[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1998, Book II)]
[July 18, 1998]
[Pages 1273-1274]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at an Arkansas Victory '98 Dinner in Little Rock
July 18, 1998

    Thank you. Well, first of all, like all of you, I want to thank 
Maurice and Betty for once again being there for all of us and having us 
in their home, giving us a view of the river. I'm trying to get 
accustomed to it. In a couple of years, I'm going to have a library 
about a mile down the road there, and I'm going to be looking up this 
river, just like all the rest of you. I also want to thank Vaughn for 
being willing to come in here and go to work for our party and give us 
some energy and direction.
    Today I had a great, great morning with the State Democratic 
Committee and a number of other people who came, and I tried to get them 
revved up and also remind them that the stakes in this election are 
quite high and we need to go to work on it. I feel very good about our 
candidates. I feel very good about the issues. I think the main thing we 
have to recognize is that in the non-Presidential years, voter turnout 
tends to go down, and that's not good for Democrats--number one. Number 
two, when times are good, the tendency of any people in any society is 
to sort of relax and think, ``Well, why rock the boat?''
    If you look at the newspaper, however, on any given day, if you 
analyze, among other things, the turmoil in Asia, you see, however, that 
we're living in a very dynamic time. Things can change overnight in a 
thousand ways. And my whole argument to the American people and the 
argument that I want to see brought home here in our State is that this 
is a time when we should be bearing down and moving forward and being 
even more committed to doing the things that need to be done to get our 
people ready for a new century and a completely different way of living 
and relating to the rest of the world. If you can't do it when times are 
good, then you're not going to do it. And we need to do that.
    The other point I tried to make today, which I will make very 
briefly, is that thanks to the 22d amendment, I'm not going to be a 
candidate anymore. But I think it's very important that people 
understand--that the voters understand--and this election gives us an 
opportunity to--is it's not just a question of putting certain people in 
and having good things happen; it really matters what your ideas are, 
what your policies are. There is a connection between what we do in 
public office and what consequences flow in the country and in the 
world.
    And that's the argument we've got to make. There are real, clear, 
unambiguous, powerful differences on State issues and national issues

[[Page 1274]]

between Democrats and Republicans. And we are now no longer vulnerable 
to the kind of reversed plastic surgery they used to do on us at every 
election. That is, no one can say we're not responsible on the budget or 
the economy or welfare or crime or foreign policy or national defense or 
all those other things they used to say. So now people are free to take 
a clear-eyed view of the future. And it's very important that all of us 
use these funds you've given and use our personal contacts to say, 
``Listen, this wasn't just a matter of Bill Clinton getting elected 
President. The Democratic Party has a bunch of new ideas. We've put them 
into action, and they worked.'' And they are still relevant, these 
differences, to every race in the State and every race for Congress 
that's going to be held this fall.
    If the American people believe that, we're going to have an historic 
upset of the patterns that normally prevail in these midterm elections. 
So that's what we're going to use these funds for. I believe that we can 
do quite well indeed, because there are people like you all over America 
that feel the same way you do. But just don't forget, we have succeeded 
in convincing people that America is successful, and we're moving in the 
right direction. And I've been the luckiest person in the world. The 
American people have continued to support me in the face of 
unprecedented attacks.
    But that's not the most important thing for this election. The most 
important thing is people realize--is we actually had a plan; we had 
ideas; we had policies; we had a plan. We implemented them, and the 
results were good. That's why things are good in America. And that's why 
they should support all of these other Democrats that are running in all 
the State offices and the races for Congress.
    It is logical, and it is clear, but in good times, sometimes people 
just don't think about it. That's the case we have to make. We've got 
all the way between now and November to make it, and we certainly have a 
very impressive array of candidates.
    For all of you who are running and all those who were here who are 
now over at the other event, I want to say I appreciate the fact that 
you've been willing to offer yourselves. Sometimes I know it's hard to 
do, especially when you see what happens to people who are successful. 
[Laughter] But you did, and I'm grateful. And I think we're going to be 
very grateful on election night in November. And I thank you very much.
    Thank you.

Note: The President spoke at 7:40 p.m. at a private residence. In his 
remarks, he referred to dinner hosts Maurice and Betty Mitchell; and 
Vaughn McQuary, Arkansas Democratic Party chair.