    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [November 2, 1996]
    [Pages 2021-2023]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    November 2, 1996

        Good morning. Today I want to talk about something I believe is
    particularly important to our Nation as we prepare to vote on Tuesday.
    Many people treat elections as opportunities to divide us. But I believe
    this election can unite us to go forward together. When we come together
    to find common ground, we are stronger as a nation and there is no
    challenge we can't meet.
        Just over 5 years ago, I announced my candidacy for President. It
    was a time of deep and widespread frustration in America. Unemployment
    was high. The deficit was out of control. New jobs were scarce. Our
    values seemed under assault from every direction. And to many it seemed
    our problems were unsolvable: Rising crime would overwhelm us; broken
    families trapped on welfare would never break free from

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    the cycle of dependence; fear and hatred would force a permanent wedge
    between Americans of different backgrounds and beliefs. Washington,
    caught up in blame games and tangled in politics, was unable or
    unwilling to act. I believed it was time to stop asking who's to blame
    and start asking, what are we going to do about it?
        I had a simple strategy: Reject old labels, false debates, and
    divisive politics. Instead, strengthen America's basic bargain:
    opportunity for all Americans, responsibility from all Americans, and a
    stronger community of all Americans. That's how Vice President Gore and
    I have tried to approach everything we've done for the last 4 years.
        When it came to the budget, the old politics of division demanded a
    choice between balancing the budget and living up to the obligations we
    owe to one another and to our future. We said, that's no choice; we have
    to do both. We have to balance the budget to keep our economy growing
    strong, and we have to protect Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the
    environment.
        We've cut the deficit for 4 years in a row by 63 percent, to its
    lowest level in 15 years. But we protected the health of our parents and
    grandparents, we invested in the education of our children, and we
    protected our environment for future generations. Together America has
    created 10.7 million new jobs and 4\1/2\ million new homeowners.
    Unemployment is at 5.2 percent, and the average family income has risen
    $1,600 in just 2 years.
        Now we have to finish the job and balance the budget while we
    continue to protect our values. My balanced budget plan eliminates the
    deficit by 2002, while protecting our values by strengthening Medicare
    and Medicaid, expanding our investments in education, protecting our
    environment.
        When it came to fighting crime, the old politics of division
    demanded a choice between more police and tough penalties, or effective
    prevention and fewer guns on the street. We said we need more police and
    tougher penalties, but we also need effective prevention and fewer guns
    on the street. So we're putting 100,000 new police officers on the
    street. We passed ``three strikes and you're out'' and the death penalty
    for drug kingpins and cop killers. We banned assault weapons, passed the
    Brady bill, and fought for safe and drug-free schools.
        Two weeks ago, the FBI reported that crime had dropped 4 years in a
    row to a 10-year low. Now we have more to do to keep crime dropping for
    4 more years. We have to finish putting 100,000 police on the street,
    target violent gangs, ban bullets whose only purpose is to pierce the
    bulletproof vests of police officers.
        When it came to welfare reform, the old politics of division
    demanded a choice between strict time limits and work requirements, on
    the one hand, and child care and creating jobs for people to move, on
    the other hand. We said, we need time limits and work requirements
    because welfare is supposed to be a second chance, not a way of life.
    But we also need to work together to create jobs, because if we expect
    work we have to make sure people have a chance to work.
        Well, today there are nearly 2 million fewer people on welfare than
    there were the day I took office. In August, I signed historic welfare
    reform legislation that would change the welfare system forever. Now we
    have a responsibility to make the most of this opportunity to lift
    millions of families from welfare to work. And I have a plan to move a
    million more people from welfare to work over the next 4 years.
        When it came to our American community, the old politics of division
    was at its worst. Instead of bringing people together around common
    values, the old politics of division tried to drive wedges between us,
    to take advantage of our fears. We must never let that happen again.
        Unfortunately, here at the end of the election, some people are
    tempted to take advantage of these issues for political advantage. I say
    to them, we've seen the results of this before. The politics of division
    yields only division and gridlock. The search for common ground yields
    solutions and progress and a future worthy of our past.
        So whether you belong to the party of Lincoln, the party of
    Jefferson, whether you're independent or unaffiliated, remember that
    most of all you belong to the community of America. We are all in this
    together. We will rise or fall together. So let us build a bridge
    together, wide enough and strong enough to carry all of us into the
    bright future that is America in the 21st century.

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    Note: The address was recorded at 5:40 p.m. on November 1 at Las Cruces
    International Airport in Las Cruces, NM, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on
    November 2.