[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992-1993, Book II)]
[October 21, 1992]
[Pages 1897-1899]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks to the Community in Gastonia, North Carolina
October 21, 1992

    The President. What a fantastic welcome. Thank you, thank you very 
much. Thank you so much. Thank you very, very much. Thank you, Alex. Let 
me just say this about Alex McMillan and Cass Ballenger: If we had more 
men of distinction, people of their character, people wouldn't be 
saying, ``Clean House!'' Keep both these guys in the Congress, and send 
us a lot more like them.
    May I say what a pleasure it is to be here with both the Mayors of 
Renlo and Gastonia. I'm delighted to be welcomed by both of them. In 
fact, for good luck we've even thrown in the Mayor of Charlotte, North 
Carolina, over here, Mayor Vinroot. I'm delighted to see him. And, of 
course, I'm honored once again to be standing next to one of the truly 
great Governors in the United States, Jim Martin. You've been very, very 
lucky.
    You've been very, very lucky for these last few years, and now I 
hope you'll keep this record going by sending Jim Gardner back to be 
Governor of this State. And also, when they yell, ``Clean House!'' 
they're starting to yell, ``Clean Senate!'' And well they should because 
we need Lauch Faircloth in the United States Senate.
    I heard the introduction he got, but let me just put a P.S. on it: I 
am very honored to have with us one of the country's senior statesmen 
and most respected leaders in the whole country, Strom Thurmond. What a 
wonderful man he is.
    I don't know if you watched the ball games, but I hope you see my 
Braves jacket because the Braves are going to win the World Series. Now, 
you've got the chop going. You got it.
    Did any of you all watch that debate on Monday night? You said that, 
not me. Now, wait a minute. [Laughter] Well, I think we had a chance to 
lay out the choice before Americans, the vast difference on philosophy, 
on issues, and yes, the vast difference on character. Character matters.
    We also had a chance to put into focus this man's record. This sign 
says it pretty well: 50th in environmental initiatives. I would add, 
50th in percentage of adults with college degrees; 50th in per capita 
spending on criminal justice; 49th in per capita spending on police 
protection; 48th on percentage of adults with high school diplomas; 48th 
in spending on corrections; 46th, teachers' salaries; 45th in the 
overall well-being of children. And he said, ``I want to do for the 
country what I've done for Arkansas.''
    Audience members. Boo-o-o!
    The President. We cannot put him in the White House. He's like a 
struggling Little League manager wanting to go to the Atlanta Braves. 
We're not going to have it happen.
    I think the biggest difference between us really relates to what he 
calls change. He wants $150 billion in new taxes. He wants $220 billion 
new spending. And he wants trickle-down Government, big Government 
trickling down to the people, and we aren't going to let him get that.
    Yesterday he backed off a little bit, once again flip-flopping, one 
side of an issue one day, one on another. Now he says, well, he didn't 
mean it, when they pointed out to him he would have to tax the middle 
class. And he said, ``Well, maybe I'll slow down reducing the deficit.''
    We can get this deficit down by control-

[[Page 1898]]

ling spending and without raising taxes. That is my position.
    He talks about change, change, change. The last time we got that 
kind of change we had interest rates at 21 percent; we had inflation at 
15 percent; we wiped out every family budget. We do not need a liberal 
Democrat in the White House with this spendthrift Congress we've got. He 
talks about change. He talks about change. That's all you'll have left 
in your pocket if his program goes in, believe me.
    So how do we help people? Here's the way we do it. We open up new 
markets for the products made right here in North Carolina. We have the 
best workers. Now expand our markets so those products can be sold in 
this interrelated world economy.
    How do we do it? We put some incentive in there for small business. 
Big guys can take care of themselves. Give some incentives to small 
business to remove the regulation, help with the taxes.
    We've got to do something about these crazy lawsuits. Governor 
Clinton is in the pocket of the trial lawyers. Let me tell you 
something: Up to $200 billion is spent on lawyers. We ought to sue each 
other less as a country and care for each other more.
    We've got a good health care program. It's backed by these two 
Members of the Congress, a good program. Governor Clinton wants to get 
the Government setting the prices. I want to provide insurance to every 
American, help the middle class with tax credit, help the poorest of the 
poor with vouchers, get insurance provided for all, but keep America's 
quality of health care up while making it accessible to all. We've got 
to do that.
    Education: We've got a good record; 1,700 communities across this 
country, some North Carolina communities in the lead, literally 
revolutionizing education. It is not good enough to have education 
refuse to change. We are going to do it. We are going to give parents a 
choice of schools, religious, public, or private. We've increased Pell 
grants for kids going to college by far more than any other 
administration. We're going to fight for choice, and we are going to 
make these schools better. But we're not going to do it by trickle-down 
Government, having Governor Clinton tell us how to run our schools all 
across this country.
    You know, all along the line I see these police officers at these 
crossings, and it makes me count my blessings for those men and women 
who are out there defending our neighborhoods against the criminals. We 
need more strong anticrime legislation in this country. We need to back 
up our police officers more and have a little less concern about the 
criminals themselves. Nobody in this country is fighting harder for 
strong anticrime legislation than your neighbor and my friend Strom 
Thurmond. We owe him a vote of thanks for what he's doing.
    The other day--one of the best visits I've ever had in the White 
House--we had a group of, I think it was six or eight men. They came to 
see me, and they said, ``We support you for President.'' They were the 
leaders of the Fraternal Order of Police from Little Rock, Arkansas, and 
they joined the National Fraternal Order of Police, saying, ``We've got 
to get strong legislation. We support President Bush for reelection.''
    I don't think we need more of the status quo. I told you what it was 
like when Jimmy Carter left and when those liberal Democrats controlled 
both the White House and the Congress. Remember now, those interest 
rates were 21 percent. Inflation was wiping out every senior citizen; it 
was at 15 percent. And remember, it led us into a deep recession where 
unemployment got far higher than this today.
    So what have we got to do? We've got to reform the Government. Send 
me new Members of Congress, and we will. Give me that line-item veto to 
cut down on the spending. Give the taxpayers a check-off on their tax 
returns. And if you care as much about the deficit as I do, check off 10 
percent of your income tax and make the Congress and the White House cut 
that deficit by cutting spending.
    I want a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. The 
Governors have it. Give it to the President, and let's get this country 
on the move. I want to give the Congress back to the people and get some 
term limits. The President's term is limited. Let's limit the Members of 
Congress.

[[Page 1899]]

    My big difference with Governor Clinton, though, is----
    Audience members. Clean House! Clean House! Clean House!
    The President. Clean House! You've got it.
    The big difference I've got with Governor Clinton relates to being 
on all sides of all issues. You know, as President you cannot do that. 
When I had to make a tough decision, a rather lonely decision, to commit 
the sons and daughters of North Carolina to battle, where was Governor 
Clinton? He said, well, I'm with the minority--I'm paraphrasing--I am 
with the minority--they wanted sanctions to work; they wanted to let 
Saddam Hussein have it the way he was, and hoped we'd back him out--I'm 
with the minority, but I guess I would have voted with the majority. 
What kind of leadership is that? That is not leadership. That is 
pathetic.
    We made a tough call, and we kicked Saddam Hussein out. We busted 
the fourth largest army, and we resurrected the image of the United 
States all around the world.
    No, we do not need a pattern of deception. It isn't one single 
issue. It's not simply whether--I'm still offended by the fact that 
anybody, when your country is at war, would go to a foreign country and 
organize demonstrations against the United States. I'm against that.
    But it is not just that. It is this flip-flop and pattern of 
deception on one issue after another, whispering to one union what they 
want to hear and then going out and saying something different. Fuel 
efficiency standards, spotted owls, term limits, trade agreements, you 
name it: He is on both sides of the issue, and a President cannot do 
that. You simply cannot lead by misleading. I ask the American people to 
look at this Arkansas record and then listen to his rhetoric, and let's 
tell the truth to the people.
    When that telephone rings in the Oval Office or at the White House 
late at night, and you have to make a decision, you cannot be all things 
to all people. If you make a mistake, you do what you people do. You 
stand up and say, ``I blew it. I was wrong. Let's go on about the 
Nation's business.'' But do not try to be something you're not. Do not 
try to tell them one thing and then do something else.
    You notice the Sun just came out. Well, let me tell you something: 
That's what's going to happen on election day. Don't believe these crazy 
pollsters. Don't believe these nutty pollsters. You know my favorite 
bumper sticker: ``Annoy the Media. Reelect President Bush.'' They don't 
like it. They don't like it a bit. They don't like it, but I love the 
American people, and this train trip is fantastic. You get outside of 
that beltway; you take your case to genuine Americans. My case is the 
right case for this country, because I want to make life better for 
every kid here.
    Let me tell you something. They say, what is your--what 
accomplishments you like--take the best out of? What do you like the 
most? I'm proud that we put choice in child care. I'm proud that we 
passed an ADA bill that says to the disabled, you have a shot at the 
American dream. I'm proud of what we did in clean air, try to help this 
environment so they'll have a better chance when they get older. But 
I'll tell you one thing that pleases me the most: We have lowered the 
threat of nuclear war so every kid here will have a safer future. That 
is good.
    Now I ask your support, and I ask your help to get this economy 
moving again so we can make life better for every single young person 
here. With your help and with your support, I will be reelected 
President and will serve the people for 4 more years.
    Thank you. And may God bless the United States of America. May God 
look after us. We are the world's leader. Let's keep it that way. Thank 
you very much. Thank you guys very much. Thank you. All aboard. All 
aboard. Thanks a lot. What a great rally. Thank you, kids. Chop 'em up. 
You got it.

                    Note: The President spoke at 10:25 a.m. beside the 
                        Spirit of America train. In his remarks, he 
                        referred to Joe Lawing, Mayor of Renlo; James B. 
                        Garland, Mayor of Gastonia; and Richard Vinroot, 
                        Mayor of Charlotte.