PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON
August 14, 2000

In his final address to a Democratic convention as president, Bill Clinton looks back at the accomplishments of his administration and the candidacy of Albert Gore. The following is the prepared text of his remarks.

Speech Parts: A review of Clinton/Gore administration accomplishments Foreign Policy accomplishments and the importance of a Democratic Congress The candidacy of Albert Gore Online NewsHour Special Report: 2000 Democratic Convention Election 2000 Aug. 11, 2000: Sen. Joe Lieberman talks about his candidacy, religion and the campaign. Aug. 11, 2000: Shields and Gigot discuss Gore/Lieberman. Aug. 11, 2000: Gore's economic plan Aug. 10, 2000: Los Angeles prepares for the Democratic Convention. Aug. 8, 2000: An historic choice. Aug. 7, 2000: Al Gore asks Lieberman to be his runningmate. Browse the NewsHour's coverage of Politics and Campaigns and Election 2000     Democratic Convention Official Web Site

Thank you. Isn't it great to be in California? Forty years ago Los Angeles launched John Kennedy and the New Frontier. Now, Los Angeles is launching the first President of the new century: Al Gore. I am here tonight, above all, to say thank you. Thank you for giving me the chance to serve. Thank you for being so good to Hillary and Chelsea. I'm so proud of both of them. And thank you for supporting the New Democratic agenda that has taken our country to new heights of prosperity, progress, and peace. As always, the lion's share of credit goes to the American people - who do the work, raise the kids, dream the dreams. Now, at this moment of unprecedented good fortune, our people face a fundamental choice - are we going to keep this progress and prosperity going? There's only one answer: yes, we are. But we can't take our future for granted. Let's remember how we got here. Eight years ago, when our party met in New York, it was a far different time for America. Our economy was in trouble, our society was divided, our political system was paralyzed. Ten million of our fellow citizens were out of work. Interest rates were high. The deficit was $290 billion and rising. After 12 years of Republican rule, the federal debt had quadrupled, imposing a crushing burden on our economy and our children. Welfare rolls, crime, teen pregnancy, income inequality - all had been skyrocketing. And our government was part of the problem, not part of the solution. I saw all this in very human terms when I traveled America in 1992: a child telling me her father broke down at the dinner table after losing his job; an older couple who had to choose between filling their shopping carts and filling their prescriptions; a hardworking immigrant in a hotel kitchen who said his son wasn't really free, because it wasn't safe for him to play in his neighborhood park. I ran for President to change the future for those people. With new ideas rooted in enduring values: opportunity for all, responsibility from all, and a community of all Americans. You gave me that chance to turn those ideas and values into action, after I made one of the best decisions of my life: asking Al Gore to be my partner. First, we proposed a new economic strategy: Get rid of the deficit to reduce interest rates. Invest more in our people. And sell more American products abroad. We sent our plan to Congress. It passed by a single vote in both houses. In a deadlocked Senate, Al Gore cast the deciding vote. Not a single Republican supported it. Their leaders said it would increase the deficit, kill jobs, and give us a one-way ticket to recession. Time has not been kind to those predictions. The Republicans said then they would not be held responsible for the results of our economic policies. I hope the American people will take them at their word. Today, we are in the midst of the longest economic expansion in our history. More than 22 million new jobs, the lowest unemployment in 30 years, the lowest female unemployment in 40 years, the lowest Hispanic and African American unemployment on record, the highest home ownership rate in our history. In 1995, we turned back the largest cuts in history in Medicare, Medicaid, education, and the environment; and proved two years later that we could find the way to balance the budget and protect our values. Today, we have gone from the largest deficits in history to the largest surpluses in history - and if we stay on course, we can make America debt-free for the first time since 1835. For the first time in decades, wages are rising at all income levels. We have the lowest child poverty rate in 20 years, the lowest poverty rate for single mothers on record. The average family's income has gone up more than $5,000 and, for African American families, even more. The number of families who own stock has grown by 40 percent. Harry Truman's old saying has never been more true: If you want to live like a Republican, you should vote for the Democrats. Our progress is about far more than economics. America is also more hopeful, more secure and more free. We are more hopeful because we're turning our schools around, with higher standards, more accountability, and more investment. We have doubled funding for Head Start and provided after-school and mentoring to more than one million young people. We're putting 100,000 well-trained teachers in the early grades to reduce class size. Ninety-five percent of our schools are connected to the Internet. Reading, math and SAT scores are up. And more students than ever are going on to college, thanks to the biggest expansion of college aid since the GI Bill. Don't let anybody tell you that all children can't learn or that our public schools can't make the grade. Yes they can! We are more hopeful because we ended welfare as we knew it. Now, those who can work, must work. On that, we and the Republicans agreed. But we Democrats also insisted on supporting good parenting - so that poor children don't go hungry or lose their health care, unmarried teens stay in school, and people get the job training, child care and transportation they need. It worked. Today, there are 7.5 million fewer Americans on welfare - and the welfare rolls have been cut in half. We are more hopeful because of the way we cut taxes - to help Americans meet the challenges of work and child rearing. This year, our HOPE scholarship and Lifelong Learning tax cuts will help 10 million families pay for college. Our Earned Income Tax Credit will help 15 million families work their way into the middle class. Twenty-five million families will get a $500 child tax credit. Our empowerment zone tax credits are bringing new business and new jobs to our hardest pressed communities. Today, the typical American family is paying a lower share of its income in federal income taxes than at any point during the last thirty-five years. We are more hopeful because of the Family and Medical Leave Act, a bill that the previous Administration vetoed. They said it would cost jobs. Well, today, 22 million new jobs later, more than 20 million Americans have been able to take time off from work to care for a newborn or sick loved one. That's what it really means to be pro-family. We are more secure because we cut crime - with tougher enforcement, more than 100,000 new community police officers, a ban on assault weapons, and the Brady Law, which has kept guns out of the hands of a half million felons, fugitives and stalkers. Today, crime is at a 25-year low. We are more secure because of advances in health care - extending the life of the Medicare trust fund for 26 years; adding coverage for cancer screenings and cutting-edge clinical trials; coming closer to cures for dreaded diseases. We made sure people with disabilities could go to work without losing their health care and that people who switch jobs don't lose coverage. We dramatically improved diabetes care. We have provided health coverage to 2 million children. And for the first time ever, more than 90 percent are immunized against major childhood diseases. We are more secure because our environment is cleaner. We've set aside more land in the lower 48 states than any administration since Teddy Roosevelt, saving national treasures like Yellowstone, the ancient California Redwoods, and the Florida Everglades. Our air is cleaner; our water is cleaner; our food is safer. And our economy is stronger. We are more free because we are closer to One America of our dreams - celebrating our diversity, affirming our common humanity, opposing all forms of bigotry from church burnings to racial profiling, to murderous hate crimes. We're fighting for Employment Nondiscrimination and equal pay for women. We found ways to mend, not end, affirmative action. And we created AmeriCorps, which has given more than 150,000 of our young people a chance to earn money for college by serving our communities. Continued