Text 2, 517 rader
Skriven 2004-10-30 23:37:18 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0410303) for Sat, 2004 Oct 30
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Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Rally
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 30, 2004

Remarks by the President at Victory 2004 Rally
Devos Place
Grand Rapids, Michigan



9:55 A.M. EDT

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) Thanks for taking time
out of your Saturday morning to come by and say hello. (Applause.) Laura
and I are honored to be back in western Michigan. You've lifted our
spirits. (Applause.) We're proud to be in a home of a fine former
President, President Gerald Ford, and a great First Lady in Betty Ford. I
know you honor their service to our country, as do Laura and I. We're here
to ask for your vote, and I'm here to ask for your help. (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT: We're close to voting time. We have a duty in our country to
vote. In our free society we have an obligation, I think, to go to the
polls and express our opinions. So I'm here to ask you to convince your
friends and neighbors to do their duty. Make sure our fellow Republicans go
to the polls; make sure independents go to the polls; make sure discerning
Democrats go to the polls. (Applause.) And when you get them headed to the
polls, remind 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.)

I enjoy traveling our country. I enjoy talking to the people. I love to
tell the people what I am going to do for the next four years. Perhaps the
most important reason to put me in, though, is to make sure Laura is the
First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Laura! Laura! Laura!

THE PRESIDENT: I am proud -- I am proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney.
(Applause.) I readily concede he does not have the waviest hair in this
race. (Laughter.) But I know the people of western Michigan will be pleased
to hear, I didn't pick him because of his hairdo. (Applause.) I picked him
because of his judgment. (Applause.) I picked him because of his
experience. (Applause.) He's getting the job done for the American people.
(Applause.)

I want to thank my friend, Betsy DeVos, for her leadership and her
community spirit. I want to thank the DeVos family for joining us today. I
want to thank my friend, Congressman Peter Hoekstra for joining us today.
Pete, I'm glad you're here. (Applause.) His wife, Diane, is here; other
family members are here. I look forward to working with the chairman of a
really important committee to make sure our intelligence-gathering works,
to make sure America can stay secure. Appreciate your service, Pete.
(Applause.)

I want to thank Congressman Vern Ehlers for joining us today. Congressman,
we're proud you're here. (Applause.) Thank you for representing this
district with such distinction and honor. I want to thank the Attorney
General, Mike Cox, and Secretary of State Terri Lynn Lann for joining us.
(Applause.)

I want to thank all the local and state officials who are here. I want to
thank all the people who have thrown their hat in the ring and are running
for office. I want to thank the Sparta High School Marching Band for
joining us today; (Applause) -- the Western Michigan Home School Northern
Lights Marching Band. (Applause.) I want to thank Daron Norwood for singing
for you today. (Applause.) He's good, isn't he?

But most of all, I want to thank you all, and the grassroots activists, the
people putting up the signs, the people making the phone calls. I know how
much work it requires to get a crowd this big, and I thank you for what you
have done. I want to thank you for what you're going to do. You're going to
turn out a big vote in western Michigan and we'll carry this state on
November 2nd. (Applause.)

This 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'm ready for the work ahead.
(Applause.)

My four years as your President have confirmed some lessons and taught me
some new lessons. I've learned to expect the unexpected, because war and
emergency can arrive on a quiet autumn morning. I've learned firsthand how
hard it is to send young men and women into battle, even when the cause is
right. I've been grateful for the lesson I've learned from my parents:
respect every person, and do your best, and live every day to its fullest.
I've been strengthened by my faith and humbled by its reminder that every
life is a part of a larger -- (applause.) I've learned how a President
needs to lead, as Presidents from Lincoln to Roosevelt to Reagan so clearly
demonstrated.

A President must not shift in the wind. A President has to make tough
decisions and stand by them. (Applause.) The role of the American President
is not to follow the path of the latest polls. The role of the President is
to lead based upon principle and conviction and conscience. (Applause.)
Especially in dangerous times, mixed signals only confuse our friends and
embolden our enemies. Mixed signals are the wrong signals for the American
President to send. (Applause.)

The last four years, Americans have learned a few things about me, as well.
Sometimes, I'm a little too blunt. (Laughter and applause.) I get that from
my mother. (Laughter.) Sometimes I mangle the English language. (Applause.)
I get that from my father. (Laughter.) But Americans learned, also, that
even when you might not agree with me, you know where I stand, you know
what I believe, and you know where I'm going to lead. (Applause.)

You cannot say that about my opponent.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I think it's fair to say, consistency is not his long suit.
And next Tuesday, the American people will go to the polls. They will be
voting for vision. They will be voting for consistency. They will be voting
for conviction. And no doubt in my help [sic], they'll be voting for
Bush/Cheney. (Applause.)

This election comes down to five clear choices for the American people. The
first clear choice is the most important because it concerns the security
of your family. All progress on every other issue depends on the safety of
our citizens. The will -- this will be the first presidential election
since September the 11th. Americans will go to the polls in a time of war
and ongoing threats unlike any we have faced before. The terrorists who
killed thousands of innocent people are still dangerous and they are
determined. The outcome of this election will set the direction of the war
against terror. The most solemn duty of the American President is to
protect the American people. (Applause.) If America -- if America shows any
uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift toward
tragedy. This will not happen on my watch. (Applause.)

Since that terrible morning of September the 11th, 2001, we have fought the
terrorists across the Earth -- not for pride, not for power, but because
the lives of our citizens are at stake. Our strategy is clear: We have
strengthened protections for the homeland. We're reforming and
strengthening our intelligence services. We are transforming our military.
There will be no draft, the all-volunteer army will remain an all-volunteer
army. (Applause.) We are determined, we are steadfast. We are staying on
the offensive against the terrorists across the globe so we do not have to
face them here at home. (Applause.)

Our strategy is succeeding. As the September the 11th Commission pointed
out, we are safer, but not yet safe. But because we led, Afghanistan is a
free nation and now an ally in the war on terror. Because we led, Pakistan
is capturing terrorists, Saudi Arabia is making raids and arrests, Libya is
dismantling its weapons programs -- (applause) -- the army of a free Iraq
is fighting for freedom, and more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's key
members and associates have been brought to justice. (Applause.)

And part of our strategy to make sure our children and our grandchildren
grow up in a peaceful world is to spread freedom. I believe in the
transformational power of liberty. I believe liberty can transform
societies. Think about what has happened in Afghanistan in a relatively
brief -- relatively brief period of time. It wasn't all that long ago that
young girls were not allowed to go to school, and their mothers were taken
into the public square and whipped because of these ideologues of hate
called the Taliban. Because we acted in our own self-interest, because we
acted to uphold a doctrine I -- I outlined which said, if you harbor a
terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the terrorist, because we acted to
secure the American people, millions of citizens voted in a presidential
election in Afghanistan. And the first voter was a 19-year-old woman.
(Applause.)

Despite the horrific acts of the terrorists in Iraq, there are going to be
free elections in Iraq in January. And think how far that country has come
from the days of torture chambers and mass graves. Freedom is on the march,
freedom is on the move around the world. (Applause.) And that's important.
Free societies will be peaceful societies. Free societies will join us in
fighting the terrorists instead of harboring the terrorists. I believe
every soul wants to be free in this world. 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.)

A President must lead this country with consistency and strength. In a war,
sometimes your tactics change, but never your principles. (Applause.)
Americans have seen how I do my job. On good days and on bad days, when the
polls are up or the polls are down, I am determined to protect this
country. And I will always support the men and women who wear our nation's
uniform. (Applause.) I am proud to be the Commander-in-Chief of a great
military, and I want to thank those who wear our uniform for your service
to our country. (Applause.) I want to thank the military families who are
here, for your sacrifice and service. (Applause.) And I want to thank the
veterans who are here who have set such a great example for those who wear
the uniform. (Applause.) And I will assure you, in a new term, I will keep
the commitment I have made to support our troops in harm's way.

I went to the Congress in September of 2003, asking for $87 billion to
support our troops in combat. It was very important funding. We got great
support. Pete might remember -- overwhelming bipartisan support. Only 12
members of the United States Senate voted against it, two of whom were my
opponent and his running mate. I want you --

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: When you're out gathering up the vote, when you're out
gathering up the vote, remind people of this statistic, this fact. Four
members of the Senate voted to authorize force, and then voted against the
funding necessary to support our troops in harm's way -- two of whom, two
of those four were my opponent and his running mate.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: You might remember what he said when they asked him about
why he made the vote. Senator Kerry said, "I actually did vote for the $87
billion before I voted against it." I haven't spent nearly as much time in
this part of the world as you have, but I can assure you, you're not going
to find many people in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who talks that way.
(Applause.)

You know, he's given several answers on that vote since then. Perhaps the
most revealing of all was when he just said, the whole thing was a
complicated matter. My fellow Americans, there's nothing complicated about
supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)

My opponent has had a propensity to change positions in this campaign. His
positions are like the weather here in western Michigan. (Laughter.) You
don't like it, wait a little bit and it will change. (Applause.)

Senator Kerry said that we're better off with Saddam Hussein out of power,
except when he declares that removing Saddam Hussein made us less safe. He
stated in our second debate he always believed Saddam was a threat, except,
a few questions later, when he said Saddam Hussein was not a threat. He
says he was right when he voted to authorize the use of force against
Saddam Hussein, but I was wrong to use force against Saddam Hussein.

His record on national security has a far deeper problem than election-year
flip-flops. When the largest national security issues of our time -- on the
national issues of our time, he has been consistently wrong. When Ronald
Reagan was confronting the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War,
Senator Kerry said that Reagan's policy of peace through strength was
making America less safe. Well, history has shown that Senator Kerry was
wrong and President Reagan was right. (Applause.)

When former President Bush led a coalition against Saddam Hussein in 1991,
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.)

In 1994, just one year after the first bombing of the World Trade Center,
Senator Kerry proposed massive cuts in America's budget, so massive that
even his Massachusetts colleague, Ted Kennedy, opposed them. History has
shown that Senator Kerry was wrong, and -- let's be fair about it --
Senator Kennedy was right. (Applause.)

During the last 20 years, in key moments of challenge and decision, Senator
Kerry has chosen the path of weakness and inaction. With that record, he
stands in opposition not just to me, but to the great tradition of the
Democratic Party. The party of Franklin Roosevelt, the party of Harry
Truman, the party of John Kennedy is rightly remembered for confidence and
resolve in times of war and in hours of crisis. Senator Kerry has turned
his back on "pay any price," and "bear any burden," and he has replaced
those commitments with "wait and see" and "cut and run." (Applause.)

Many Democrats in this country do not recognize their party anymore, and
today, I want to speak to every one of them. If you believe that America
should lead with strength and purpose and confidence in our ideals, I would
be honored to have your support, and I am asking for your vote. (Applause.)

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

THE PRESIDENT: There are big difference in this campaign when it comes to
your family's security. Senator Kerry said that America must submit to what
he calls a global test.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not making that up. He said it in a debate. I was
surprised, like you were. (Laughter.) As far as I can tell, it means our
country must get permission from foreign capitals before we act in our own
defense. I will work with our allies. I will strengthen our alliances. I
will work with our friends, but I will never turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)

We have a difference of opinion. My opponent was quoted as saying that
September the 11th did not change him much at all. His policies make that
clear. He says the war on terror is primarily a law enforcement and
intelligence-gathering operation. September the 11th changed my outlook. I
remember the day I went to the ruins of the Twin Towers on September the
14th, 2001. The sights and sounds will be with me forever. I remember the
workers in hard hats yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it
takes." I remember looking a man square in the eye who came out of the
rubble -- he grabbed me by my arm and he said, "Do not let me down." Ever
since that day, I wake up every morning trying to better figure out how to
better protect America. I will never relent in defending our country,
whatever it takes. (Applause.)

The second clear choice in this election concerns your family's budget.
When I ran for President four years ago I pledged to lower taxes for
America's families. I kept my word. (Applause.) We doubled the child credit
to a thousand dollars per child. We reduced the marriage penalty. We think
the tax code ought to encourage marriage, not penalize marriage.
(Applause.) We dropped the lowest bracket to 10 percent. We reduced income
taxes for everybody who pays taxes. (Applause.) Our plans are working.

When you round up the vote, remind people about what this economy has been
through. Six months prior to my arrival in Washington, the stock market was
in serious decline. Then we had a recession. Then we had corporate
scandals. And then the attacks of September the 11th cost us a million jobs
in the three months after those attacks. But our economic policies have led
us back to growth. This economy of ours is growing at rates as fast as any
in nearly 20 years. We've added 1.9 million new jobs in the last 13 months.
The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. That's lower than the
average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. (Applause.) Home
ownership rate is at an all-time high in America. More minority families
own their own home, and that's better for our country. (Applause.) Michigan
farmers are making a living. The entrepreneurial spirit is strong. The
small business sector is alive and well in America. (Applause.)

People are still hurting in the state of Michigan. I know that. I've
traveled here a lot, I've heard the stories. But the fundamental question
is, which candidate can continue to grow this economy? Who's got the
pro-growth, pro-entrepreneur, pro-small business plan? And that's George W.
Bush. (Applause.)

My opponent -- my opponent has very different plans for your family's
budget. He intend to take a big chunk out of it.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: He voted against the higher child tax credit. He voted
against marriage penalty relief. He voted against reducing income taxes. If
he had had his way over the past three years, the average Michigan family
would be paying $2,000 per year more to the federal government.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Now, I know that doesn't sound like a lot to some of them in
Washington, but it's a lot for families right here in Grand Rapids.
(Applause.) It helps moms and dads. That money helps our small businesses
create new jobs. My opponent has been in the Senate for 20 years and he's
voted to raise taxes 98 times. That's about five times per year in the
Senate. I'd call that a predictable pattern -- (laughter) -- a leading
indicator. (Laughter.) A senator does something that often, he must really
like it. (Laughter.) During this campaign, he's also promised $2.2 trillion
in federal spending -- that's trillion with a "T." (Laughter.) That's a
lot. Even for a senator from Massachusetts, that's a lot. (Laughter.)

So they asked him, how are you going to pay for it? He said that same old
thing, you know, we're just going to tax the rich. Two things wrong with
that. One is, most small businesses pay individual income taxes. Most small
businesses are sole proprietorships and sub-chapter S corporations. Seventy
percent of the new jobs in America are created by small businesses. So when
you run up the top two brackets like he has promised to do, you're taxing
the job creators, and that's lousy economic policy. (Applause.)

And here's something you need to be wary about. When you talk about top --
raising the top two brackets, you're only raising between $600 billion and
$800 billion. I say, "only," because he's promised $2.2 trillion. So
there's a tax gap. That would be a gap between what he has promised and
what he can deliver. And given his record, you probably can guess who is
going to have to fill that tax gap. You are. But don't worry about it.
We're going to carry Michigan, and he's not going to be able to tax you.
(Applause.)

The third clear choice in this election involves the quality of life for
our nation's families. A good education and quality health care are
important for a successful life. As a candidate, I pledged to challenge the
soft bigotry of low expectations by reforming our public schools. As
President, I kept my word. (Applause.)

The No Child Left Behind Act is substantial reform. In return for extra
help from the federal government, we now demand accountability in our
classrooms. You know why? Because we believe every child can learn and we
expect every school to teach. (Applause.) You cannot solve a problem until
you diagnose the problem, and we're -- we're making diagnoses all across
our country and we're solving problems. Test scores are up in reading and
math. We're closing achievement gaps for our minority students all across
America. And we're not going to go back to the days of low standards and
mediocrity in our classrooms. (Applause.)

We'll continue to improve life for our families by making health care more
accessible and more affordable. We will take care of the poor and the
indigent by spreading community health centers. We will make sure our
programs for children with -- from low-income families are fully
subscribed. We want to help people get health care.

We also understand we've got to make it more affordable and here are three
common-sense ways to do so. Small businesses ought to be allowed to join
together to share risk, so they can buy insurance at the same discounts
that big companies are able to do. (Applause.) We will expand health
savings accounts to help our families and our small businesses better
afford insurance, and plans that enable you to manage your health care. And
finally, we will do something about the frivolous lawsuits that are running
good docs out of practice, and running the cost of health care up.
(Applause.)

I have met too many OB/GYNs in our country who are having to quit the
practice of medicine because these lawsuits have driven their premiums
sky-high. I've met too many expectant moms who have told me about their
concerns about getting quality health care because their doctor is no
longer in practice. We have a national problem when it comes to medical
liability reform. I don't think you can be pro-patient and pro-doctor and
pro-personal injury trial lawyer at the same time. (Applause.) I think you
have to make a choice. My opponent has made his choice. He voted ten times
against medical liability reform, and he put a personal injury trial lawyer
on the ticket.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I have made my choice. I'm standing with the doctors of
Michigan, I'm standing with the patients of Michigan. I am for real medical
liability reform. (Applause.)

Senator Kerry's got a different point of view when it comes to health. You
might remember one of the debates. And they asked him about his health care
plan. He looked square in the camera and he said, "The government doesn't
have anything to do with it." I could barely contain myself. (Laughter.)
The government has got a lot to do with it. Eighty percent of the people
under his plan would end up on a government-run program. When you make it
easier for people to sign up on Medicaid, it means small businesses are
likely to drop coverage for their employees because the government will
provide the coverage. People move from the private sector to the government
sector under his plan, and when government writes the checks when it comes
to health care, they start writing the rules when it comes to health care.
And when they start writing the rules when it comes to health care, they
start making decisions for you when it comes to your health care, and they
start making decisions for the doctors when it comes to health care. The
wrong prescription for American families when it comes to their health care
is to federalize health care. (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.
(Applause.)

The fourth 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 drug coverage.
I have kept my word. (Applause.) Medicare needed to be modernized. The
government would pay thousands of dollars for the heart surgery under
Medicare, but not a dime for the prescription drugs that could prevent the
heart surgery from being needed in the first place. We brought people
together. We strengthened and modernized the system. And beginning in 2006,
our seniors will be able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
(Applause.)

And when it comes to Social Security, we will keep the promise of Social
Security for our seniors and we will strengthen Social Security for
generations to come. (Applause.) When you're gathering up the vote, remind
your friends and neighbors about what took place in the 2000 campaign. They
said by TV and by flier and by word of mouth that if George W. got elected,
our seniors would not get their checks. You might remember that aspect of
the 2000 campaign. Well, George W. got elected, and our seniors got their
checks. And our seniors will continue to get their checks. (Applause.)

And baby boomers like me -- and a couple others out there I see -- we will
get our checks. The Social Security system is in good shape for the seniors
and baby boomers. But we need to worry about our children and our
grandchildren when it comes to Social Security. We need to worry about
whether or not Social Security will be there when they need it. And
therefore, I think younger workers ought to be allowed to take some of
their personal savings account -- some of their payroll taxes and set up a
personal savings account, an account they call their own, an account the
government cannot take away. (Applause.)

My opponent has taken a different approach about Social Security. He told
the people he's going to strengthen Social Security, but remind your
friends and neighbors he voted to tax Social Security benefits eight times.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: And he hasn't offered anything for the younger Americans
when it comes to modernizing the system. The job of a President is to
confront problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future
generations. In a new term, I will bring people together, and we will
strengthen the Social Security system for generations to come. (Applause.)

The fifth clear choice in this election is on the values that are crucial
to keeping our families strong. I believe marriage and family are the
foundation of our society. (Applause.) I will promote a culture of life,
and 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.)

My opponent and I differ. He voted against the ban on partial birth
abortion, he voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, and at one point in
this campaign, he said that the heart and soul of America can be found in
Hollywood.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: Most families do not look to Hollywood as a source of
values. The heart and soul of America is found in communities like Grand
Rapids, Michigan. (Applause.)

I'm optimistic about the future of our country. You know, when you're
running for President, anger is not an agenda, and a litany of complaints
is not a plan. I have a hopeful and positive vision. The President must see
clearly where he intends to lead this nation. Perhaps, let me define to you
how I feel by quoting a friend from Texas, Tom Lea. Unfortunately, he's
deceased recently, but here's what he said. He said, "Sarah and I live on
the east side of the mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side.
It is the side to see the day that is coming, not to see the day that is
gone." In the course of this campaign, my opponent has spent much of the
campaign talking about the day that is gone. I'm talking about the day
that's coming. (Applause.)

I see a great day coming for our country. I see a day when prosperity
reaches every corner of America. I see a day when every child is able to
read and write. I see a day in which this world becomes more peaceful. I
see a day in which we achieve the peace we all long for, for our children
and our grandchildren.

When I campaigned across your state in 2000, I made this pledge: I said if
I won, 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. God bless. Thank you all. (Applause.)

END 10:36 A.M.. EDT
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