[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 26 (Monday, July 3, 2000)]
[Pages 1490-1491]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at a Brunch Honoring 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 not 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.

[[Page 1491]]

    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--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.