Remarks at the Democratic Governors Association Dinner January 31, 1994

Jan. 31 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 Remarks at the Democratic Governors Association Dinner January 31, 1994 Thank you very much. Thank you very much, out there. And I want to thank her for a lot Governor Bayh, Father Malloy, Chairman Wil- of things but especially for being a source of helm. I want to begin by just congratulating personal encouragement to me in the last year. Governor Bayh and your dinner committee, Bob Thank you, Joan, and good luck, and God bless and the others and Katie Whelan, on this won- you. derful evening in which you have raised $2 mil- I want to say a special word of appreciation lion to continue the work of changing our coun- to one of my neighboring Governors now, Wil- try for the better. liam Donald Schaefer of Maryland, who has I was outside in the holding room looking done a lot of things, been more outspoken than at Evan Bayh introducing me, and I thought me. But don't you ever forget this: In addition to myself, was I ever that young? [Laughter] to helping revitalize and rebuild Baltimore, he Three years ago Roy Romer invited all of the was out there fighting to do something sane Democratic Governors up to Colorado so we and strong about guns a long time before it could powwow about the coming Presidential was popular. He was on the cutting edge of election. And we all talked and emoted and change. said everything we had to say, and as usual, My friend and neighbor David Walters of Ned Ray McWherter just sat there and didn't Oklahoma, who I saw take over that State when say a wordÐ[laughter]Ðlooking like a cross be- it was in terrible shape financially. When the tween a country sage and the Grand Old Opry's price of oil collapsed, it was good for the rest Buddha. And all of a sudden, he said, ``You of us, but it was awful for Oklahoma and for know something, we need to nominate some- Texas. And I saw them make improvements in body in '92 that's a new face, that's younger, education and turn their economy around, redo got a head full of hair and a bunch of new the entire budget, thanks to David's leadership. ideas.'' And I got all puffed up, and he said, And his friendship and cooperation with me ``Go get that Bayh boy and put him in there.'' when I was his neighbor is something I will [Laughter] never forget, and I thank you, David. I am so glad to see all of you here. I enjoyed I'd like to say a special word of appreciation, my time with the Governors this morning and too, to my friend and colleague Barbara Roberts, will again tomorrow. And I've enjoyed having the Governor of Oregon, who has had more the chance to visit with so many of you. I'd difficult, courageous stands on more issues, she like to, before I say anything else, just say a has had more things to face than anybody. And personal word of thanks to my former colleagues she had one of those catch-22 situations where who are leaving the statehouses this year: the voters said, ``We're going to do away with My good friend John Waihee from Hawaii, one form of funding and leave it to you, Bar- who headed our campaign out there last yearÐ bara, to figure out how to pick up the pieces.'' it was our first Western States victoryÐand who And she did it with good cheer, without ever lives in a State that has proved now for many complaining, and with a great deal of courage. years you can actually have a comprehensive, She is a real example, I think, not only for affordable health care system that covers every- women officeholders but for all elected officials body, something the Republicans don't believe everywhere, and I thank her for that. can be done. Finally, I don't know if he's here tonight, but Governor Cece Andrus of Idaho, the only per- I have to say a word of awe-inspired respect son along with Bruce King and me, the three for Bob Casey of Pennsylvania for his personal of us, the only remaining survivors who actually courage and his record as Governor. I thought served as Governors in the seventies, the when he got sick that if anybody could ever eighties, and the nineties. I will miss him enor- come back, he could. He is tough as a boot, mously and his wisdom. but he loves his State. And he said once that Joan Finney, who leaves after 20 years in he knew he would be elected Governor of Penn- statewide office and led an awful lot of fights sylvania on his fourth try because he was more 148 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / Jan. 31 like Pennsylvania than anybody else running. Ladies and gentlemen, this has been an invig- That's a compliment to him and a compliment orating year. It's been full of challenge and to Pennsylvania. change. And many, many times I have felt that And finally, I want to thank my neighbor and I was fighting a war on two or three fronts, friend whom I made fun of, but who has been not only a war to change the policies of the my counselor for many years now, who's calmed Government but to change the attitudes of the me when I was excited and lifted me up when people who live in this city about what is pos- I was down. Ned Ray McWherter is one of sible, in an environment that I found, frankly, the finest people I've ever met, and I thank pretty negative when I got here and one always him. And I'm certainly going to miss him as vulnerable to being sidetracked by some political a Governor. distraction, always vulnerable to being side- Now I want to mention two other people. tracked by what is negative, to playing to peo- You know, I used to be chairman of the DGA, ple's fears instead of their hopes, to assuming but I couldn't raise this much money. [Laugh- the worst instead of working for the best. ter] But when I was chairman 5 years ago, we I was raised to believe that most people are had just lost our third straight Presidential elec- good peopleÐif you give them a chance, they'll tion, and people said, well, the Democratic Party do the right thingÐand that ordinary people is on its way out. And there were two people will do extraordinary things if they're just given who ran for office in that year who proved them the opportunity to do it. I tried to put together wrong, Doug Wilder and Jim Florio. And what a government of people who felt the same way, they did to win is something we would do well who looked like America, who shared the experi- to remember even though we have the White ences of America, and who could work with House and a good record in 1994, and that people at the grassroots to do that. And after is, they waged tough, outsider, aggressive, pro- a year in which we have a lot of things we change campaigns. And when they got in, they can be proud ofÐand I thank the Democratic were as good as their words. Both of them Committee for that fine film that was just brought extraordinary discipline to their budgets shownÐthe American people are beginning to under difficult circumstances, and they will be believe it, too: that we really can change things, thanked for it for a long time to come, and that politics is for producing things, not for pos- especially in New Jersey, which was in terrible turing, that it really is for moving forward and budget shape when Jim Florio took over. Both bringing people together. of them fought for tougher and more respon- I ran for this job for three reasons. One is sible laws affecting guns in their respective I thought we were going in the wrong direction States, successfully. Both of them fought for a economically, and I wanted to revitalize the brighter future. And I know that we all wish country. The second is I was convinced we were for them a bright future. They gave it to their coming apart as a people when we ought to States, and we hope that they get it in turn. be coming together and that unless we worked Finally, I want to say a special word of thanks to rebuild our sense of common community and to the DGA's treasurer for a long time now, our grassroots communities and our families, our my friend Bob Farmer, one of the first people sense of togetherness, we could never be what who signed on to my Presidential campaign. And we ought to be. And finally, I did it because Bob Farmer could talk an owl out of a tree I wanted to restore faith in the political system. if he made up his mind to do it. He could I wanted the political system to work for the raise $1 million at a convention of bankrupts people of this country instead of having it work if he made up his mind to do it. [Laughter] the other way around. And I think in the last And he's been working hard for the DGA for year, we have made major strides in all three a long time now.

Load more