On a rare night for New York Democrats, former President Bill Clinton and his vice president, Al Gore, took the stage at a party fund-raiser — albeit separately — and painted, in their own distinct ways, political portraits of the country today.
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"Every one of you is a values voter — it you weren't a values voter, we'd be at the Republican dinner tonight," Mr. Clinton said. "You are here because you're values voters, or you would not be here if all you could see was your narrow self-interest."
Mr. Clinton said that Democrats showed their values by helping the poor, the sick and the elderly, and he said the party could take some comfort that a group of Christian evangelicals had recently raised concerns about climate change.
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Mr. Clinton praised Howard Dean, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, for pressing ahead to campaign in every state, including those where voters reliably support Republicans. Some Democrats have criticized Mr. Dean's strategy calling it a waste of time and money.
But Mr. Clinton said thanked Mr. Dean and said, "Democrats should campaign everywhere with everybody." And Mr. Gore called him "the ideal Democratic party chair."
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/11/nyregion/11clinton.html