Administration of William J. Clinton, 1999 / July 14 1371

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, forts that you have done—in 1996, under the 8:45 a.m., July 16, 1999] leadership of your former executive director, Susan Blad Seldin, CDA helped to register NOTE: This Executive order was published in the Federal Register on July 19. over a million young people—that is very, very important. I want to say something serious tonight. Remarks to the College Democrats This is—we’ve got a very festive atmosphere, of America and I know the fire marshal is concerned July 14, 1999 about how many people we’ve crammed in this room—[laughter]—but I want to say Thank you. I ought to quit while I’m something really serious to you. I’m not run- ahead. [Laughter] Harold, you ought to be ning for anything anymore. I’m not on the giving that speech for yourself some day. ballot in 2000. I’m telling you this because That was pretty great. I was definitely im- I’m still concerned about tomorrow. Ideas pressed. Thank you. make a difference in politics. Thank you for your wonderful welcome. I was, earlier today, at the Democratic I want to thank all the College Democrat of- Leadership Council’s meeting. Many of the ficers: your national chair, Reta Lewis, who ideas that we’ve been working on there for used to be in the White House with me; Vice 14 years are now the focus of debate not only President Brendan Tully; Executive Director in the but in other countries Jeff Schulman; National Field Director Lisa around the world, where new parties—sort Kohnke; and all the people who helped to of like where the Democrats have been in organize this, your largest meeting ever. the last 61⁄2 years—have won elections in Let me say a special word of welcome or England, in France, in Germany, and Brazil greetings on behalf of the Vice President. and The Netherlands and many other coun- Eleven years ago he almost single-handedly tries, with the kind of debates that we have brought the College Democrats of America tried to provoke about how do you create back. And I’m glad you came back. We have opportunity for everyone; how do you really needed you. promote greater responsibility among citi- My administration has been, in large meas- zens; how do you build a community in an ure, about giving the young people of Amer- increasingly diverse society; what are our re- ica a better America in the 21st century, an sponsibilities to the rest of the world? Those America where there is opportunity for every kinds of debates are going on all over the responsible citizen and where we are coming world today, based on ideas. Ideas have con- together as a community across all the lines sequences. that divide us. I know that images have a lot to do, rhet- When I ran for President in 1992, I was oric has a lot to do with elections. But what infuriated that I had seen election after elec- I want you to understand is that we must tion after election, and then Washington in stay the course that is the course of new ideas between, use rhetoric to divide us and to cre- rooted in these basic values that have pro- ate a majority based on not being ‘‘them.’’ duced such good results for America. It is I didn’t think it was good for America then; not an accident—I used to say, coin that I don’t think it’s good for America today. I old—quote that old country saying in the ’96 have done everything I could do to get all election, when you find a turtle on a fence- of us to see that what we have in common post, the chances are it didn’t get there by is much more important than what divides accident. [Laughter] Ideas have con- us. sequences. I must say that the young people of Amer- All these things that your president just ica, who increasingly live more and more to- recited about the strength of the economy— gether with those who are at least super- and I might say, we now have almost 19 mil- ficially different from themselves, are going lion new jobs—a