[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[September 9, 1992]
[Pages 1520-1523]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Bush-Quayle Rally in Middletown, New Jersey
September 9, 1992

    The President. Thank you all. Thank you, Governor. Listen, thank you 
for this welcome. What an honor it is to be introduced by Governor Tom 
Kean, great New Jerseyan, great friend. Thank you, Governor Kean, for 
heading our campaign. I know that guarantees success.
    Now, hello to everybody. A thousand apologies for being, what, 15 
minutes late. [Laughter] And I'm delighted to be back, back in New 
Jersey. Allow me to quickly thank my host, Mayor Rosemary Peters; the 
Vets, Neal Cassidy, Al Thomas, Ben Ferrera, and all the New Jersey 
veterans in the audience, as well as the Nottingham Little League. What 
a job they did. And I look forward to seeing Joe Kyrillos in Washington 
soon where he'll join Congressman Chris Smith.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Four more. And let me acknowledge some New Jersey 
talent: Bob Franks, Don Francesco, Chuck Haytaian, members of the New 
Jersey Legislature and members of the Monmouth County Free Holder Board, 
all good Republicans.
    I was not far from here, as the Governor said, almost exactly 4 
years ago to the day, and I was campaigning for the Presidency. Our 
world was very different, largely because of one undeniable fact: A 
nuclear sword of Damocles hung over our children's head. Well, today I 
return to this beautiful Garden State to say something no President 
could ever say before: The cold war is over, and freedom won. Thanks to 
the sustained effort of brave men and women like the veterans here 
today, now our kids can go to sleep without nuclear holocaust haunting 
their dreams. That is real progress for mankind, and I'm proud to have 
been a part of it.
    Audience members. Where was Bill?

[[Page 1521]]

Where was Bill? Where was Bill?
    The President. We'll let him answer that one. [Laughter]
    Thanks to folks like veteran Bill Denisson, who's 82 years old and 
came here tonight just to hear a young guy like me. He deserves credit. 
Does our children's peace of mind mean anything? You bet it does. We 
should be proud that together we have made it happen.
    Now, America's challenge is straightforward. In the 21st century, 
America must be a military superpower, an export superpower, and an 
economic superpower.
    And in this election, as the Governor said, you're going to hear two 
versions of how to do that. Theirs is to look inward and try to protect 
what we already have. And ours is to look outward, to open new markets, 
to prepare our people to compete, to strengthen our families, our social 
fabric, to save and invest, so that we can win.
    My agenda starts with a commitment to trade, by opening world 
markets to the fruits of American labor. My opponent says, turn inward. 
I say American workers can still outwork, outthink, and outcreate 
anybody in the entire world. New Jersey, this great State, knows what 
that's worth better than just about anyone. In this State alone, more 
than a quarter-million jobs are tied to foreign investment and thousands 
more to exports.
    Understanding the reality of this global economy led me to negotiate 
the North American free trade agreement. That agreement will create the 
world's largest free trade zone, a $6 trillion market from the Yukon to 
the Yucatan, and will create 300,000 American jobs, and that is just in 
the short run. Governor Clinton used to support it. Now he says, ``I'm 
reviewing it carefully, and when I have a definite opinion, I'll say 
so.''
    Well, Walter Lippmann said leadership means guarding, and I quote, 
``a nation's ideals.'' Peter Drucker said, quote, ``Leadership is 
action.'' But you know, nowhere have I seen leadership defined as, 
``Hey, I'll get back to you later.'' You can't do that when you're in 
the Oval Office. You've got to make a decision.
    There's a clear choice when it comes to getting the economy going 
again, too. I spent half my career in the public sector and the other 
half working for a living in the private sector, running a small 
business. And I had ulcers to prove it. I think meeting a payroll is a 
good qualification for being President of the United States. Holding a 
job in the private sector is a good qualification. What I learned as a 
businessman is that it's as plain as day that higher taxes do not create 
jobs. They destroy jobs.
    I'll tell you something else I disagree with my opponent about: I 
believe that Government is already too big and spends too much of your 
money. That's why I've proposed freezing discretionary spending in a 
plan to cap the growth of the mandatory spending without touching Social 
Security. We're not going to mess with Social Security. We're going to 
control the growth of other spending. And that cap would save almost 
$300 billion over 5 years, $300 billion. I need your help for that 
program.
    You heard Joe talk about, Joe Kyrillos--so far Congress has balked 
at making these tough choices. I want to give you, the taxpayer, the 
option of taking 10 percent of your income tax and using it for one 
purpose alone: To reduce the budget deficit. Let's get the crushing 
weight of debt off the backs of these young people here today.
    We can take those savings and cut taxes across the board. I've 
already vetoed one Democratic tax increase, and I'll veto another if I 
have to. I've got a pen right here in my coat to do just that. No more 
tax increases.
    Now, what about my opponent? What about my opponent?
    Audience members. Clean the House! Clean the House! Clean the House!
    The President. We've got to clean the House. I'm getting to that, 
now, just a minute.
    Well, my opponent's been in the public sector practically all his 
professional life. He caught the bug during his work on the McGovern 
campaign, and he's been at it ever since. In fact, he's either been in 
public office or trying to get into public office ever since he was 27 
years old. Just yesterday, Governor Clinton said, ``No government can 
ever replace the marketplace.'' Well, now, he sounds like he re-

[[Page 1522]]

spects and understands the small businessperson. But that's like a guy 
saying he loves to sail, but he's never been near the water. You've got 
to understand how it works.
    It's reflected in his policies, too. Last week, when Tom Brokaw 
interviewed both of us and interviewed him, the first words out of the 
opponent's mouth were, after he said good evening--he did say that. Then 
he started talking about raising your taxes. We do not need to raise 
taxes in this country. I found out the hard way. I went along with one 
Democratic tax increase, and I'm not going to do it again, ever, ever.
    He specifically means $150 billion in taxes. That's his proposal. 
Then he proposes $220 billion in new Government spending, although 
Newsweek magazine says it might cost 3 times as much as he claims. They 
called Governor Clinton's plan an ``economic fantasy.'' And they are 
right.
    Of course, he says he only wants to tax the rich. But you know there 
aren't enough rich folks to pay for his programs. And he endorsed the 
$100 billion tax increase passed by the congressional Democrats this 
year. And he's for it. And I'm against it. And who do you think is 
right?
    I ask New Jersey: Does this saxophone song sound familiar, tax and 
spend? I wish I could bring every American voter to New Jersey to see 
firsthand what a liberal Governor and a liberal legislature can do to 
wreck an economy. Thank God we've got some Republicans in there now. 
When Governor Florio was in cahoots with the Democratic legislature, 
they acted like every day was April 15th.
    I remembered Governor Kean's motto for this State. Well, today, 
every New Jerseyan knows all too well: A rubber-check legislature and a 
rubber-stamp executive are not perfect together.
    We need tax incentives to get this economy moving. By the way, if 
you'll give us Joe Kyrillos and a few more like him, I'd be using my pen 
not to veto tax hikes but to sign tax cuts into law. That's what we 
need.
    The solution to our challenge isn't raising taxes. It's creating 
more jobs. I know that tourism, for example, is a big part of your great 
economy. I know it creates thousands of jobs. So, as the Governor said, 
I came here in 1988 and promised to clean up, help clean up your 
beautiful beaches, and I meant it.
    First, I promised to end ocean dumping of sewage sludge. Well, the 
last barge to ever dump sludge in your ocean sailed from New York Harbor 
last June. No more. When tourists look out over the shore, they won't 
see sludge barges. They'll see sailboats.
    Second, I want to clean up the sewage coming from New York City and 
points beyond. We've going to compel New York to build those sewage 
plants so you don't have to put up with their sewage washing up on your 
shores and ruining your beaches and vacations.
    We're finally getting the garbage out of the water. That's what the 
Government can do when it confronts real problems with real policies 
based on real ideas, not an old formula from the past.
    Now, while my administration's out helping deliver results on the 
Jersey shore, my opponent is talking a good game. But let me just give 
you his record on the environment back in his home State.
    According to the Institute of Southern Studies, Arkansas ranked dead 
last for environmental initiatives, and in the amount of toxics they 
dump in to surface water, per capita, they were 47th. Now, they did 
better in the amount they pump into the air, they jumped all the way up 
to 42d worst. They were way up there at 42 in the percentage of rivers 
and streams that are polluted, too. There's a rumor down there that 
night fishing is getting more and more popular in Arkansas because it's 
so easy to spot the fish: They glow at night. They light up. [Laughter] 
Yes, the Governor wants to do for America what he did to Arkansas. Why 
would you want to let him do that?
    You know, my opponent reminds me of a tired guy looking into the 
medicine cabinet, trying to choose among a bunch of old prescriptions 
that expired years ago. Old medicine will not cure our ills. Tax-and-
spend will not solve our problems. It might kill off the patient. Let's 
not retreat into the past, with tired, expired remedies. Let's press 
forward into a new century of global economics where America can compete 
with

[[Page 1523]]

the best and win a secure and good life at home.
    May I thank the veterans who've provided us this wonderful 
hospitality. God bless those that served our country here, each and 
every one of you. May God bless the United States, a nation that is on 
the rise, not on the decline. Don't listen to the pessimists. May God 
bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 3:04 p.m. at the 
                        Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall. In his remarks, 
                        he referred to Neal Cassidy, commander, 
                        Middletown VFW Post; Al Thomas, chairman, and 
                        Ben Ferrera, executive director, New Jersey 
                        Veterans for Bush-Quayle; Bob Franks, Republican 
                        State Chairman; Donald T. DiFrancesco, 
                        president, New Jersey State Senate; and Chuck 
                        Haytaian, speaker, New Jersey State Assembly.