Remarks on beginning a whistlestop tour in Huntington, West Virginia

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Sept 2, 1996

This is the first time that the deficit has gone down all 4 years in a President's term since the 1840's, before the Civil War. Ask our friends what they say about that. And my opponent and the Speaker of the House led the fight against that move. They said it would wreck the economy and increase the deficit. Well, it produced 10 million jobs and it gave 15 million families a tax cut and it was the right thing to do. It is moving us forward. There are almost 4 1/2 million new homeowners, and 10 million Americans have refinanced their home mortgages at lower interest rates because we got those interest rates down. We did the right thing, and they were wrong to oppose it.

Because of the health care bill, 25 million Americans have access to health care. Because of the minimum wage bill, 10 million Americans have a rising wage. Another thing in the minimum wage was that it made 90 percent of the small businesses in this country eligible for a tax cut if they invest more in their businesses, and it made it easier for people like Marilyn to get pensions for herself and her employees, and that's very important, too. Twelve million Americans, working Americans, have been able to take a little time off from work without losing their jobs when there's a baby born or a parent sick because of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Our opponents led the fight against it. They were wrong. We were right. It's good for America.

The crime rate has come down for 4 years in a row. We are midway through putting those 100,000 police on the street. There are 200 more in West Virginia alone. We have to finish the job. Our opponents last year tried to take back that commitment to 100,000 police. They're trying to restrict it today. I said no. Your Congressman said no. We want people safe on our streets, and we know the policemen will do the job. Help us keep that commitment to America, help us stay after it.

We have supported policies that made the air cleaner for 50 million Americans. We cleaned up more toxic waste dumps in 3 years than they did in 12. We defended our country's national parks. We are moving this country in the right direction. We expanded the college loan program so all these students at Marshall and other places could have access to lower cost loans with better repayment terms. And we created a national service program so children could earn their way through college by doing community service. We're moving in the right direction. We're on that right track.

And unemployment in West Virginia is 4 points lower than it was 4 years ago. If we keep going at I point a year it will be 4 percent by the year 2000. I'd like to do it if you'll help me. Let's just keep going.

I want you to remember that. When people say, "Why should we support Bill Clinton and Al Gore," tell them what I told you and ask them what their answer is and ask them why they fought it. And I want you to remember that in the pivotal moment of 1995, when they said to Bill Clinton and Al Gore and Jay Rockefeller and Robert Byrd and Bob Wise and Nick Rahall, "If you don't take our budget, if you don't walk away from the commitment of health care to the elderly in nursing homes, to families with people with disabilities in them, to the poorest children in this country, if you don't walk away from the commitment to invest in the environment and the education of our children and our future, we're going to shut the Government down," we said, "Have at it. We don't stand for blackmail. We stand up for America."