Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 / June 22 1437 Remarks at a Federal Victory Fund kind of mathematical magic in Philadelphia, Reception in Phoenix, Arizona there's no telling what he could do with the June 22, 2000 country as a whole. [Laughter] I want to thank Steve for his long friend- Thank you very much. I appreciate the ship and Janet for her outstanding leader- standing ovation. [Laughter] Let me say I'm ship. I also want to thank her publiclyÐI've delighted to be back in Arizona again. If you never had a chance to do this beforeÐfor only knew how many times I complained that her sterling service as United States attorney I wasn't coming out here enough, you'd really here in my first term, before she became the be impressed. [Laughter] I love coming here. attorney general. I want to say, in his absence, that Bruce I want to acknowledge the event cochairs Babbitt has done a magnificent job as Sec- here, John Shacknai, Bob and Carolyn Wolf, retary of the Interior, and I'm very proud Delbert and Jewell Lewis, and Fred DuVal, of him. We had some rocky issues in the first who is much missed in the White House, but couple of years, and we still do some things I thank him for what he did. And let's give that our friends in the Republican Party don't them all a big hand. [Applause] agree with. But we decided togetherÐand Now, I also want to say a heartfelt thanks we've been friends for many years because to one present and one former Member of we served as Governors togetherÐthat all Congress, Ed Pastor and former Senator these emerging issues in the West, the chal- Dennis DeConcini. I think I'm going to see lenges of reconciling all this growth with the them sometime today. I don't know if they're environmental challenges, basically were ig- in this room, but they really did a lot to help nored by the other party when they were in ensure the success that this country has en- power. And they normally did well in the joyed in the last 71¤2 years. elections because the Federal Government I will be brief, but I want to say some wasn't getting in anybody's hair. And then things as succinctly as I can. First, I am more when the Democrats got in, they tended to grateful than you know that in 1996 we won try to deal with them, but in a way that alien- the electoral votes of Arizona, for the first ated so many people we foundÐfurther be- time since Harry Truman in 1948. hind. So we decided that we would not ig- Second, I am profoundly grateful for the nore them, but we'd try to do it in a way success our country has enjoyed in these last that would make connections with people at 71¤2 years, that Steve and Janet outlined. I've the grassroots level. And I think, by and worked real hard to try to turn this country large, the strategy has worked, and I'm very around and move it in the right direction. grateful. And I think we were helped by the fact that We set aside, among other things, more I had been a Governor for nearly a dozen land in national monuments, in the 43 million years, that I had dealt with most of the prob- roadless acres of the national forests, other- lems that the country was facing in 1992, and wise, than any administration in the history that we actually had specific, clear ideas of this country except those of Theodore and about what we wanted to do and we laid Franklin Roosevelt. And I'm very proud of them before the American people in great that. And you should be proud of him. detail. I want to thank the gentleman to my leftÐ And that brings me to the present mo- to your left, my rightÐEd Rendell, the ment. Everybody knew what the problem former mayor of Philadelphia who has been was in 1992. The wheel was about to run a great chair of our Democratic Party and off. The economy was in bad shape. The soci- who was leading us to victory this year. And ety was deteriorating by most indicators, and I really thank him for doing that. I decided we knew what we had to do. We also knew he ought to be chair of the party when Al that Washington was just paralyzed by this Gore and I won Philadelphia with about 80 sort of partisan fight when basically people percent of the vote and a bigger margin than would say, ``You got an idea; I've got an idea. President Kennedy did when it was a much Let's fight; otherwise, neither one of us will larger city. So I figured if he could work that get on the evening news.'' And so there was VerDate 11-MAY-2000 06:25 Jun 30, 2000 Jkt 010199 PO 00000 Frm 00053 Fmt 1244 Sfmt 1244 W:\DISC\PD26JN00.000 ATX006 PsN: ATX006 1438 June 22 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 2000 a real penalty put on thinking. If you thought America, to deal with the plain environ- you had new ideas and you tried to work mental challenges that are out there because things out, there was really no reward. And of the way we have grown as a nation and most of us out on the country, whether we as a world, to deal with the challenge of giv- lived in Arizona or Arkansas or someplace ing all of our children a world-class edu- else, thought that it didn't make much sense. cation. So we set about trying to turn the country And while I'm at it, I'd like to compliment around, and the results have been good. the legislators. It seems to me like there's But now we're in a new election season. a bipartisan majority in Arizona for really And people ask me all the time, ``Well, who's doing something significant about the going to win? Do you think the Vice Presi- schools, and I hope it will get through the dent is going to win?'' I say yes. ``Do you legislature. And I want to thank the Repub- think Hillary is going to win?'' I say yes. And licans who are supportingÐ[applause]. I do, on both counts. ``Do you think the What are we going to do to help all these Democrats will win back to Congress?'' Of families who now have jobs balance work and course, I say yes. But here's the real truth: family? Our country is behind other coun- Who will win this election depends upon, tries in that. You'd be amazed how many par- more than anything else, what the people of ents I talk to, whether they're working for America think the election is about. The minimum wage or whether they're making question you ask may determine the answer six-figure incomes, who worry every single you get. day about how they're going to meet their So that's what I want to say to all of you, responsibilities at work and meet their most because when I leave, somebody might ask important responsibilities of raising their you why you were here today and what you children. intend to do. And there's a lot of work for There are all these really big, interesting you to do between now and November, and challenges. The reason that I want the Vice you have to decide what you think the elec- President to win, apart from my personal loy- tion is about. The election in 1992 was about alty to him and the role that he's playedÐ what we were going to do to turn our country and he has been, by far, the most significant around. In 1996 it was about whether we Vice President in the history of the country. would continue and build on that direction No other Vice PresidentÐI'm a pretty good and build our bridge to this new century. student of American history, and this is not This election is about, in my view, what do just election-year hypeÐno other Vice Presi- we intend to do with our prosperity. dent has ever had anything close to the posi- And I would argue to you that what a coun- tive impact on the affairs of America and the try does at a magic moment like this is just lives of the American people as Vice Presi- as stern a test of its judgment and its char- dent than Al Gore has had. Not Harry Tru- acter as what a country does when it's in trou- man; not Theodore Roosevelt; not anybody ble. Anybody in this audience today, who is as Vice President. over 30 years of age at least, can cite at least So when people say, ``Why do you think one time in your life when you made a mis- he should be elected?'' I say, first of all, be- take, a personal or a professional mistake, not cause he'll keep the prosperity going. Sec- because things were so tough but because ondly, because he really wants to extend it things were so good you thought there was to the people and places that have been left no penalty for the failure to concentrate and behind and aren't fully part of this.