[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 108 (Monday, September 13, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H7014-H7017]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HONORING FORMER PRESIDENT WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON ON THE OCCASION OF
HIS 58TH BIRTHDAY
Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and
agree to
[[Page H7015]]
the resolution (H. Res. 717) honoring former President William
Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his 58th birthday.
The Clerk read as follows:
H. Res. 717
Whereas former President William Jefferson Clinton was born
in Hope, Arkansas, on August 19, 1946;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton attended Georgetown
University as an undergraduate and received a Rhodes
Scholarship in 1968;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton received a law degree
from Yale University in 1973;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton established a record of
public service as Attorney General of Arkansas, Governor of
Arkansas, and Chairman of the National Governors Association;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton campaigned for and won
the Democratic nomination for President in 1992;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton was elected the 42d
President of the United States in 1992 and was reelected for
a second term in 1996;
Whereas during William Jefferson Clinton's time in office
the United States experienced 8 years of economic expansion,
job growth and the transformation of a budget deficit into a
budget surplus;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton rallied the members of
the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to put an end to
ethnic cleansing in the Balkans and to depose the murderous
regime of Slobodan Milosevic, actions which eventually led to
the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords;
Whereas William Jefferson Clinton played a major role in
the Good Friday Peace Accords which finally brought peace to
war-torn Northern Ireland; and
Whereas, in the words of President George W. Bush, William
Jefferson Clinton ``showed a deep and far-ranging knowledge
of public policy, a great compassion for people in need, and
the forward-looking spirit the Americans like in a
President'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives honors former
President William Jefferson Clinton on the occasion of his
58th birthday on August 19, 2004, and extends best wishes to
him and his family.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Turner) and the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner).
General Leave
Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend
their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Ohio?
There was no objection.
Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the House of Representatives, I gladly wish
former President Bill Clinton a happy belated birthday. Last month, on
August 19, President Clinton turned 58, and House Resolution 717
salutes our Nation's 42nd President on that occasion.
Mr. Speaker, our well-known honoree today was born in the small town
of Hope, Arkansas, as William Jefferson Blyth, IV in 1946, 3 months
after the death of his father. After his mother remarried a few years
later, the future President took the name of his stepfather, Clinton,
as a teenager. He came to college here in Washington at Georgetown
University and later earned a law degree at Yale. He entered politics
and went on to become Attorney General and then Governor of the State
of Arkansas.
Then, Bill Clinton, the little-known chief executive of Arkansas,
shocked the world when he sought and was elected to the Presidency in
1992. Four years later, he became the first Democrat since Franklin
Delano Roosevelt to win a second term. His depth of policy knowledge
and poignant speaking ability served him very well while he presided
over the Nation for 8 years.
A key event of Clinton's Presidency was the brokerage of peace in the
Balkans. The Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in the Balkans,
were negotiated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio,
located in my district. Today, the Dayton Peace Accords remains a
significant foreign policy achievement of the Clinton administration.
Mr. Speaker, today it is especially gratifying to wish a happy
birthday to President Clinton because of all that he has gone through
in recent days. As we all know, the former President underwent a 4-hour
quadruple coronary artery bypass operation in New York City a week ago
today.
{time} 1545
Fortunately, we understand President Clinton is doing well and should
make a full recovery over the next few weeks. Without question, the
thoughts and the prayers of the House of Representatives are with
President Clinton.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honor to wish President Clinton a happy
birthday at a time when he has been on the minds of so many Americans.
I thank my colleague in the Committee on Government Reform, the
gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Maloney), for introducing this House
resolution.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
On August 19, William Jefferson Clinton, our 42nd President,
celebrated his 58th birthday. Today, we honor him not just for serving
as our Nation's 42nd President, but for the legacy that President Bush
recently described as ``a deep and far-ranging knowledge of public
policy, a great compassion for people in need, and the forward-looking
spirit Americans like in a President.''
We honor President Clinton for presiding over our Nation's longest
ever economic expansion, largest ever budget surplus, and the growth of
22 million jobs during his Presidency. We honor President Clinton for
projecting American power on the world stage, to further the cause of
international peace and understanding, without antagonizing our
historic allies, and we honor him for helping to broker the Good Friday
Accords for Northern Ireland, engaging in Middle East peace talks, and
bringing an end to ethnic cleansing in the Balkans. We honor President
Clinton for encouraging Americans to care for their fellow men and
women, creating AmeriCorps, which engages more than 50,000 Americans
each year in community service.
At this moment, President Clinton is recovering from an unexpected
but perhaps life-saving surgery in New York City. We in Congress are
thankful for President Clinton's improved health and send forth our
thoughts and prayers to him and his family, especially Senator Hillary
Rodham Clinton and his daughter Chelsea. We wish him a complete and
speedy recovery.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank the gentleman from Virginia
(Chairman Tom Davis) for moving this resolution through his committee
in a speedy manner and to the House leadership for bringing it to the
floor for this consideration today.
Mr. Speaker, from his birth in a town called Hope in the State of
Arkansas through his education at Georgetown University, Oxford and
Yale Law School, to his service in Arkansas as Attorney General,
Governor and Chairman of the National Governors' Association, to his
two terms as President of the United States, to now as a private
citizen, still engaged and thoughtful on our Nation's public policy, we
honor President Clinton. President Clinton, happy birthday, and we hope
you get well soon.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman
from Illinois (Mr. Davis).
(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and
extend his remarks.)
Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, as one who grew up, went to
school, still have strong family ties, social ties in the State of
Arkansas, on the occasion of President William Jefferson Clinton's 58th
birthday, it is with great pride that I stand to celebrate and to honor
the life of the man who epitomizes the American dream and makes the
Horatio Alger story become real.
Born in the tiny town of Hope, Arkansas, on August 19, 1946,
President Clinton demonstrated from an early age the determination and
vision that would ultimately take him to the White House and lead our
country to a period of economic prosperity that has been unrivaled by
any period in American history.
As a man who always fought for those who could not always fight for
themselves, Bill Clinton after graduating from Yale Law School spurned
[[Page H7016]]
private practice and began a career in public service.
President Clinton began his political career after being elected
Attorney General in 1976. He went on to serve as the Governor of
Arkansas, and by the time Governor Clinton left Arkansas for the White
House the State of Arkansas had been transformed from a State that
faced large deficits and polarizing issues into a shining example of
what government can do for its citizens when those in government put
aside partisan differences in the best interest of what is right.
As America's 42nd President, Bill Clinton faced an even more daunting
task, and in 1992, the American people were fed up with government. The
economy was in bad shape. Unemployment was at a record high, and it was
a time when many American parents struggled with basic financial
decisions such as what holiday presents they could afford to buy their
children.
By the time President Clinton left office 8 years later, he had led
our country out of this darkness and into one of the brightest eras in
American history, the lowest unemployment rate in modern times, the
lowest inflation rate in 30 years, the highest home ownership in the
United States history, and dropping crime rates in many American
cities. Contrary to the bogus stereotype thrown at Democrats, he
proposed the first balanced budget in decades, balanced the budget, and
then went on to produce a surplus.
Since leaving office, President Clinton has continued his lifelong
odyssey of working for those in need. Working from his office in
Harlem, President Clinton has remained engaged on many social issues.
Just last year, he brokered an historic agreement with four generic
drug companies to provide low-cost AIDS drugs in developing countries.
The world is a better place today because of the 58 years President
Clinton has given us so far, and we look forward to many more.
We are pleased to hear that President Clinton is expected to make a
full recovery from his bypass surgery. We certainly wish him and his
family the best, and take this opportunity to say thank you, Mr.
President, and happy birthday.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I came to Congress with President Clinton in 1992. It was called the
Year of the Woman, where many people voted for women candidates, not as
a slogan, but as a force to be reckoned with, and we came to Washington
and we worked together, not only for women, children and families, but
during this time we doubled the funding for breast cancer research,
banned assault weapons, put more police on the streets and more
teachers in the classroom. We narrowed the gap between those in poverty
and those that are affluent, which is a good trend for this country, an
important trend.
During his 8 years, we had really I could say the best economy in my
lifetime, the first balanced budget. He came to Washington with a $250
billion deficit, and when he left, it was a huge, huge surplus.
I remember very much his hard work on his initiative to reinvent
government and to make government more accountable to the people that
we serve.
Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman
from Indiana (Ms. Carson).
Ms. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from New
York (Mrs. Maloney) for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, one of my favorite passages is that all good and perfect
gifts come from on high, and we are here today to renew a celebration
of a President on the occasion of his 58th birthday, William Jefferson
Clinton, 42nd President of the United States.
What I admire most about President Clinton, he was an extraordinary
individual who related very well to ordinary people, and the ordinary
people of this world loved Bill Clinton.
He was born on August 19, 1946, in Hope, Arkansas, and began a record
of stellar public service to the country and humanity as a very young
man.
President Clinton's administration would be noted for the creation of
22 million jobs, the rallying of international support to stop the
ethnic cleansing in the Balkans, and reaffirming U.S. recognition of
Africa as a continent of the birthplace of humanity with many
countries, cultures and vast potentials.
I had the privilege of going to Africa with Mr. Clinton and saw his
concern and compassion for the women and children and men who were
battling AIDS and saw how he has made the battle against AIDS and HIV a
focal point of his foundation's activities, which does not surprise me.
I want to say to the President, in the event that he receives this
video message of his colleagues in the United States House of
Representatives, I wish you a rapid recovery. You, unlike me, knew what
you were going into as an open heart surgery recipient. I did not know
it and was not fast enough to have it explained to me. I just got it,
and I want to wish you well. I am so happy it turned out for you as
well as it did, and God bless.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
President Clinton's leadership was instrumental in expanding freedom
and democracy around the world and really uniting a divided world. He
was a uniter, and he worked to bring people together, and he was very,
very loved. People felt very comfortable about Bill Clinton and
everybody liked him.
Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms.
Corrine Brown).
(Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida asked and was given permission to
revise and extend her remarks.)
Ms. CORRINE BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I, along with my
constituents and all of the American people, want to extend a happy
birthday to William Jefferson Clinton. His leadership in so many areas
is sorely missed, in particular as today on the assault rifles that
without his leadership we would not have passed. Many Members gave up
their seats in the House of Representatives because they felt it was
the right and honorable thing to do to protect the American people from
these assault rifles.
We had leadership in President Clinton in so many areas. He had the
foresight to appoint Jesse Brown as the Secretary of Veterans Affairs,
who fought for the veterans. His contributions as far as economic
development, housing, laying the foundation for a program that is being
gutted under this last administration, it just goes on and on.
So I would like to put my comments in the Record and let President
Clinton know that I dearly love him and the people dearly miss him.
Mrs. MALONEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I want to express the admiration and support of the New York
delegation, many of whom are in New York City now at 9/11 events and
will be joining me in this Congress in tributes in writing later.
Let me just end by saying that Bill Clinton is loved and admired by
millions of Americans and by countless others around the world, and we
want him to know that he, as he is recovering, is in the thoughts and
prayers of this Congress and the country. We are with him in his
courageous battle to heal himself so that he can return to his good
works and helping other people.
So happy birthday, Mr. President, and get well soon.
Mr. Speaker, seeing no other speakers, I yield back the balance of my
time.
Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
It was during the Clinton administration when Congress was controlled
by Republicans that the Federal deficit started to shrink. It was not
until the fiscal year 1995 that the Republican budget was in place that
deficits turned into surpluses.
{time} 1600
Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support the adoption of House
Resolution 717 that honors former President William Jefferson Clinton.
Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in enthusiastic support of H.
Res. 717, honoring former President William Jefferson Clinton on the
occasion of his 58th birthday. I wish him happiness--and health--in his
58th year.
The outlines of President Clinton's story have become familiar to us.
Born in the small town of Hope, Arkansas, the young Bill Clinton began
cultivating the values--compassion, perseverance and commitment to
social justice--that would guide him throughout his Presidency.
[[Page H7017]]
He benefitted from the love and will of his mother--Virginia
Clinton--a widow and survivor of domestic violence who worked
tirelessly to support her children. He was a dutiful son, a protective
brother, and a gifted student. In college, Clinton juggled coursework
with an internship for Senator Fulbright, relishing his introduction to
politics. Awarded the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, Clinton went on
to Oxford University and Yale Law School. There he met his match and
wife-to-be in the form of a driven Hillary Rodham.
Mr. Speaker, it was as President that Mr. Clinton captured the
hearts, the imagination, the hope, of so many Americans. A post-Cold
War President, Bill Clinton believed we must become a domestic as well
as a military superpower. He knew our strength came from more than just
our military might, but from our commitment to the ordinary men and
women of this country. He nurtured our country's strength through
economic growth, support for the middle class and a ladder for the
poor.
Bill Clinton forged a Third Way, a new path to bipartisanship that
remains a model for lawmakers and citizens alike. He made our streets
safer with the Brady bill, he made our working families stronger with
the Earned Income Tax Credit, and he made our economy soar by balancing
the budget and erasing the deficit. He protected our environment, he
created jobs, he strengthened alliances across the world and he labored
for peace.
Mr. Speaker, President Clinton continues to be a devoted public
servant, crusading against the global AIDS pandemic. His foundation has
succeeded in lowering the cost of HIV/AIDS tests and treatment for
millions of people in developing countries across the world.
I am fortunate to call Bill Clinton a friend. I have seen him light
up a crowded room, and I have seen him connect with struggling
individuals in a way that only he can. A music-lower and a musician, he
is a Blues man with soul. He knows the sorrow of life's harsh
realities, and he knows the joy that comes from striving towards our
collective potential. Most of all, Bill Clinton is a man of heart. I
wish him--and his heart--continued health. I thank Congresswoman
Maloney for sponsoring this resolution and I urge my colleagues to
support its passage.
Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add to the overwhelming
support of this House for this resolution honoring former President
Bill Clinton as he celebrates his 58th birthday.
President Clinton is a gifted and charismatic leader who has devoted
his professional life to public service.
His administration was marked with great economic success,
transforming quadrupled budget deficits into a budget surplus. He
achieved the lowest unemployment rate in 28 years, the lowest
percentage of Americans on welfare 29 years, and the lowest inflation
rate in 33 years.
During his presidency, the economy expanded by 50 percent in real
terms, and when he left office, the U.S. had a gross national product
of $10 trillion--one-quarter of the entire world economic output.
During his administration, 15 million jobs were created and average
wages rose. Home ownership rates were the highest in history. Funding
public education, saving Social Security, and ensuring health care for
all Americans were priorities.
Our economic success was a sign of stability that sparked growth in
domestic and international markets.
He was a great supporter of human rights and promoting peace through
humanitarian relief efforts, refugee assistance, and aiding in peace
process negotiations.
I was honored to accompany President Clinton on historic trips to
Northern Ireland and Africa. We went as ambassadors of peace and
reconciliation, and it was heartening to see how well received we were
by our international hosts. The people of this country were welcomed
and well respected abroad.
I have great respect and admiration for him personally and for his
outstanding leadership of our great country, and I believe his legacy
will long enjoy the approval of a grateful nation.
I extend to him my best wishes for a happy birthday, and I offer my
wholehearted support for this resolution.
Mr. TURNER of Ohio. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Petri). The question is on the motion
offered by the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Turner) that the House suspend
the rules and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 717, as
amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was
agreed to.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________