Interview with April Ryan of the American Urban Radio Networks in Baltimore

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Nov 9, 1998

November 1, 1998

African-American Vote

Ms. Ryan. Mr. President, thank you so much for joining us today. The focus: the African-American vote, getting African-Americans to the polls on November 3d. For so many weeks some members of the - some White House officials have been saying that you're trying to get everyone - that there is, indeed, a definite effort to get the African vote; that's why you're at New Psalmist today, to talk to black congregations and blacks throughout the country.

Is the African-American vote a make-it-or-break-it vote for this election?

The President. I think in many districts it will be, and perhaps in some of these close Senate seats. And I think it's important just to take a minute to explain why.

Traditionally, in the United States in Presidential elections, the vote turnout is much bigger, and then it falls off in midterms. When times are good, as they are now, very often the fall off is even greater. And disproportionately, working people, lower income working people, or poor people, are likely to be among those who fall off. Single mothers that have to worry about, on Tuesday, getting their children to school or to child care, and then getting them home; going to work and getting back; people that live in cities, who have to take mass transit to work, and maybe the polling place is not on the bus line or the subway line coming home, they've got to go to a lot more trouble.

So we know that the American people as a whole agree with our program that's at stake in this election. They agree with our position on saving Social Security, on building modern schools, on passing the Patients' Bill of Rights, on raising the minimum wage. They agree with our position by 15 or 20 points when contrasted with a positive message from the Republicans. So the only way we won't do very well in this election is if our turnout is lower than theirs. So this is a big issue.

Ms. Ryan. Well, many people said when you first ran for the office that African-Americans brought you into office. Do you think that this African-American vote, if you reinvigorate it through this election, can help many Democrats in years to come, as well as this election?

The President. Oh, of course. And I think it can be something that we can sustain, that is, the idea that every election is important, that not just the Presidential elections but every election is important and helps to shape the future.

I think people understand after this 8 months of partisan standoff we had in Congress this last year, when really nothing happened until the very end, and they had to go through the congressional Democrats and me to get a budget. So they had to agree with us on some budget items for education and other things. I think the American people understand that these congressional elections are profoundly important. The Governors race and other races are profoundly important.

And as I said today in the church, election day is a day that everybody counts the same. It's a real tragic thing, I think, when people pass the opportunity to be just as powerful as everyone else.

Republican Campaign Ads

Ms. Ryan. Well, as you said, these votes are important. You have people like Newt Gingrich who said - well, the Washington Post said that Newt Gingrich orchestrated attempts to make you look bad through Republican campaign ads. Do you think those ads are confusing to people? And do you also feel, like the Vice President, shocked that he did this?

The President. Well, I'm not - no, I don't feel shocked that he did it. It appeared to me that the message of the ad was, you know, you should be mad at the President, therefore you should punish someone else who had nothing to do with the mistake the President made. And in the end, you should punish yourself; you should deny yourself the Patients' Bill of Rights, deny your children a better education, deny people a rise in the minimum wage, deny the Democrats the votes they need to make sure we don't squander this surplus until we save Social Security.

I don't think it's a very persuasive message once you tell people what the message is and give them a chance to think about it. And I hope it won't be successful. I don't think it will be.

Voter Turnout

Ms. Ryan. Well, President Clinton, I watched you in church today. You walked the walk, and you talked the talk. You quoted from Matthew. A lot of people called you "Reverend Clinton". [Laughter] But what happens if you cannot generate the kind of support for the blacks to go to the polls like you want? What kind of answers will you have when the finger-pointing starts?

The President. Well, we've done everything we could to get the votes out, and I think we're going to do very well. If you look at the history of these midterm elections, particularly in the 6th year of a Presidency, almost everyone concedes, even the Republicans do, that we're going to outperform the historical average. And of course, it s unbelievable, since they have literally raised, through the Senate and House committees and the Republican National Committee, $110 million more than our people have.