Notes from the Clinton Library Opening ...
A few quotes that bring back a flood of positive memories:
You know, to be very frank with you now, I hated debates.And when I checked my watch at the Richmond debate, it's true, I was wondering when the heck Ross Perot would be finished and how I could get out of there.
(LAUGHTER)
But it was also clear that soon to be President Clinton was in his element that night.
And upon further reflection, maybe it's because with Bill Clinton ideas mattered greatly -- ideas matter to all of us who enter public life, particularly at the national level. But whoever said that the American presidency is merely a weigh station en route to the blessed condition of being an ex-president did not count on William Jefferson Clinton.
Once in office, he was very much an activist president, in the best sense of the word. He devoured ideas with an insatiable curiosity and then pursued them with unbounded energy and infectious enthusiasm.
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When President Clinton experienced his heart trouble recently, there was a tremendous outpouring of affection and support. But in hindsight, perhaps we need not have been too worried. After all, few presidents in recent memory have shown greater resilience and bigger heart.
Every time he got knocked down, which can happen in politics, he got right back up. In fact, he made the comeback his trademark.
And therein lies the greatest lesson ever offered to future generations: Never give up, never give in, keep on fighting.
America has two great dominant strands of political thought -- we're represented up here on this stage -- conservatism, which, at its very best, draws lines that should not be crossed; and progressivism, which, at its very best, breaks down barrier that are no longer needed or should never have been erected in the first place.It seemed to me that in 1992 we needed to do both to prepare America for the 21st century: to be more conservative in things like erasing the deficit and paying down the debt and preventing crime and punishing criminals and protecting and supporting families, and enforcing things like child support laws and reforming the military to meet the new challenges of the 21st century.
And we needed to be more progressive in creating good jobs, reducing poverty, increasing the quality of public education, opening the doors of college to all, increasing access to health care, investing more in science and technology, and building new alliances with our former adversaries, and working for peace across the world and peace in America across all the lines that divide us.
CLINTON: Now, when I proposed to do both, we said that all of them were consistent with the great American values of opportunity, responsibility and community. We labeled the approach "New Democrat." It then became known as the third way, as it was embraced by progressive parties across the world.
But I liked the slogan we had way back in 1992, "Putting People First." Because, in the end, I always kept score by a simple measure: Were ordinary people better off when I stopped than when I started?
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I once said to a friend of mine about three days before the election -- and I heard all these terrible things. I said, "You know, am I the only person in the entire United States of America who likes both George Bush and John Kerry, who believes they're both good people, who believe they both love our country and they just see the world differently?"
What should our shared values be? Everybody counts. Everybody deserves a chance. Everybody has got a responsibility to fulfill.
We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter but our common humanity matters more.
So I tell you we can continue building our bridge to tomorrow. It will require some red American line drawing and some blue American barrier breaking, but we can do it together.
No commentary necessary, really.