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Remarks at a Dinner for Representative Richard A Administration of William J. Clinton, 1996 / May 17 on behalf of a grateful nation, I thank you for Best wishes for a memorable observance. what you have done and continue to do to keep America strong and free. BILL CLINTON Remarks at a Dinner for Representative Richard A. Gephardt in St. Louis, Missouri May 17, 1996 Thank you very much. August Busch, thank States House of Representatives and enabling you for that introduction. Thank you for your him to help to lead our Democratic Party, the friendship and support. Thank you for all you Democratic caucus in the House, and this coun- do for this community. try. I told a group of people earlier this evening To Representative Bill Clay and Representa- that Dick Gephardt had done a lot for this coun- tive Karen McCarthy, Mayor Freeman Bosley, try, and whenever I met him he always wanted your county executive, Buzz Westfall, ladies and to talk about issues of great national concern gentlemen. I am delighted to be here today. after he has twisted my arm for one more TWA I have been here all day. I have been to a route to somewhere. And believe me, even wonderful high school. I have talked to a lot though I said ``somewhere,'' I have the list in of wonderful young people. I have been with my pocket; I know exactly what I'm supposed Congressman Gephardt and Mrs. Gephardt as to be lobbying for. [Laughter] we have stormed a bocce ballÐor you say bocce I had a wonderful time talking with Dick this hereÐa bocce ball arena, where I think I better afternoon about the weekends he comes home go back to golf. But I loved playing. and just goes into neighborhoods and knocks In my public life I've had an opportunity to on doors to talk to his constituents and ask do a lot of things, but I have never given a them what they think. I must say that one of speech in a domed football stadium before. I the things that I miss about public life since feel that I'd be better off passing or punting becoming President is that I don't get a chance or something else. But I still feel like it's first to do that sort of thing so much anymore. down instead of fourth, so I'm going to try to When I sought this office, some of the people get through the talk. on the other side used to make fun of me for I know that St. Louis has done a lot of re- being the Governor of a small Southern State. markable things in the last few years, including Well, I was, and I'm proud that I was. One build this magnificent facility and attract the of the great virtues of that is you got to know Rams here. I know you're looking forward to your people. And they felt they could call you celebrating the centennial of the World's Fair by your first name, and they felt they could and the bicentennial of the Louisiana Purchase. share their real feelings with you. And that's I'm always excited when I come here to the what helps to make democracy work. And I heartland, and I want to congratulate you for hope all of you appreciate just how rare it is what you have done. to see a person who has years of national leader- I feel deeply indebted to the people of Mis- ship experience like Dick Gephardt but never souri for many things, and the people of this forgets the folks back home and always puts fine city. But I want to say a special word of their concerns first. That's what makes American thanks to those of you who met with my wife democracy work, and I am very grateful for on her recent trip here. She had a wonderful him And I know that you are, too. time; she loved the reception. She sold a few I want to ask you to take just a few minutes of her books, and she came back in a very tonight not so much to listen to me but to good humor. And that's something I was very kind of listen to yourself. We're just 4 years grateful for. Thank you. away now from a new century, indeed a new I'd also like to say a special word of thanks millennium. We're going through a period of to you for keeping Dick Gephardt in the United astonishing change in how we work, how we 769 VerDate 06-OCT-99 14:02 Oct 11, 1999 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00769 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 C:\96PUBP~1\PAP_TEXT txed01 PsN: txed01 May 17 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1996 communicate with each other, how we live, how the digital chip is the most significant thing to we relate to the rest of the world. happen in the way people communicate with At a period like this, when everything is each other since Gutenberg printed the first changing, the role of your Government in Wash- Bible in Europe 500 years ago. ington has to change as well. And for the last Now, when I think about that, what I think 31¤2 years I've been trying to find ways to make is that this is an incredible age of possibilities. those changes work for all the American people, Most of us have been able to benefit in some as August said, in a way that creates more op- way or another from this age of possibility; oth- portunity and brings us together as a country. erwise you couldn't afford to be here for Dick But tonight I want to ask you to answer these tonight. And we owe it to ourselves, to our questions that I have to ask of myself all the children, our grandchildren, and to our country time. Because in this country the people are to think about what kind of age we want to still in the saddle. That's what a free country pass on to our children. is. That's what democracies mean. That's what I have three simple things I want for America elections are for. And in order to make really in the 21st century. I want every child in this good decisions, I think you have to know the country, without regard to their race, their reli- answer to that question. Here this great country gion, their gender, where they grow up or how is, more than 200 years old, the longest lasting much they start out with in life, to have a great democracy in human history, standing on chance to live out their dreams if they're willing the brink not only of a new century but a whole to work for it. I want this to be a country new era in the way human beings work and that relishes in all of its diversity. Today I was relate to each other. What do you want your in an Italian-American neighborhood in St. country to look like in that new era? Most of Louis, the Hill. I went to a high school where us in this room tonight are adults. We have there were children of many different racial and lived most of our lives in the 20th century, and ethnic groups. The other day I was in New we will leave the 21st century to our children Jersey, in what used to be primarily a white and our grandchildren. What kind of America ethnic neighborhood; it's still primarily that, but do we want to leave for them? Those are the there were African-American children there, great questions before the American people there were Hispanic-American children there, today. there were children from the Indian subconti- When I look ahead into this next century and nent who are Hindus, there were children from I see that the nature of work is changing and the Middle East who are Muslims. And they the nature of American life is changing more were all there in this American school. than any time in a hundred years, since the All over the world people are consumed with beginning of our own century when we moved fighting each other and keeping each other from being primarily a rural people to being down because of their racial, their ethnic, or more a city people, when we moved from most their religious differences. I have done what I of us making our living on the farms to most could to end those tragedies, from Northern of us making our living either in the factories Ireland to Bosnia to South Africa to the Middle or around factories. Now we're moving from East. But I know that this country has always a national economy to a global economy, indeed, had a legacy of battling within its own soul, a global society. We're moving from an indus- when we look at our brothers and sisters who trial economy to one dominated by information are different from us and ask, do we have more and technology in every form of human endeav- in common, or are our differences more impor- or, including agriculture. I don't know how tant? many farmer friends of mine at home know Now, if you look at this global society in more about computer technology than I do, be- which we are going to live, the diversity of cause that's how they have to make their judg- AmericaÐall these different kinds of people ments about what to plant and how to bring with different languages, different cultures, dif- the crop in.
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