Remarks to the Arkansas State Democratic Committee in Little Rock, Arkansas

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, July 27, 1998

And so we're doing what we can to, first of all, purchase a lot more food and give it to countries where people are hungry. Secondly, I presented to Congress a number of other ideas to immediately release hundreds of million of dollars that would raise farm income.

But anyway, we're having this big discussion up there. Now, we either are going to do these things or we're not. But in a larger sense, I want to make the point that the climate is changing. When I was in China recently I spoke to the American Chamber of Commerce - this is not the Democratic Party - the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai. [Laughter] And I got two spontaneous ovations. One was when I talked about climate change and how we had to work with the Chinese to see them grow their economy without using energy in the same way we did; otherwise, we could burn up the atmosphere, and it would be hard for us to breathe, which is already a big problem over there.

Now, I'm telling you, if you look at what's happening to the climate, if you look at what happened in Florida - you saw all those fires in Florida. Florida had the wettest winter, the driest spring in history. Then June in Florida was hotter than any July and August. And if you've ever been to Florida in July and August, that's saying something - the hottest month ever. Things are changing.

Now, we can put our heads in the sand, or we can say we're going to figure out how Americans solve this problem. The leaders of the other party, in one of their committees they have voted to deny me the right to use any funds, even to have seminars about this problem and talk to the American people about it.

You know, I never will forget the day some young person who worked for me said, "Denial is not just a river in Egypt." [Laughter] And there are lots of examples like this - in health care, in education, in the environment, in economic policy.

In economic policy - yes, we've got a good economy. There are still towns in the delta that need help. There are still neighborhoods in our cities that need help. There are still Native American reservations out West that need help. We've got a whole agenda that says we ought to bring the benefits of this economic moment of golden prosperity to everybody in America and give everybody a chance to be a part of it. And so far it has not been embraced in Congress by the leaders of the other party.

So I ask you about all this. What is this, a nightclub? [Laughter] I will now sing "Danny Boy," and you will applaud at the right time. [Laughter] Somebody leaned against the wall there last night. Somebody was up too late last night over there by the wall, they just leaned against the wall and nodded out. [Laughter]

We're laughing; we're having a good time, but I want you to be serious between now and November. I have tried to put progress over partisanship. All of you know me. You know I work with anybody who wants to work with me. And you get it, what's going on, and I can tell by the way you clapped before at the appropriate moment. [Laughter]