Bill Clinton and George W. Bush Take Part in 24 Hour Call to Unite ‘Together’ Against the Coronavirus

Former Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush took part in a 24-hour “streamathon” aimed at encouraging acts of service during this time of global pandemic and hardship.

The event, called “The Call to Unite,” was organized by a nonprofit run by chairman of the Special Oympics, Timothy Shriver.

Clinton said in his video that he was “reminded of President Roosevelt’s inaugural address which he gave in the teeth of the great depression in America and he said that we are aware now as we never been before of our interdependence.”

He said that “we know that when we fail to work together to recognize our responsibilities to each other and to seize the opportunities we have to support one another, we can pay a terrible price. We’ve learned a lot. The best thing we can do to honor those we’ve lost and to save more today, tomorrow, and in the future is to remember that, to do what we can, and to remember that we are all in it together.”

He continued, “We do live in an interdependent world. Our common humanity makes our interesting differences possible, but our interesting differences can never justify denying our common humanity.”

Thank you again, President @BillClinton, for joining us on The Call to Unite and helping us #AnswerTheCall with your kind words! Watch the full moment here: https://t.co/1uOLUB13Ld pic.twitter.com/ftj7OUMTEn

— UNITE (@TheCallToUnite) May 2, 2020

Bush talked about the current political climate saying, “Let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this sheer threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants. We are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together.”

A Message from President George W. Bush @TheCalltoUnite

A Message from President George W. Bush@TheCalltoUnite pic.twitter.com/FIn9wuOPTF

— George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) May 2, 2020

This is a challenging and solemn time in the life of our nation and world. A remorseless invisible enemy threatens the elderly and vulnerable among us. A disease that can quickly take breath and life. Medical professionals are risking their own health for the health of others and we’re deeply grateful.

Officials at every level are setting out the requirements of public health that protect us all and we all need to do our part. The disease also threatens broader damage, harm to our sense of safety, security, and community.

The largest challenge we share is to confront an outbreak of fear and loneliness and it is frustrating that many of the normal tools of compassion, a hug, a touch, can bring the opposite of the good we intend. In this case, we serve our neighbor by separating from them. We cannot allow physical separation to become emotional isolation.

This requires us to be not only compassionate but creative in our outreach and people across the nation are using the tools of technology in the cause of solidarity. Let us remember that we have faced time of testing before. Following 9/11, I saw a great nation rise as one to honor the brave, to grieve with the grieving and to embrace unavoidable new duties, and I have no doubt, none at all, that this spirit of service and sacrifice is alive and well in America.

Second, let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential, powerful tools of national recovery. Even at an appropriate social distance we can find ways to be present in the lives of others, to ease their anxiety, and share their burdens.

Third, let’s remember that the suffering we experience as a nation, does not fall evenly. In the days to come, it’ll be especially important to care in practical ways for the elderly, the ill, and the unemployed. Finally, let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants, we are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise. God bless you all.