    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [November 1, 2003]
    [Pages 1443-1446]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks in London, Kentucky
    November 1, 2003

        The President. Thank you all for coming. Thank you for being here.
    I'm honored to be here. Thanks for so many people showing up today. It's
    a beautiful day to talk about the next Governor of the State of
    Kentucky.
        My only regret is I wasn't here a month ago for the fried chicken
    festival. [Laughter] I appreciate so many folks showing up. It's a good
    sign, Ernie. It's a good sign people care about their government. It's a
    good sign that people know they have got a responsibility to vote. I'm
    here to say as clearly I can, the right person to become the next
    Governor of the State of Kentucky is Ernie Fletcher.
        I want to thank you all for bringing your families. I also want to
    thank the Bush Volunteer Fire Department for coming. That's a heck of a
    name you chose. [Laughter] I'm proud to share it with you, and thanks
    for what you do.
        I can say without any uncertainty at all that Ernie is the right man to be the Governor. Listen to this:
    He's a fighter pilot. That says something. And he's a healer. He's a
    doctor. He's an engineer. He did a fine job in the United States
    Congress. He's had good experience. He married well--[laughter]--just
    like me. I appreciate Glenna. I
    appreciate the sacrifices she's making for the people of this great
    State.
        The people of this State must be assured that when they elect
    somebody to high office, that person will uphold the dignity of that
    office. You want your kids looking at somebody who--for whom you can be
    proud. Ernie Fletcher values his faith. He
    values his family. He understands the responsibilities that you must
    assume when you get elected to high office. The right man for the job is
    Ernie Fletcher.
        It's one thing to be listening to the speeches; it's another thing
    to be doing the work. I'm asking you to go out and turn out the vote.
    I'm asking you to go to your coffee shops, your farm implement dealers,
    your community centers, your houses of worship, and remind people they
    have a duty to vote. In this free land you have a duty to exercise your
    responsibility. And you might also remind them when they're heading to
    the polls, he's the right man for the job.
        And don't overlook those disgruntled Democrats, either. [Laughter]
    They want good, clean government in Frankfort. There's plenty of
    independents you can encourage to go vote. This is voter turnout time
    now. The good people of this part of the State understand what I'm
    talking about. You go find your neighbors and get them to the polls, and
    you'll be proud of the job he does on behalf of everybody in this State.
        Make sure that you also get them to vote for the Lieutenant
    Governor. [Laughter] It's kind of natural, isn't it? I'm proud of the
    fact that Ernie picked Steve Pence. He's a
    good, solid man. See, I picked him first. I don't know if you know this
    or not, but I named him to be the U.S. Attorney for western Kentucky. I
    looked long and hard to get the right person to do this important job.
    Steve Pence was the man. He's not only the man to be the U.S. Attorney;
    he's the man to become your Lieutenant Governor.
        Laura sends her love to the people of eastern
    Kentucky. She's a fabulous First

    [[Page 1444]]

    Lady. I'm really proud of her. You drew the short straw. You got me.
    [Laughter]
        I'm so proud to be on the same platform with two great United States
    Senators. First, Senator Mitch McConnell--he
    represents Kentucky really well. He also married well. [Laughter] He
    married so well, I put Elaine, his wife, into
    the Cabinet. [Laughter] I'm proud of the job she's doing for the working
    people of this country. I'm also proud to be here with Jim and Mary Bunning, two great
    citizens of this State. It is really important you send him back to the
    United States Senate in '04.
        The truth of the matter is, I'm here because a great friend of my family's said, ``Listen, if you want to
    help Ernie, you make sure you come to
    London.'' He said, ``If you really want to do some good for this good
    man, you make sure you come to the heart of my district.'' I think you
    know who I'm talking about.
        Audience members. [Applause]
        The President. Yes. A great American, a great friend, a wonderful
    Congressman from this part of the world, one of the real powers in the
    Halls of Congress, a man who thinks constantly about the people in this
    district, and that would be Hal Rogers. It's been a real pleasure to get to know
    Cynthia as well. I like a man who married a
    younger woman. [Laughter]
        I'm also proud to be here with the former Governor, Governor Louie
    Nunn. I appreciate Governor Nunn being here
    today as well. Thank you, Louie. Adam Koenig is
    with us. He's running for the State treasurer, and he wants your vote.
    You talk about a man who picked a good name running for the commissioner
    of agriculture--[laughter]--Richie Farmer is
    throwing his hat in the ring, and he wants your help.
        I'm proud to be here with my friend David Williams, the president of the State senate. Ellen
    Williams runs the party here, and
    Mike Duncan is the national committeeman. And
    all of you all involved in the grassroots--that means fixing to turn out
    the vote; that's what that means to me--thanks for coming. It's been a
    real joy to be here.
        I also want to thank Rebecca Lynn Howard for singing so beautifully for you all.
        What's important for a Governor candidate is to have a good agenda,
    a good platform; you've got to run for a reason. And Ernie is running for the right reason. First of all, he and I
    share a concern: Anytime any of our citizens who wants to work and can't
    find a job, it says we've got a problem, and you better get you a
    Governor here in Kentucky who understands what it means to create the
    environment so jobs can grow.
        You know, when I came into office, the country was in a recession.
    And then the enemy hit us. And then we found out some of our citizens
    forgot what it means to be responsible. They didn't tell the truth to
    their shareholders and their employees. By the way, some of them are
    finding out what it means to be held accountable.
        So I went to the Congress and said, ``We've got to be concerned
    about the fact that people aren't working.'' But I went with this
    principle--and Ernie understands this; that's
    why I'm bringing it up; it's important you have a Governor who
    understands how to create that environment for job growth and job
    creation. When a person has more money in his or her pocket, he or she
    is likely to demand a good or a service. And when you demand a good or a
    service, somebody is going to produce that good or a service. And when
    somebody produces that good or a service, somebody is more likely to
    find a job. The tax relief that Ernie supported strongly came at the
    right time for the American economy and the American people. When you
    have more money in your pockets, somebody is more likely to find a job.
        In order to make sure that you've got an economy that's strong here
    in Kentucky, you better make sure you've got a Governor who is wise with
    the people's money. And

    [[Page 1445]]

    that starts with understanding this principle: In government, we don't
    spend the government's money; that's your money. We spend the people's
    money. And Ernie is not going to play
    politics with your money. He's going to set priorities. He's going to be
    wise about how to spend the taxpayers' money.
        In order to make sure you've got an economy that grows, you better
    have a legal system that is fair and balanced. Junk lawsuits make it
    hard to have a State that creates jobs. You need a Governor who's
    willing to stand up to the plaintiff's bar, somebody who will stand
    strong and say, ``If you need your day in court, you'll have a day in
    court, but frivolous and junk lawsuits make it hard for people to find
    work.'' And frivolous and junk lawsuits make it hard for people to get
    good, affordable health care. You need medical liability reform in this
    State.
        I used to say in Texas that education is to a State what national
    defense is to the Federal Government. The top priority of any State is
    to make sure every child gets a good education. And that's Ernie
    Fletcher's top priority. Ernie is going to
    stand with the teachers. Ernie is going to stand with the parents. Most
    importantly, Ernie is going to stand with the children. He'll challenge
    what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations. He believes every
    child can learn. He'll raise the standards and insist that our children
    learn to read and write and add and subtract. You need a Governor who
    will make sure no child is left behind in the State of Kentucky.
        He's right on a lot of the issues. He's running on a good, solid
    platform. This is a platform, by the way, that's good for Republicans
    and Democrats and independents. This is a Kentucky platform.
        One of the things I like most about his platform is his
    understanding of the role of faith in our society. The state should
    never fund the church, and the church should never try to be the state.
    But in order to heal broken hearts, in order to address some of the
    deepest needs of our fellow citizens, whether they be the homeless or
    the addict or the child who needs special love, we must welcome faith in
    our society. We must rally the armies of compassion.
        I look forward to working with Ernie to
    make sure the Federal efforts and the State efforts and the local
    efforts here in Kentucky are well-coordinated when it comes to
    protecting the homeland. I look forward to working with him to make sure
    that our first-responders, the brave police and firefighters and
    emergency management teams, get resources necessary to do the job you
    expect them to do.
        But I also want you to know, and he understands this, that the best
    way to protect the homeland is to chase the killers down, one at a time,
    and bring them to justice. We must never forget the lessons of September
    the 11th, 2001. We must understand we have a duty and responsibility to
    provide security for the people of this country. Therapy is not going to
    work with that bunch. [Laughter] We must be smart. We must be tough. We
    will not tire. We will not rest until this danger to civilization is
    removed.
        When I came into office, morale in the U.S. military was beginning
    to suffer, so we increased the defense budget. Ernie Fletcher stood right by my side, making sure our troops, our
    brave troops, got the best training, the best pay, and the best possible
    equipment.
        But I want you to know, the best way to safeguard America is to work
    to spread freedom, is to make sure that freedom can take hold around the
    world. See, free societies don't attack their neighbors. Free societies
    do not develop weapons of mass terror to blackmail or threaten the
    world. We understand this--it's very important--that freedom is not
    America's gift to the world; freedom is the Lord Almighty's gift to each
    person in the world.
        I'm proud that Ernie stood strong on
    these tough issues. I'm proud I could count

    [[Page 1446]]

    on him. And you can count on him when he's your Governor. He's a good,
    honest man. He's a decent man. He's an honorable man. And I'm here to
    ask you to turn out the vote here, in this important part of the State,
    and send this man to the statehouse, who will do you a great job.
        Thanks for coming. May God bless, and may God bless America.

    Note: The President spoke at 5 p.m. at London-Corbin Airport. In his
    remarks, he referred to Glenna A. Fletcher, wife of gubernatorial
    candidate Ernie Fletcher; Cynthia Rogers, wife of Representative Harold
    ``Hal'' Rogers; Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao; and country music
    entertainer Rebecca Lynn Howard.