Transcript: Bill Clinton's remarks at the DNC

Transcript of former President Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention, as delivered, Sept. 5, 2012:

CLINTON: I want to nominate a man whose own life has known its fair share of adversity and uncertainty. I want to nominate a man who ran for president to change the course of an already weak economy and then, just six weeks before his election, saw it suffer the biggest collapse since the Great Depression, a man who stopped the slide into depression and put us on the long road to recovery, knowing all the while that no matter -- no matter how many jobs that he saved or created, there'd still be millions more waiting, worried about feeding their own kids, trying to keep their hopes alive.

I want to nominate a man who's cool on the outside...

(APPLAUSE)

... but who burns for America on the inside.

(APPLAUSE)

I want -- I want a man who believes with no doubt that we can build a new American dream economy, driven by innovation and creativity, by education and, yes, by cooperation.

And by the way, after last night, I want a man who had the good sense to marry Michelle Obama.

(APPLAUSE)

You know...

(APPLAUSE)

I -- I...

(APPLAUSE)

I want -- I want Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States. And...

(APPLAUSE)

... I proudly nominate him to be the standard bearer of the Democratic Party.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, folks, in Tampa a few days ago, we heard a lot of talk...

(LAUGHTER)

... all about how the president and the Democrats don't really believe in free enterprise and individual initiative, how we want everybody to be dependent on the government, how bad we are for the economy. This Republican narrative, this alternative universe says that...

(APPLAUSE)

... every one of us in this room who amounts to anything, we're all completely self-made. One of the greatest chairmen the Democratic Party ever had, Bob Strauss, used to say that every politician wants every voter to believe he was born in a log cabin he built himself.

(LAUGHTER)

But, as Strauss then admitted, it ain't so.

(LAUGHTER)

We Democrats, we think the country works better with a strong middle class, with real opportunities for poor folks to work their way into it, with a relentless focus on the future, with business and government actually working together to promote growth and broadly shared prosperity. You see, we believe that "We're all in this together" is a far better philosophy than "You're on your own."

(APPLAUSE)

So who's right? Well, since 1961, for 52 years now, the Republicans have held the White House 28 years, the Democrats 24. In those 52 years, our private economy has produced 66 million private- sector jobs. So what's the job score? Republicans: twenty-four million. Democrats: forty-two. (APPLAUSE)

Now, there's -- there's a reason for this. It turns out that advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics. Why? Because poverty, discrimination, and ignorance restrict growth.

(APPLAUSE)

When you stifle human potential, when you don't invest in new ideas, it doesn't just cut off the people who are affected. It hurts us all.

(APPLAUSE)

We know that investments in education and infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase growth. They increase good jobs, and they create new wealth for all the rest of us.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, there's something I've noticed lately. You probably have, too. And it's this. Maybe just because I grew up in a different time, but though I often disagree with Republicans, I actually never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to hate our president and a lot of other Democrats.

(APPLAUSE)

I -- that -- that would be impossible for me, because President Eisenhower sent federal troops to my home state to integrate Little Rock Central High School. President Eisenhower built the interstate highway system. When I was a governor, I worked with President Reagan in his White House on the first round of welfare reform and with President George H.W. Bush on national education goals.

(APPLAUSE)

I'm actually very grateful to -- if you saw from the film what I do today, I have to be grateful -- and you should be, too -- that President George W. Bush supported PEPFAR. It saved the lives of millions of people in poor countries. And...

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[sloan5]

Great speech and great endoresement for Pres Obama. The Republicans main job is not for the people but to give Pres Obama a one term President. So guys- this is the GOPs main goal.How can they lead the United States with a goal like this?

Bill Clinton said it all! Another 4 years for Pres Obama!

[TimeToEvolve]

Bill made it quite clear there is absolutely no reason to vote for any Republicon, either this election or ever again.

[tryingtodogoodwork]

Entirely, absolutely, completely agree with you, Evolve.

[reelsurfer]

Our users made a reel of the best clips from Clinton's speech, enjoy: http://reelsurfer.com/watch/clip/entry_id/6498

[TimeToEvolve]

Bill Clinton gave more truth in his first sentence than what was said at the entire RepubliCON CONvention.

[Phaerisee]

I do like Romney's business experience, but his Gordon Gecko-esque tenure at Bain Capital concerns me. I also have a problem with him calling himself pro-life. In fact, Romneycare provided for taxpayer funded abortifacients (Pharmaceuticals that cause spontaneous abortion) How many evangelicals and catholics know this? He also is continually calling himself a christian to gain votes, when most of us learned in Sunday school that this is not the case.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGFAph3lWqw

[TimeToEvolve]

Robbed Me's business experience is closing factories, off-shoring good jobs and opening race-to-the-bottom businesses like Staples and Outback Steakhouse. You LIKE that experience? Wow!

[BoJet]

I've just realised, Ex President Clinton is a preacher not a politician.

[alphabet77-2009]

Republicans praise Clinton in their ads now, but they seem to have forgotten that both houses of the GOP dominated Congress voted against Clinton's budget, that's right, the same one that generated a surplus and an economic boom that they speak so nostalgically about.

[factchecker9]

To all you fact checkers: would be very helpful if you check the facts, report to us your findings and educate us on the truth...surprise, surprise, pretty close to the truth ah?

[nycalien]

Where's your fact checking on RNC Ryan and Mitt talk? GOPers are scared after Bill's speech. Wet dream is over for GOPers. Did you see the jobs report today?

[sjc_1]

Bill Clinton is the Great Communicator, not Reagan. He puts things simply and in a way people can understand. I would say President Obama has the same skills, but he is more detailed about HOW we are going to get there, tonight everyone will see that.

[greenpete58]

This was the best speech I've ever heard by Clinton. If I had to sum it up - and sum up this election - it's what he said about the Republican argument: "We left you with a total mess. You didn't clean it up fast enough. So put us back in office."

No thanks.

[kabulate]

I'm not sure if there is another American with as much pragmatic personal appeal to more people than Bill Clinton. By bringing the wight of his full endorsement to the Obama-Biden ticket the Dems pulled off something that the Republican Convention could not. Bush was quite conspicuous in his absence from the RNC. Not so with Clinton and the DNC. People will organize and they will come out for this president because, as Clinton pointed out, the alternative is just too extreme.