(Thursday, July 16, 1992) — Gov. Bill Clinton and his running mate, Sen. Al Gore (click here to watch his acceptance speech earlier tonight), opened their general election campaign tonight with a stern attack on President Bush’s economic policies and a vision for a Democratic administration that would have as its priorities jobs, health care, AIDS research, the environment and political reform (click here to watch the full speech in better quality).

In an address intended to dispel the impression that he has character flaws that might disqualify him from the Presidency, the Arkansas Governor spoke of his background as a fatherless child and of his vision of a government based on the values of community, responsibility and compassion.

I end tonight where it all began for me,” Mr. Clinton concluded his speech, evoking the small-town virtues of his birthplace, Hope, Ark. “I still believe in a place called Hope.”