[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 30, Number 23 (Monday, June 13, 1994)]
[Pages 1259-1260]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Senator Edward M. Kennedy

June 10, 1994

    The President. Hello.
    Senator Kennedy. Mr. President.
    The President. How are you, Senator?
    Senator Kennedy. Well, real well, better today than any other time 
we've been for a long time. Your program is on track. We've got a lot of 
enthusiasm for it. People are excited. They know that for the first time 
in the history of the country we're going to get a chance to debate 
this. And your leadership and Mrs. Clinton's leadership has just made an 
extraordinary difference.
    The President. Well, I thought you were terrific. I tell you, you 
and all the people that voted with you in the committee are really going 
to give the country a chance to have an honest debate about this now. 
There's been an awful lot of charges and countercharges in the air and a 
lot of misinformation. But the fundamental fact is that we're now going 
to have a chance to decide as a nation whether we're going to give 
health care coverage to all of our people in the context that will 
enable us to bring some of the costs down and keep some of the bad 
things from occurring that are happening today. And I'm really elated 
about it.
    Senator Kennedy. Well, I think the people are really beginning to 
sort of understand that after all the posturing and statements and 
speeches, that we are for the first time going to have a chance to do 
something for families in this country. And I think that's really the 
good news.
    The one thing that we have seen very, very clear in the last 2 weeks 
is that the politics

[[Page 1260]]

of negativism and the politics of criticism and the naysayers may be 
able to get attention for the early rounds, but I just can't believe 
that that kind of attitude can last. I find in traveling around 
Massachusetts, people are asking, ``If you're against the program, what 
are you really for?'' And I think that the fact that you've been out 
there day-in and day-out, fighting for something that's going to make a 
difference for families, working families, is really making a 
difference. And we've had good conversations today and last night with 
Chairman Moynihan and a number of the members of that committee this 
morning. And I know we've got a battle through there, but quite frankly, 
I think that this health program of yours has come to pass.
    The President. Well, you were there a long time before anybody else. 
I still remember the speech you gave in Memphis in 1978. And you 
convinced me we needed to get off our dime and go to work. It's just 
taken us 16 years to get a bill out of committee, but I'm ready to roll. 
[Laughter] And the American people are deeply in your debt, and we now 
have a chance to do it. And I just want to assure you, I'm going to do 
everything I can.
    I want to also say a special word of thanks to you for making the 
effort to reach out to Republicans and give them a chance to be part of 
the process. You and I know they're under enormous partisan pressure not 
to participate. But Senator Jeffords voted with us yesterday, and many 
of the Republicans offered amendments and did other things that you gave 
them a chance to do. And I hope this will be eventually like Social 
Security and Medicare, where a number of them will finally come around 
in the end. And I think they will, in part because you kept the door 
open and worked with them so carefully.
    Senator Kennedy. Well, just on that, on the benefit package approach 
on it, we had 17 to nothing, all the Republicans as well as the 
Democrats; and the long-term care, we are 15 to 2; on the privacy 
provisions that are going to even fill in some of the abuses that exist 
today, we had virtually unanimous support; the training programs, 11 to 
6; the quality issues, which are so important, 13 to 4. We picked up 
many Republicans on different provisions of it. And I think, obviously, 
I know how you have worked to try and make sure they're going to be 
there during the debate on the floor. I think they will be.
    The President. We've just got to keep hitting it. I'm ready if you 
are.
    Senator Kennedy. Okay. Listen, it's good to--really appreciate you. 
We're all looking forward to you coming back to Massachusetts sometime.
    The President. Me, too.
    Senator Kennedy. Particularly Patrick. He said you had a good time 
up there with him the other day, too.
    The President. We really had a good time. And I was so pleased. He 
seemed to be doing very well, and he seemed to be enjoying himself 
immensely.
    Senator Kennedy. Well, it was very kind.
    I talked to the First Lady this morning, as well. So she's already 
busy strategizing and moving along on the program.
    The President. Thanks.
    Senator Kennedy. Thanks an awful lot.
    The President. All right, man.
    Senator Kennedy. Good to talk to you.
    The President. Goodbye. Thank you, sir.
    Senator Kennedy. Thank you very much, Mr. President.
    The President. Bye-bye.

Note: The President spoke at 1:48 p.m. from the Oval Office at the White 
House. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Kennedy's son, Patrick. A 
tape was not available for verification of the content of these remarks.