Bill Clinton: “Well, first of all, it's come like pulling teeth right here before the election. And it's only come after the American…”

“Well, first of all, it's come like pulling teeth right here before the election. And it's only come after the American people showed that they were bitterly opposed to the extremism that was the wont of the Congress. So if--the American people, of course, will have to make up their minds, but basically, what we did with the health initiative and the minimum wage were plainly Democratic initiatives, as well as the major environmental initiatives. In welfare, the two parties essentially came together finally. Otherwise, we would have had a totally unacceptable bill. So the American people can make up their minds. I think what they've seen is that all the things that were said about the Democrats aren't true. The Democrats have turned out to be fiscally responsible, strong on defense, strong on foreign policy, strong on welfare, strong on crime, strong on management of the economy, and good for health care and education and working families. So it seems to me that our party in Congress ought to feel good about going out and presenting an image of a modern 21st century progressive party and then let the American people make up their mind whether they agree with their philosophy or the philosophy of the other party. That's what the election will be about. Thank you. Health Care Reform Legislation”