[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 6 (Monday, February 15, 1993)]
[Pages 170-171]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Arrival in Detroit, Michigan

 February 10, 1993

    Thank you very, very much. Thank you for coming out on this cold day 
to make me feel warmly welcome to Michigan. I want to say how grateful I 
am to be back here again. This is my first trip out of the Nation's 
Capital as your President. The first time I've ever been on Air Force 
One, I flew here to Michigan.
    I want to say a word of thanks to Chairman Dingell and your 
wonderful Congressman from this district, David Bonior, and all the 
Members of Congress who are here, and Senator Levin and Senator Riegle. 
I want to thank my good friend Governor Blanchard, who flew here with me 
from Washington. I want to thank all of you who are here, and I'd like 
to say a special word of thanks to the men and women in uniform who are 
here in this crowd who serve our Nation every day. I know you're 
grateful to them. I want to thank the people of Michigan, without whom I 
might well not be here as President today, for your support in November 
and your support in March, and, more importantly, maybe, for all the 
things that I learned here in Michigan.
    When I was a boy, the first thing I ever knew about Michigan, 
growing up in Arkansas, was it was sort of the land of opportunity for 
our people who couldn't make a living on the farm anymore. They came 
here and became middle class citizens by working in the auto plants or 
by other industries that were successful. When I came here as a 
candidate for President, I didn't know whether I could do very well. And 
after I came home the first time, I called my wife. I said, ``Every 
other person I met was from Arkansas; we're going to do all right up 
here.'' [Laughter]
    People came here because Michigan was the American dream. When I 
came back to Michigan in this Presidential campaign I found a different 
picture, not all bad by any means but much more mixed. I saw in Michigan 
people who were developing new industries and new technologies and new 
hope for the future. I saw people working together across racial lines. 
But I also saw industries dying on the vine and people who had worked 
all their lives losing jobs and losing their health care. And I saw 
people divided by race, too.
    I saw everything about America writ large here in this State: all 
that is best, all that is most troubling. But I saw an awful lot of 
hope, too. Today when I left the White House to come here, we had a 
crowd of folks come out on the lawn to say goodbye, and when I knew that 
we'd bring in some folks just from the public who were there and some 
people who work in the White House, many of whom had never met the 
President before. And I had so many people who work in correspondence 
who were telling me that the letters are coming in at record rates here, 
massive numbers of letters for me, for my wife, for my daughter, people 
writing us about their hopes, their dreams, their new ideas.
    I'm going to do a town hall meeting tonight, a televised meeting 
connecting four cities, not just Detroit but three others, too, and all 
across the country. You know, between June and November I did nine of 
those. But I started a year ago in New Hampshire doing them, because I 
believe that people like me shouldn't hide from the people who elected 
them. I think we ought to be accountable.
    There will be many difficult and challenging days ahead. But if 
you'll stay in touch with me, if you'll let me hear the truth of your 
feelings and your ideas, when you agree and when you disagree, I think 
we can change this country. And if you will give courage to your elected 
officials and tell them that that's what you voted for, for a change, 
that as difficult as it may be to change, staying where we are is the 
most expensive course of all, we can do it.
    You know, shortly after you elected me to President, I was given my 
first piece of good news and my first piece of bad news. The good news 
was that consumer confidence was up and people were feeling better and 
people thought we could change the economy; that American companies, in 
a tough global environment, were becoming more productive; that interest 
rates had come down some and people were financing their home loans. The 
bad news was that no new jobs were being created in our economy and

[[Page 171]]

that incomes were not going up and that after the election it was 
announced that the Government deficit was going to be $50 billion higher 
next year and just about that high every year thereafter during my term 
of office. And so I had to go back to the drawing board and figure out 
how we were going to put the American people first, take on the special 
interests, invest in jobs and incomes and deal with the health care 
crisis and still bring the deficit down, as I promised to do, and to do 
it in a way that is fair to the middle class, people who've worked hard 
and paid the bills for 12 years. It isn't easy, I'll tell you that. But 
I'm doing my best.
    We have spent literally hours and hours and hours, the 
administration people and I, and I've met with large numbers of people 
in Congress, many people many times, since I became President just 3 
weeks ago, doing almost nothing but focusing on this economy. And I am 
telling you I am confident that if we'll make some challenging decisions 
now and put this country on the right path, we can lift this economy up, 
we can create jobs, we can deal with the health care crisis and have a 
bright future.
    But remember: Everywhere I went in this election I said, ``Do not 
vote for me if you're going to quit on election day. Do not come to the 
Inaugural and celebrate the victory unless you're going to help us make 
the victory good.'' I need your help. I didn't see a single soul all 
those thousands of miles I traveled on those buses, stopping on the 
country roads and going to the big cities, I never did see a person 
holding up a sign saying, ``Everything's just fine. Leave well enough 
alone.'' [Laughter] Not the first sign. Even the people who honestly 
disagreed with me on a whole range of issues never said they believed 
that we didn't have to have the courage to change.
    And so tonight I ask you, watch what we do closely. If you think I'm 
wrong, call or write and tell me. But continue to support me with your 
prayers and your voice and your conviction, and give the Members of 
Congress the courage to change. That is what the election was all about. 
And we are going to try to make good on it.
    Thank you, and God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 5:10 p.m. at the Selfridge Air National 
Guard Base. In his remarks, he referred to John D. Dingell, chairman, 
House Energy and Commerce Committee.