Democratic Congressional Campaign Dinner Remarks at the Dinner.

It's a great honor for me to be here and to be introduced by one of the finest men I've ever known, Vice President Maddox—I mean, Vice President Mondale. [Laughter]

I've had a hard time lately. It's hard to make decisions. I avoided it all during the campaign. One of the good things about running for President, there are so many different issues to be fuzzy on. [Laughter] But then when you get in the Oval Office, it's all changed, and the hard matters press upon you.

One thing I had to decide very early was who would lead our great Democratic Party. And I have to say that the people who really lead and support the Democratic Party are the ones who, year after year, have made a tremendous sacrifice to make it possible to select and present to the American people for election the wonderful Democratic leaders who serve in the Congress, in the House and Senate. I thank you all for doing that.

Speaker O'Neill and Majority Leader Byrd are the two greatest congressional leaders I've ever had a chance to work with as President. We have a wonderful chairman, John White.

When I was first elected, I had to make a decision about Bob Strauss. I asked him to come over as Special Trade Representative, which was one of the best decisions I ever made for the Democratic Party. I needed to have restored business confidence. The stock market fell 300 points. He's in charge of foreign trade. We had a $30 billion trade balance last year— deficit. He's also in charge of the value of the dollar, as you know. [Laughter]

I have had some happy days. One was just before Christmas, when I got a report that the energy conference had reached an agreement. And I've had several happy days when we've resolved the terms of the coal contract. [Laughter]

I've also had a chance to learn a lot. I came here naive, proud of myself for having been elected as the first person from the Deep South to take over the reins of the great Federal Government of our country. And then I came to Washington and found out that Russell Long had filled that position for a long time. [Laughter]

I wanted to bring a breath of fresh air to Washington. I told my Cabinet that I wanted to get away from the smoke-filled rooms. Joe Califano was the only one that heard me. [Laughter]

I have had an ability to kind of roll with the punches. I've been criticized a lot, as you know, either for indecision or for making decisions. The Republicans have been constantly on the attack, claiming that my foreign policy was a disaster. I felt when I took office that there ought to be some continuity at least between the Republicans and Democrats. [Laughter]

We've had some unpopular decisions, I know. I understand from the Park Service that you have to stand in line now to get a permit to demonstrate against me in front of the White House. [Laughter] So, one of my good friends, who happens to be a Governor from California, recommended that I get ahold of a good and popular issue. He thought that I ought to look to the South since everybody loves our friends in this hemisphere. He suggested that the Panama Canal Treaty would be a good issue— [laughter] —to get ahold of. And he was right. This has helped with the demonstrations. This is the only subject we've never had a demonstration in front of the White House in favor of, the Panama Canal treaties. [Laughter]

I've had a hard time learning how to compromise. It's very difficult for me, as has also been criticized. The other day Jim Allen came in, and I thought I had finally achieved success. He said, "I am ready to compromise with you on the Panama Canal treaties," and I breathed a sigh of relief. He said, "I've worked out a deal where we give the Panamanians one side of the canal and we keep the other side." [Laughter] I responded to this well, because we've been looking for a
place for a Palestinian homeland. [Laughter]

I thought the best way to resolve the issue and to demonstrate the strength of my own leadership was to have a mass meeting in support of the Panama Canal treaties, and we had the meeting. Both of us were very glad that the other one came. [Laughter]

That was one of my worst days. I have a hard time relaxing after I get back to the Mansion, but that night I decided I'd get in the tub, take a warm bath—and my Ivory soap sank. [Laughter]

I think it's good when we gather together as Democrats to recognize our strengths and our weaknesses. We stand these days, with the help of Tip O'Neill, Bob Byrd, many of you, particularly Wendell Ford and Jim Corman, ¹ who have done such a superb job this year and for whom we'll be deeply grateful the morning after the election in November, as a united party.

¹ Senator Wendell H. Ford, chairman of the National Democratic Campaign Committee, and Representative James C. Corman of California, chairman of the Democratic National Congressional Committee.

There are no differences that separate us one from another, and there is a strong sense that I have of mutual respect and cooperation between the Congress and the White House, executive branch of Government.

We are a party which does not believe in unanimity. We are a party which does not believe in complacency. We inherited some tremendous challenges and problems which have become opportunities for us.

When I came into office a little more than a year ago, out of every 100 people of working age, 8 were looking for jobs. And because of the tremendous work of the Congress during 1977, we had a net increase of 4 million jobs in the United States, the greatest increase in the history of our country. And the most recent statistics, as you know, on unemployment are only about 6 percent, a tremendous growth in the strength of our people and their confidence in the future, brought about by the simple right to work for their own living.

Last year the Congress reduced taxes $6 billion. This year we expect to reduce taxes again $25 billion.

We've begun to reorganize our own Government to make it more effective, more efficient, more responsive, more open, more simple; to do away with the redtape that strangles us and the paperwork that suffocates us; to try to write regulations in simple terms that people can understand; to draw together those who work for and with the Government of our country.

We proposed and put into effect one of the most far-reaching health programs for young people ever seen in our Nation and the biggest increase in the budget for simple education in history.

We've raised a banner, that can be seen clearly throughout the world, of openness and decency and commitment to the principles on which our Nation was founded—the principles of freedom, of liberty, of basic human rights. And this is a standard that we will never lower as long as Democrats run this Government.

We've strengthened our ties with our friends and allies around the world, and our potential adversaries know that we deal from a position of wanting peace. I hope to have success this year in negotiations to limit and to reduce and to restrain the investments in atomic weapons, to have a comprehensive test ban. And the Congress has recently presented to me and I signed into law, for the first time, a comprehensive way to permit atomic power to be used for peaceful purposes, but to prevent nations from having nuclear explosives derived from this superb, peaceful use.

We are a nation which is strong, which is confident. We're a nation united. We're a nation with the prospect for the future that doesn't cause concern. We're struggling with issues without timidity or fear, without trepidation or hesitation. We're a nation that, through strength, has achieved for this first 14 months—and we will retain as long as this administration lasts absolute peace for American men and women throughout the world. We have peace, and we're going to keep it.

America is a multifaceted community. We pride ourselves on individuality, on the right to be different, the right to speak our piece, the right to be heard, the right to debate, the right to reach a solution through tough, independent negotiations. We respect one another because we are one people.

In 1976 American voters, having confidence in us, gave a mandate for administration, and in 1978, this year, all of us jointly, working together, recognizing from whence comes our strength, will take this superb vision of what our Nation can be to the people. And in that effort, I have no doubt that we will be successful. Thank you very much.