[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[October 20, 1992]
[Pages 1889-1891]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Community in Gainesville, Georgia
October 20, 1992

    The President. Thank you, Dow Williams. And thank you, Gainesville. 
What a fantastic rally. I am grateful to you, and it makes me think we 
are going to win this election.
    Let me just say how pleased I am to be accompanied on this trip by 
two of America's greats: Governor Campbell, the Governor of South 
Carolina, and Senator Strom Thurmond, the great United States Senator. 
And you know, everyplace I go I see signs that say, ``Clean House!'' Let 
me say let's also clean Senate and send Paul Coverdell to the United 
States Senate.
    May I thank Dow Williams, who's our master of ceremonies, and 
everybody responsible for this fantastic rally. And let me say this: One 
left me in Norcross. I expect I will see her in the White House Thursday 
night, but I am very proud of our First Lady, Barbara Bush, who sends 
you her very best.
    It is great to be in the land of the free and the home of the 
Braves. You know--you got it. This is what we're going to do to Governor 
Clinton, Clinton-Gore. You know, baseball's exactly like politics. So 
you forget about all these crazy polls. Don't let these newscasters tell 
you what's happening or how to vote. On election day we're going to show 
America it ain't over 'til Cabrera swings, and that's exactly the way 
it's going to be.
    Anybody see that debate last night? Well, it seems to me we had a 
chance to lay out the difference before the American people. I was 
talking about a difference in experience, a difference in philosophy, 
and yes, a difference in character. And I think all three of those 
things matter.
    The scariest moment of that debate was when Governor Clinton said he 
wanted to do for the United States what he's done to Arkansas. That 
scares me. We cannot have that. I hate to ruin a beautiful rally on a 
sunny day in Gainesville, but let me tell you something: Arkansas is the 
50th out of 50 States in environmental initiatives; 49th in high school 
diplomas; 45th in well-being of children; and incomes and jobs and wages 
lag the entire Nation. We do not need that for the greatest country on 
the face of the Earth.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. I thought----
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Four more!
    You know, I agreed with one thing that Ross Perot said. He said, the 
grocery store is no preparation for Wal-Mart, and I think he's right. 
This is the big leagues. You can't have it both ways on every issue. 
You've got to say what you think, admit your mistakes, and lead and not 
waffle. I am that kind of a leader, and the other man is the waffler.

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    I had a chance to point out last night--he didn't like it a bit--
that Governor Clinton has already said he wants to raise your taxes by 
$150 billion. He wants to spend----
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. I'm sorry. He wants to spend $220 billion. He says 
he'll take it all from the rich. All you cab drivers, all you nurses, 
all you boys club workers, all you watch out, because he's coming right 
after your wallet, coming right after it. We are not going to let him 
tax the American people anymore.
    He wants trickle-down Government. We do not need bigger Government 
in Washington, DC. We need to control that growth in spending, give the 
over-taxed taxpayer a little relief, and get this deficit down. That is 
my program.
    Georgia is a great export State. We create a lot of export jobs 
here. I think exports are going to lead our way to a new prosperity for 
the entire world. Let's not go back to protection. Let's open up those 
foreign markets to Georgia's goods. Our American workers can outproduce 
any workers, any part of the world. We are the best.
    Everybody here knows this, but it is small business that creates the 
new jobs. Two-thirds of the new jobs come from small businesses. And the 
small businesses need relief from taxation, regulation, litigation. 
Clinton would sock the taxpayer with more. I say no, lighten up on small 
business, and let them create jobs.
    Last night, I can't remember whether we talked about it in the 
debate, but one big difference I have with this man is he doesn't care 
about these lawsuits. My view is we are suing each other too much and 
caring for each other too little. We ought to do something about these 
crazy lawsuits. We spend over $200 billion a year on lawyers, and that's 
too much. We've got some darn good ones, and I hope they're here. But 
we've got to put a cap on these crazy lawsuits.
    Last night, we showed a big difference on education. We've got a lot 
of kids here. I think it's time to give the parents the choice and the 
help to send their kids to the schools they want, public, private, or 
religious. I think it's time we have a new health care system that makes 
insurance available to the poorest of the poor, gives the middle class a 
tax break, but does not turn it over to the Federal Government. The 
Federal Government can't run the post office too well, and we ought to 
do better in health care.
    On crime, I've got a fundamental difference with the Governor, 
because I believe we ought to be a little more sympathetic to the 
victims of crime and a little less sympathetic to the criminals 
themselves. In Arkansas, prisoners spend 20 percent of their term in 
jail. In the Federal system it is 85. We do not need to be more lenient; 
we need to back up the families and the law enforcement officers and 
bring law and order back to our communities.
    You know, one of the best visits I've had as President of the United 
States is when a group of young men from the Fraternal Order of Police 
came to see me, and they were from Little Rock, Arkansas, endorsing me 
for President of the United States.
    Last night, we talked about reforming Government. I do believe we 
need to get this deficit down, and here's three ways to do it: Give me 
what many of the Governors have. Give me a balanced budget amendment, 
and make this Congress save money. Give me a line-item veto. Forty-three 
Governors have it. Let the President draw a line through those wasteful 
programs. Congress can't do it. Give me the chance.
    I want a check-off on the tax returns so if a person says, ``I'm 
concerned about the deficit,'' they can check off 10 percent of their 
tax they send to the Government, and then the Congress and the President 
must reduce the deficit by that much. Discipline the Federal Government.
    One other idea where I have a big difference with the status quo and 
with Governor Clinton and Mr. Gore is I believe that we ought to have 
term limits on the Members of the United States Congress.
    I do believe character counts. We're talking about the Presidency. 
We are talking about who is privileged and honored to serve in that 
hallowed White House. Character counts, and I don't believe you can 
flip-flop on every issue.
    Governor Clinton is on one side of the war. He was 
saying, ``Well, I agree with the

[[Page 1891]]

minority, but I guess I would have voted for the majority.'' When you're 
President, you've got to make a tough decision. We did it, and Georgia's 
sons and daughters behaved with honor, and we kicked Saddam Hussein all 
the way out of Kuwait. And we restored the honor of the United States.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. My objection----
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Four more!
    My concern about Governor Clinton is there is a pattern of 
deception. It flip-flops. It's on the right-to-work laws. It's on free 
trade. It was on the war itself. It was on term limits. You cannot be 
all things to all people. You can't say one day, ``Well, I'm for the 
Blue Jays, but maybe I'll be for the Atlanta Braves.'' I'm for the 
Braves, and that's the way it is.
    Listen, you guys----

[At this point, the audience chanted the Braves cheer.]

    The President. Wasn't that great? You know, I'll make one serious 
comment here that transcends politics. But I know all Georgians, 
everyone in the United States was upset when we saw the Canada flag 
inadvertently, by mistake--everyone's human--make an error, and their 
flag was flown upside down. This morning I apologized to the people of 
Canada. They understand. They are our friends and our allies. They have 
respect for our flag, and we have respect for theirs. They are great 
people, and I hope they come in second in the World Series.
    In conclusion, let me say this: In the Richmond debate--maybe some 
of you had to suffer through that one--Governor Clinton said it's not 
the character of the President, it's ``the character of the 
Presidency.'' And I said, no, you can't separate the two. When I see 
these kids out here, I am more determined than ever not only to serve 
with honor, not only to show compassion and concern for the people of 
this country but to enact the programs that are going to help the young 
people and lead them to a new prosperity and a new hope.
    We have literally changed the world. These kids go to bed at night 
without the same fear of nuclear war that their mothers and their dads 
and their older brothers and their sisters had. That is dramatic change. 
And because of our leadership we are, indeed, the most respected nation 
in the world. Now help me take that same leadership and lift up the 
American people, because our best days are ahead. We are the United 
States.
    May God bless the United States of America. Thank you all very, very 
much. What a great rally. Thank you.
    Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
    The President. Thank you so much. Thank you all. Great rally. Thank 
you, Gainesville. Thank you, Georgia. Thank you, the United States of 
America. We are going to win this election. Thank you so much. All 
aboard!

                    Note: The President spoke at 2:25 p.m. on the 
                        observation deck of the Spirit of America train.