[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.