Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 / June 12 Remarks at a Reception for Representative Darlene Hooley in Portland, Oregon June 12, 1998 Thank you. Thank you very, very much. Stand thinking person who also has a heart I believe up here, Darlene. You know, on my body clock we need more of in politics. She does a great it is 1:35Ð[laughter]Ðand Alexis and Darlene credit to all of you. are hard acts to follow. [Laughter] I must say, Because we have a number of important races I'm sorry that Alexis had to miss the Shania in Oregon this year, I'd just like to say a few Twain concert, but if Shania Twain had heard things briefly. I know the hour is late. But every her sing, she might have thought it was the day I get up, and no matter what the challenges other way around. She was great. You have a of the day areÐand we've had a number lately, great gift, young lady, and I wish you well with the financial challenges in Asia, the difficulties it. of the nuclear testing between India and Paki- I thank the Rose City Brass Quartet for play- stan, the new trouble in the Balkan region in ing ``Hail To The Chief.'' It sounded greatÐ Kosovo, a number of thingsÐbut I justÐI give thought the Marine Band had come across the thanks for the fact that compared to the day country to be here. Thank you. I was inaugurated, and Darlene said something I want to thank Governor Kitzhaber and about this, but I just want to read this off to Senator Wyden and Congressman Blumenauer you because you can take a lot of credit for for being here; and my old friend and classmate this, but your country now has the lowest crime John Platt; and the candidates for the House, rate in 25 years. It has 16 million new jobs David Wu and Kevin Campbell. I admire your and the lowest unemployment rate in 28 years. public officials here. They are visionary and It has the lowest percentage of its people on practical, principled and pragmatic. They get welfare in 29 years. We are about to have the things done, and they're a joy to work with. first balanced budget and surplus in 29 years. And I especially am proud to be here with Dar- We have the lowest inflation in 32 years, with lene Hooley. My only regret is that as President, the smallest Federal Government in 35 years I do not have her courage in footwear. [Laugh- and the highest rate of homeownership in the ter] history of the United States. That's pretty good I got to thinking the other day that if Speaker for America. Gingrich wore shoes like that, he might be in And when I ran for President in 1992, and a better humor. [Laughter] We might change came and asked the people of Oregon to sup- the whole psychology of the Republican caucus port me, I was deeply disturbed because our in the CongressÐ[laughter]Ðif they just had country was not moving forward and because comfortable shoes every day. Maybe that's what our political leadership seemed trapped in a de- the matter is. Maybe their shoes hurt them all bate that had very little relevance to ordinary the time. [Laughter] people in places like Oregon or in my home I also want to say how profoundly indebted State of Arkansas. And I thought to myself, if I feel to the people of Oregon who have been we would think more about the future, if we so good to me and to my wife and to the Vice would imagine what we wanted America to look President and Mrs. Gore, to our whole adminis- like for our children in the 21st century and tration. You've given me your electoral votes work back from that, we'd make more sense twice and have unfailingly supported policies to in what we said and what we do would be move this country forward. And I just thank better. you from the bottom of my heart. I'm very And I know that sounds sort of simplistic, grateful, more than you know. but that's actually what I tried to do. And before I wanted to come out here for Darlene to- I ever ran for President, I sat down and asked night for a number of reasons, not the least myself, what do you want your country to look of which is on occasion she has stood up with like when we cross that bridge to the 21st cen- me and for our country when it was not easy tury? What do you want your country to look to do so. And she's the sort of independent- like when your daughter is your age? 949 VerDate 11-MAY-2000 15:13 Jul 12, 2000 Jkt 010199 PO 00001 Frm 00949 Fmt 1240 Sfmt 1240 E:\PUBPAP\PAP_TXT txed01 PsN: txed01 June 12 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1998 And my answers are fairly straightforward: I It would be a mistake for two reasons. Num- want the American dream to be alive and well ber one, we have big long-term challenges ahead for every person who is willing to work for it. of usÐbig long-term challenges ahead of us. I want America to still be the leading force That's why I say, don't spend any of that surplus in a smaller and smaller world for peace and that we're going to accumulate this year until freedom and prosperity and for meeting the we know that we have fixed Social Security for challenges that we face together, whether it's the 21st century. We have to reform Medicare from terrorists or weapons of mass destruction for the 21st century. or from global environmental destruction. And We've opened the doors to colleges to vir- I want America to be able to enjoy this dramati- tually all Americans now, with our tax credits, cally increasing racial and ethnic and other di- our scholarships, our student loan program im- versity in our country and still be able to live provements, our work-study increases, our na- together as one community with shared values, tional service scholarships. But nobody thinks where we respect our differences but we have that we have the best system of public education some core things in common that are most im- uniformly in the world yet. And we've got things portant of all. That's what I want. And that's to do. We've got an agenda there, of smaller what I've worked for. That's what I've asked classes, better-trained teachers, more charter people to join me in doing. schools, technology in every single classroom, And the first point I'd like to make is that no matter how remotely rural or how poorly I certainly can't claim full credit for all those urban, in America. And I want to see that imple- statistics I just read off, but I do believe that mented. our administration and those in Congress who We still have too many kids in trouble; Dar- have helped us have contributed to those good lene talked about that. The after-school pro- results, the lion's share of which belong to the gramÐwe have offered to the Congress a pro- American people. gram to hugely increase after-school programs Ideas matter. And actions based on ideas have and summer school programs to give not onlyÐ consequences. That's why it's important to keep not only say, well, we're going to find these people like Darlene Hooley in the Congress. kids that do bad things and punish them but That's why it's important to give us a few more to keep more kids out of trouble in the first people who are more interested in progress than place. politics, more interested in unity and moving Let me just tell you one story. A lot of you forward than being divided for short-term polit- know that Hillary comes from Chicago, and we ical power advantage. That's why it's important, spent a lot of time there. When I was a Gov- because ideas and policies matter; they make ernor, the Governor of IllinoisÐthe then-Gov- a difference. ernor of Illinois was a friend of mine, and he And it is very important that in this election and I both have one daughter. And I knew season the American people say, ``We want an that there was one picture I could see in the honest debate about where we are, where we've newspaper once a year, when his daughter was come from, and where we're going, because with him in the Governor's office on the day ideas and actions matter. We are not going to that the teachers went on strike in Chicago. be diverted. We are not going to be divided, Every year it happened, whether they needed and we are not going to be little. We are going to or not. [Laughter] And there was this great to be large, and we are going to look to tomor- estrangement, and everybody thought the row, to our children's future.'' If we do, we'll schools were dysfunctional. have more people like Darlene in Congress. Today, in Chicago, there has been unbeliev- We have big issues still to deal with. That's able harmony between the teachers and the ad- the other thing I want to say.