Transcript: Bill Clinton's remarks at the DNC

(APPLAUSE)

... I have been honored to work with both Presidents Bush on natural disasters in the aftermath of the South Asian tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the horrible earthquake in Haiti. Through my foundation both in America and around the world, I'm working all the time with Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Sometimes I couldn't tell you for the life who I'm working with because we focus on solving problems and seizing opportunities and not fighting all the time.

(APPLAUSE)

And -- so here's what I want to say to you. And here's what I want the people at home to think about. When times are tough and people are frustrated and angry and hurting and uncertain, the politics of constant conflict may be good, but what is good politics does not necessarily work in the real world. What works in the real world is cooperation.

(APPLAUSE)

What works in the real world is cooperation, business and government, foundations and universities. Ask the mayors who are here.

(APPLAUSE)

Los Angeles is getting green and Chicago is getting an infrastructure bank because Republicans and Democrats are working together to get it.

(APPLAUSE)

They didn't check their brains at the door. They didn't stop disagreeing. But their purpose was to get something done.

Now, why is this true? Why does cooperation work better than constant conflict? Because nobody's right all the time, and a broken clock is right twice a day.

(APPLAUSE)

And every one of us -- every one of us and every one of them, we're compelled to spend our fleeting lives between those two extremes, knowing we're never going to be right all the time, and hopefully we're right more than twice a day.

(LAUGHTER)

Unfortunately, the faction that now dominates the Republican Party doesn't see it that way. They think government is always the enemy, they're always right, and compromise is weakness. Just in the last couple of elections, they defeated two distinguished Republican senators because they dared to cooperate with Democrats on issues important to the future of the country, even national security.

They beat a Republican congressman with almost 100 percent voting record on every conservative score because he said he realized he did not have to hate the president to disagree with him. Boy, that was a non-starter, and they threw him out. (LAUGHTER)

One of the main reasons we ought to re-elect President Obama is that he is still committed to constructive cooperation.

(APPLAUSE)

Look at his record. Look at his record. Look at his record. He appointed Republican secretaries of defense, the Army, and transportation. He appointed a vice president who ran against him in 2008. And he trusted that vice president to oversee the successful end of the war in Iraq and the implementation of the Recovery Act.

(APPLAUSE)

And Joe Biden -- Joe Biden did a great job with both.

(APPLAUSE)

Now -- now, he -- President Obama -- President Obama appointed several members of his cabinet, even though they supported Hillary in the primary. Heck, he even appointed Hillary.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, wait a minute. I am -- I am very proud of her. I am proud of the job she and the national security team have done for America.

(APPLAUSE)

I am grateful that they have worked together to make it safer and stronger to build a world with more partners and fewer enemies. I'm grateful for the relationship of respect and partnership she and the president have enjoyed. And the signal that sends to the rest of the world, that democracy does not have a -- have to be a blood sport, it can be an honorable enterprise that advances the public interest.

(APPLAUSE)

Now, besides the national security team, I am very grateful to the men and women who've served our country in uniform through these perilous times.

(APPLAUSE)

And I am especially grateful to Michelle Obama and to Jill Biden for supporting those military families while their loved ones were overseas...

(APPLAUSE)

... and for supporting our veterans when they came home, when they come home bearing the wounds of war or needing help to find education or jobs or housing. President Obama's whole record on national security is a tribute to his strength, to his judgment, and to his preference for inclusion and partnership over partisanship. We need more of it in Washington, D.C.

(APPLAUSE)

We all know that he also tried to work with congressional Republicans on health care, debt reduction, and new jobs. And that didn't work out so well.

(LAUGHTER)

But it could have been because, as the Senate Republican leader said, in a remarkable moment of candor, two full years before the election, their number-one priority was not to put America back to work. It was to put the president out of work.

(APPLAUSE)

(BOOING)

Well -- wait a minute. Senator, I hate to break it to you, but we're going to keep President Obama on the job.

(APPLAUSE)

Are you willing to work for it?

(APPLAUSE)

Wait a minute.

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

CLINTON: In Tampa...

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years! CLINTON: In Tampa -- in Tampa, did y'all watch their convention? I did.

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2/7

[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.