[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[October 8, 1992]
[Pages 1777-1780]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at a Victory '92 Dinner in Houston, Texas
October 8, 1992

    The President. Thank you all very much. Thank you.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you, President Reagan. Thank you, my friend, 
and thank you for all that you taught me in those 8 years when I was 
privileged to serve at your side.
    Let me also give my thanks to Barbara, working so hard up in New 
York tonight, but all across this country; to President Gerald Ford, for 
whom I have unlimited respect; for my running mate and my partner, Vice 
President Dan Quayle, out there in St. Louis, and Marilyn; and to Bob 
Dole and Bob Michel. I couldn't ask for two finer, more principled 
leaders in the two Houses of Congress, and I just wish we had control of 
both Houses to move this country forward even faster.
    I was touched by what my friend Arnold

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Schwarzenegger said. He is a friend, and I value that friendship. And to 
all of you and the good friends watching in over 100 cities and in 30 
States, you have touched my heart this evening.
    Let me also add my special thanks to Ted Welch, who ran this whole 
effort, to Bob Mosbacher, to Rob Mosbacher, next to me here, to all our 
finance chairs, and of course, a great party chairman, Rich Bond, the 
chairman of the Republican National Committee.
    This evening is for our entire ticket, from top to bottom, the proud 
Republican team. As you can imagine, I'm not in the habit much lately of 
quoting polls. [Laughter] But Rob reminded me of something; I couldn't 
help but notice that new poll that came out just last night. It wasn't 
CNN or ABC or Gallup or the Wall Street Journal; it was that little 
kids' magazine, Weekly Reader. They polled over 600,000 kids across 
America: 39 percent wanted Bill Clinton for President and 56 percent 
wanted George Bush.
    Before you think that the pressure of the past few months has gone 
to my head and that I'm seeking solace in fourth graders--[laughter]--
let me point out something. Weekly Reader is not a bad thermometer of 
what happens in elections. That particular poll hasn't been wrong since 
1956. But this is admittedly a weird year, the strangest year I can ever 
remember in politics, and I don't want to leave anything to chance. So 
when the Democrats leave Washington next week, or in the next few days, 
I'm asking Bob Dole, Bob Michel, and all the other Republicans to sneak 
up to Capitol Hill and pass the 28th amendment, lowering the voting age 
to 5-year-olds. Let Governor Clinton take his saxophone and go after the 
MTV vote--[laughter]--we'll tear him apart on ``Sesame Street.''
    But seriously, forget the polls. Forget the pundits. We are going to 
win this election. And we're going to lead this Nation for 4 more years. 
And let me tell you three reasons why I remain so confident.
    The first is our record. We've heard a lot of talk this year about 
what's wrong with America. But let's not lose sight of the grand victory 
that we have helped win for all humanity.
    As I study for the debate this Sunday, my thoughts went back to 
another debate 12 years ago. I believe it was in Cleveland with 
President Reagan, between Jimmy Carter and then-challenger Ronald 
Reagan. In his closing statement, President Carter, speaking from the 
heart, talked about how he'd had a conversation with his daughter, Amy, 
in which she said that the control of nuclear weapons was the greatest 
problem facing mankind. Some laughed. I didn't, and nor did President 
Reagan.
    Well, President Carter and many well-meaning people advocated at 
that point a nuclear freeze. Remember the freeze movement? But President 
Reagan and I fought for a policy of peace through strength. And 12 years 
later, over a billion people in every corner of the globe have taken 
their first breath of freedom. Tonight, as millions of American kids 
pull back the covers and shut off their talking Barbie dolls, they think 
not of nuclear weapons, but of the sweet and satisfying dreams of peace. 
Does that matter? You bet it does.
    The second reason we'll win is because our ideas make sense to 
middle class Americans.
    Governor Clinton likes to quote statistic after statistic, all kind 
of tearing down America, pointing out how bad everything is. But our 
problems are never put in the context of a global slowdown. Only now, 
only in the past few days, have people really started to compare our 
solutions.
    Governor Clinton likes to say that he's, quote, ``a different kind 
of Democrat,'' unquote. Well, to me there's nothing different about $150 
billion in new taxes, more than Michael Dukakis and Walter Mondale 
combined. There's nothing different about making pie-in-the-sky promises 
with one hand while pulling dollars out of working people's wallets with 
the other. In June, Governor Clinton proposed $220 billion in new 
Government spending. And he called it ``investment.'' And he used that 
same tone that doctors use when they say, this shot won't hurt you one 
bit. [Laughter]
    I thought that would satisfy Governor Clinton's appetite, but it 
turned out to be just an hors d'oeuvre. We did a little calculating. 
Since that day in June, Governor

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Clinton has promised at least another $200 billion, quote, ``in 
investments.'' Those are just the ones we've been able to put a price 
tag on, a billion dollars in new promises every single day. And so 
Governor Clinton has earned a new nickname, Billion Dollar Bill. 
[Laughter] But who is going to pay Bill's bills? The same people who 
always pay, the middle class. They're going to do it.
    A couple of weeks ago, the National Association of Business 
Economists compared Governor Clinton's billion-dollar-a-day spending 
plan with my progrowth policies of smaller Government and lower taxes. 
And the vast majority said that under our plan, under my plan, inflation 
would be lower, interest rates would be lower, and the budget deficit 
would be smaller.
    Governor Clinton said this week that his side is, quote, ``on the 
right side of history.'' But I fear his inexperience is showing. From 
Managua to Moscow, history is moving away from taxes and regulation and 
central control. History is casting aside the Government planner, who 
spends the wealth of nations, and lifting up the men and women who 
create it. No, Governor Clinton, history is on our side, and that's why 
we will make history in 25 days.
    I believe the third reason--I really believe this one--one reason we 
will win, in a word, is trust. We've spent most of the time in this 
campaign talking about economic and domestic policy, as well as we 
should, because those are the most important problems facing us today. 
We should remember, however, that when we elect a President of the 
United States, we're electing someone who at any time may have to deal 
with the awesome decision of sending someone else's young son or 
daughter, America's men and women, into battle.
    I had to make that decision in 1989, and then again in Desert Storm. 
The President we entrust with these decisions must have character, 
honesty, and integrity. Last night on the Larry King show, I was asked 
about some issues in my opponent's background. Let me repeat the point I 
made, because I feel so strongly about it: My opponent has written that 
he once mobilized demonstrations in London against the Vietnam war. I 
simply for the life of me cannot understand how someone can go to 
London, another country, and mobilize demonstrations against the United 
States of America when our kids are dying halfway around the world.
    The issue here isn't patriotism. You can demonstrate all you want 
here at home. Barbara and I look out, as Ron and Nancy did, out of the 
White House, and there's somebody out there every single day, properly 
protesting or raising objections, exercising their rights. That's part 
of America. But I can't understand someone mobilizing demonstrations in 
a foreign county when poor kids, drafted out of the ghettos, are dying 
in a faraway land. You can call me old-fashioned, but that just does not 
make sense to me.
    I think the American people respect experience and character and 
proven ability to make a tough decision. I hope that means that they 
will vote for me on November 3d.
    It has been said that a friend is someone who knows everything there 
is to know about you and likes you anyway. [Laughter] And, tonight, I 
would add that the definition of a friend is someone who stands by your 
side while you're behind, so that you can pull ahead. Barbara and I are 
blessed with thousands of friends, and you have touched our hearts 
tonight. As we say a hearty thanks to all of you, I remind you that our 
struggle is to more than win an election; our struggle is to renew 
America so that we can match the peace we have achieved in the world 
with that peace of mind here at home.
    Tonight, you have given me the strength and the passion and the 
inner confidence to take our ideas to the American people for 25 more 
days. You're sending me into St. Louis for that debate with a full head 
of steam.
    Thank you for your support. And God bless the United States of 
America. Thank you all very, very much.

                    Note: The President spoke at 9:08 p.m. in the J.W. 
                        Marriott Hotel. In his remarks, he referred to 
                        Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chairman, President's 
                        Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; Robert 
                        Mosbacher, Sr., gen-

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                        eral chairman for finance, Republican National 
                        Committee; and Robert Mosbacher, Jr., chairman, 
                        Texas Victory '92.