Candidate ross perot, governor bill clinton, the democratic not democratic nominee, and george bush, the republican nominee. I will be the moderator for this 90 minute event, which is taking place before naughty ands here in the f let a complex on the campus of Washington University in st. Louis, missouri. Three journalists will be asking questions. They are john of the boston globe, and competition an of abc news, and sander van ocher andcompton of abc news, sander that contains no restrictions on the content or subject matter of the questions. Up toandidate will have two minutes for a closing statement. The order of those as well as the questioning was determined by a drawing. The first question goes to mr. Perot. He will have two minutes to answer to be followed by a rebuttals of one minute each by governor clinton and then president bush. Good evening. The first topic tonight is what separates each of you from the other . Perot, what do you believe tonight is the single most important separating issue of this campaign . the principal issue that separates me as 5. 5 Million People came together on their own and put me on the ballot. Byas not put on the ballot either of two parties, not by any lobbyist money or by any specialinterest money. This is the way to framers of the constitution intended our government to be, a government that comes from the people. Over time we have developed a government that comes at people. It comes from the top down, where people are treated as in the campaign. The thing that separates my candidacy and makes it unique is that this came from millions of people in 50 states all over this country who wanted a candidate that worked and belonged to nobody but them. I go into this race as their servant, and i belong to them. So this comes from the people. Governor clinton, a one minute response. The most important distinction in this campaign is that i represent real hope for change, a departure from trickledown economics, a departure from tax and spend economics, to invest in growth. But before i can do that, i must challenge the American People to change, and they must decide. Tonight i say to the president mr. Bush, for 12 years youve had it your way. Youve had your chance and it didnt work. Its time to change. I want to bring that change to the American People. But we must all decide first we have the courage to change for hope and a better tomorrow. President bush, one minute response, sir. Well, i think one thing that distinguishes is experience. I think weve dramatically changed the world. Ill talk about that a little bit later, but the changes are mindboggling for world peace. Kids go to bed at night without the same fear of nuclear war. And change for change sake isnt enough. We saw that message in the late 70s when heard a lot about change, and what happened, that misery index went right through the roof. But my Economic Program is the kind of change we want. And the way were going to get it done is were going to have a brand new congress. A lot of them are thrown out because of all the scandals. Ill sit down with them, democrats and republicans alike, and work for my agenda for american renewal, which represents real change. But id say, if you had to separate out, i think its experience at this level. Lehrer governor clinton, how do you respond to the president on the you have two minutes on the question of experience . He says that is what distinguishes him from the other two of you. Bill clinton i believe experience counts, but its not everything. Values, judgment, and the record that i have amassed in my state also should count for something. Ive worked hard to create good jobs and to educate people. My state now ranks first in the country in job growth this year, fourth in income growth, fourth in the reduction of poverty, third in Overall Economic performance, according to a major news magazine. Thats because we believe in investing in education and in jobs. And we have to change in this country. You know, my wife, hillary, gave me a book about a year ago in which the author defined insanity as just doing the same old thing over and over again and expecting a different result. We have got to have the courage to change. Experience is important, yes. Ive gotten a lot of good experience in dealing with ordinary people over the last year and month. Ive touched more peoples lives and seen more heartbreak and hope, more pain and more promise, than anybody else whos run for president this year. I think the American People deserve better than theyre getting. We have gone from first to 13th in the world in wages in the last 12 years since mr. Bush and mr. Reagan have been in. Personal income has dropped while people have worked harder. In the last four years, there have been twice as many bankruptcies as new jobs created. We need a new approach. The same old experience is not relevant. Were living in a new world after the cold war, and what works in this new world is not trickle down, not government for the benefit of the privileged few, not tax and spend, but a commitment to invest in american jobs and american education, controlling American Health care costs, and bringing the American People together. That is what works. And you can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience. Mine is rooted in the real lives of real people, and it will bring real results if we have the courage to change. Lehrer president bush, one minute to respond. George bush i just thought of another another big difference here between me. I dont believe mr. Perot feels this way, but i know governor clinton did, because i want to accurately quote him. He thinks, i think he said, that the country is coming apart at the seams. Now, i know that the only way he can win is to make everybody believe the economys worse than it is. But this country is not coming apart at the seams, for heavens sakes. Were the United States of america. We, in spite of the economic problems, were the most respected economy around the world. Many would trade for it. Weve been caught up in a global slowdown. We can do much, much better, but we ought not try to convince the American People that america is a country thats coming apart at the seams. I would hate to be running for president and think that the only way i could win would be to convince everybody how horrible things are. Yes, there are big problems, and yes, people are hurting. But i believe that this agenda for american renewal i have is the answer to do it, and i believe we can get it done now, whereas we didnt in the past, because youre going to have a whole brand new bunch of people in the congress that are going to have to listen to the same American People im listening to. Lehrer mr. Perot, a minute response, sir. Ross perot well, theyve got a point. I dont have any experience in running up a 4 trillion debt. [laughter] ross perot i dont have any experience in gridlock government where nobody takes responsibility for anything and everybody blames everybody else. I dont have any experience in creating the Worst Public School system in the industrialized world, the most violent crimeridden society in the industrialized world. But i do have a lot of experience in getting things done. So, if were at a point in history where we want to stop talking about it and do it, ive got a lot of experience in figuring out how to solve problems, making the solutions work, and then moving on to the next one. Ive got a lot of experience in not taking 10 years to solve a 10minute problem. So, if its time for action, i think i have experience that counts. If theres more time for gridlock and talk and finger pointing, im the wrong man. Lehrer president bush, the question goes to you. You have two minutes. And the question is this, are there important issues of character separating you from these other two men . George bush i think the American People should be the judge of that. I think character is a very important question. I said something the other day where i was accused of being like joe mccarthy because i way,ioned i put it this i think its wrong to demonstrate against your own country or organize demonstrations against your own country in foreign soil. I just think its wrong. I well, maybe they say, well, it was a youthful indiscretion. I was 19 or 20 flying off an aircraft carrier, and that shaped me to be commanderinchief of the armed forces. And im sorry, but demonstrating its not a question of patriotism. Its a question of character and judgment. They get on me bills gotten on me about, read my lips. When i make a mistake ill admit it. But he has made not admitted a mistake, and i just find it impossible to understand how an american can demonstrate against his own country in a foreign land, organizing demonstrations against it, when young men are held prisoner in hanoi or kids out of the ghetto were drafted. Some say, well, youre a little oldfashioned. Maybe i am, but i just dont think thats right. Now, whether its character or judgment, whatever it is, i have a big difference here on this issue, and so well just have to see how it plays out. But i i couldnt do that. And i dont think most americans could do that. And they all say, well, it was a long time ago. Well, lets admit it then. Say, i made a terrible mistake. How could you be commanderinchief of the armed forces and have some kid say when you have to make a tough decision, as i did in panama or in kuwait, and then have some kid jump up and say, well, im not going to go. The commanderinchief was organizing demonstrations halfway around the world during another era. So there are differences, but thats about the main area where i think we have a difference. I dont know about well talk about that a little with ross here in a bit. Lehrer mr. Perot, you have one minute. Ross perot i think the American People will make their own decisions on character, and at a time when we have work to do, and we need action, i think they need to clearly understand the backgrounds of each person. I think the press can play a huge roll in making sure that the backgrounds are clearly presented in an objective way. Then, make a decision. Certainly anyone in the white house should have the character to be there. But, i think its very important to measure when and where things occurred. Did they occur when you were a young person, in your formative years . Or did they occur while you were a senior official in the federal government . When youre a senior official in the federal Government Spending billions of dollars in taxpayers money, and youre a mature individual, and you make a mistake, then that was on our ticket. If you make it as a young man, time passes. So i would say, just, you know, look at all three of us. Decide who you think will do the job. Pick that person in november because believe me, as ive said before, the partys over, and its time for the cleanup crew. And we do have to have change, and people who never take responsibility for anything when it happens on their watch, and people who are in charge lehrer your time is up. Ross perot the time is up. [laughter] lehrer the time is up. Ross perot more later. Lehrer governor clinton, you have one minute. Bill clinton ross gave a good answer, but ive got to respond directly to mr. Bush. You have questioned my patriotism. You even brought some rightwing congressman into the white house to plot how to attack me for going to russia in 1969, 1970 when over 50,000 other americans did. Now, i honor your service in world war ii. I honor mr. Perots service in uniform and the service of every man and woman who ever served, including admiral crowe, who was your chairman of the joint chiefs and whos supporting me. But when joe mccarthy went around this country attacking peoples patriotism, he was wrong. He was wrong. And a senator from connecticut stood up to him named prescott bush. Your father was right to stand up to joe mccarthy. You were wrong to attack my patriotism. I was opposed to the war, but i loved my country, and we need a president who will bring this country together, not divide it. Weve had enough division. I want to lead a unified country. [applause] right we move now to , the subject of taxes and spending. The question goes to governor clinton for a two minute answer. It will be asked by ann compton. Ann governor clinton, can you lock in a level here tonight on where middleincome families can be guaranteed a tax cut, or at the very least, at what income level they can be guaranteed no tax increase . Bill clinton the tax increase i have proposed triggers in at family incomes of 200,000 and above. Those are the people who, in the 1980s, had their incomes go up while their taxes went down. Middleclass people, defined as people with incomes of 52,000 and down, had their incomes go down while their taxes went up in the reaganbush years because of six increases in the payroll taxes. So that is where my income limit would trigger. Ann there will be no tax increases. Lehrer bill clinton right. My plan notwithstanding my opponents ad, my plan triggers in at gross incomes, family incomes of 200,000 and above. Then we want to give modest middleclass tax relief to restore some fairness, especially to middleclass people with families with incomes of under 60,000. In addition to that, the money that i raise from upperincome people and from asking Foreign Corporations just to pay the same income on their income earned in america that american corporations do will be used to give incentives back to upperincome people. I want to give people permanent incentives on investment tax credit, like president kennedy and the congress inaugurated in the early 1960s to get industry moving again. A research and Development Tax credit a lowincome housing tax , credit, a longterm Capital Gains proposal for new business and business expansions. Weve got to have no more trickle down. We dont need acrosstheboard tax cuts for the wealthy for nothing. We need to say heres your tax incentive. If you create american jobs, the oldfashioned way. Id like to create more millionaires than were created under mr. Bush and mr. Reagan, but i dont want to have four years where we have no growth in the private sector, and thats whats happened in the last four years. Were down 35,000 jobs in the private sector. We need to invest and grow, and thats what i want to do. Lehrer president bush, one minute, sir. George bush well, let mei have to correct one thing. I didnt question the mans patriotism. I questioned his judgment and his character. What he did in moscow, thats fine. Let him explain it. He did. I accept that. What i dont accept is demonstrating and organizing demonstrations in a foreign country when your countrys at war. Im sorry. I cannot accept that. In terms of this one on taxes spells out the biggest difference between us. I do not believe we need to go back to the mondale proposals or the dukakis proposals of tax and spend. 200,000 inton says 200,000 will not get you 150 billion. And then when you add in his other spending proposals, regrettably you end up socking it to the working man. That old adage that they use were going to soak the rich were going to soak the rich it always ends up being the poor cab driver or the working man that ends up paying the bill. And so i just have a different approach. I believe the way to get the deficit down is to control the growth of mandatory Spending Programs, and not raise taxes on the American People. Weve got a big difference there. Lehrer mr. Perot, one minute. [applause] ross perot weve got to have a growing, expanding job base to give us a growing, expanding tax base. Right now, we have a flat to deteriorating job base, and where it appears to be going, its minimumwage jobs. So weve got to really rebuild our job base. Thats going to take money for infrastructure and investment to do that. Our foreign competitors are doing it. Were not. We cannot pay off the 4 trillion debt, balance the budget, and have the industries of the future and the high paying jobs in this country without having the revenue. Were going to go through a period of shared sacrifice. Theres one challenge. Its got to be fair. Weve created a mess, dont have much to show for it, and we have got to fix it. And thats about all i can say in a minute. Lehrer ok. [applause] next question goes to president bush for a 2minute answer, and it will be asked by sandy vanocur. Sandy mr. President , this past week your secretary of the army, michael stone, said he had no plans to abide by a congressional mandate to cut u. S. Forces in europe from 150 150,000 to 100,000 by the end of september 1996. Now, why, almost 50 years after the end of world war ii, and with the total collapse of the soviet union, should american taxpayers be taxed to support armies in europe when the europeans have plenty of money to do it for themselves . George bush well, sander, thats a good question, and the answer is, for 40some years, we kept the peace. If you look at the cost of not keeping the peace in europe, it would be exorbitant. We have reduced the number of troops that are deployed and going to be deployed. I have cut defense spending. And the reason we could do that is because of our fantastic success in winning the cold war. We never would have got there if we had gone for the Nuclear Freeze crowd. We never would have got there if we had listened to those that wanted to cut defense spending. I think it is important that the United States stay in europe and continue to guarantee the peace. We simply cannot pull back. Now, when anybody has a Spending Program they want to spend money on at home, they say, well, lets cut money out of the defense department. I will accept and have accepted the recommendations of nietzsche two proven leaders, general colin powell and secretary dick cheney. They feel that the levels were operating at and the reductions that i have proposed are proper. And so i simply do not think we should go back to the isolation days and starting blaming foreigners. We are the sole remaining superpower, and we should be that. And we have a certain disproportionate responsibility. But i would ask the American People to understand that if we make imprudent cuts, if we go too far, we risk the peace. And i dont want to do that. Ive seen what it is like to see a war, to see the burdens of a war, and i dont want to see us make reckless cuts. Because of our programs, we have been able to sig