[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: WILLIAM J. CLINTON (2000, Book II)]
[October 6, 2000]
[Pages 2065-2067]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at an AFL-CIO Reception
October 6, 2000

    Thank you. Well, first of all, madam, I 
want to thank you for letting all these fairly scruffy characters come 
in your home. [Laughter] Many of us are well-accompanied, though. 
[Laughter]
    You know, I was thinking. We had Morty and 
Linda and John and I up here talking. This is an introduction that looks 
like America. We span these vast ethnic gaps. We had an Irish-Catholic 
and Irish-Protestant at the end. [Laughter] Thank you, Morty, and thank 
you for having us here, and thank you for being such good friends to me.
    You know, I really believe in this issue. John and I worked very hard together to beat that initiative in 
California a couple of years ago. And we raised money, and you all spent 
it very well--[laughter]--and intelligently. I mean that, intelligently. 
And you won, and I think you'll win again.
    But I just wanted to say a couple of things about the environment in 
which this debate will take place. One is I will never be able to thank 
you enough for the support that you've given to me and the Vice 
President, Hillary, our whole crowd these last 8 years. It's been a joy.
    One of my objectives when I became President was to take away the 
ability of our friends in the other party to demonize us just for being 
what we are, for being the progressive party. And I was determined I 
would take away the budget issue; I would take away the crime issue; I 
would take away the welfare issue; I would take away the foreign policy 
issue; and I would do it in a responsible, progressive way, but that we 
would not be vulnerable on these things anymore.
    And I was determined that, if we could turn this economy around, the 
Republicans would

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never be able to make a lot of hay with their sort of knee-jerk, anti-
union propaganda. And I think it's pretty well happened. There are no 
votes in America for running against people because they organize 
themselves into labor groups to protect the interests of their members 
and their families and working people at large. There is just not any 
votes in that anymore. Anybody that responds to that kind of stuff 
anymore, they weren't ever going to be for us anyway.
    I hope that I have helped you not only on the specific things we 
fought for and the specific things we stopped from happening but in 
changing the climate in America so that America's labor leaders and 
rank-and-file men and women in the unions can not only feel proud of the 
organizations they're a part of but feel that they're not going to be 
looked at in some prejudiced and unfair way by their fellow citizens. 
And I think we're just about there.
    I also have to say I think your own leadership deserves a lot of 
credit for that. I think you deserve a lot of credit for that, 
John. I think all of you have been so smart 
in the way you've taken the issues that you care about to the American 
people.
    I think that if you look at how the parallel initiative was defeated 
in California 2 years ago, basically what you made sure of was that 
everybody knew what it really did, not what they said it did, and 
understood what the consequences of its passage were. And I think that's 
the same way you've got to be to win in Oregon. But I think it is also a 
metaphor for what this whole election ought to be about.
    The reason that I felt good about the Presidential debate is that I 
thought the Vice President not only 
acquitted himself well but had an opportunity to clearly state his 
position and what the differences were on several issues. The reason we 
had a good convention is that we had a chance to clearly state not only 
where we were 8 years ago and where we are now but exactly what we would 
try to do if the American people ratified the progress of the last 8 
years by electing Al Gore and Joe Lieberman and all of our candidates to the Senate and House that we 
hope will win.
    So that's the only other thing I would say. I think that we now know 
that the American people feel secure enough that, even if they're not 
sure we're right on certain things, they will give us a hearing. And we 
know that we want clarity on the issues and the choices and the 
consequences far greater than our opponents. They want to kind of fuzz 
the issues and the differences. What does that tell you about where the 
American people would be if they understand not only this issue but the 
issues in the Presidential race and the congressional races?
    So I would just like to urge you all to be of good cheer. You know, 
for the first 6 months of this year, I was a little lonely. I was kind 
of like the little happy camper--[laughter]--going around the country 
telling everybody not to worry; it was all going to be all right. 
Everything is going to be fine. The underlying circumstances were good. 
Our candidates were good. It was going to be all right. Now, it looks 
like it's going to be all right. [Laughter]
    But we've got to be clear here. We've got to be very disciplined. 
We're often arrayed against greater money, but we've all learned. They 
outspent us $100 million 2 years ago, and we won anyway, because we had 
clarity. People understood what the choice was, what the consequences 
were. They had a fair grasp of what was at issue.
    If the people in Oregon have a fair grasp of what is at issue in 
this, you'll win here just like you did in California. And if they have 
a fair grasp of what is at issue in the Presidential races and the 
pivotal congressional races, we'll do just fine there, too.
    The only other thing I'd like to say on a purely personal note is 
that a lot of you have gone out of your way to help Hillary in New York, 
and it means more to me than I will ever be able to say, and you will be 
very, very proud of her when she gets elected.
    Thank you, and bless you.

Note: The President spoke at 8:50 p.m. at a private residence. In his 
remarks, he referred to Morton Bahr, president, Communications Workers 
of America, and his wife, Florence; and John J. Sweeny, president, and 
Linda Chavez-Thompson, vice president, AFL-CIO. The President also 
referred to California Proposition 34 and Oregon Ballot Measure 92, 
measures to prohibit using payroll deductions for political purposes 
without written employee consent.

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