pd17ap00 Remarks at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Dinner...

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other differences are.
    So the first thing I want to say is, the country is in better shape. 
Ideas matter. We've tested ours; we've tested theirs. On the economy, 
they want to do what they did before. And if you do it, you'll get the 
same consequences you got before. And all the other things they talk 
about, all of them running for all these offices, you have to view in 
view of their commitment to a tax cut even bigger than the one I vetoed.
    The second thing I want to say is, I think these other issues 
matter: what you do in education; what you do with the environment; what 
you do with crime and how you do it.
    The last thing I want to say is this. The Democrats have lost some 
votes since I've been in here, I'm quite sure because we take a very 
inclusive view of society, and we don't believe that people ought to be 
discriminated against just because they're female, just because of their 
race, just because they're handicapped, or even if they're gay--in the 
workplace--subject to hate crimes or anything else. That's what we 
believe. And some people are threatened by that, and they don't think 
we're good Americans, and they won't vote for us. But I think most 
people are with us on this.
    My view of this is real simple. I think if you get up every day and 
you show up for work and you go about your business, you obey the law, 
you pay your taxes, you're a good citizen, you ought to have a chance to 
live in this country and live up to the fullest of your ability, and 
nobody ought to get in your way doing it. That's what I believe. That's 
what I believe.
    And I believe that--I think that we define our sense of community in 
terms of how we live. They, I think, believe we define our sense of 
community more in terms of whether we say we believe the same things. 
And all I can tell you is, if you think about the time I've spent since 
I've been President working on peace around the world, what's the 
problem in the Middle East, in Northern Ireland, in Bosnia, in Kosovo, 
in the tribal wars in Africa, all these places? People killing each 
other because they're different--racial,

[[Page 781]]

ethnic, tribal groups, or religious groups. Different, right?
    Why did that guy in Los Angeles shoot those kids at the Jewish 
community center and kill that Filipino postman? Why did that guy in the 
middle West, who said he belonged to a church that didn't believe in God 
but did believe in white supremacy, shoot the black former basketball 
coach at Northwestern and the Korean Christian when he was coming out of 
church, and three or four other people? Why was young Matthew Shepard 
stretched out on a rack in Wyoming? And why was James Byrd dragged to 
death in Texas? And what has all this got to do with us?
    I really believe one of the great challenges every person's life 
faces--every person, even people who themselves have been discriminated 
against--is figuring out how to get it right when it comes to how to 
deal with people who are different from you, and how to find a way to 
appreciate other people's differences, enjoy them, and still somehow 
feel that what we have in common is more important than what is 
different about it. And that's hard to do. And the more I try to make 
peace around the world, the more I understand how much progress we've 
made in this country, for all of our problems. It's hard to do.
    And all over the world, people are raised to believe that they can 
identify themselves as good by having somebody else to look down on, 
that their religion only has meaning if somebody else's doesn't. They 
were raised to have pride insofar as it's set off against, in conflict 
with, somebody else. It's not just American. This is everywhere. And in 
this most modern of worlds, we are bedeviled by this old conflict.
    So I just want you to think about that. If somebody gave me one wish 
today, they said, ``I'm sorry you can't finish your term; you've got to 
check out tomorrow''--and God came down to me and said, ``I'm no genie. 
You're not getting three wishes. I'll give you one''--I would not wish 
for prosperity or even a Democratic victory in November. I would wish 
that this country could truly be one America, across all the lines that 
divide it. Because we're smart people; we're good people; we work hard. 
If we could ever get our hearts and minds right about this stuff, the 
rest of it would work out. That's what I believe.
    And I'll just leave you with this thought. The most important 
question of all in this election is, what are we going to do with our 
prosperity? Are we going to make one America? Are we going to give 
everybody a chance to be a part of it? And are we going to meet our big, 
long-term challenges? The biggest danger for the Democrats in this race 
is that people will do what they often do when things are going along 
well; they'll get relaxed. They won't concentrate. They won't feel a 
sense of urgency. And they'll either stay home, or they won't be sharply 
focused on what this could be about.
    How many times--everybody here over 30, how many times have you ever 
made a mistake in your life, not because you were under the gun but 
because things were going along so well you didn't think there were any 
consequences to what you did today? Now, that's the big question here. 
What will we do with this unique moment of prosperity?
    In other words, all these differences only matter, that I just went 
through to you, if we're going to do something about it. And the only 
thing I'd like to tell you about that is, the older I get, the more my 
friends pass away, the faster time goes, and the more I realize nothing 
lasts forever. And I say that not to be morbid. I'm the most optimistic 
person you'll ever meet. I believe in the promise of America. I believe 
no one is irreplaceable. I believe in our country only freedom is 
irreplaceable. I don't believe there is anybody, including me, who's 
irreplaceable. But I believe moments come and go.
    And the last time we had an expansion like this was in the 1960's. 
It was the last time we had the longest economic expansion in history. 
And it's when I graduated from high school, in 1964, where everybody 
thought the economy would go on forever; we would never get mired down 
in Vietnam; the cold war would be over before you knew it because we 
were good and strong; and civil rights would be solved in the courts and 
in the Congress--1964, middle of the big expansion.
    When I graduated from college 4 years after that, it was 2 days 
after Robert Kennedy

[[Page 782]]

had been killed, 2 months after Martin Luther King had been killed, 9 
weeks after Lyndon Johnson said he couldn't run for President because 
the country was too divided over the Vietnam war. Mr. Nixon got elected 
President. He was a very able man, but he got elected President on one 
of these ``us'' and ``them'' divisive campaigns. He represented the 
Silent Majority, and those of us that were on the other side, we were in 
the loud minority. We were kind of out of the club there. And a few 
months later, the longest expansion in American history was over, boom! 
And we blew a chance to solve a lot of our problems in a wholesome, 
peaceful way.
    Now, I'm not running for anything, but as an American citizen, I 
want to tell you, I've waited 35 years for that opportunity to roll 
around again for my country, where we could build the future of our 
dreams for our children. Ideas matter; there are differences. We've got 
to do this together.
    The most important thing right now is that we focus on the 
importance of this election. Do not take our prosperity for granted. Do 
not take our social progress for granted. Do not take your ability to 
even come to something like this for granted. We've got to make the most 
of this. If we do, we'll be proud for the rest of our lives. If we 
don't, we'll never forgive ourselves. This is a moment for making 
tomorrow. That's why you came today. If somebody asks, you tell them 
that.
    Thank you very much.

 Note:  The President spoke at 1:05 p.m. at a private residence. In his 
remarks, he referred to luncheon hosts Arnold and Celia Lupin; Harry 
Lee, sheriff, Jefferson Parish, LA; Edward G. Rendell, general chair, 
Democratic National Committee (DNC); luncheon cochair Ray Reggie; David 
Nelson Young, Louisiana DNC national committeeman; Mary Lou Winters, 
vice chair, Louisiana State Democratic Party; Louisiana State 
Representative Karen Carter; Sybil Morial, wife of Mayor Marc H. Morial 
of New Orleans; and Representative William J. Jefferson and his wife, 
Andrea.


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[Page 782-783]
 
Monday, April 17, 2000
 
Volume 36--Number 15
Pages 771-837
 
Week Ending Friday, April 14, 2000
 
Proclamation 7288--Pan American Day and Pan American Week, 2000

April 8, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    This year on Pan American Day and during Pan American Week, we 
celebrate the springtime of a new century in which the fundamental 
ideals of democracy and human rights are blossoming across our 
hemisphere. We stand at the threshold of a new era of economic 
development and prosperity with a common determination to meet the 
challenges and seize the opportunities that face the Americas.
    Building on the agreements forged at the last two Summits of the 
Americas in Miami and Santiago, we are witnessing unprecedented 
cooperation within our hemisphere. Efforts such as the negotiations on a 
Free Trade Area of the Americas, now progressing toward a concrete 
agreement in 2005, exemplify our commitment to building a self-
sustaining and widely shared prosperity. We continue to work creatively 
through the Organization of American States to encourage constitutional 
solutions to political crises such as those that occurred in Paraguay 
and Ecuador. And we have witnessed elections in our region that were 
models of civic participation and a testament to the strength and 
vibrancy of democratic government in the Western Hemisphere. Such 
achievements illustrate that the well-being of our neighbors is 
fundamental to our own security and prosperity. We look forward to the 
Third Summit of the Americas in Quebec City, where the democratically 
elected leaders of 34 nations from North, Central, and South America 
will gather to review our progress, identify new challenges, and further 
enhance our cooperation.
    Even with our significant progress, however, challenges remain. The 
34 free and democratically elected nations of this hemisphere must work 
together to ensure that

[[Page 783]]

Cuba, the only country that has not embraced our common vision, becomes 
a member of our community of democracies. By doing so, we can ensure 
that all the people in our hemisphere share in the blessings of freedom 
and in the promise of the global economy, living and working and raising 
their families in dignity and with hope for the future.
    Now, Therefore I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States 
of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution 
and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Friday, April 14, 
2000, as Pan American Day and April 9 through April 15, 2000 as Pan 
American Week. I urge the Governors of the 50 States, the Governor of 
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the officials of other areas under 
the flag of the United States to honor these observances with 
appropriate ceremonies and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of 
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of 
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., April 12, 
2000]

 Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
13.


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[Page 783-784]
 
Monday, April 17, 2000
 
Volume 36--Number 15
Pages 771-837
 
Week Ending Friday, April 14, 2000
 
Proclamation 7289--National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day, 2000

April 8, 2000

By the President of the United States

of America

A Proclamation

    As we stand at the dawn of a new century, we reflect with pride on 
all that our Nation has accomplished in the 224 years since we first 
declared our independence. Today we enjoy unprecedented peace and 
prosperity, and, as it has for generations, America shines as a beacon 
of democracy, freedom, and opportunity for peoples around the world.
    Yet the blessings we rejoice in today were won at great cost. 
Millions of young Americans who stepped forward in times of crisis or 
conflict to defend our Nation and uphold our values around the world 
sacrificed their freedom and lost their lives. The century just past 
will forever be known as the American century, not only because of our 
economic strength, military might, and technological prowess, but also 
because of the character, determination, and indomitable spirit our 
people demonstrated time and again.
    That character and spirit have never been more evident than when 
Americans have been held captive as prisoners of war. Suffering hunger, 
fear, isolation, and uncertainty, stripped of their freedom and often 
subjected to physical and psychological torture, American POWs 
nonetheless continued to serve our Nation with honor, dignity, and 
remarkable courage. For many, the long, agonizing days stretched into 
years, and the loss of freedom and the cruel separation from family, 
home, and friends left scars that the passage of time can never erase.
    We owe a profound debt of gratitude to these heroes who stood face 
to face with the forces of tyranny and oppression, true to our country 
and to the spirit of freedom even in captivity. We owe a debt as well to 
their families, whose faith and fortitude have been an unceasing source 
of strength to our Nation in many of our darkest hours. As we observe 
this special day for the first time in this new century, let us remember 
and honor the sacrifices of America's prisoners of war and their 
families; and let us keep faith with them by remaining resolute in 
defending liberty and securing a just and peaceful world for the 
generations to come.
    Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United 
States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the 
Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 9, 
2000, as National Former Prisoner of War Recognition Day. I call upon 
all Americans to join me in remembering former American prisoners of war 
who suffered the hardships of enemy captivity. I also call upon Federal, 
State, and local government officials and private organizations to 
observe this day with

[[Page 784]]

appropriate ceremonies, programs, and activities.
    In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this eighth day of 
April, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the Independence of 
the United States of America the two hundred and twenty-fourth.
                                            William J. Clinton

[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 8:45 a.m., April 12, 
2000]

Note: This proclamation was published in the Federal Register on April 
13.


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