[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1996, Book II)]
[August 31, 1996]
[Page 1441]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



[[Page 1441]]


Remarks in Fulton, Kentucky
August 31, 1996

    The President. Good morning!
    Audience members. Good morning!
    The President. Thank you for coming out. Thank you for waiting. I 
want to thank the mayors of both these communities. I'm glad to be in 
Kentucky and Tennessee, and I want to thank all of you who worked hard 
on this event. I see a lot of work has been done on the buildings. I see 
a lot of work has been done to make us feel welcome in these two proud 
communities and I thank you. I am glad to be here, and I am glad to see 
you.
    We are fighting for your future. Will you help us build that bridge 
to the 21st century?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Will you help us send Steve Beshear and Houston 
Gordon to the United States Senate and Steve Null to the Congress to 
help us build that bridge to the 21st century?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Will you help us make 2 years of college education as 
universal as a high school education is now in the next 4 years?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Will you help us close two-thirds of the toxic waste 
dumps so our kids live near parks and not poison in the next 4 years?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Will you help us balance the budget without doing 
what our friends in the opposition want to do, without hurting Medicare, 
Medicaid, our commitment to education, and the environment? Will you 
help us do that?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Folks, this country is in better shape than it was 4 
years ago. We are on the right track to the 21st century. But we still 
have work to do. On Thursday night in Chicago, I outlined the direction 
that the Vice President and I and our administration will take, and I 
want you to help us. This is an election about whether we're going to 
build a bridge to the future or a bridge to the past, about whether we 
believe we're all in this together and everybody has a role to play and 
a place, or whether we ought to say you're on your own.
    I believe that my job is to give you the tools you need and the 
conditions you need to make the most of your own lives, your family's 
lives, your community's lives. I think that's our responsibility. That's 
what we've been doing for 4 years. That's why we're on the right track. 
But we have got more to do.
    We need to build a big, strong bridge that's wide enough for 
everybody to walk across so every child in this audience will have a 
good, good life in the 21st century. Will you help us?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. For 68 days will you help us?
    Audience members. Yes!
    The President. Thank you, and God bless you. We're glad to see you. 
Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. in the Town Square. In his 
remarks, he referred to Mayor Elaine Forrester of Fulton, KY; Mayor Kent 
Greer of South Fulton, TN; Steven Beshear, Kentucky senatorial 
candidate; Houston Gordon, Tennessee senatorial candidate; and Dennis 
Null, candidate for Kentucky's First Congressional District.