    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
    [August 18, 1996]
    [Pages 1308-1310]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Democratic National Committee 50th Birthday Dinner for
    the President in New York City
    August 18, 1996

        Let's give Jessye Norman a hand. That was about the best ``Happy
    Birthday'' I ever saw. [Applause] I often thought--please sit down--I
    often thought my birthday might resemble a soap opera, but never a real
    one. [Laughter] So I am deeply honored that Jessye is here tonight.
        Let me say very briefly--I said what I had to say at Radio City--but
    I want to thank all of you from the bottom of my heart for making this
    night possible. I thank our hardworking Democratic chairman, Don Fowler,
    and Marvin Rosen, our finance director, and all the people at DNC. They
    work so hard.
        The chairs of this event, Jay and Maryanne Alex, Noah Dear, Beth
    Dozoretz, Larry Harris, Susan and Alan Patricof, Stan Shuman, Paul

    [[Page 1309]]

    Verrochi, Harvey Weinstein--let's give them all a big hand. They've been
    great. [Applause]

        I want to thank my good friend, the former Governor of Mississippi,
    Ray Mabus, who put together all the satellite events around the country,
    89 of them. Thank you, Ray.

        I'd like to thank the distinguished political leaders from New York
    who are here: former Mayor Dinkins; Congressman Rangel; Congressman
    Lowey; Senator Lautenberg; the minority leader of the Senate, Senator
    Martin Conner; and Speaker Shelly Silver; and the New York State
    Democratic cochairs, Judith Hope and John Sullivan.

        I think that there are a lot of other--I want to thank all of the
    entertainers who are still here, those who performed tonight. You were
    magnificent. It was a great event at Radio City Music Hall.

        In addition to Jessye, there is one very great American artist here
    who just came in from Europe, could not be here earlier for the
    performance, but I think is one of the most gifted musicians of my
    lifetime. Mr. Wynton Marsalis is here. Thank you very much, Wynton, for
    being here.

        Let me say finally that what Vernon said about the birthday present
    coming on November 5th is not entirely true. This is a deeply personal
    night for me and a great joy. I know that a lot of you worked very, very
    hard on this evening. You know who you are; I know who you are. I know
    what an enormous effort it was, and I don't know where you got some of
    the home movies and the pictures. If I knew where, the people who gave
    it to you would be in trouble--[laughter]--but I thought it was
    fabulous, and I thank you for that.

        In terms of the election, I ask you only to remember that we really
    are going to make a decision which I think is even more important than
    the one we made in 1992. We have to validate the direction this country
    is going in. We cannot permit it to be reversed, and we cannot permit
    people to turn away from the fact that we are in better shape as a
    nation than we were 4 years ago. The choice is clear about the competing
    visions for the future, and it's very important for us to build on the
    progress that has been made, not to sit on it but not to reverse it,
    either.

        And when we go to our convention in Chicago and we're going into
    this campaign, I want all of you to help me elevate this campaign. I
    want this to be a campaign in which the American people have an honest,
    civil discussion with one another about how we ought to go forward into
    the 21st century. I don't want you to check your passion, I want you to
    turn it up. I don't want you to decline to say that you disagree with
    our opponents when you do and why you do, but I do not want it to be
    personally demeaning or negative.
        You know, this is not the world's oldest democracy because every
    single election has been decided between a saint and a scoundrel; that
    is not what has happened. Our political system has worked and we're
    still around here after 220 years because we had a lot of people who
    loved their country who had different views, and more than half the time
    the American people, the majority, have made the right decision and kept
    us moving into the future. And that's how we ought to look at this. We
    don't have to demean anybody. We don't have to put anybody down. We have
    to lift the country up, put people together, and move into the future.
    And I want you to lead that. And I want you to have no amount of
    overconfidence. I want you to be intense, focused, and committed,
    because a lot is riding on it.
        Finally, let me say--I want to thank a man I've known a long time
    and I really admire on many, many levels, but tonight we heard his great
    music and the music of his orchestra. Thank you, Peter Duchin, for what
    you've done. Thank you. Thank you for being a good Democrat.
        And lastly, Vernon, I was sitting there listening to you speak, and
    you about had me convinced I was a great man. [Laughter] I believe you
    could talk an owl out of a tree. And I want you to know that we did not
    ignore your birthday. Even though I was away aching from that--as I
    called it--that death march of dehydration that I took the press on when
    we climbed down from Mount Washburn in Wyoming, having been there a day
    and a half, we were still thinking about you. And I'd like to present
    you with your own birthday cake since you gave me mine. Where is it?
    [Laughter] Happy birthday, Vernon. I love you.
        Thank you, and God bless you all. Thank you.

    [[Page 1310]]

    Note: The President spoke at midnight in the Grand Ballroom at the
    Waldorf Astoria Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to soprano Jessye
    Norman; David Dinkins, former New York City mayor; and Vernon E. Jordan,
    Jr., dinner emcee. These remarks were released by the Office of the
    Press Secretary on August 19.