Former President Bill Clinton invoked themes about the white working class in a speech he delivered on childhood obesity Thursday, calling for collaboration rather than fighting as a way to solve social issues.
“I think it’s never as interesting as a knock-down, blood-on-the-floor fight,” he said. “But the truth is, that in the world we live in, creative cooperation involving diverse partnerships of people who both have lived different lives and know different things are the best mechanisms for solving complex social problems.”
Speaking at a summit in Washington, Clinton credited the group holding the event, the Partnership for a Healthier America, for teaming with private companies to tackle childhood obesity, though he said he understood why fights could be more “emotionally satisfying.”
He alluded to health trends among white working class in the U.S., particularly of stories that emerged in 2016 about life expectancy among middle-aged whites dropping. He noted that he had a similar background and lived longer than his predecessors.”Look, I’m from the white, rural working class,” he said. “I am the first person in my family ever to go to college. I get what’s going on out there. I understand this tribalism, but it’s a dumb way to run a railroad. It may be emotionally satisfying in the way that eating bad food gives you a sugary high and then leaves you hungry shortly afterward.” In his speech, Clinton also alluded to President Trump, his wife’s opponent during the presidential election.
“I’m very glad that all of you are here, and glad that in this sort of, how shall I say it? Unusual time,” he said to laughs from the audience. “You recognize that this is no place for alternative facts. And I don’t mean to be funny. This is still a major public health crisis. The lives of millions of young people are riding on the decisions that we and they make.”
Clinton spoke about his quadruple bypass surgery in 2004, advocating that everyone should have access to healthy food, exercise and medical checkups.
“The good news is I was saved by modern medicine,” he said. “The bad news is I had no business being on an operating table if I had had the right lifestyle and diet over the course of my life. I wouldn’t have been.”
Former first lady Michelle Obama is honorary chairwoman for the Partnership for a Healthier America and will be speaking at the event Friday. The group was founded in conjunction with her “Let’s Move” campaign.
