PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE October 6, 1996 Transcript

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JIM LEHRER: Mr. President, what do you say to Senator Dole's point that this election is about keeping one's word?

PRESIDENT CLINTON: Well, let's look at that. When I ran for president, I said we'd cut the deficit in half in four years; we cut it by 60 percent.

I said that our economic plan would produce eight million jobs; we have 10-1/2 million new jobs. We're number one in autos again, record numbers of new small businesses.

I said we'd pass a crime bill, that we'd put 100,000 police on the street, ban assault weapons, and deal with the problems that ought to be dealt with with capital punishment, including capital punishment for drug kingpins. And we did that.

I said we would change the way welfare works, and even before the bill passed, we moved nearly two million people from welfare to work, working with states and communities.

I said we'd get tougher on child-support and child-support enforcement is up 50 percent.

I said I would work for tax relief for middle class Americans, the deficit was bigger than I thought it was going to be and I think they're better off, all of our, that we got those interest rates down and the deficit down. The Republicans talk about it but we're the first administration in anybody's lifetime looking at this program to bring that deficit down four years in a row. We still gave tax cuts to 15 million working Americans and now I've got a plan that's been out there for two years. It could have been passed already. But instead, the Republicans shut the government down to try to force their budget and their plan on me and I couldn't take that. But we'll get the rest of that tax relief

And so I think when you can look at those results, you know that the plan I've laid out for the future has a very good chance of being enacted if you'll give me a chance to build that bridge to the 21st century.

JIM LEHRER: Senator?

MR. DOLE: Well, there he goes again. I mean it's a line that's been used before but exaggerating all the things that he did. He didn't do all these things. Let's take all these four, you know, years in a row. He came in with a high growth rate, the 1990 budget agreement, which some, you know, didn't like, had some very tough cost controls, it put a lot of pressure on Congress. The S&L crises is over. They're starting to sell assets, all that money was coming in. And he cut defense an extra $60 billion, threw a lot of people out of work. He talks about a smaller government.

There are actually more people in government, except for the people in defense-related jobs. They're gone. The government's bigger than it was when President Kennedy was around, even though he says it's not.

In addition, the Republican Congress cut $53 billion. So let's just -- you know, let's give credit where credit is due. Governor Engler of Michigan cut taxes 21 times, created a lot of new jobs. So did Governor Thompson, so did Governor Rowland. A lot of people out there deserve credit, Mr. President.

And when I'm president of the United States, we're going to have a Governors Council and we're going to work directly with the governors -- Republicans and Democrats -- to get power back to the people and back to the states.

PRESIDENT CLINTON: I think a lot of people deserve credit, and I've tried to give it to them. But I believe that my plan is better than Senator Dole's ill-advised $550 billion scheme, which I'll say again will blow a hole in the deficit.

Our plan will balance the budget, grow the economy, preserve the environment and invest in education. We have the right approach for the future. And look at the results. It is not midnight in America, Senator. We are better off than we were four years ago.

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