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

The biggest choice you have to make is in the presidential race. Now, you know how I feel. But it's not my decision to make. It's yours. I just want to tell you a few things I know about Al Gore. Al and I have worked closely together for eight years now. In the most challenging moments, when we faced the most difficult issues - of war and peace, of taking on powerful special interests - he was always there. He always told me what he thought was right. Everybody knows Al Gore is thoughtful and hard-working. I can tell you personally he is one strong leader. In 1993, there was nobody around the table more willing to make the tough choices to balance the budget the right way - and take the tough stands against those who would do it the wrong way on the backs of the poor and working people. I've seen it time and again. Whether it was reforming welfare; protecting the environment; closing the digital divide; or bringing jobs to rural and urban America, there has been no stronger champion than Al Gore. More than anybody else I've known in public life, Al Gore understands the future and how sweeping changes and scientific breakthroughs affect Americans' daily lives. Finally, I'd like you to know Al Gore is a profoundly good man, who loves his children more than life. He has a wonderful wife who has fought against homelessness and for the cause of mental health, bringing it into the sunlight of our national life. America owes Tipper Gore our thanks. Al has picked a great partner in Joe Lieberman. Hillary and I have known Joe for 30 years. I supported him in his first race for public office in 1970, when I learned he'd been a Freedom Rider, going into danger, to register black voters in the then segregated South. It's no surprise Al Gore picked the leader of the New Democrats to be his Vice President. Joe Lieberman has supported our efforts to reform welfare, reduce crime, protect the environment and grow the economy. Together they will keep working to put people and progress over partisanship. Most important, Al Gore and Joe Lieberman will keep our prosperity going by paying down the debt, investing in education and health care, moving more people from welfare to work, and providing family tax cuts that we can afford. In stark contrast, Republicans want to spend every dime of our projected surplus and then some on big tax cuts - leaving nothing for education or Medicare prescription drugs, nothing to extend the life of Medicare and Social Security, nothing in case the projected surpluses don't come in. You wouldn't sign a binding contract today to spend all your projected income for the next ten years, leaving nothing for your families' basic needs, for emergencies, or for a cushion in case the raise you expect doesn't come in. You wouldn't do that. And America shouldn't, either. Al Gore and Joe Lieberman embody the Democratic commitment to building One America: they believe in civil rights and equal opportunity. They will protect a woman's right to choose. They believe the people you're buying your soft drinks and popcorn from here at the Staples Center deserve the same chance they have to send their children to college. My fellow Americans, to serve as President at the dawn of a new era in human history has been a joy, an honor, and a privilege. I have done everything I could to empower the American people - with their amazing optimism, imagination, and hard work -- to turn our country around and move us forward together. But the best is yet to be - if we make the right choices. In February the American people achieved the longest economic expansion in history. The last time we had an expansion this long was in the 1960s. I remember it well. When I graduated from high school in 1964, I assumed, like most Americans, that our economy was on automatic -- nothing could derail it. We thought our civil rights problems would be solved in Congress and the courts. We never dreamed Vietnam would so divide and wound our nation. Before we knew it, there were riots in the streets. Leaders I adored as a young man - Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King - were killed. Lyndon Johnson, a President I admired for all he did for civil rights, the elderly and the poor, said he would not run again because our land was so divided. The next election took America on a far different, more divisive course. And within months after that election, the last longest economic expansion in history was, itself, history. My fellow Americans, I have waited over 30 years to see my country once again in a position to build the future of our dreams for our children. We are a great and good people. We have an even better chance this time, with no great internal crisis and no great external threat. Still, I have lived long enough to know that opportunities must be seized or they will be lost. Fifty-four years ago this week, I was born in a summer storm to a young widow in a small southern town. America gave me the chance to live my dreams. I have tried to give you a better chance to live yours. Now, with hair grayer and wrinkles deeper, but with the same optimism and hope I brought to the work I love eight years ago, my heart is filled with gratitude. My fellow Americans, the future of our country is in your hands. You must think hard, feel deeply, and choose wisely. Remember, keep putting people first. Keep building those bridges. And don't stop thinking about tomorrow.