The Democrats: Hopes of Working Families

Democrats have compiled an impressive record of achievement during the four years of the Clinton-Gore administration.

On issues ranging from the economic security of working families, to fiscal responsibility which has led to a healthy economy, to putting cops on the street to reduce crime, President Clinton and Democrats in Congress have pursued sound policies that put the interest of middle-class Americans ahead of narrow special interests.

By restoring responsibility to federal government spending and promoting economic growth, Democrats have cut the deficits which mushroomed during the Reagan-Bush years.

At the same time, we reduced taxes for millions of working Americans. And we have beat back the worst of the extreme, slash-and-burn approach of the Gingrich Congress, which has attempted to target cuts in programs benefitting the poor, the young and the elderly in order to pay for giveaways to the wealthy.

Clinton has focused “like a laser beam” on what was a recessionary economy, as he was elected to do.

Without the vote of a single Republican, his first budget started us on the path to deficit reduction, a path studiously avoided by his predecessors. We have cut the deficit from $290 billion in 1992 to $116 billion by the end of 1996.

That has sent a positive signal to financial markets and paved the way for increased business investment, the easing of interest rates, lower unemployment and rising stock prices. We currently have the lowest combined rates of unemployment, inflation and home mortgages in 28 years.

Since 1992, nearly 10 million jobs have been created — half of them for good- paying positions. More Americans are working, and their workplace is more family-friendly thanks to legislation requiring family and medical leave.

Clinton and Democrats in Congress pushed through legislation to prohibit felons from purchasing handguns, to ban assault weapons and to preserve student loans for college.

We expanded the earned income tax credit for low-income workers and raised the minimum wage.

We also passed a crime bill which is putting 100,000 more police officers directly on the beat in our communities, with a minimum of red tape from federal administrators.

Since the 1994 elections, Democrats have refused to buckle in the face of the extreme Dole-Gingrich agenda of the Republican majority. Even as the Republicans twice shut the government down in an attempt to force through their drastic budget cuts, Democrats stood strong.

We refused to agree to Republican demands to cut health care for America’s elderly, gut environmental protection programs, or reduce student loans and other educational programs. We stopped their efforts to cut Head Start, to eliminate the Department of Education and dilute the Clean Water Bill.

Democrats continue to stress these same values as we look to the future. Our focus is on supporting the American family by improving our schools and making higher education and job-training more affordable.

While Bob Dole has promised an across-the-board, 15 percent, half-a-trillion- dollar tax cut, we know that such a scheme would only send the deficit skyrocketing again, or else force even more drastic cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, education and other crucial programs — cuts proposed last year and rejected by a majority of Americans.

Democrats have proposed their own, targeted tax cuts — targeted to small businesses, to families with children, to families with students trying to pay college tuition or interest on student loans. Instead of legislating to benefit special interests, we have pushed for reform, such as successful legislation banning gifts to members of Congress — legislation which I am proud to have authored — and campaign finance reform, which so far has been blocked by Republicans and must be addressed by Democrats in the next Congress.

While Clinton and Democrats in Congress have every reason to be proud of our record over the past four years, much remains to be done.

We must address issues of health care coverage, pension security, educational quality and employment. Democrats have demonstrated that they are best suited to tackle these issues with fairness and balance for the next century.