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They’re for progress, not partisanship. I want to say a special word of appreciation They’re for people, not politics.1 for the life and career of a man who has been If you do that, we’re going to have a stun- my friend for more than 25 years, Henry B. ning victory in November—against all the Gonzalez. You can be really proud of what tide of history, and against all the money and he has done. all the midterm arguments they can make, And I want to thank my friend Ann Rich- because it’s the right thing for our country, ards for finding ways to say things no one for our children, and for our future. else can say that make a point no one could Thank you, and God bless you. misunderstand. [Laughter] She’s unbeliev- able. NOTE: The President, spoke at 9:42 p.m. at a pri- vate residence. In his remarks, he referred to din- I want to tell you why I wanted to come ner hosts Haim and Cheryl Saban; musician Mi- here today, for reasons other than the fact chael McDonald; California gubernatorial can- that Garry Mauro has been my friend since didate Lt. Gov. Gray Davis and his wife, Sharon; 1972. Phil Angelides, candidate for State treasurer; Audience member. Mango ice cream! Leonard Barrack, national finance chair, and The President. And the mango ice cream. Steve Grossman, national chair, Democratic Na- tional Committee; and Ron Burkle, chairman, [Laughter] Yucaipa Companies. A portion of these remarks First of all, many of you whom I’ve already could not be verified because the tape was incom- met have said some wonderful personal plete. things to me about my family, and I thank you for that. You know, it’s easy to forget in Washington, but Presidents and their fam- Remarks at a Reception Honoring ilies are still people, and it meant more to Gubernatorial Candidate Garry me than you’ll ever know, and I thank you Mauro in San Antonio, for that. September 27, 1998 But I also want to tell you that I des- perately want this election year, all across The President. Thank you very much. America and in Texas, not to be about what’s Audience member. Don’t give up! The President. Well, ladies and gentle- going on in Washington, DC, but what’s men—you don’t have to worry about me giv- going on in San Antonio, in El Paso, in ing up. [Applause] Thank you. Garry Mauro Lufkin, and towns like them all over America. promised me that if I came to Texas in the You know, this is still a democracy; you’re wake of all this controversy, I would get a still in the driver’s seat, but you have to get warm welcome. And he nearly overdid it behind it and drive if you want to be heard. today. [Laughter] Now, I ran for President—I started almost It’s great to be back here. I want to thank 7 years ago—in just about a week it will be Frank Herrera and his whole family for mak- the 7th anniversary of my declaration for ing us feel so welcome at their humble little President. When I started, nobody but my homestead here. We ought to give him a wife and my mother thought I could win. hand. Thank you. [Applause] I had a lot of good friends in Texas and got I want to thank all the people who pro- two-thirds of the vote in the Democratic pri- vided our music and catered our food and mary here on Super Tuesday, and it cata- made this such an enjoyable occasion. I want pulted me on. to thank the candidates who are here who Now, I ran for President because I wanted are running for office—, Charlie to make this country work for ordinary citi- Gonzalez—Richard Raymond is not here— zens again; because I wanted us to be a lead- Joe Henderson. I want to thank Molly Beth er for peace and prosperity and freedom in Malcolm, your State chair, and all the mem- the rest of the world, to which we’re closer bers of the Texas House and Senate who are and closer tied; and because I wanted to here. bring this country together in a spirit of har- mony and unity across all the lines that divide 1 White House correction. us. Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 / Sept. 27 1915

And in the last 6 years—Garry mentioned If that happens, it will hurt Texas very, very it, but I just want to reel it off to you—we badly, and our economy. tested the ideas that we brought to Washing- You see terrorism throughout the world; ton. They’re no longer the subject of debate. you see people fighting with each other If you believe elections are about ideas, throughout the world because of their racial, ideals, and the impact they have on ordinary their ethnic, religious differences. We have people, in every election in this country, and challenges, and we have challenges at home. in every election in Texas, you ought to tell And the real question in this election in people we have the lowest unemployment America and in Texas is, what are we going rate in 28 years, the lowest crime rate in 25 to do with this moment of prosperity? years, the smallest percentage of people on This is Sunday, so I’ll just make one Bib- welfare in 29 years. And Wednesday we’ll lical reference. One of the most successful have the first balanced budget and surplus leaders in the Bible was Joseph. And what in 29 years. did he do? When Egypt was fat and sassy, But the real question is what will we do he saved the grain. He made all those people with it. I want you to remember what Garry go out and work and do things they’d just said today. Our enemy is not adversity. Look as soon not do. And they said, ‘‘This Joseph, at this crowd. Feel your own enthusiasm. Re- why doesn’t he let up on us?’’ But when the member what many of you said to me today. famine came, the people of Egypt were all Adversity is our friend. It forces us to dig right because a true leader did something in deep, to ask ourselves what we believe in, good times, understanding change. what kind of people we are, what kind of When people ask you about Garry Mauro, you tell them about Joseph, and tell them people we want to be, where we want to go, what a mistake it would be for Texas to say, and what we want to do with our lives. Adver- ‘‘We’re just going to stand pat because things sity is our friend. Our enemies are compla- are good; who cares if anybody does any- cency and cynicism. Those are our enemies, thing? As long as I feel good, everything is and don’t misunderstand it. all right.’’ The biggest problem Garry Mauro has got Let me tell you what’s going on in Wash- in this election is if people think, ‘‘Well, ington. I believe as strongly as I can say that things are going well. Why do anything?’’ A we have to use these good times as a respon- lot of people think, ‘‘I had a tough time in sibility to look to the future and deal with the eighties, and things are going well now, our challenges. Let me just mention four of and why don’t we just relax and let things them. Number one—and I’ll compare the rock along?’’ And I can tell you that’s appeal- positions of the two parties. Number one, ing, but it’s wrong. In Washington people Wednesday we’re going to have the first bal- think, ‘‘Things are going well; why don’t we anced budget and surplus for 29 years. I’ve fight with each other and see who we can worked hard for it for the last 6 years. hurt?’’ [Laughter] And it’s tempting, but it’s In 1993 we had a vote without a single wrong. It’s wrong because the world is Member of the other party—not a one—that changing very fast. passed by one vote in both Houses, that I just got back from Silicon Valley, where brought the deficit down over 90 percent be- all those computer companies are born, you fore we passed the bipartisan balanced budg- know? Those people change for a living every et amendment. And that started this recov- day at blinding speed. But they understand ery. Now, the guys that didn’t vote to balance something a lot of our fellow Americans the budget say, ‘‘Well, we’re going to have don’t, which is the world is changing for ev- a surplus for the first time in 29 years; let’s eryone. You pick up the papers; you know give everybody an election-year tax cut 6 that we’ve got economic problems in Japan weeks before the election.’’ Now, it’s very and the rest of Asia. There’s a real risk that popular. It’s very popular, but it’s dead it will spread to our friends in Mexico and wrong. And I’ll tell you why. throughout Latin America who are doing a Number one, it’s wrong because the rest pretty good job managing their economies. of the world is in economic trouble, and we 1916 Sept. 27 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 have to set a standard of being strong eco- our fair share and lead the world back to nomically and responsible. If we want to prosperity. keep growing, we’ve got to help them get Number three, in the balanced budget this back on their feet, not make the same mis- year, I have given the Congress an education takes others are making. agenda. There has been no action for 8 Number two, the Social Security system months. Here’s what it does: It puts 100,000 is solid now, but it is not sustainable when teachers in our classrooms to lower class size the baby boomers retire. I ought to know, to 18 in the early grades; it repairs or builds I’m the oldest of the baby boomers. [Laugh- 5,000 schools; it provides funds to hook up ter] And when we retire—you look at all the every classroom in the poorest schools in young people here today—when the baby America to the Internet by the year 2000; boomers retire, there will only be two people it helps schools where the kids are poor and working for every one person drawing Social the neighborhoods are poor to adopt high Security. If we start now, well ahead of time, standards, but to have after-school programs we can make modest changes that save Social and summer school programs so the kids Security that will not require us to make the aren’t deemed failures just because the sys- horrible choice of either putting seniors back tem is failing them. into poverty or taxing our children so that It gives 35,000 young people college schol- we undermine their ability to raise our grand- arships that they can pay off if they’ll go out children. and teach in hard-pressed school districts for Now, people say no one thinks that far a few years after they get out of college. It ahead. But you know that I’m telling the is a good education program. It deserves to truth, don’t you? [Applause] So I say, I want be passed, and our party is for it and they’re you to support us when the Republicans say, not. ‘‘Here’s the goodie; it’s election time,’’ and Number four, Garry talked about the Pa- I say no. I’m not against tax cuts. We’ve got tients’ Bill of Rights. I want a national bill tax cuts for education, for child care, and for that says the following things: Number one, the environment in our balanced budget bill. if you get hurt in an accident, they’ve got But I’m against using that surplus for tax cuts to take you to the nearest emergency room, or for spending programs until we save Social not one halfway across town because it’s cov- Security for our parents and our children. ered by your plan. Number two, if your doc- Number two, I never thought this would tor tells you you need to see a specialist, you be an election year issue, but you know now can. Number three, if you’re in the middle that 30 percent of our growth comes from of treatment and your company changes our trading with other countries. Texas health insurance providers, they can’t make knows how important it is that we sell our you change doctors. goods and our products and our services to Now, let me tell you what’s happening in Latin America, to Asia, all over the world. America today. Pregnant women, 6, 7 We have got to lead the world back from months into their pregnancy, their employer the financial trouble they’re in or we will changes coverage, they say, get another ob- eventually get hurt. And it will be sooner stetrician. Have you ever had anybody in rather than later. your family on chemotherapy? A lot of us In order for us to lead the world, we have have. I have, and it’s pretty tough. And if to make our fair contribution to something somebody in your family—I bet you had the called the International Monetary Fund. same experience we did when my mother That’s the fund we use to help the countries had to do that. You sit around and you try that are trying to help themselves and to keep to put on a brave face; you make a few jokes. the problems from spreading so we can keep You say, ‘‘Well, what are we going to do when selling our stuff. For 8 months I’ve been beg- you’re running around bald?’’ And then you ging the Congress to do it, and they still say , ‘‘Well, I’ll finally get to wear that wig haven’t done it. So I say to you, if you like I’ve always wanted.’’ You try to make fun of this economy and you want to keep it going, it to keep from the agony. And then you sit vote for us and our side because we will pay there and worry down deep inside, what’s Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 / Sept. 27 1917 going to happen if you’re so sick you can’t given Governors more responsibility in edu- eat anymore? cation, more responsibility in health care, Now, how would you feel in the middle more responsibility in managing the environ- of the chemotherapy treatment, if somebody ment, and more responsibility in growing the said, ‘‘I’m sorry, your employer changed pro- economy. It matters. If Garry Mauro were viders; you’ve got to get another doctor’’? not my friend, I would be here saying he That happens. And our bill would protect the has a plan for Texas, and just because you’re privacy of your medical records, which is doing well doesn’t mean you can stand pat. something people ought to care a lot more You need to bear down and think about your about today than ever before. children and the future and stand up for Now, in Congress, the Republicans passed what’s right. a bill that didn’t do any of that and left 100 Now, our friends in the other party think million Americans out of what little they did they’re going to do real well this year because do. It is the symbol of the difference in the of complacency and cynicism and what I call two parties in Washington and throughout the M&M syndrome—money and midterms. the country today. They always have more money than we do. So I say to you, here’s what we’re for: And at midterm elections our folks—who We’re for saving Social Security first; we’re work hard, have a lot of hassles, and it’s more for keeping the economy going; we’re for trouble for them to vote—don’t vote in the putting education first among all our invest- same numbers their folks do. But we can sur- ment priorities; and we’re for a Patients’ Bill prise them if the American people know of Rights. That’s what we’re for, and they’re what’s really at stake. If they understand this opposite us on all those issues. That is the is a question about progress over partisan- choice nationally. ship, people over politics, unity over division. You want to know— asked And I’m telling you, you go out there and if you could think of anything that Congress they ask you what it’s about, tell them it’s has done. Let me tell you what they’ve done about the economy. Tell them it’s about sav- this year, what our friends in the Republican ing Social Security. Tell them it’s about the Party have done with their majority. They integrity of your health care. Tell them it’s killed campaign finance reform. They killed about the education of your children. That’s tobacco reform legislation to help us save our what we’re for, and they know—every voter kids’ health. They killed an increase in the knows what they’re for. Make a decision for minimum wage, with unemployment and in- your future and our country’s future. flation low, that would have helped 12 mil- Thank you, and God bless you all. lion hard-working Americans. They have NOTE: The President spoke at 3:09 p.m. at a pri- gone backwards on saving Social Security vate residence. In his remarks, he referred to re- first. They have gone backwards in protecting ception host Frank Herrera; Jim Mattox, can- the environment. And they have done noth- didate for State attorney general; Charlie Gon- ing on helping us to lead the international zalez, candidate for Texas’ 20th Congressional economy and nothing on the education agen- District; State Representative Richard Raymond, da. That’s what they have done less than a candidate for State land commissioner; Joe B. week before the end of this budget year. And Henderson, candidate for State railroad commis- that’s the difference. sioner; State Democratic Chair Molly Beth Mal- colm; and former Gov. Ann Richards of Texas. Well, what’s that got to do with the Gov- ernor of Texas? I’ll tell you what. For years and years and years, I heard the Republicans Statement on the Detention of War talk about how there ought to be more power Criminal Stevan Todorovic in Bosnia given to the States, how the Federal Govern- September 27, 1998 ment did too much. They talked about it; we did something about it. Early this morning in Bosnia, United We have the smallest Federal Government States SFOR forces led a multinational effort in 35 years. But what that means is it matters to detain Stevan Todorovic, an indicted war a lot more who the Governor is. We have criminal. The detention took place without