[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.