Hillary Clinton Says Welfare Bill Fixable

CHICAGO (AllPolitics, Aug. 26.) -- In an interview with CNN's Judy Woodruff, First Lady Hillary Clinton defended her husband's decision to sign the welfare reform bill, and herself against Republican attacks.

Many within the party were angered by President Clinton's approval of the welfare legislation, which ends the open-ended guarantee of aid to poor families with children. Agreeing that there are things wrong with the bill, Mrs. Clinton insisted it will not be put into effect with any part that will hurt children. (396K WAV)

"Signing the bill enables him to move forward on his belief that welfare needs to be reformed and he will be starting next week to fix those parts of it that were not acceptable," Mrs. Clinton said.

Of the parts that she believes are most important to correct, Mrs. Clinton cited restrictions on legal immigrants' benefits and food stamps. (248K WAV)

"If someone is here in the United States legally, the president believes and I agree, they should not be discriminated against," she said. "Also, the restrictions on food stamps -- that would be very onerous on working families that were to lose their jobs and become unemployed."

Mrs. Clinton has been a longtime focus of Republican criticism. At the Republican National Convention, former president George Bush drew a veiled comparison between the current and former first ladies, saying that Barbara Bush had "unquestionably upheld the honor of the White House." When asked if it was an insult, Mrs. Clinton said, "I don't take it as such. I take it as a compliment to Mrs. Bush ... I didn't hear it or see it so I'm not going to comment."

"I'm not hurt by anything that Republicans say about me," she went on. "I don't think there is anything left that Republicans could say about me that hasn't been said. Although I'll probably find out that there is." (116K WAV)

She also defended her book, "It Takes a Village." It was a source of ridicule in GOP presidential nominee Bob Dole's acceptance speech, who said it took a family, not a village, to raise a child. Mrs. Clinton responded, " Well, everyone knows it takes a family to raise a child. I wrote in my book that the family has the primary responsiblity for children." (314K WAV)

"But as I pointed out in my book, every child, mine included, is influenced by people and forces outside of the family. If we as a nation are going to do more than just pay lip service to family values then we have to understand how important it is that we all take responsibility for our children."

The first lady had spent the day rallying the Democratic convention troops at a series of speeches, warning that the upcoming campaign would not be an easy one and that Republicans are "going to throw everything they can at us."

She took advantage of the friendly crowds to praise her husband and his presidency. "Finally we have a president who stands up to the NRA," she said. "Finally we have a president who stands up to the tobacco lobby."

In a reunion with the Clinton's homestate Arkansas delegation, she urged those longtime supporters to tell the world "what you know better than anyone else" about why the president should be re-elected.

Party leader Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.) also took up the defense of Mrs. Clinton. In Dodd's introduction at his state's delegation meeting, he said of Mrs. Clinton, "You have more honor, more decency and more integrity than all of your self-appointed critics combined."

Hillary Clinton Says Welfare Bill Fixable

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