Under-30 vote could make a difference, Clinton says


Associated Press
Feb. 12, 2003


WASHINGTON - Former President Clinton told college students Tuesday that their votes could have made the difference in past elections, enough to put Democrats securely in charge of Congress today.


"If, in this country, people under 30 voted in the same percentages as people over 55, we would have a different Congress and a different Senate," Clinton said during a speech at his alma mater, Georgetown University.

Clinton avoided foreign policy in his address. Instead, he criticized President Bush's economic stimulus plan.

Clinton dismissed GOP accusations that Democrats who opposed the tax cuts were engaging in class warfare.

"When I was president, we had more millionaires and billionaires than ever before, but we took 100 times as many people out of poverty as were taken out in the previous 12 years," Clinton said.

"So I'm all for people getting rich, and I've enjoyed it." Clinton was referring to the millions of dollars he has been paid in speaking fees since leaving office. "But I think we ought to pay our fair share. I'm telling you, we wouldn't have these policies if people under 30 voted in the same percentages as people over 55."