask a l l o f you here t o
h e l p him be r e e l e c t e d t o the Senate i n New Jersey t h i s year.
(Applause.)
We need him back t h e r e .
I n a d d i t i o n t o a l l the d i g n i t a r i e s from New York, I
understand t h a t we have two Democratic c o n g r e s s i o n a l c a n d i d a t e s from
New Jersey -- and maybe you c o u l d r a i s e your hands; t h e y ' r e up f r o n t
-- Frank H e r b e r t . Here you are, Frank.
(Applause.)
Shine a l i g h t
on t h a t man, he's r u n n i n g f o r o f f i c e .
(Laughter.) And Lou Magazzu,
are you here? There you are, Lou, i t ' s good t o see you.
(Applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, when I was nominated f o r P r e s i d e n t
by Governor Cuomo, I thought he gave one o f the best speeches I ever
heard. And about h a l f w a y t h r o u g h i t , I looked a t H i l l a r y and I s a i d ,
who's he t a l k i n g about anyway?
(Laughter.) By the time he got
t h r o u g h t h a t speech, I f e l t l i k e a r e a l P r e s i d e n t . (Laughter.) And
t o n i g h t I am a l s o i n h i s debt f o r h i s w o n d e r f u l words, f o r h i s
p r o f o u n d way o f t e l l i n g the t r u t h , f o r h i s l e a d e r s h i p i n New York,
and f o r h i s l o v e f o r New York.
People ask me sometimes -- k i n d o f c y n i c s , who don't
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�People ask me sometimes -- k i n d o f c y n i c s , who don't
know what i t ' s l i k e t o r e a l l y love where you're from -- how Mario
Cuomo c o u l d be d o i n g t h i s again. And I s a i d , I may be the o n l y
person i n America t h a t understands t h i s , b u t i f I hadn't been j u s t
a b s o l u t e l y obsessed w i t h t h e d i r e c t i o n t h e c o u n t r y was t a k i n g i n 1992
and convinced i t was wrong, I ' d s t i l l be Governor o f my s t a t e . I t ' s
the best j o b i n t h e w o r l d i f you're l u c k y enough t o be i n a p l a c e
where you l o v e . And he loves t h i s s t a t e . He loves you, and you
ought t o keep him d o i n g what he's doing.
(Applause.)
I a l s o want t o say, I'm g l a d t o see a l l t h e musicians
here w i t h a l l t h e i r t a l e n t .
I hope I g e t t o hear a l i t t l e music
b e f o r e I have t o go t o n i g h t . But t h e r e ' s r e a l l y n o t h i n g f o r me t o
say; Mario s a i d i t a l l . (Laughter.)
D i t t o , I c o u l d say.
Let me say t h e stakes t h i s year are v e r y h i g h because
they w i l l determine t h e e x t e n t t o which and t h e shape o f o u r
continued forward progress.
When I was e l e c t e d P r e s i d e n t , we'd had
12 years o f e x p l o d i n g d e f i c i t . And I knew we had t o b r i n g t h e
d e f i c i t down; we had t o b r i n g i n t e r e s t r a t e s down; we had t o g e t
investment up i n o u r people; we had t o p u t t h e American people f i r s t
again. And we came up w i t h a p l a n , w i t h t h e h e l p o f a l o t o f people
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�again. And we came up w i t h a p l a n , w i t h t h e h e l p o f a l o t o f people
fvrom New York -- i n c l u d i n g my N a t i o n a l Economic A d v i s e r Bob Rubin -(applause) -- t h a t would do those t h i n g s .
And when I say, w e l l , maybe i t sounds good, b u t i t ' s n o t
human sometimes t o say, we had t h e b i g g e s t d e f i c i t r e d u c t i o n i n
h i s t o r y . We're g o i n g t o have t h r e e years o f d e f i c i t r e d u c t i o n i n a
row f o r t h e f i r s t time s i n c e Harry Truman was P r e s i d e n t o f t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s . We've had two budgets passed on time f o r t h e f i r s t time i n
17 years. Last year we had t h e f i r s t year w i t h o u t a p r e s i d e n t i a l
v e t o i n 60 y e a r s . And so, what does a l l t h a t mean? I ' l l t e l l you
what i t means -- 3.4 m i l l i o n o f your f e l l o w Americans have j o b s t h a t
they d i d n ' t have.
(Applause.)
That's what i t means.
(Applause.)
S i x t e e n m i l l i o n American taxpayers w i t h c h i l d r e n who
work f o r a l i v i n g are g o i n g t o g e t an income t a x c u t o u t o f o u r
economic p l a n , so t h e y ' l l be encouraged t o s t a y w o r k i n g and n o t go on
w e l f a r e -- 16 m i l l i o n o f them.
(Applause.)
Twenty m i l l i o n s t u d e n t s
are e l i g i b l e -- 20 m i l l i o n s t u d e n t s are e l i g i b l e f o r l o w - i n t e r e s t
r a t e loans and b e t t e r repayment terms under t h e s t u d e n t l o a n program
because we changed t h a t . So no one w i l l ever have an excuse t h a t t h e
cost i s t o o much, and I can't go t o c o l l e g e a g a i n .
(Applause.)
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�cost i s t o o much, and I can't go t o c o l l e g e again.
(Applause.)
N i n e t y p e r c e n t o f t h e small businesses i n t h i s c o u n t r y ,
under t h a t economic program, were e l i g i b l e f o r a t a x c u t . A l l t h e y
had t o do was i n v e s t more money i n t h e i r business, h i r e more people
and make t h i s economy grow. Five and a h a l f m i l l i o n Americans
r e f i n a n c e d t h e i r homes because t h e i n t e r e s t r a t e s went down. And t h e
automobile i n d u s t r y i s now booming. I j u s t came back from S t . L o u i s .
I n t h e p r e v i o u s f o u r y e a r s , t h e y l o s t 2,000 j o b s .
I n t h e f i r s t year
of our a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , t h e y gained 28,000 as automobiles i n America
came back.
(Applause.)
That's what i t means. I t ' s a human d e a l .
How many m i l l i o n people, w e ' l l never know, under t h e
Family and M e d i c a l Leave A c t , are now able t o take a l i t t l e time o f f
when t h e i r baby's born o r when t h e i r p a r e n t s are s i c k .
(Applause.)
We'll never know.
(Applause.)
We know --we know t h a t thousands o f
l i v e s w i l l be saved because o f t h e Brady B i l l .
We know t h a t . We
have evidence o f t h a t .
(Applause.)
We know t h a t because o f t h a t
a s s a u l t weapons ban, p o l i c e w i l l be able t o go o u t on t h e s t r e e t w i t h
a l i t t l e more c o n f i d e n c e t h a t t h e y won't be outgunned by t h e people
t h e y ' r e supposed t o p r o t e c t t h e r e s t o f us from. We know t h a t .
(Applause.)
These a r e r e a l t h i n g s t h a t a f f e c t t h e r e a l l i v e s o f r e a l
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o c a n c e l
�(Applause.)
people.
These are r e a l t h i n g s t h a t a f f e c t the r e a l l i v e s o f r e a l
I s i t easy? No. I t ' s not easy t o break h a b i t s o f
g r i d l o c k t h a t , f r a n k l y , are the p r o v i n c e not j u s t o f the o t h e r p a r t y
which says no a l o t o f the t i m e , but o f the cumbersome procedures
which g r i p Washington. But we've been w o r k i n g on i t .
the World
Trade Agreement, GATT, hung around f o r seven years. We're g o i n g t o
r a t i f y i t t h i s year. The f a m i l y leave law hung around f o r seven
years and got vetoed t w i c e . I t ' s now the law. The Brady B i l l took
seven years, but i t passed.
The a s s a u l t weapons ban
t o g i v e you an idea o f how
d i f f i c u l t change i s -- we had f o r the a s s a u l t weapons ban, a l l t h e
l i v i n g former p r e s i d e n t s , every p o l i c e o r g a n i z a t i o n i n the U n i t e d
S t a t e s o f America, and t h i s P r e s i d e n t w o r k i n g as hard as he c o u l d ,
and we beat the NRA by two v o t e s . I t i s not easy t o change.
(Applause.)
But we're d o i n g i t .
We're b r e a k i n g g r i d l o c k .
We're
making changes. I t ' s a f f e c t i n g people's l i v e s i n ways t h a t a r e
p r o f o u n d and i m p o r t a n t . And a l o t o f i t i n v o l v e s not j u s t t h e
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�p r o f o u n d and i m p o r t a n t . And a l o t o f i t i n v o l v e s n o t j u s t t h e
government d o i n g something f o r somebody, but empowering people t o do
something f o r themselves. That's what a b e t t e r s t u d e n t l o a n program
is.
That's what o u r n a t i o n a l s e r v i c e program i s .
Governor Cuomo's son, Andrew, now a l e a d e r and A s s i s t a n t
S e c r e t a r y o f Housing and Urban Development, has been a l e a d e r i n
empowering people s t a r t i n g w i t h t h e homeless, t h e people i n p u b l i c
housing, t o l i v e s a f e , c o n s t r u c t i v e l i v e s . We're t r y i n g t o change
the r u l e s . No more government handouts, b u t government hand-ups -r e a l p a r t n e r s h i p s , r e a l community b u i l d i n g , r e a l l y t r y i n g t o h e l p
people take c o n t r o l o f t h e i r own l i v e s . (Applause.)
These t h i n g s m a t t e r t o r e a l people. And t h e American
people are b e g i n n i n g t o sense t h i s . And t h e more they sense i t , t h e
more w e ' l l be a b l e t o c u t t h r o u g h t h e f o g and l e t t h e c l e a r sky show;
and t h e more w e ' l l be able t o r u n on what we have done f o r t h e
American people t o h e l p them h e l p themselves. I t ' s g o i n g t o make a
real d i f f e r e n c e i n the l i f e o f t h i s country.
Oh, t h e r e a r e a l l k i n d s o f problems. Americans have a
well-known c y n i c i s m f o r government. As my s e n i o r s e n a t o r back home
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�well-known c y n i c i s m f o r government.
As my s e n i o r senator back home
used t o say t h a t h a l f the American people are convinced the
government would mess up a one-car parade.
(Laughter.) And t h a t ' s
t r u e . But you know something? We do some t h i n g s p r e t t y w e l l .
The Republicans t a l k e d about b r i n g i n g down the d e f i c i t .
We d i d i t . They t a l k e d about g e n e r a t i n g economic growth. We
contributed t o that.
They t a l k e d about h a v i n g l e s s government. You
know, t h e y always complained about t h a t . But when our budgets a r e
implemented, we w i l l reduce over f i v e years the n a t i o n a l government
by a q u a r t e r o f a m i l l i o n people -- not by f i r i n g people, but by
attrition.
We use a l l the savings t o pay f o r t h a t crime b i l l t o p u t
another 100,000 p o l i c e o f f i c e r s on the s t r e e t s o f New York and the
other c i t i e s o f t h i s country.
W e ' l l have the s m a l l e s t f e d e r a l government s i n c e John
Kennedy was p r e s i d e n t .
I t ' l l be p r o d u c i n g more work, and the
American people w i l l be s a f e r on t h e i r s t r e e t s . That i s the k i n d o f
t h i n g t h a t we ought t o do. We can make government work f o r o r d i n a r y
people i n ways t h a t make sense and change l i v e s .
(Applause.)
But l e t me say, e v e r y t h i n g I have t r i e d t o do t o empower
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o c a n c e l
�But l e t me say, e v e r y t h i n g I have t r i e d t o do t o empower
ptsople t o get the economy going, t o make government work f o r o r d i n a r y
people again -- a l l o f those t h i n g s are embodied i n t h i s s t r u g g l e t o
p r o v i d e h e a l t h care t o a l l Americans. And i t i s n ' t easy. People
have been t r y i n g t o do i t f o r 60 years.
Roosevelt wanted t o do i t ;
Truman wanted t o do i t . President Nixon -- P r e s i d e n t Nixon proposed
-- r e q u i r i n g employers and employees t o buy h e a l t h insurance.
P r e s i d e n t C a r t e r t r i e d t o do i t . I b e l i e v e we can get i t done.
And so we worked. We have worked f o r months and months
and months. We worked f o r nine months and i n v o l v e d thousands and
thousands o f people t o put t o g e t h e r a p r o p o s a l . And then I s a i d ,
okay, here's my p r o p o s a l ; where's yours? I t won't be r i g h t f o r
everybody. S u r e l y , t h e r e ' s some t h i n g s t h a t can be improved about
it.
I went out and l i s t e n e d t o the American people.
They s a i d , do a
l i t t l e more f o r s m a l l business and make sure you're g o i n g t o p r o t e c t
small business, and make i t a l i t t l e l e s s r e g u l a t o r y , and t r u s t t h e
American people t o take more v o l u n t a r y a c t i o n s a t work. But make
sure you cover everybody. So we made some changes, and we d i d t h a t .
And t h e r e are now b i l l s on the f l o o r o f the House and
the Senate f o r t h e f i r s t time ever i n the whole h i s t o r y o f t h e
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�the Senate f o r t h e f i r s t time ever i n the whole h i s t o r y o f t h e
i>epublic t h a t would cover a l l Americans w i t h h e a l t h care.
There
never even was a b i l l on t h e f l o o r o f t h e Congress b e f o r e -- ever.
(Applause.) And i t ' s t h e r e .
(Applause.)
But t h e f o r c e s o f o p p o s i t i o n are v e r y s t r o n g . We were
t a l k i n g a t d i n n e r how t h e g r e a t I t a l i a n p o l i t i c a l t h e o r i s t
M a c h i a v e l l i s a i d , 500 years ago t h e r e was n o t h i n g so d i f f i c u l t i n a l l
of human a f f a i r s t h a n t o change t h e e s t a b l i s h e d o r d e r o f t h i n g s .
Why? Because t h e people t h a t lose know i t , and they f i g h t you l i k e
crazy. And t h e people t h a t are g o i n g t o w i n are never q u i t e sure you
can d e l i v e r t h e goods. And so t h e y ' r e o f t e n n o t t h e r e i n t h e
trenches.
Today we had over 100 d i s t i n g u i s h e d d o c t o r s and medical
personnel from a l l over America, i n c l u d i n g many from New York C i t y ,
r e p r e s e n t i n g t h e academic h e a l t h c e n t e r s o f America. And a b r i l l i a n t
d o c t o r stood up and s a i d , you know, people say they wish t o p r o t e c t
what's best about American h e a l t h care and f i x what's wrong, b u t
t h e y ' r e a f r a i d t h e y w i l l mess i t up i f they t r y t o f i x i t .
He s a i d ,
you can no l o n g e r p r o t e c t what's best unless you f i x what's wrong.
Unless we f i n a l l y j o i n t h e ranks o f a l l o t h e r advanced c o u n t r i e s and
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�Unless we f i n a l l y j o i n t h e ranks o f a l l o t h e r advanced c o u n t r i e s and
p r o v i d e h e a l t h care t o everybody, we're n o t going t o be able t o
a f f o r d t o keep o u r f i n e s t medical c e n t e r s going, t r a i n i n g t h e f i n e s t
d o c t o r s and nurses and medical p r o f e s s i o n a l s . He s a i d they r u n ads
a g a i n s t t h e P r e s i d e n t ' s program, s a y i n g t h a t i f you cover everybody
you w i l l r a t i o n h e a l t h care. T e l l t h a t t o t h e 39 m i l l i o n Americans
t h a t don't have any h e a l t h care. They are r a t i o n e d . (Applause.)
I say t h a t t o make t h i s p o i n t --we can pass h e a l t h care
r e f o r m t h i s year, b u t i t ' s g o i n g t o r e q u i r e e v e r y t h i n g t h a t a l l these
o t h e r t h i n g s d i d -- b r e a k i n g g r i d l o c k , d e f e a t i n g s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s ,
a r g u i n g f o r a f u t u r e , and a s k i n g people t o work toward t h a t f u t u r e ,
and making government work f o r o r d i n a r y people -- n o t t o g i v e them
a n y t h i n g b u t t o p e r m i t them t o access a system t h a t w i l l enable
people t o take care o f themselves and t h e i r f a m i l i e s .
I spend a l o t o f time t a l k i n g t o l a b o r i n g groups o f
people s a y i n g , I'm t r y i n g t o make change your f r i e n d and n o t your
enemy; support my t r a d e p o l i c i e s ; yes, i t ' l l change t h e economy more
and y o u ' l l have t o change jobs more o f t e n , b u t w e ' l l be more
prosperous and w e ' l l p r o v i d e l i f e t i m e t r a i n i n g p o l i c i e s f o r you. And
here a r e a l l these t h i n g s I'm t r y i n g t o do t o change our e d u c a t i o n
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�here are a l l these t h i n g s I'm t r y i n g t o do t o change our e d u c a t i o n
atnd t r a i n i n g p o l i c i e s t o make change your f r i e n d .
But I j u s t want t o t e l l you f o l k s , I met two k i d s today
when I came t o New York. ' Whenever I go t o a c i t y , I t r y t o l e t t h e
Make A Wish Foundation o r some o t h e r group b r i n g some c h i l d r e n t o see
me who are s i c k and who have h e a l t h problems.
And one o f these
c h i l d r e n had a c o n d i t i o n t h a t may be f a t a l , b u t i t ' s been i n
r e m i s s i o n f o r a couple years --12 year o l d boy, j u s t graduated a t t h e
top o f h i s c l a s s i n elementary school here i n New York C i t y . He may
have a good, l o n g , h e a l t h y l i f e , b u t I'm t e l l i n g you, i f h i s p a r e n t s
l o s t t h e i r j o b s , what would he do f o r h e a l t h care? And i f t h e y t r i e d
t o g e t another j o b , c o u l d they g e t h e a l t h coverage f o r a c h i l d l i k e
that?
I met a 17 y e a r - o l d boy -- Mayor D i n k i n s , you can be
proud o f t h i s -- who was wheelchair-bound -- has been a l l h i s l i f e .
Has a severe muscular d i s o r d e r from c h i l d h o o d -- v e r y b r i g h t young
man, computer e x p e r t . Wanted t o w r i t e me on t h e White House E-mail,
and I t o l d him I was t o o dumb t o use i t , b u t I ' d read i f he sent i t .
(Laughter.) And he gave me a l e t t e r he prepared about o b s t a c l e s f o r
handicapped c h i l d r e n and what h i s l i f e was g o i n g t o be l i k e . And he
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o c a n c e l
�handicapped c h i l d r e n and what h i s l i f e was going t o be l i k e . And he
s a i d , you know, t h i s w h e e l c h a i r o f mine c o s t , I t h i n k he s a i d ,
$15,000. And he s a i d , h i s p a r e n t s were immigrants, both o f them were
immigrants. And he s a i d because my mother works f o r the c i t y o f New
York, o u r f a m i l y has been able t o m a i n t a i n a middle c l a s s l i f e s t y l e
because our h e a l t h p o l i c y pays f o r 80 percent o f my b i l l s .
But i t ' s
been hard even f o r us
I had expensive s u r g e r y ; I have t h i s
expensive w h e e l c h a i r -- I ' l l have t o r e p l a c e i t soon. But he s a i d ,
so many o f my young f r i e n d s are almost d e s t i t u t e who are p h y s i c a l l y
handicapped because o f t h e c o n d i t i o n s t h a t e x i s t .
And i f we were g e t t i n g a good d e a l , t h e r e s t o f us, t h a t
would be f i n e , b u t your c o u n t r y ' s spending 40 percent more on h e a l t h
care t h a n any o t h e r c o u n t r y i n t h e w o r l d . And i t i s o n l y because we
have r e f u s e d t o d i s c i p l i n e o u r s e l v e s t o p r o v i d e h e a l t h care t o
everybody, l i k e a l l our c o m p e t i t o r s do, t h a t these s t o r i e s are out
t h e r e . We can do b e t t e r . But we have t o b e l i e v e . We have t o f i g h t
those who say we cannot do i t . We can t u r n t h i s economy around; i f
we can b r i n g t h i s d e f i c i t down, when nobody thought we c o u l d do i t ;
i f we can break g r i d l o c k , we can do t h i s t o o .
I j u s t ask you t o l o o k a t these people on t h i s stage and
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�«
I j u s t ask you t o look a t these people on t h i s stage and
remember t h i s -- t h i s i s t h e o n l y t h i n g t h a t r e a l l y counts:
I ran
f o r t h i s j o b because I wanted t o do what I c o u l d w i t h the power
v e s t e d by t h e framers o f our C o n s t i t u t i o n and t h e presidency t o
change t h e l i v e s o f o r d i n a r y Americans f o r t h e b e t t e r . There i s no
o t h e r purpose.
(Applause.) And a n y t h i n g -- a n y t h i n g t h a t d i v e r t s ,
d i v i d e s , d i s t r a c t s o r d e s t r o y s t h e s p i r i t and t h e purpose o f t h e
American people when we have so much on our p l a t e here a t home and
around t h e w o r l d i s n o t good. And a n y t h i n g t h a t u n i f i e s and makes us
b e l i e v e i n o u r s e l v e s and makes us b e t t e r and g i v e s our c h i l d r e n a
chance t o have a b e t t e r f u t u r e i s good. That i s what we r e p r e s e n t .
That i s why your c o n t r i b u t i o n s a r e w e l l i n v e s t e d t o n i g h t . That i s
why I ask f o r your h e l p t o do e v e r y t h i n g you can t o h e l p us pass
h e a l t h care t h i s year, h e l p us keep r e f o r m going, and h e l p t h e v o t e r s
reward t h e f o r c e s o f change and progress and humanity and u n i t y i n
the e l e c t i o n s t h i s f a l l .
Thank you, and God b l e s s you a l l .
END
(Applause.)
9:55 P.M. EDT
BOTTOM
Press RETURN t o c o n t i n u e , GOLD MENU f o r o p t i o n s o r EXIT t o cancel
�THE WHITE HOUSE
O f f i c e of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
June 24, 1994
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT
IN PHONE CALL TO KMOX RADIO, ST. LOUIS
Aboard A i r Force One
En Route to St. Louis, Missouri
11:07
A.M. EDT
REPRESENTATIVE GEPHARDT: Hi, Kevin and C h a r l e s . We
want to welcome the President of the United S t a t e s today. We're on
A i r Force One, and we're going t o be i n St. Louis i n a few minutes.
And we welcome the President t o our great c i t y .
St.
Q
And we welcome you, Mr. C l i n t o n , t o the voice of
Louis, KMOX Radio.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I t ' s good t o be on KMOX, and
i t ' s good t o be coming back t o St. L o u i s .
Q
Good to have you back i n St. Louis. You're here
for a f u n d r a i s e r tonight f o r Dick Gephardt. And that p r e t t y much
brings me to my f i r s t question because on Wednesday evening, you
attended a $15,000 a p l a t e , r a t h e r a t a b l e — $1,500 a p l a t e dinner
— a f u n d r a i s e r f o r the Democrats. And some people say that t h i s
runs contrary t o your pledge when you were running as Governor
C l i n t o n f o r the presidency to t r y and l i m i t the i n f l u e n c e of
corporations and s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t s and l o b b y i s t s and wealthy
i n d i v i d u a l s and t h e i r r o l e i n the democratic process. But here you
are r a i s i n g s i n c e J u l y of 1992 $40 m i l l i o n i n what's c a l l e d s o f t
money f o r the Democratic Party. How do you j u s t i f y t h i s ?
THE PRESIDENT: I j u s t i f y i t because of the opposition
p o l i c i e s of the Republican Party and a l l the s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t groups
t h a t have r a i s e d and spent f a r more money against us, a t t a c k i n g me
and my p o l i c i e s and spreading disinformation to the American people.
Let me say t h a t a l l t h i s time, ever s i n c e I've been i n o f f i c e , I have
worked hard to pass a campaign finance reform b i l l , which would l i m i t
these kinds of c o n t r i b u t i o n s r i g h t across the board t o both p o l i t i c a l
p a r t i e s and r e s t o r e b a s i c a l l y unfettered debate to the c e n t r a l
p o s i t i o n i t ought to have i n our p o l i t i c a l system.
But I don't b e l i e v e i n u n i l a t e r a l disarmament. The
money t h a t I have r a i s e d w i l l be used to t r y t o make sure that the
Democratic p a r t i e s throughout the country i n these f a l l e l e c t i o n s and
our candidates w i l l a t l e a s t have f i g h t i n g chance to t a l k about our
record and the f a c t s and what we've done here.
I f we could change
the r u l e s f o r everybody, t h a t ' s what we ought t o do.
When I ran f o r President, 1 didn't even take any PAC
money. And I have worked very, very hard to pass campaign finance
reform laws and lobby reform laws, which w i l l make the system better.
But u n t i l I do, i t would be a mistake for the Democrats to j u s t l a y
down and not r a i s e any money, l e t t i n g the Republicans and a l o t of
t h e i r a l l i e d groups have a l l the money i n the world when they already
have g r e a t e r access to a l o t of things l i k e a l o t of other media
o u t l e t s than we do.
Q
Wouldn't you be s e t t i n g a l e a d e r s h i p example,
though, i f you were the f i r s t one to say, look, these $15,000 a table
MORE
�- 2 -
f u n d r a i s e r s b a s i c a l l y are way
this?
out of hand; I've g o t t o p u t an end t o
THE PRESIDENT: W e l l , I'm t r y i n g t o p u t an end t o i t .
A l l t h e Congress has t o do i s t o send me t h e campaign f i n a n c e r e f o r m
b i l l , and w e ' l l p u t an end t o t h i s s o - c a l l e d s o f t money. I've been
w o r k i n g f o r a year and a h a l f t o do i t .
But i f — we have enough
problems. The Republicans and t h e f a r r i g h t i n t h i s c o u n t r y have
t h e i r own media networks.
We don't have a n y t h i n g l i k e t h a t . They
have e x t r a o r g a n i z e d p o l i t i c a l a c t i o n groups t h a t we c a n ' t match.
And t h e y have t h e Republican P a r t y ' s f u n d r a i s i n g apparatus, which has
been s t r e n g t h e n e d by h a v i n g had t h e White House f o r a l l b u t f o u r
years i n t h e l a s t 20 years.
So we have r e a l problems competing. I am more t h a n
happy t o s t o p t h i s .
I've been out t h e r e f i g h t i n g t o s t o p i t . A l l
t h e y have t o do i s t o send me t h e campaign f i n a n c e r e f o r m b i l l and
i t ' l l be done.
REPRESENTATIVE GEPHARDT: Let me add t h i s .
This
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and t h i s P r e s i d e n t has done more t o advance campaign
r e f o r m and lobby r e f o r m t h a n any a d m i n i s t r a t i o n i n t h e h i s t o r y o f the
c o u n t r y . And t h e Congress i s about t h r e e or f o u r weeks away from
p u t t i n g on h i s desk b o t h b i l l s t h a t he's asked f o r t h a t would l i m i t
t h a t amount t h a t can be spent t o campaign and would v a s t l y l i m i t the
a c t i v i t i e s of a l o b b y i s t .
THE PRESIDENT: I ' d l i k e t c emphasize t h a t . The t h i n g s
t h a t a r e w i t h i n my c o n t r o l , requirements and l i m i t s on my
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n and what can be done w i t h r e g a r d t o l o b b y i n g , are
s t r i c t e r now t h a n t h e y have ever been i n American h i s t o r y because of
t h e t h i n g s t h a t I've done, t h a t I can do on my own.
And I want t h i s
campaign f i n a n c e law t o change. But we ought t o change i t by t h e
law, and we ought t o change i t f o r everyone.
Q
Mr. P r e s i d e n t , t h e — here, where we s i t everyday
and you l i s t e n t o people complain about t h e i n f l u e n c e o f money and
p o l i t i c s — and I guess you hear a l o t of c y n i c i s m . Do you get t h e
sense t h a t t h e American people are becoming more c y n i c a l , becoming
l e s s t o l e r a n t ? Do you g e t t h e sense t h a t t h e r e i s some h a t r e d abroad
i n t h e land?
THE PRESIDENT: A b s o l u t e l y . I t h i n k t h e r e ' s t o o much
c y n i c i s m and t o o much i n t o l e r a n c e . But i f you l o o k a t t h e
i n f o r m a t i o n t h e y g e t , i f you l o o k a t how much more n e g a t i v e t h e news
r e p o r t s a r e , how much more e d i t o r i a l they are and how much l e s s
d i r e c t t h e y a r e , i f you look a t how much o f t a l k r a d i o i s j u s t a
c o n s t a n t u n r e m i t t i n g drumbeat of n e g a t i v i s m and c y n i c i s m , you can't - I don't t h i n k t h e American people are c y n i c a l , b u t you can't blame
them f o r responding t h a t way.
We, f o r example — we had a meeting t h e o t h e r day, and a
group o f people were t o l d t h a t under our budgets we were going t o
b r i n g t h e d e f i c i t down t h r e e years i n a row f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e s i n c e
Harry Truman was P r e s i d e n t . And some of them s a i d , w e l l , I j u s t
don't b e l i e v e you.
We never hear t h a t on t h e news — I j u s t don't
b e l i e v e you.
(Laughter.)
I t ' s a fact.
I've worked hard t o do i t .
And we're g o i n g t o — we're b r i n g i n g t h e d e f i c i t down. That's what
b o t h e r s me.
You know, I j u s t got back from Normandy, c e l e b r a t i n g t h e
50th a n n i v e r s a r y o f D-Day. And when I stood on Normandy beaches, and
when I saw a l l those rows of crosses t h e r e , i t o c c u r r e d t o me t h a t
those people d i d not d i e so t h e American people c o u l d i n d u l g e
themselves i n t h e l u x u r y of c y n i c i s m . And, f r a n k l y , t h a t ' s j u s t what
i t i s . America now has — we have the s t r o n g e s t economic performance
o f any o f t h e advanced c o u n t r i e s i n t h e w o r l d . We're b r i n g i n g t h e
d e f i c i t down a t a v e r y r a p i d r a t e . We're i n c r e a s i n g our investment
MORE
�- 3-
i n e d u c a t i o n and t r a i n i n g . We're s e r i o u s l y d e a l i n g w i t h crime, w i t h
w e l f a r e r e f o r m , w i t h h e a l t h care f o r t h e f i r s t t i m e i n decades. We
have broken g r i d l o c k i n t h e Congress, b i l l s t h a t l a n g u i s h e d around
f o r s i x o r seven years l i k e t h e Brady B i l l and t h e Family and Medical
Leave B i l l have passed. The economy i n St. Louis i s booming.
There i s no reason t o be c y n i c a l .
But t h e American
people keep b e i n g t o l d t h a t t h i n g s are bad and p o l i t i c i a n s a r e
c o r r u p t and t h e system's broken.
That's j u s t n o t t r u e .
You l o o k a t what we're coming t o St. Louis t o c e l e b r a t e
t o d a y , t h i s Summer o f S e r v i c e . We've g o t 7,000 young Americans who
are g o i n g t o be e a r n i n g money f o r t h e i r c o l l e g e e d u c a t i o n by working
and making t h e i r communities s a f e r a l l across t h i s c o u n t r y . I n the
f a l l , 20,000 young Americans, d o i n g community s e r v i c e work, e a r n i n g
money f o r an e d u c a t i o n , h e l p i n g t o s o l v e problems.
These k i d s a r e n ' t c y n i c a l . They know t h a t t h e i r c o u n t r y
i s a good p l a c e and t h e y ' r e going t o make i t b e t t e r . We've g o t a l o t
o f s e r i o u s problems, and f r a n k l y , we can't a f f o r d t h i s c y n i c i s m . But
i t ' s a l l t h e rage today.
Q
Mr. P r e s i d e n t , l e t me b u t t i n here, i f I might,
j u s t t o t a l k about c y n i c i s m i n America and ask f o r your comments on
t h e s t o r y t h a t we saw e a r l i e r t h i s week. You t a l k e d about your t r i p
t o Normandy, and we read i n t h e papers t h a t members o f t h e White
House s t a f f were accused o f s t e a l i n g 13 b l u e George Washington —
U.S.S. George Washington c a r r i e r t o w e l s w i t h t h e GW i n s i g n i a , f o u r
U.S.S. GW bathrobes, 12 p l a i n bathrobes and 55 w h i t e t o w e l s from t h a t
carrier.
Now, t h i s was not a bunch o f school c h i l d r e n .
These
were White House s t a f f e r s , management, accused o f s t e a l i n g , r i p p i n g
o f f , these t o w e l s i n t h e — from t h e s h i p . My q u e s t i o n i s , I mean,
how do you e x p l a i n t h i s ? I t h i n k t h i s would e x p l a i n some o f o u r
c y n i c i s m . People say, who are these people i n t h e White House?
THE PRESIDENT: W e l l , f i r s t o f a l l , we're n o t sure t h a t
j u s t t h e White House s t a f f d i d t h a t . There were press people.
There
were l o t s o f o t h e r people on t h a t boat who were not members o f t h e
White House s t a f f .
We t h i n k i t -- I'm not e n t i r e l y sure i t was. And
t h e George Washington i s v e r y , v e r y upset by t h e press r e p o r t s t h a t
those t o w e l s , which were o b v i o u s l y taken as s o u v e n i r s , were taken by
a l l t h e White House s t a f f . They never s a i d t h a t we s t o l e a n y t h i n g .
That's t h e k i n d o f t h i n g I'm t a l k i n g about.
But l e t me j u s t say t h i s — someone i n t h e White House
p e r s o n a l l y reimbursed t h e George Washington f o r a l l o f them, because
t h e y f e l t so bad.
And t h e people who were r u n n i n g t h e a i r c r a f t
c a r r i e r s a i d t h a t t h e y were a s t o n i s h e d t h a t t h e White House s t a f f was
charged w i t h t a k i n g a l l those t h i n g s — t h a t t h e r e were members o f
t h e press t h e r e , t h e r e were o t h e r people on t h a t c a r r i e r . They
weren't a t a l l sure t h a t White House s t a f f had done t h a t . But
someone on my s t a f f was so upset t h a t anybody had done i t , t h a t they
reimbursed them e n t i r e l y so t h a t they d i d n ' t l o s e a t h i n g on i t .
But, you know, I c o u l d g i v e you a l o t o f examples — a
year ago t h e r e was a w i d e l y - r e p o r t e d s t o r y t h a t I kept a i r p l a n e
t r a f f i c w a i t i n g an hour i n Los Angeles t o get a h a i r c u t i n an
a i r p o r t . That wasn't t r u e e i t h e r . I t wasn't t r u e a t t h e t i m e . And
I t o l d t h e press i t wasn't t r u e . They ran t h e s t o r y anyway. Then
f o u r weeks l a t e r when t h e FAA f i l e d t h e i r o f f i c i a l r e p o r t , they s a i d ,
no, t h e r e were no planes kept w a i t i n g .
Now, I am not r e s p o n s i b l e f o r s t o r i e s t h a t are w r i t t e n
t h a t are not f u l l y a c c u r a t e o r u n t r u e , but i t feeds i n t o t h i s
cynicism.
MORE
�- 4 -
Last year t h e Congress and t h e P r e s i d e n t , a c c o r d i n g t o
a l l n o n p a r t i s a n r e p o r t s , had t h e most p r o d u c t i v e year w o r k i n g
t o g e t h e r , g e t t i n g t h i n g s done f o r America, d e a l i n g w i t h d i f f i c u l t
i s s u e s , o f any f i r s t year o f a p r e s i d e n t s i n c e t h e end o f World War
I I , except Dwight Eisenhower's f i r s t year and P r e s i d e n t Johnson's
f i r s t y e a r , which were about t h e same. And t o be f r a n k , we d i d i t
under more d i f f i c u l t circumstances w i t h tougher i s s u e s .
not
I ' l l b e t you nobody i n America knows t h a t .
e n t i r e l y our f a u l t .
Now, t h a t ' s
Look a t a l l t h e t h i n g s you c o u l d have asked me about,
and you j u s t asked me t h a t .
Did you know t h a t t h e r e were o t h e r
people on t h a t a i r c r a f t c a r r i e r ? D i d you know t h e r e were press
people on t h e a i r c r a f t c a r r i e r ? Did you know t h a t t h e — t h a t t h e
c a r r i e r had been f u l l y reimbursed o u t o f t h e p r i v a t e pocket o f a
White House s t a f f member who was so upset about i t ?
Q
No, I d i d n ' t know t h a t t h e White House
—
THE PRESIDENT: No. No. Why d i d n ' t you know t h a t ?
Because t h e p r e s s r e p o r t i n g i t d i d n ' t say so.
Q
Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: I mean, p a r t o f t h e problem i n t h i s
c o u n t r y t o d a y i s t h a t — t h i s i s a good c o u n t r y w i t h a l o t o f people
w o r k i n g h a r d t o g e t t h i n g s done. And t h e American people a r e
e n t i t l e d t o have some balanced and f a i r p i c t u r e o f what's g o i n g on.
We've had 3.5 m i l l i o n new j o b s come i n t o t h i s economy
s i n c e I ' v e been P r e s i d e n t — f a r more t h a n i n t h e p r e v i o u s f o u r years
combined. Most Americans don't even know i t , because t h a t ' s n o t t h e
purpose o f a l o t o f what's communicated t o them.
And I t h i n k t h a t — I have a v e r y h i g h r e s p o n s i b i l i t y .
I don't mind you a s k i n g me whether I should s e t an example on
campaign c o n t r i b u t i o n s , b u t t h e r e are a l o t o f o t h e r examples t h a t
need t o be s e t i n t h i s c o u n t r y . And I t h i n k t h e people who
communicate t o t h e American people need t o ask themselves, what are
we t e l l i n g t h e people? Are we t e l l i n g them t h e whole t r u t h ? Do they
know what's good as w e l l as what's bad i n t h i s c o u n t r y . And when we
make a m i s t a k e , t h e n we f e s s up t o i t .
I t h i n k t h a t there i s a l o t of cynicism i n t h i s country.
But f r a n k l y , I t h i n k t h e r e a r e a l o t o f v e s t e d i n t e r e s t s t h a t a r e
promoting t h e cynicism.
Q
Mr. P r e s i d e n t , l e t ' s t a l k about t h a t j u s t a l i t t l e
bit.
Today, o r y e s t e r d a y , t h e Republicans i n t h e Senate asked you t o
disavow a remark t h a t I b e l i e v e R e p r e s e n t a t i v e Fazio made about
e v a n g e l i c a l C h r i s t i a n s . At t h e same t i m e you've t a l k e d about
e x t r e m i s t s i n t h e o t h e r p a r t y , t h e Republicans, t h a t you say may be
t r y i n g t o launch a c u l t u r a l war. They're a t t a c k i n g you i n v e r y
p e r s o n a l , d e r o g a t o r y , m o r a l i s t i c terms. I s t h i s t h e s t a t e o f
p o l i t i c a l debate i n America today, where we c a l l each o t h e r names?
THE PRESIDENT: Of course, i t i s . L e t me say, f i r s t o f
a l l , you have never found me c r i t i c i z i n g e v a n g e l i c a l C h r i s t i a n s . I
have welcomed t h e involvement i n our p o l i t i c a l system o f a l l people,
and e s p e c i a l l y people o f f a i t h .
I have bent over backwards as a
governor and as a P r e s i d e n t t o r e s p e c t t h e r e l i g i o u s c o n v i c t i o n s o f
a l l Americans.
I have s t r o n g r e l i g i o u s c o n v i c t i o n s m y s e l f .
But t h a t i s v e r y d i f f e r e n t — t h a t i s v e r y d i f f e r e n t
from what i s g o i n g on, when people come i n t o t h e p o l i t i c a l system and
t h e y say t h a t anybody t h a t doesn't agree w i t h them i s God-less, any
one who doesn't agree w i t h them i s n o t a good C h r i s t i a n , anyone who
MORE
�- 5 -
doesn't agree with them i s f a i r game for any w i l d charge, no matter
how f a l s e , for any kind of personal, demeaning attack.
I don't suppose t h e r e ' s any p u b l i c f i g u r e t h a t ' s ever
been s u b j e c t t o any more v i o l e n t , p e r s o n a l a t t a c k s than I have, a t
l e a s t i n modern h i s t o r y , anybody's who's been p r e s i d e n t . That's
fine.
I d e a l w i t h them. But I don't b e l i e v e t h a t i t ' s t h e work of
God.
And I t h i n k t h a t ' s what t h e i s s u e i s . I do n o t b e l i e v e t h a t
people s h o u l d be c r i t i c i z e d f o r t h e i r r e l i g i o u s c o n v i c t i o n s . But
n e i t h e r do I b e l i e v e t h a t people can put on t h e mantle o f r e l i g i o n
and t h e n j u s t i f y a n y t h i n g t h e y say or do.
I t h i n k t h a t ' s what Mr.
Fazio was t a l k i n g about.
We don't need a c u l t u r a l war i n t h i s country. We've
never done very w e l l when our p o l i t i c s has been devoted to d i v i d i n g
us along grounds of race, r e l i g i o n , creed, morality.
We haven't done
very w e l l . We've got a l o t of s e r i o u s challenges i n t h i s country.
And we need to p u l l together and face them. Should we have arguments
about moral i s s u e s ? Of course, we should. But they ought to be
honest and c a r e f u l and straightforward and r e s p e c t f u l . And, frankly,
they're not today.
F a l w e l l , who
of you?
Q
Are you t a l k i n g about f o l k s l i k e the Reverend J e r r y
through h i s infomercials i s s e l l i n g a videotape c r i t i c a l
THE PRESIDENT: A b s o l u t e l y . Look a t who he's t a l k i n g
t o . Does he make f u l l d i s c l o s u r e t o t h e American people of t h e
backgrounds o f t h e people t h a t he's i n t e r v i e w e d t h a t have made these
s c u r r i l o u s and f a l s e charges a g a i n s t me?
Of course, n o t . I s t h a t i n
a good C h r i s t i a n s p i r i t ?
I t h i n k i t ' s questionable.
But I t h i n k i t ' s v e r y i m p o r t a n t t h a t t h e Democrats be
c a r e f u l — l e t me say t h i s — t o make a c l e a r d i s t i n c t i o n between
t a c t i c s w i t h which t h e y do not agree and r a d i c a l p o s i t i o n s w i t h which
t h e y do n o t agree, and t h e whole n o t i o n of e v a n g e l i c a l C h r i s t i a n s
b e i n g i n v o l v e d i n our p o l i t i c s .
I think that evangelical Christians
s h o u l d be good c i t i z e n s , should be i n v o l v e d i n our p o l i t i c s .
They
can be Republicans or Democrats, they can do whatever they want.
But
remember t h a t Jesus threw t h e money changers out of t h e temple.
He
d i d n ' t t r y t o t a k e over t h e j o b o f t h e money changers.
Q
(Laughter.) Mr. President, world f i n a n c i a l markets
today report a continued s l i d e of the U.S. d o l l a r against other world
c u r r e n c i e s . What can or should the United S t a t e s government do to
halt this slide?
THE PRESIDENT: Well, the Secretary of Treasury w i l l
have an announcement about i t today. Let me say, j u s t make one point
about i t — t h i s i s a very — a development that i s puzzling a l o t of
economists, because our economy i s performing so w e l l . Our job
growth i s greater than any other of the advanced c o u n t r i e s .
Our
unemployment r a t e i s lower than any of the advanced countries, except
Japan.
I n a funny way t h e currency v a l u e s are r u n n i n g i n t h e
o p p o s i t e d i r e c t i o n o f economic s t r e n g t h because Japan has a g r e a t
t r a d e s u r p l u s w i t h us, as you know. I f t h e i r economy i s weak, no
m a t t e r what t h e y do, they can't lower the t r a d e s u r p l u s because they
don't have t h e money t o buy more American p r o d u c t s i f t h e i r own
economy i s weak.
So i n a funny way, t h e p e r c e p t i o n of a weak economy i n
Japan has d r i v e n t h e American d o l l a r down a g a i n s t t h e Japanese yen
because t h e i r t r a d e s u r p l u s has c o n t i n u e d t o be h i g h . The German
economy, thank goodness, i s coming back a l i t t l e b i t , and t h a t ' s a
good t h i n g , b u t i t s t r e n g t h e n s t h e German mark. The American d o l l a r
i s a c t u a l l y s t r o n g e r a g a i n s t a l o t of o t h e r c u r r e n c i e s i n t h e w o r l d
MORE
�- 6 -
t h a n i t was a year ago.
I t h i n k i t ' s i m p o r t a n t t h a t we n o t o v e r r e a c t
to t h i s .
But t h e S e c r e t a r y o f t h e Treasury w i l l have a statement
today which w i l l demonstrate t h e course t h a t we're t a k i n g . And I
t h i n k i t ' s a p r u d e n t t h i n g t o do.
Q
I f I sense a n y t h i n g today, i t seems l i k e a
f r u s t r a t i o n on your p a r t about an i n a b i l i t y o r j u s t — f o r some
reason, you haven't g o t t e n across t o t h e American people t h e messages
t h a t you want t o g e t across. I s t h a t p r e t t y much t r u e ?
THE PRESIDENT: W e l l , l e t me ask you something — I'm
coming t o St. L o u i s t o i n a u g u r a t e t h e M e t r o l i n k , a f e d e r a l p r o j e c t ,
which i s good f o r St. L o u i s ; t o t a l k about t h e Summer o f S e r v i c e and
the c r i m e b i l l — t h e most i m p o r t a n t crime l e g i s l a t i o n i n t h e h i s t o r y
of t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s ; and t h e n a t i o n a l s e r v i c e program, which i s
g o i n g t o have thousands o f young people w o r k i n g t o make o u r
communities s a f e r — a l l o f those t h i n g s , i n i t i a t i v e s under my
a d m i n i s t r a t i o n , and you d i d n ' t ask me about any o f them.
(Laughter.)
So I'm n o t f r u s t r a t e d about i t e x a c t l y , b u t I t e l l you,
I have determined t h a t I'm g o i n g t o be a g g r e s s i v e about i t . A f t e r I
g e t o f f t h e r a d i o today w i t h you, Rush Limbaugh w i l l have t h r e e hours
t o say whatever he wants. And I won't have any o p p o r t u n i t y t o
respond.
And t h e r e ' s no t r u t h d e t e c t o r . You won't g e t on a f t e r w a r d s
and say what was t r u e and what wasn't.
So a l l I'm t e l l you i s , I'm g o i n g t o be f a r more
a g g r e s s i v e because t h e American people a r e e n t i t l e d t o know what's
g o i n g on good i n t h i s c o u n t r y .
When I go overseas — I j u s t g o t back from Europe, and
the European press came up t o me a f t e r — on s e v e r a l occasions —
members o f t h e press i n Europe, and say, what i s g o i n g on i n your
c o u n t r y ? You've g o t t h i n g s going w e l l ; you a r e n o t h i n g l i k e t h e y
p o r t r a y you; t h e t h i n g s t h a t a r e happening a r e p o s i t i v e ; we a r e
b e w i l d e r e d . Members o f t h e press i n Europe s a i d t h a t t o me
r e p e a t e d l y . So I decided i n s t e a d o f b e i n g f r u s t r a t e d , I needed t o be
a g g r e s s i v e , and I'm g o i n g t o be a g g r e s s i v e from here on i n . I'm
g o i n g t o t e l l what I know t h e t r u t h t o be.
Q
No more Mr. Nice Guy?
THE PRESIDENT: I'm going t o be v e r y n i c e about i t , b u t
I'm g o i n g t o be a g g r e s s i v e about i t .
Q
Well, l e t me ask you a l i t t l e something about
h e a l t h care, because I know t h i s has been the number one, or at l e a s t
in the top three i n terms of i s s u e s for you. And you promised long
ago to veto any b i l l that crossed your desk that d i d not promise 100
percent h e a l t h care coverage i n the United S t a t e s . You s a i d you'd
veto t h a t — any b i l l that did not insure every s i n g l e l i v i n g
American.
THE PRESIDENT: -- u n i v e r s a l —
u n i v e r s a l coverage.
That's what I s a i d .
we need t o have
Q
Are you w i l l i n g t o compromise on t h i s r i g h t now i f
i t t u r n s o u t t o be a p o l i t i c a l r e a l i t y t h a t Congress cannot go f o r
the f u l l u n i v e r s a l h e a l t h care?
THE PRESIDENT: W e l l , I t h i n k Congress w i l l adopt
u n i v e r s a l h e a l t h care. There may be some minor debates about e x a c t l y
how t o d e f i n e t h a t , b u t t h e r e a l issue i s , i s w i l l Congress p r o v i d e
h e a l t h i n s u r a n c e t o a l l w o r k i n g Americans. W i l l t h e y p r o v i d e a
mechanism t o do i t . I s t i l l t h i n k t h e r e ' s a good chance t h e y ' l l do
it.
MORE
�- 7-
Now, t o go back t o t h e f i r s t q u e s t i o n you asked, t h e r e
have been t e n s o f m i l l i o n s o f d o l l a r s i n k i n d o f d i s i n f o r m a t i o n spent
t o f a l s e l y c h a r a c t e r i z e t h e approach t h a t I wanted t o t a k e . I am
v e r y f l e x i b l e and always have been about how we do i t .
But I do
b e l i e v e t h a t i t i s n o t r a t i o n a l f o r t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s t o be t h e o n l y
c o u n t r y i n t h e w o r l d t h a t can't f i g u r e o u t how t o guarantee h e a l t h
care coverage t o middle c l a s s working Americans. And i n f a c t , we're
g o i n g i n r e v e r s e . We're l o s i n g ground. We've g o t a s m a l l e r
percentage o f o u r people i n s u r e d than we d i d 10 years ago. A l l t h e
o t h e r advanced c o u n t r i e s i n s u r e everybody, and y e t spend 4 0 percent
more o f o u r income on h e a l t h care than anybody e l s e does. I t doesn't
make any sense t o me.
So I t h i n k Congress w i l l f i n d a way t o do t h i s .
I think
t h e y ' l l measure up f o r t h e c h a l l e n g e . And I'm g o i n g t o keep working
w i t h them. I t h i n k t h e r e ' s l o t s o f d i f f e r e n t ways t o do i t , and I
t h i n k w e ' l l f i n d a way t o do i t .
I'm v e r y , v e r y h o p e f u l now. And I
t h i n k Mr-. Gephardt's h o p e f u l now.
REPRESENTATIVE GEPHARDT: I r e a l l y am. I think t h i s i s
going t o happen t h i s year. . The Congress i s making progress every
day, and we're very encouraged about the prospect of g e t t i n g t h i s
done.
I t h i n k we're going t o have t o c l o s e o f f t h e c a l l . I
want t o t h a n k you f o r spending some t i m e w i t h us and t a l k i n g t o t h e
P r e s i d e n t . And we're l o o k i n g f o r w a r d t o o u r day i n St. L o u i s . We're
g o i n g t o be a t t h e M e t r o l i n k opening from t h e a i r p o r t , and t h e n we're
g o i n g t o be i n Fox Park w i t h t h e Summer o f S e r v i c e program. And we
l o o k f o r w a r d t o a g r e a t day i n St. Louis w i t h t h e P r e s i d e n t .
Q
Mr. P r e s i d e n t , on b e h a l f o f everyone l i s t e n i n g t o
KMOX, thank you v e r y much f o r j o i n i n g us t h i s morning.
THE PRESIDENT:
here.
Thank you.
Good-bye.
Q
And Congressman Gephardt, anytime you're welcome
You do n i c e a weather r e p o r t f o r us.
REPRESENTATIVE GEPHARDT:
Great.
I'd love t o .
I do
sports, too.
Q
A l l right.
REPRESENTATIVE GEPHARDT:
END
Thanks.
11:30 A.M. EDT
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Health Care Task Force Records
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
White House Health Care Task Force
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/10443060" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Description
An account of the resource
<p>This collection contains records on President Clinton’s efforts to overhaul the health care system in the United States. In 1993 he appointed First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the head of the Health Care Task Force (HCTF). She traveled across the country holding hearings, conferred with Senators and Representatives, and sought advice from sources outside the government in an attempt to repair the health care system in the United States. However, the administration’s health care plan, introduced to Congress as the Health Security Act, failed to pass in 1994.</p>
<p>Due to the vast amount of records from the Health Care Task Force the collection has been divided into segments. Segments will be made available as they are digitized.</p>
<p><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0885-F+Segment+1"><strong>Segment One</strong></a><br /> This collection consists of Ira Magaziner’s Health Care Task Force files including: correspondence, reports, news clippings, press releases, and publications. Ira Magaziner a Senior Advisor to President Clinton for Policy Development was heavily involved in health care reform. Magaziner assisted the Task Force by coordinating health care policy development through numerous working groups. Magaziner and the First Lady were the President’s primary advisors on health care. The Health Care Task Force eventually produced the administration’s health care plan, introduced to Congress as the Health Security Act. This bill failed to pass in 1994.<br /> Contains 1065 files from 109 boxes.</p>
<p><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0885-F+Segment+2"><strong>Segment Two</strong></a><br /> This segment consists of records describing the efforts of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton to get health care reform through Congress. This collection consists of correspondence, newspaper and magazine articles, memos, papers, and reports. A significant feature of the records are letters from constituents describing their feelings about health care reform and disastrous financial situations they found themselves in as the result of inadequate or inappropriate health insurance coverage. The collection also contains records created by Robert Boorstin, Roger Goldblatt, Steven Edelstein, Christine Heenan, Lynn Margherio, Simone Rueschemeyer, Meeghan Prunty, Marjorie Tarmey, and others.<br /> Contains 697 files from 47 boxes.</p>
<p><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0885-F+Segment+3"><strong>Segment Three</strong></a><br /> The majority of the records in this collection consist of reports, polls, and surveys concerning nearly all aspects of health care; many letters from the public, medical professionals and organizations, and legislators to the Task Force concerning its mission; as well as the telephone message logs of the Task Force.<br /> Contains 592 files from 44 boxes.</p>
<p><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0885-F+Segment+4"><strong>Segment Four</strong></a><br /> This collection consists of records describing the efforts of the Clinton Administration to pass the Health Security Act, which would have reformed the health care system of the United States. This collection contains memoranda, correspondence, handwritten notes, reports, charts, graphs, bills, drafts, booklets, pamphlets, lists, press releases, schedules, newspaper articles, and faxes. The collection contains lists of experts from the field of medicine willing to testify to the viability of the Health Security Act. Much of the remaining material duplicates records from the previous segments.<br /> Contains 590 files from 52 boxes.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0885-F+Segment+5">Segment Five</a></strong><br /> This collection of the Health Care Task Force records consists of materials from the files of Robert Boorstin, Alice Dunscomb, Richard Veloz and Walter Zelman. The files contain memoranda, correspondence, handwritten notes, reports, charts, graphs, bills, drafts, booklets, pamphlets, lists, press releases, schedules, statements, surveys, newspaper articles, and faxes. Much of the material in this segment duplicates records from the previous segments.<br /> Contains 435 files from 47 boxes.</p>
<p><strong><a href="http://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/browse?advanced%5B0%5D%5Belement_id%5D=43&advanced%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=is+exactly&advanced%5B0%5D%5Bterms%5D=2006-0885-F+Segment+6">Segment Six</a></strong><br /> This collection consists of the files of the Health Care Task Force, focusing on material from Jack Lew and Lynn Margherio. Lew’s records reflect a preoccupation with figures, statistics, and calculations of all sorts. Graphs and charts abound on the effect reform of the health care system would have on the federal budget. Margherio, a Senior Policy Analyst on the Domestic Policy Council, has documents such as: memoranda, notes, summaries, and articles on individuals (largely doctors) deemed to be experts on the Health Security Act of 1993 qualified to travel across the country and speak to groups in glowing terms about the groundbreaking initiative put forward by President Clinton in his first year in the White House. <br /> Contains 804 files from 40 boxes.</p>
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0885-F
Text
A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text.
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
Paper
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Speeches: Recent BC Sp.S [Bill Clinton Speeches]
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Task Force on National Health Care
White House Health Care Task Force
Meeghan Prunty
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
2006-0885-F Segment 2
Is Part Of
A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included.
Box 31
<a href="http://clintonlibrary.gov/assets/Documents/Finding-Aids/2006/2006-0885-F-2.pdf" target="_blank">Collection Finding Aid</a>
<a href="https://catalog.archives.gov/id/12093092" target="_blank">National Archives Catalog Description</a>
Provenance
A statement of any changes in ownership and custody of the resource since its creation that are significant for its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. The statement may include a description of any changes successive custodians made to the resource.
Clinton Presidential Records: White House Staff and Office Files
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Adobe Acrobat Document
Medium
The material or physical carrier of the resource.
Preservation-Reproduction-Reference
Date Created
Date of creation of the resource.
2/6/2015
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
42-t-12093092-20060885F-Seg2-031-010-2015
12093092