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Skriven 2004-11-01 23:33:20 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0411013) for Mon, 2004 Nov 1
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Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Rally
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 1, 2004

Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Rally
Airborne Airpark
Wilmington, Ohio



7:22 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming today. There's nothing like an
early morning rally in the great state of Ohio. (Applause.) I can't think
of a better place to kick off the last day of this campaign than with the
good folks here in Ohio. I want to thank you for coming. Thank you for your
support. With your help, we will carry this great state and win tomorrow.
(Applause.)

I'm here to ask for your help. (Applause.) You get your friends and
neighbors to go to the polls. Find our fellow Republicans, wise
independents, and discerning Democrats -- (applause) -- and tell them, if
they want a safer America and a stronger America and a better America, to
put me and Dick Cheney back in office. (Applause.)

Perhaps the most important reason why people ought to put me back in is so
that Laura is the First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)

I'm proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney. You know, he doesn't have the
waviest hair in the race. (Laughter.) You'll be pleased to hear I didn't
pick him because of his hairdo. (Laughter.) I picked him because he can get
the job done. I picked him because of his experience; I picked him because
of his judgment.

I'm proud to be traveling today with Curt Schilling. Everybody knows him as
a great pitcher. I know him as a great husband, a great dad, and a man of
great character. (Applause.) He's a champion on the field, and he's a
champion off the field. And like me, he married well. And I'm proud that
Shonda is with us today, too. Thank you all for coming.

I'm proud to be here with Michael DeWine and his wife, Fran, the Senator
from the great state of Ohio. (Applause.) I'm asking you to make sure you
vote for George Voinovich for United States Senator. I want to thank
Congressman Mike Turner for being here and his wife, Lori. I want to thank
your Governor, Bob Taft, and your Lieutenant Governor, Jennette Bradley,
for coming today. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.)

I want to thank all the state and local officials. I want to thank the
entertainment, the Wil Gravett Band and the Wilmington, East Clinton,
Blanchester and Clinton High School Marching Bands. (Applause.) I will try
to keep my remarks short so you can make sure you study before class
starts. (Laughter.)

I'm here with a message for the people of Ohio. I know the economy of this
state has been through a lot, but we are moving in the right direction.
(Applause.) And to do so, we've got to keep your taxes low. And I want you
to remind your friends and neighbors that my opponent will raise the taxes
on Ohio's families and Ohio's small businesses.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: In a new term I will put pro-growth -- keep pro-growth,
pro-small business, pro-farmer policies in place. I will defend your
deepest values and I will work every day to make sure your families are
safe. And you can count on me. (Applause.) I'm asking for your help. And
there is no doubt in my mind, with your help, we will win Ohio again, and
win a great victory tomorrow. (Applause.)

The election takes place in a time of great consequence. The person who
sits in the Oval Office for the next four years will set the course of the
war on terror and the direction of our economy. America will need strong,
determined, optimistic leadership and I am ready for the job ahead.
(Applause.)

The American President must lead with clarity and purpose. As Presidents
from Lincoln to Roosevelt to Reagan so clearly demonstrated, a President
must not shift with the wind. A President has to make the tough decisions
and stand by them. (Applause.) The role of the President is not to follow
the latest polls; the role of the President is to lead based on principle
and conviction and conscience. (Applause.)

During these four years, I've learned that whatever your strengths are, you
are going to need them, and whatever your shortcomings are, the people will
notice them. Sometimes, I am a little too blunt. I get that from my mother.
(Laughter.) Sometimes I mangle the English language. I get that from my
father. (Laughter.) But all the time, whether you agree with me or not, you
know where I stand, what I believe, and what I intend to do. (Applause.)

This election comes down to five clear choices for America's families. The
first clear choice concerns your family's budget. When I ran for President
four years ago, I pledged to lower taxes for America's families. I have
kept my word. (Applause.) We've doubled the child credit. We reduced the
marriage penalty. We believe the tax code ought to encourage, not penalize
marriage. (Applause.) We dropped the lowest tax bracket to 10 percent. We
reduced taxes on everybody who pays taxes. And as a result of these good
policies, our economy is growing at faster rates than any in nearly 20
years. Real after-tax income is up by 10 percent, and that's good for
America's families. Home ownership rate in America is at an all-time high.
More minority families own a home today than ever before in our nation's
history. (Applause.)

Ohio's farmers are making a living. (Applause.) The entrepreneurial spirit
is strong in America. Small businesses are flourishing all across your
state. We've added 1.9 million jobs -- new jobs in the last 13 months. The
unemployment rate across this country is 5.4 percent. That's lower than the
average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s and the 1990s. (Applause.)

There have been some tough times in Ohio, but last month alone, we added
5,500 jobs. The unemployment rate has dropped from 6.3 percent to 6 percent
in this state. This economy is strong and it is getting stronger.
(Applause.)

My opponent has got an economic plan. He's been in the United States Senate
for 20 years and he's voted to raise taxes 98 times. That's five times
every year in the Senate. That's what I would call a leading indicator, a
predictable pattern. Plus, he's promised about $2.2 trillion in new federal
spending. That is trillion with a "T." That's a lot. That's a lot, even for
a senator from Massachusetts.

So they said, how are you going to pay for it? He said, well, we'll just
tax the rich. But that leaves a tax gap. See, you can only raise between
$600 billion and $800 billion. That's far short of the $2.2 trillion he
promised. Given his record, guess who's going to have to fill the tax gap?
You are. But the good news is he's not going to tax you because we're going
to carry Ohio and win tomorrow. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: The second clear choice, the second clear choice in this
election involves the quality of life for our nation's families. I ran for
President to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations by reforming
our public schools. I kept my word. (Applause.) We passed education
reforms, good solid education reforms to bring high standards to our
classrooms. Math and reading scores are now up in America. We're closing an
achievement gap by helping our minority children. My vision for a new term
is to build on these reforms, extend them to our high schools so no child
is left behind in America. (Applause.)

We'll continue to improve life for our families by making health care more
affordable and available. We'll expand health savings accounts. We'll allow
small businesses to join together so they can buy insurance at the same
discount that big companies are able to do. We'll help our families in
need. And we'll help our families and patients and doctors by getting rid
of the frivolous and junk lawsuits that run up the cost of health care.
(Applause.)

This is an issue in this campaign. My opponent voted against medical
liability reform not once, not twice, but 10 times. He put a personal
injury trial lawyer on the ticket.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I'm standing with the families of Ohio; I'm standing with
the docs of Ohio. I am for medical liability reform, now. (Applause.) In
all we do to improve health care we will make sure the decisions are made
by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, D.C.

My opponent has a different approach. He voted for education reform and now
he wants to weaken the accountability standards. He's proposing a
big-government health care plan. I remember that debate when he looked
square in the camera when they asked him about his health care plan. He
said, the government didn't have anything to do with it. I could barely
contain myself. The government has got a lot to do with it. Eighty percent
of the people would end up on a government program. The wrong prescription
for American families is to federalize your health care. (Applause.)

The third clear choice in this election involves your retirement. Our
nation has made a solemn commitment to America's seniors on Social Security
and Medicare. When I ran for President four years ago, I promised to keep
that commitment and improve Medicare by adding prescription drugs for our
seniors. I have kept my word. (Applause.) Seniors -- seniors are getting
discounts on medicine with their drug discount cards, and beginning in
2006, all seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under
Medicare. (Applause.)

When you're out gathering up the vote, remind people my opponent has got a
record on this issue. He voted against the Medicare bill that included
prescription drug coverage. He's trying to scare our seniors in this
campaign. That's an old, tired practice. But as he does so, I want you to
tell your friends and neighbors he's the one that voted to tax Social
Security benefits eight times.

We'll keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors. We will always
keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors. But we need to worry
about our children and our grandchildren when it comes to the Social
Security system. Baby boomers like me are in fine shape when it comes to
the Social Security trust. I see a couple of others out there, too.
(Laughter.) But the job of a President is to confront problems, not to pass
them on to future generations. And that's why I'll bring people together to
make sure we strengthen the Social Security system for generations to come.
(Applause.)

Fourth clear choice in this election is on the values that are crucial for
our families. I stand for marriage and family, which are the foundations of
our society. (Applause.) I stand for a culture of life in which every
person matters and every being counts. I proudly signed the ban on partial
birth abortion. (Applause.) I stand for the appointment of federal judges
who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict
interpretation of the law. (Applause.)

We have a difference of opinion on these issues. My opponent voted against
the ban on partial birth abortion. He voted against the Defense of Marriage
Act. There is a mainstream in American politics, and Senator John Kerry
sits on the far left bank. (Laughter.) He can run from that liberal record,
but he cannot hide. (Applause.)

The final choice in this election is the most important of all because it
concerns the security of your family. All progress on every other issue
depends on the safety of our citizens. The most solemn duty of the American
President is to protect the American people. If this country of ours shows
any uncertainty or weakness during these troubling times the world will
drift toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: Our strategy is clear. We have strengthened the protections
for our homeland. We are reforming and strengthening our intelligence
capabilities. We are transforming the great United States military. There
will be no draft; we will keep the all-volunteer army an all-volunteer
army. (Applause.) We are relentless and we are determined. We are staying
on the offensive. We will chase the terrorists overseas so we do not have
to face them here at home. (Applause.)

The 9/11 Commission report said America is safer, but not yet safe. We're
making progress. Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror. Pakistan and
Saudi Arabia are making raids and capturing terrorist leaders. Lybia is
dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free Iraq is fighting for
freedom. Al Qaeda no longer controls Afghanistan. We've shut down their
camps. We are systematically destroying the Al Qaeda network across the
world. More than three-quarters of its key leaders and associates have been
brought to justice, and the rest of them know we're on their trail.
(Applause.)

And we are making progress because we have a great United States military.
(Applause.) I want to thank those who wear the uniform who are here. I want
to thank the military families who are here. And I want to thank the
veterans who have set such a great example for those who wear the uniform.
(Applause.) And I want to assure you, we will keep our commitment that I
have made to our troops and to their families.

That's why, in September of 2003, I went to the United States Congress and
asked for $87 billion of important supplemental funding. That's money that
went to our troops in combat in Iraq and in Afghanistan. It was important,
really important. My opponent, on national TV, said prior to that vote, it
would be irresponsible to vote against funding for the troops. And then he
started to go down in the polls, and he voted against funding for our
troops.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: And then he entered the flip-flop hall of fame by saying
this: "I actually did vote for the $87 billion right before I voted against
it." I haven't spent a lot of time in the coffee shops around here, but I
bet you a lot of people don't talk that way. (Laughter.)

They kept pressing him. He's given a lot of explanations about the $87 --
voting against the $87 billion, but I think the most revealing of all was
when he said, the whole thing was a complicated matter. My fellow
Americans, there is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in
combat. (Applause.)

The problem with Senator Kerry's record on national security are deeper
than election-year reversals. Twenty years -- for 20 years, on the largest
national security issues of the time, he has been consistently wrong.
During the Cold War, Senator Kerry was critical, was against President
Ronald Reagan's policy of peace through strength. Well, history has shown
that Senator Kerry was wrong, and President Ronald Reagan was right.
(Applause.)

When former President Bush assembled an international coalition to drive
Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait, Senator Kerry voted against the use of force
to liberate Kuwait. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and
former President Bush was right. (Applause.)

One year after the bombing of -- the first bombing of the World Trade
Center, the Senator proposed massive cuts in our intelligence budgets, so
massive that his colleague from Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, opposed them.
Well, history has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and -- we've got to
be fair about it -- Senator Kennedy was right. (Laughter.)

During our debates, it became clear we have a different attitude about how
to protect American families. He said America must pass a global test
before we commit force. I'm not making that up. I heard it. And so did you.
As far as I can tell, a global test means that America must get permission
to defend ourselves. I will build on our alliance, I will strengthen our
relationships overseas, but I will never turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)

We have a different point of view about how to protect our families. My
opponent said that September the 11th didn't change him much at all. Well,
September the 11th changed me. It changed my outlook. Perhaps the best way
to describe to you about how I feel is that experience I had at the Twin
Towers on September the 14th, 2001, in the rubble. And I remember the
workers in hard hats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it
takes." I remember the person coming out of that rubble, and he grabbed me
by arm, he looked me square in the eye, and he said, "Do not let me down."
Ever since that day, I wake up every morning trying to figure out how to
better protect our families and our country. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: We will use -- we will use every asset at our disposal to
protect you. We will wage a comprehensive strategy to defend our country.
And perhaps the most powerful asset we have is freedom. I believe in the
power of liberty to transform societies. I know that free nations do not
breed resentments and export terror. Free nations become allies in the war
on terror. Freedom will help us keep the peace we want for our children and
our grandchildren.

I want the younger folks here to remember and think about what has taken
place in a quick period of time. It wasn't all that long ago in Afghanistan
that young girls could not go to school, and if their mothers didn't toe
the line of the -- of the ideologues of hate that ran that country, they
would be taken into the public square and whipped, and sometimes shot in a
sports stadium. But because we acted in our own self-defense, because we
upheld a doctrine that said, if you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as
guilty as the terrorist, millions of people in Afghanistan voted for a
President. And the first voter was a 19-year-old woman. (Applause.) Freedom
can change societies for the better.

Iraq is dangerous. It is dangerous because that society is heading toward
democracy. Think how far that society has come from the days of torture
chambers and mass graves. There will be presidential elections in January.
I believe every soul desires to be free. Freedom is not America's gift to
the world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world. (Applause.)

These are historic times, and there is a lot at stake in this election. The
future safety and prosperity of this country are on the ballot. Ultimately,
though, this election comes down to, who do you trust -- who do you trust
to make the tough decisions; who do you trust to lead this country to a
better tomorrow If you believe that taxes should stay low so families can
pay your bills and small businesses create jobs, I ask you to come stand
with me. (Applause.) If you believe in high standards for our public
schools, I ask you to come stand with me. (Applause.) If you believe
patients and doctors should be in charge of the health care, I ask you to
come stand with me. (Applause.) If you believe this nation must honor the
commitments of Medicare and strengthen Social Security for generations to
come, I ask you to come stand with me. (Applause.) If you believe that this
nation should honor marriage and family and make a place for the weak and
the vulnerable, I ask you to come stand with me. (Applause.)

If you believe America should fight the war on terror with all our might
and lead with unwavering confidence in our ideals, I ask you to come stand
with me. (Applause.) If you are a Democrat who believes your party has
turned too far to the left this year, I ask you to come stand with me.
(Applause.) If you are a minority citizen and you believe in free
enterprise and good schools and the enduring values of family and faith,
and if you're tired of your vote being taken for granted, I ask you to come
stand with me. (Applause.) And if you're a voter who believes that the
President of the United States should say what he means, and does what he
says, and keeps his word, I ask you to come stand with me. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

THE PRESIDENT: Four years ago when I traveled across Ohio I made a pledge
that if I were to be elected I would uphold the honor and the dignity of
the office to which I had been elected. With your help, with your hard
work, I will do so for four more years. On to victory. Thanks for coming.
(Applause.) Thank you all. (Applause.)

END 7:50 A.M. EST
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