Democratic Congressional Dinner - Remarks at the 14th Annual Dinner

I was really enjoying that speech that Tip was making.

I am disappointed about one thing. I was looking forward to having a chance to dance in the open space.

When I got here Lee Kling and Chuck Minot, Glen Watts apologized for having filled up all of these tables and raising $1,200,000 for next year's campaign.

I know, of course, that that's a great tribute to them and to the fine work that they have done, along with Wendell Ford and Jim Corman, Speaker Bob Byrd. I felt better about being on the program tonight after I heard that they had cheap musicians before me.

I have kind of had a busy day today meeting with Crown Prince Fahd from Saudi Arabia. I was telling him about the difficulties that I have with the Government, being new in it--the debates and the arguments with Congress on occasion. He said if I thought I had trouble, how did I think it would be if all of you were relatives of mine, as they are in Saudi Arabia. [Laughter]

When he said that, I had the strangest feeling just realizing that if I was in Saudi Arabia, my brother Billy would be Crown Prince. [Laughter]

Billy kind of has difficulty understanding what goes on up here in Washington. He cannot understand how the Members of Congress can possibly disagree publicly with the President. After last Saturday afternoon, he called me up and said he had a solution to the whole problem. I said, "Billy, what is it?" He said, "I suggest that you commission all the Members of Congress major generals in the Army." [Laughter] Well, I told Billy I wasn't sure that worked.

I have enjoyed being President so far-[laughter]--I tried to say that without laughing myself.

We started out sharing the same responsibilities together, and my first action was to nominate people to the Congress for confirmation. As you know, I didn't have complete and immediate success.

I did go to England the other day, though, and I went to the northern part of England, to Newcastle and had tens of thousands of people line the highways and cheer me as I went by; a true demonstration, I think, of the British affection and friendship and respect for our country. It was a very moving experience.

I recognize that my influence in Great Britain might be even greater than it is in Washington. So, Sunday morning I went to early church service at Westminster Cathedral, and I nominated Dylan Thomas for entry into the Poets Hall of Fame. I felt sure that they would take action at the next meeting. As a matter of fact, the Bishop there assured me they were going to do so. I didn't find out until I got back home that the next confirmation meeting is in 1989. [Laughter]

There are farmers on both sides of the ocean. As a matter of fact, I didn't wear a tuxedo tonight. I'm wearing a suit that I've acquired in my role as President. There are some perquisites to the office. My good friend, the Prime Minister of England, had a suit made and had his initials on the suit. And he cast about to find out what to do with some of the leftover cloth. His name is Jim Callaghan, and I was the only head of state who qualified. [Laughter] I told him I couldn't accept gifts, so I agreed to pay him $5 for the cloth. And I sent it down to Georgia to have a suit made out of it. They charged me $73.50 to make the suit. Then I found out when I got it back, got the suit back, the protocol officer said that I couldn't take this suit when I left the White House. So, I've been trying to wear it as often as I could. [Laughter]

I don't know what's going to happen if I don't wear it out before my term expires. I kind of hate to try to get the U.S. Constitution changed to require that a President be 35 years old, a United States citizen, and wear a 39-regular coat. [Laughter]

These affairs of state that I've just described to you illustrate the problems that face a President. And I was hoping that you would feel a little more sympathy for me than you have exhibited so far. [Laughter]

I would like to say, seriously, that I have appreciated the fine support that the Members of Congress have given me, and the fine advice that you've given me, and the very frank criticism that you've never been reluctant about putting forward.

This creates, I think, a good way for a President to learn. My daughter and I went to the supper table tonight--this is a true story. She was teaching me about the War Between the States, and it was a completely new subject. I didn't recognize any of the people she was referring to as heroes. [Laughter] She goes to the Thaddeus Stevens School.

I think that this whole experience of mine in Washington has been one of great exhilaration and challenge and learning and commitment and friendship, and to be perfectly honest with you, a realization of partnership.

The success of this banquet, I think, illustrates vividly not only the qualities of the people who were responsible for it but a sense among the American people that we have a government that is worthy of support. And we have a government that can work together on major problems that face our people and that we have a future that inspires confidence.

I've embarked very rapidly on sending to the Congress legislation that fulfills the commitments that I made to the American people during the 2 years of the campaign. As Tip has pointed out often, in the first 100 or 120 years of my--days[laughter]--of my administration, the Congress has responded well. You've authorized reorganization. You've made major strides forward in restimulating our economy. Our unemployment rate has already dropped one full percentage point. The GNP is now growing. I think we have a sense of confidence among consumers and business in the economic future of our country. We still have a long way to go. We have to bring order out of chaos and some of the long-standing needs, to evolve a comprehensive and effective energy policy. And the people of the country expect us to do it.

It's a difficult proposition. As I've told many small groups, I can understand why previous Presidents were reluctant to engage themselves in trying to put forward such a proposal. We are now trying to restore credibility and integrity to the social security system. A failure to do this would disillusion many people in our country. There are not any easy answers to this problem.

Later this year we'll have welfare reform to study, and I hope to pass, at least early next year. And we'll have tax reform to face.

These kinds of long-range needs and long-standing needs affect us all together. We'll face the voters next year in November of 1978. And the best campaign that could possibly be devised has already begun; to go to the American people with a simple message: These were the problems that we faced last year and this year. This is the action that we have taken.

I doubt if anyone has ever campaigned in more places or more days or made more speeches, listened to more questions, than I did when I ran for President. And there is a yearning among the people in this country to see some harmony, some cooperation, some partnership, some mutual commitment, some mutual trust, and absence of division among the leaders of our Government. And I think the more we consult with one another and the more we respect one another, the closer we'll come to achieving that long-time frustrated hope of the American people.

The Democrats have suffered on occasion in the past, quite often because we've not had an easy opportunity for working people to get registered to vote. I had Wendell Ford's job in 1974. And after I won the nomination last summer, I worked with the Democratic National Committee, and the major part of our effort, our expenditure of funds, was devoted not to getting registered voters to vote for Democrats but to get unregistered citizens a chance to qualify to vote. This is what we need.

I come from the South, and I have seen the long, slow struggle of black people to overcome the artificial obstacles that are created by those who are powerful against those who are bound up in a laboring job 40 hours a week and can't find a registration office open and can't register to meet the deadlines and the technicalities and the red tape that keeps people from exercising their American citizenship.

And a good voter registration law which makes it easy will not only help us Democrats, it will help the whole country. And I hope we can work it out together this year.

Another thing that bothers voters is a sense that some of the regulatory agencies don't protect the consumers. And I'm very determined that we should not have an increase in the bureaucracy in government. But I would like to see a simple agency effected to protect consumer rights.

Another thing that bothers the voters is an unwarranted reputation among Democrats that we are fiscally irresponsible, that we spend money that's not needed, that we can't balance the budget even in times of a healthy economy. Well, I want to work with you in .a give-and-take, equal position to help correct these problems that we might face in 1978.

I've had remarkable success in forming personal friendships with Tip O'Neill and Jim Wright, with Bob Byrd and Alan Cranston, with the chairmen of the committees and with the Members of Congress.

I think the American people now sense that our country stands for things that are decent and honest and upright; that we have once again become a beacon light for peace and for hope, for disarmament, for human rights; that we stand for what was envisioned by the great leaders who 200 years ago risked their lives to spell out a unique dream in the world; that America stands for something clean and worthy of protection, yes; of pride, yes; but of trust and emulation.

And I want our country and our Government to be worthy of the trust and admiration of the rest of the world. These are the kind of things that our Democratic Party has stood for.

These are the kind of things that our country and our party have stood for. And I think this is a great forward step in doing the American people a great favor in November of 1978 by returning all you Members of Congress to offer to work with me again the next 2 years just as well as you have and are working with me these 2 years.

Thank you very much. We're in it together.