    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book I)]
    [June 24, 2000]
    [Pages 1258-1259]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    [[Page 1258]]

    Remarks at a Brunch for Senator Dianne Feinstein in Los Angeles
    June 24, 2000

        Thank you very much. When I get home and they ask me how Dianne's
    campaign is doing, I will say it is really hot. [Laughter] I want to
    thank all of you for being here. I want to especially thank our friend
    Ron Burkle for opening his home and being so
    generous on this and on so many other occasions. And I thank the other
    officials who are here. And I'm glad to see Roz Wyman here. It reminds me of my ties to my roots. And her
    loyalty to our party and our candidates is something I hope I can
    emulate for the rest of my life.
        Let me say to all of you, it's hot, and you've been here a long
    time, and I'm preaching to the saved, so I'll be brief. Once I came to a
    fundraiser for Dianne 6 years ago in San Francisco, and she didn't show
    up--[laughter]--because she had to stay and vote. So I was her
    surrogate. And I told the folks out here, I said we were talking about
    this, and Hillary suggested that I
    make it a habit for her. So now, last week I went to a couple of events
    for Hillary, and she didn't show up on purpose. [Laughter] So we can be
    in two different places. So I'm now the surrogate-in-chief of the
    country, and I'm having a good time. If Dianne hadn't provided me that
    opportunity, it never would have occurred to me. [Laughter]
        Let me say--I want to say one thing seriously about Senator
    Feinstein. In my experience I know of no Member of the United States
    Congress of either party, in the majority or the minority, who got so
    much done in his or her first term of service. Now, you think about, the
    assault weapons ban would not have happened without her; the resolution
    of the northern California water problem; the Mojave Desert National
    Park and the other expansions of the parks we've done in California; the
    Headwater Forest, the preservation of the priceless redwoods--none of
    this stuff would have happened without her. It's unheard of for somebody
    in his or her first term of service to have this kind of constructive
    impact. Nobody does that. And so she has become not only California but
    the Nation's resource. And you've got to send her back for that reason
    alone. And I mean that.
        Now, the second thing I want to say, again very briefly, is I think
    we'll have a very good election this year. I think we'll pick up a lot
    of seats in the Senate and the House, and I think we'll win the White
    House if the people believe the election is about what I think it's
    about. If they understand there are real differences between the two
    candidates and the two parties, and if they understand what those
    differences are, then we'll do just fine.
        I tell everybody the three things you need to know about this
    election: It's real important; there are real differences; and only the
    Democrats want you to know what the real differences are. But it's
    really worth remembering that.
        And I won't go into it all. Basically, if you heard my State of the
    Union Address, you know what I think. But I want to tell you this. We've
    had some children here at this event today; we've still got this young
    lady here and this young lady over there, and Steve and Chantal Cloobeck
    brought their little boy here. You ought to be thinking about these kids
    between now and November. And you ought to be thinking about what their
    life will be like when all the baby boomers retire; what their life will
    be like in the most diverse society we ever had if we have the ability
    to provide excellence in education to all of our kids, and if we don't;
    what their lives will be like if we have a society that values both work
    and family and the importance of childrearing and giving all of our kids
    a decent upbringing, and if we don't; what their lives will be like if
    we can deal with climate change and other environmental problems and
    still grow the economy, or if we don't; and what their lives will be
    like if we continue this economic expansion and extend it to the people
    in the places that were left behind, or if we don't; what their lives
    will be like if we continue to follow Senator Feinstein's lead and make
    America a safer and safer country, or if we decide to give crime policy
    back to the interest groups; what their lives will be like depending on
    the attitudes of the next two to four Justices of the Supreme Court that
    the next President will appoint.
        This is a big election. And I can only tell you that not only from
    my life's experience, which regrettably is getting increasingly longer--

    [[Page 1259]]

    although I prefer it to the alternative--[laughter]--and from my reading
    of American history, a time like this comes along at the most once every
    50 years or so, sometimes maybe once every 100 years. We have economic
    prosperity, social progress, national self-confidence, no overwhelming
    domestic or foreign threats to the fabric of the Nation's life. And
    those of us who are older, particularly those of us who have lived most
    of our lives, have a heavy responsibility not to squander this, to make
    sure that people understand what a profoundly important gift this
    election is.
        And I tell people all the time, I don't want this to be a negative
    campaign. I don't want to see people trying to attack the character of
    their opponent. We've had too much of that. And there's a verse in the
    New Testament that says that they who judge without mercy will
    themselves be judged without mercy. And we don't have to have that kind
    of campaign. What we ought to have is an old-fashioned debate. We ought
    to have civics 101. Because you should assume that we have good people
    who in good faith will attempt to do exactly what they say, and then we
    can identify the differences, clarify them, and say, ``We want to build
    the future of our dreams for our children. Which choice is better?''
        Now, believe me, if that's what the election's about, if people
    understand it's big, that there are real choices, and they understand
    what the choices are, then on January the 20th, Al Gore will be inaugurated President. Dianne Feinstein will be
    overwhelmingly reelected, and she'll have a lot more Democrats helping
    her. Dick Gephardt will be the Speaker
    of the House, and I'll be a member of the Senate spouses club.
    [Laughter]
        Thank you very much.

     Note:  The President spoke at 1:20 p.m. at a private residence. In his
    remarks, he referred to brunch host Ron Burkle; Roz Wyman, chair,
    Feinstein 2000; and Steve Cloobeck, president and chief executive
    officer, Diamond International Resorts, and his wife, Chantal.