[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 36, Number 41 (Monday, October 16, 2000)]
[Pages 2364-2365]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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

[[Page 2365]]

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. This item was not received in time for 
publication in the appropriate issue.