[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[September 22, 1992]
[Pages 1611-1613]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on Arrival in Tulsa, Oklahoma
September 22, 1992

    Thank you all very much. What a fantastic rally. Thank you so very 
much, and good morning, Oklahoma. I'm delighted to be back. May I first 
salute J.C., the man that introduced me, my friend. You should be very 
proud to have a man of his character and experience in office here in 
the great State of Oklahoma. J.C., thank you very, very much.
    Before I share just a few remarks with you on our campaign, as I 
look at national priorities, one of them simply must be the reelection 
of your great Senator, Don Nickles. We need him in Washington. And you 
know, everyplace I go you hear people saying, ``Clean House! Clean 
House!'' We've got a good man in Jim Inhofe. Reelect him, and then send 
Jerry Hill to the United States Congress. We've got to change it.
    I am just delighted to be here. May I pay a special tribute to these 
great bands: the Hornets, the Warriors, the Indians, and the Eagles. 
It's great to be back in one of the great States for high school 
football. All four of these schools won their football games last 
weekend. Good news.
    May I also just say a word to those who work for the great company 
that puts together that fabulous fighting machine, the F-15, the people 
at McDonnell Douglas. Thanks for hosting us here, and good luck with the 
new sale abroad. And I want to say hello also to those who work for the 
great Rockwell Industries, two giants of American industry, employing 
men and women who are the best workers in the entire world.
    You know, for the past few weeks I've been traveling the length and 
the breadth of this fantastic country of ours, stumping for the economic 
ideas that I believe in: an Agenda for American Renewal. I want to 
create new markets for American products and new jobs for American 
workers. You see, we never retreat; we always compete. And we will 
always win. We are the United States of America.
    And yes, we've had some tough times in this country, but don't 
believe the pessimists on the other side who can only win by tearing 
down America. We're coming out of our difficulties, and we are leading 
the world, and we'll continue to do so as long as I'm your President.
    Big difference in this election. He wants to spend more and 
tax more. I want to see the Federal Government spend less, and I want to 
see us taxed less, so private sector can get the job done. I'm standing 
in Tulsa, Oklahoma, one of the great oil capitals of the world. 
I want to see a change in our tax

[[Page 1612]]

system that benefits the independent oil people so we can get those rigs 
running again. Change the alternative minimum tax, and watch what Tulsa 
and the rest of Oklahoma can do.
    Frankly, we are trying hard to give small business relief from 
taxation, from regulation, and yes, from litigation. We are suing each 
other too much, and we should care for each other more. I want to change 
all the lawsuits up there.
    Another big objective, and we're on the right track, is we want to 
change the American schools. I want to give these young people the 
finest education in the entire world. I want to give the parents the 
right to choose the schools, whether it's public, private, or religious.
    We've got a good health care program for America, and I want to use 
competition to cut the cost of health care, make it available to you and 
your neighbors. And the way I see it, you should only feel the pain when 
you're in the doctor's office, not a month later when you get the bill 
in the mail. And so, do not go for the Clinton plan that says get the 
Government further involved; go for our plan that says provide insurance 
to all, and keep the quality of health care we now have.
    You know, for about 11 months, Governor Clinton has been attacking 
me and my record, and I've sat back trying to get things done for this 
country. Month after month he's persisted in these unrelenting attacks, 
many of them quite personal in nature, distorting my record; and his 
campaign cochairman even called me a racist. And this week Governor 
Clinton unveiled the first negative television advertising of the 
campaign. He fired the first negative campaign shot, and I am not going 
to take it anymore. I'm going to take his record to the American people 
as well as my own.
    And so let's see how the American people--how they feel after they 
understand the facts about his record. In Springfield, Missouri, a few 
minutes ago I talked about the overall record. And today I'm coming by 
some of the other States that are near Arkansas to move beyond the 
record and find out what he has actually done in Arkansas, or put it 
this way, done to the good people of the State of Arkansas. First, my 
argument is not with the people of that great State. They are good; they 
are decent; they are hard-working. And they deserve better treatment 
than they've received from their Governor.
    The other side is eager to debate. We'll probably have a debate. But 
for openers, let them debate each other. Let one side, as candidate 
Clinton, a promising young man who seems to be willing to promise 
anything to get elected; and on the other is Governor Clinton, whose 
record in Arkansas is a series of broken promises.
    Now let me look at just one issue today because I think of the 
people of Oklahoma as fair. Let's take a look at the civil rights 
record. Candidate Clinton says, and I quote, ``Everybody knows that I 
have the best civil rights record.'' Well, that is a very modest 
statement by the Governor saying he has the best civil rights record. 
But let's see if his rhetoric is matched by his record.
    Some of you may know in 1968 when I was a Member of Congress from 
Texas that I voted for a fair housing act. It was not a popular vote 
with my constituents. But times have changed now, and nowadays 41 States 
have laws banning housing discrimination--41 States, including the great 
State of Oklahoma. Arkansas is not one of them, and that man's been 
Governor for 10 or 12 years. He's talked a lot and done nothing.
    Forty-eight States, the young people here might be interested, have 
basic civil rights law, 48 that ban discrimination and guarantee equal 
opportunity, and Oklahoma is proud to be one of them. But not Arkansas. 
Arkansas is one of only two States without a civil rights statute. What 
has the Governor been doing, other than talking about fairplay?
    Governor Clinton goes around criticizing my 1990 veto of the 
Democrat Congress' quota bill. Well yes, I did veto that bill, and I'll 
veto any other quota bill that the liberals cook up in Washington, DC. I 
am for civil rights, and we've got a good record on that. And I am 
against quotas. And that is not a contradiction. I'm proud last year to 
have signed a very good equal opportunity bill, and it had no quotas in 
it. Now, even though his party enjoys overwhelming control of the 
Arkansas Legislature, he still

[[Page 1613]]

hasn't brought a civil rights bill to the people of Arkansas. So when 
you hear candidate Clinton, his rhetoric about civil rights, remember 
Governor Clinton's record in Arkansas.
    You know, Bill Clinton talks a very good game. He's got more 
statistics than there are problems out there, but his actions betray his 
words. In Arkansas, individual income has slipped; crime is up relative 
to the Nation; children's test scores get weaker; while streams of air 
get more polluted. If you go swimming in that Arkansas River, keep your 
mouth closed and hold your nose. They are doing a terrible job on 
pollution.
    So again, candidate Clinton talks one way, and Governor Clinton has 
a very, very different record. Governor Clinton proves that it doesn't 
matter what the candidate says. He simply will not deliver. So whether 
it's candidate Clinton or Governor Clinton, the message is the same: 
Bill Clinton is the wrong man to accept your trust to be President of 
the United States of America. I will let you all make up your mind about 
service to country when it comes to war and peace. I will take my record 
with pride to the American people. We have stood tall, and freedom has 
prevailed.
    Not far from here, you know, is the birthplace of Will Rogers, the 
man who said he wasn't a humorist, he just watched the Government and 
reported what happened. Well, I don't know what he'd say about Governor 
Clinton. Maybe he would say that here's a guy with the gall to promise 
the Moon to America while the sky is falling down in his own backyard. 
But I really believe we can do better, and I say America deserves 
better.
    And yes, we have challenges, and yes, we have problems. But this 
agenda of mine will confront our challenges. There's going to be over 
100 new Members of Congress, maybe 150. And the day I am reelected and 
they are elected, I'll sit down with them and say, ``Now let's improve 
our schools; let's fight for America's security; let's do something 
about these lawsuits that are plaguing America; let's do something about 
health care; let's get on with the business of governing this Nation and 
solving our problems.''
    And so what I will be offering the voters, and I ask for your 
support, is experience, ideas that are right for America. And I hope 
that my character will pass muster with you, the American people.
    Thank you very much, and may God bless this great State. And thank 
you for this fantastic welcome to Oklahoma. Thank you very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 11:12 a.m. at the Tulsa 
                        International Airport. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Johnnie Cherblanc, master of 
                        ceremonies for the event.