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Skriven 2004-11-01 23:33:24 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (041101o) 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
Journal Pavilion
Albuquerque, New Mexico



6:55 P.M. MST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all for coming.
(Applause.) We're coming down the stretch, and there's no better place to
come than Albuquerque, New Mexico. (Applause.) We are honored you've come
out tonight. Thanks for being here. Laura and I are so thrilled that so
many have come out to say hello. You're lifting our spirits. (Applause.)
And we are here to ask for your vote, and to ask for your help. (Applause.)

Tomorrow is voting day, and I'm asking you to get your friends and
neighbors to go to the polls. Turn out 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 to put me back in is so that Laura will
be First Lady for four more years. (Applause.) And there's no better way to
come down the stretch with two women I love -- our twins, Barbara and
Jenna. (Applause.)

I'm proud of my running mate, Dick Cheney. I readily concede he does not
have the waviest hair in the race. (Laughter.) You all will be pleased I
didn't pick him because of his hairdo. (Laughter.) I picked him because of
his experience; I picked him because of his judgment. (Applause.)

I'm really proud of your Senator, Pete Domenici. What a fantastic man.
(Applause.) He's as good as they come in public service. (Applause.) He
does a fabulous job for New Mexico, and like me, he married well when he
married Nancy. (Applause.)

I'm also proud to know a fantastic Congresswoman in Heather Wilson.
(Applause.) I want to thank -- I want to thank Heather's husband, Jay, for
joining us today. I can't tell you how important it is to send Heather
Wilson back to the United States Congress. (Applause.)

It is such an honor to be here with Little Texas and Ricochet. Thank you
all for playing. (Applause.) I want to thank my friend, Bob Martinez, of
the New Mexico Fraternal Order of Police. I was so proud to get the
endorsement of the FOP across this country. Thank you for coming, Bob.
(Applause.)

I want to thank -- I want to thank Allen and John and Ken, and all the
grassroots activists who are here. I want to thank you for putting up the
signs. I want to thank you for making the phone calls. Con su apoyo vamos a
ganar. Tomorrow, we're going to carry New Mexico. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: Viva Bush! Viva Bush! Viva Bush!

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. I feel so incredibly optimistic about the future
of our country. I see a brighter and more hopeful day for every American.
One of my favorite sayings comes from a fellow Texan named Tom Lea. He was
from El Paso, right across the line, I might add. 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." During the course of this campaign, my opponent has
spent much of the time talking about the day that is gone. I'm talking
about the day that's coming. (Applause.)

I see a great day coming for this country, a day where prosperity reaches
every corner of America, a day when every child is able to read and write
and add and subtract -- (applause) -- a day in which this world becomes
more free and so we're able to achieve the peace we want for our children
and our grandchildren. (Applause.) Tomorrow, the people of America have a
chance to bring that better day by voting for strong, confident, optimistic
leadership, by voting Bush-Cheney. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: We want Bush! We want Bush! We want Bush!

THE PRESIDENT: The American President must lead with clarity and purpose.
(Applause.) The role of a President is not to follow the path of the latest
polls. The role of a President is to lead based upon principle and
conviction and conscience. (Applause.) During these four years, I have
learned that whatever your strengths are, you are going to need them;
whatever your shortcomings are, the people are going to notice them.
Sometimes, I am a little too blunt. I get that from my mother. (Applause.)
Sometimes I mangle the English language. (Laughter.) I get that from my
dad. (Applause.) But all times, whether you agree with me, or not, you know
where I stand, what I believe. (Applause.)

This election comes down to five vital issues for our 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 kept my word.
(Applause.) As a result of our good policies, our economy 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. Our farmers and our ranchers are making a living.
(Applause.)

The entrepreneurial spirit is strong in America. Small businesses are
flourishing. Home ownership rates are at an all-time high. More minority
families own a home than ever before in our nation's history. (Applause.)
The national unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, which is lower than the
average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the 1990s. And the unemployment
rate in New Mexico is 5.3 percent. This economy is strong and it is getting
stronger. (Applause.)

My opponent has got plans for your family budget, and that's to take a big
chunk out of it.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: He's been in the Senate for 20 years, and he's voted to
raise taxes 98 times.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: That's five -- that's nearly five times every year he's been
in the Senate. I would call that a predictable pattern. (Applause.) I'd
call that a leading indicator. (Applause.) And when you couple that with
the fact that he's promised to raise $2.2 trillion -- he said he's going to
pay for it by raising the -- by taxing the rich. You can't raise enough
money by running up the top two brackets to pay for $2.2 trillion. You
raise about $600 billion to $800 billion. That's way short of what he has
promised. I would call that a tax gap. (Laughter.) And given his record,
guess who's going to have to fill that tax gap.

AUDIENCE: We are!

THE PRESIDENT: You are. The good news is, we're going to carry New Mexico
tomorrow, and win. (Applause.)

The second clear choice in this elections involves the quality of life for
our families. Every school must teach, and I believe every child can learn.
I went to Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations and
reform our public schools. I kept my word. (Applause.) We're raising
standards. We're raising standards. Math and reading scores are on the
rise. We're closing the achievement gap by helping minority children. In a
new term, we'll build on these reforms and extend them to our high schools
so that no child is left behind in America. (Applause.)

We will work to make sure our families have got good health care 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 discounts that big companies are able to do.
(Applause.) We will -- we will help our families in need and we will do
something about these junk lawsuits that are running up the cost of health
care and running good docs out of practice. (Applause.)

We have got a national problem when it comes to these lawsuits. I have met
too many OB/GYNs during the course of this campaign who have had to quit
practice because their premiums are too high as a result of lawsuits. I
have met too many expectant moms who are desperately worried about whether
they're not going to get the health care they need. See, you can't be
pro-doctor, pro-patient and pro-personal injury trial lawyer at the same
time. (Applause.) My opponent veto -- voted against medical liability
reform ten times, and he put a personal injury trial lawyer on the ticket.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I am standing with the patients of New Mexico and the
doctors of New Mexico. I'm standing for medical liability reform now.
(Applause.)

My opponent's got an idea about health care. You might remember one of the
debates when he said that the government didn't have anything to do with
his plan. I could barely contain myself. (Laughter.) The government has got
a lot to do with it. Eight out of ten people end up on the federal plan
under his vision, and that is the wrong prescription for American families.
In all we do to reform health care, we will make sure the decisions are
made by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, D.C.
(Applause.)

The third clear choice in this election involves your retirement. We have
made a solemn commitment to America's seniors on Social Security and
Medicare. And when I ran for President four years ago, I promised to keep
that commitment and improve Medicare by adding prescription drugs for our
seniors, and I kept my word. (Applause.) Beginning in 2006, all seniors
will be able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.

And I have kept the word on Social Security. I remember those campaigns
when they said, if George W. gets elected, you're not going to get your
checks. Well, I got elected, and our seniors got their checks. And they
will continue to get their checks. (Applause.) But we need to do something
about the youngsters. We need to do something about Social Security

-- reforming Social Security for our children and our grandchildren.
(Applause.) That's why I'm for personal savings accounts. I believe younger
workers ought to take some of their own payroll taxes and set up a personal
savings account that will earn a better rate of return, a personal savings
account they call their own, an account the government cannot take away.
(Applause.)

The job of a President is to confront problems, not to pass them on to
future generations and future Presidents. In a new term, I'll bring people
together to make sure Social Security is sound and secure for generations
to come. (Applause.)

The fourth clear choice in this election is on the values that are crucial
to keeping our families strong. 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 abortions. (Applause.) And 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 has a different opinion. He was part of an extreme minority
that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act that President Clinton
signed into law. He voted against the ban on partial birth abortion.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: There is a mainstream in American politics, and John Kerry
sits on the far left bank. (Applause.) He can run from his 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. (Applause.) If our country
shows any uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift
toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch. (Applause.)

Our strategy is clear. We have strengthened protections for the homeland.
We're reforming and strengthening our intelligence capabilities. We are
transforming our military. There will be no draft. The all-volunteer army
will remain an all-volunteer army. (Applause.) We are resolute, we are
determined, we are staying on the offensive. We are fighting the terrorists
abroad so we do not have to face them here at home. (Applause.)

And we are succeeding. Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are making raids and capturing terrorist leaders.
Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free Iraq is
defending freedom. Al Qaeda no longer has training camps in Afghanistan. We
are systematically destroying the al Qaeda network across the world.
(Applause.) More than three-quarters of al Qaeda's key members and
associates have been brought to justice, and the rest of them know that
we're on their trails. (Applause.)

And one reason we're succeeding is we've got a fantastic military.
(Applause.) And I want to thank those who wear our nation's uniform for
your service. (Applause.) And I thank -- I thank the military families who
are here tonight, and thank you for your service to our country.
(Applause.) And I thank the veterans who are here who have set such a great
example for those who wear the uniform. (Applause.) And I want to assure
you all, we'll keep our commitment I have made to our troops and their
families they will have that which is necessary to complete their missions.

That's why I went to the United States Congress and asked for $87 billion
in supplemental funding to support our troops in combat. It was an
important piece of legislation. And we got widespread support. As a matter
of fact, Senator Kerry, on national TV, at one time said, it would be
irresponsible to vote against the funding for our troops. And then his poll
numbers went down, and he did the irresponsible thing. He voted against the
funding.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: And then -- and then he entered the flip-flop hall of fame.
(Applause.) And as -- and as he entered the hall of fame, he said this: "I
actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I have spent a lot of time in New Mexico, and I've never
heard a person talk that way. (Laughter.) He's given a lot of reasons why
he voted the way he did, but the most telling of all was when he said, the
whole thing was a complicated matter. (Laughter.) There's nothing
complicated about supporting our troops in combat. (Applause.)

We have a difference of opinion when it comes to protecting the homeland.
My opponent believes that America must submit to what he calls a global
test before we commit troops.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I'm not making that up. (Laughter.) He actually said that. I
was standing pretty close to him when he did. (Laughter.) As far as I can
tell, that global test means that America must get permission before we
defend ourselves. Listen, I'll work with our allies. I will strengthen our
alliances. But I will never turn over America's national security decisions
to leaders of other countries. (Applause.)

Recently, my opponent said -- my opponent said that September the 11th did
not change him much at all.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: September the 11th changed me and it changed my outlook on
how to defend this country. I will never forget standing in the ruins of
the Twin Towers on September the 14, 2001. There were workers in hard hats
there yelling at me at the top of their lungs, "Whatever it takes." I
remember the person that came out, been in the rubble, and he grabbed me by
the arm, he looked me 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 country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it
takes. (Applause.)

AUDIENCE: U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

THE PRESIDENT: During -- during the next four years, during the next four
years, we'll wage a comprehensive strategy to defend our country, and we
will use every asset at our disposal. And one of the most powerful assets
we have is freedom. (Applause.) Free nations do not breed resentment. Free
nations do not export terror. Free nations become allies in the war against
terror. By spreading freedom, we help keep the peace. I believe -- I
believe in the power of liberty to transform societies.

I want the younger folks here to realize what has taken place in a brief
period of time. (Applause.) Think about what's taken place in the last
three-and-a-half years of your life. Take Afghanistan. Afghanistan used to
be the home base of al Qaeda, where they could train. Young girls could not
go to school in that country because the Taliban were so backward and
barbaric. And if their mothers did not toe their line of ideological
hatred, they were taken into the public squares and whipped, and sometimes
executed in a sports stadium. But because we acted to defend ourselves,
because we acted to uphold a doctrine that I declared which said, if you
harbor a terrorist, you are equally as guilty as the terrorist, millions of
people in Afghanistan -- (applause) -- because we upheld that doctrine,
millions of people in Afghanistan voted in a presidential election. And the
first voter was a 19-year-old woman. (Applause.) Think about that. Freedom
is on the march. And we're safer because of it.

Iraq is still dangerous. It is dangerous because that society is becoming
more free and heading toward democracy. And think about how far that
country has come since the days of a rule of a brutal tyrant who had
torture chambers and mass graves, who used weapons of mass destruction on
his own people. Freedom is on the march, and the world is better off for
it.

I believe that everybody yearns to be free. I believe that mothers and dads
want to raise their children in a free society. (Applause.) I believe all
this not because freedom is 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 a lot is at stake in this election. The
future safety and prosperity of America are on the ballot. The truth of the
matter is this election ultimately comes down to who you can trust. Who can
you trust to make this country secure? (Applause.) Who can you trust to
make this society a more hopeful place? (Applause.)

If you believe that taxes should stay low so families can pay the bills and
small businesses can continue to create jobs, I ask you to come stand with
me. (Applause.) If you believe in high standards for public schools, I ask
you to come stand with me. (Applause.) If you believe patients and doctors
should be in charge of health care, I ask you, come stand with me.
(Applause.) If you believe that 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 are tired of your vote
being taken for granted, I ask you to come stand with me. (Applause.) And
if you are a voter who believes that the President of the United States
should say what he means and does what he says -- do 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: When I traveled your great state four years ago, I made this
pledge, that if I got 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, we're going to win tomorrow and I will carry that honor and dignity
for four more years. God bless, and thank you for coming. Thank you all.
(Applause.)

END 7:24 P.M. MST
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