ASHINGTON - President Clinton yesterday said ''honest differences'' exist between the Democrats and Republicans, and warned Democrats worried about retaining the White House next year not to let a ''collective amnesia'' about the economy lead to a defeat.
Referring to a recent survey, Clinton said, ''Times have been so good for so long the American people couldn't remember when it was bad, and tended to give everybody good ratings on the economy: Bush, Hoover, the whole crowd.''
During a 40-minute pep talk to the Democratic National Committee, Clinton said most Americans have forgotten that Democrats are responsible for the booming economy. Also, he directly confronted polls that show voters wanting a change in the 2000 election.
''The question is not whether we're going to change, but what kind of change we're going to make. And are we going to change based on all the good things that are going on in America now, or would we instead take a U-turn and go back to the stuff that got us in so much trouble before the vice president and I came here?'' Clinton asked.
He told the crowd not to panic over recent national polls showing Vice President Al Gore trailing the Republican front-runner, Texas Governor George W. Bush.
Without naming Bush, Clinton referred to the governor's defense policy speech on Thursday that promised large increases in defense spending. Clinton said those increases would not be possible under the Republican tax cut bill that Bush supported and the president vetoed that same day.
The president did not explicitly promote Gore in his speech and referred to him only as the vice president. He did not make any references to former New Jersey senator Bill Bradley, who is challenging Gore for the nomination.
Recalling his first campaign for president, Clinton said, ''In June of 1992, you know where I was in the polls? Not behind - third. Third. This is not a horse race; you don't collect any money if you show.''
He added: ''But then, what happened? Then the election started for the real people. ... It became real. And people began to look and listen.''
