[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book II)]
[September 9, 2004]
[Pages 1970-1977]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Johnstown, Pennsylvania
September 9, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thank you all very much. Thanks for
coming. You know, it turns out I am the first sitting President to have
visited Johnstown in more than 30 years. All those other Presidents sure
missed out. Thanks for coming. I'm proud you came out. I'm honored you
are here. I'm pleased to be with the good folks here in Johnstown. I
know you like to hunt and fish. So do I. I know you care about your
neighbors. I appreciate that. I know you take your baseball seriously.
And from the looks of things, with your help, we'll carry Pennsylvania
in November.
I'm here to ask for your vote. And I'm here to ask for your help. We
have a duty to vote in this country, and I'm here to
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ask you to register your friends and neighbors and encourage them to do
their duty. And when you're out registering people, don't overlook
discerning Democrats. You might remember my friend Zell Miller. He represents a lot of folks who understand that when
you put Dick Cheney and me back in office, this
country will be safer, stronger, and better for every American.
My regret is that Laura didn't come with me
today.
Audience members. Aw-w-w!
The President. She was a public school
librarian when I asked her to marry me. And she said, ``Fine, I'll marry
you, so long as I don't have to give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I
said, ``Okay.'' Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that promise. You saw
her the other night in New York City. You saw how gracious she is, how
strong she is. I love her dearly. I'm going to give you some reasons why
I think you ought to put me back in office, but perhaps the most
important one of all is so that Laura is First Lady for 4 more years.
I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I
admit it, he doesn't have the waviest hair on the ticket. [Laughter] I
didn't pick him for his looks. I picked him because he's a man of sound
judgment and great experience and can get the job done for the American
people.
I appreciate Congressman Bill Shuster
joining us today. He's been telling me all along I need to come to
Johnstown, Pennsylvania. When I showed up, he said, ``You finally made
it.'' I said, ``I made it just in time to rally these folks to get ready
to win this election come November.''
I want to thank your mayor, Don Zucco,
for joining us today. Mr. Mayor, I'm proud you're here. Sometimes they
say, ``Well, do you ever have any advice for the local officials?'' Mr.
Mayor, fill the potholes. [Laughter] I appreciate you coming, Mayor.
I want to thank all the State and local officials who are here. I
want to thank my friend Victor Raia. He heads
Veterans for Bush. And I want to thank all the veterans who have joined
us here today as well.
I want to thank the Wil Gravatt Band. I
appreciate them playing here. I appreciate the high school band that's
here tonight. Thank you for coming. I'm going to try to keep my speech
short so you can get home and do your homework. [Laughter]
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here, the
people who put up the signs and make the phone calls. I really
appreciate your help. I know you're working hard, but keep working. And
I'll be working right alongside of you.
I'm looking forward to the campaign. I'm going to tell the people
where I stand, where I--what I believe, and where I'm going to lead this
Nation. I'm going to tell them that I have a plan to keep this country
of ours safer and a more hopeful America. I'm running on a compassionate
conservative philosophy that says, ``Government ought to help people,
not dictate to people.''
I believe every child can learn. That's what I believe. I went to
Washington to challenge the soft bigotry of low expectations. We've
raised standards. We're measuring early to solve problems before it is
too late. We're ending that old practice of just shuffling the kids
through the system year after year without learning the basics. We trust
the local people to make the right decisions for the schools. We're
closing an achievement gap in America, and we're not turning back.
I believe we have a moral responsibility to honor our seniors with
good health care. I went up to Washington to fix problems. We had a
problem with Medicare. Let me give you one example. Medicare would pay
tens of thousands of dollars for the heart surgery, and that's okay. But
it wouldn't pay for the medicine to prevent the heart surgery from
happening in the first place. It didn't make any sense for our seniors
to have a Medicare system like that, and
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it certainly didn't make sense for the taxpayers. We have modernized
Medicare. Our seniors will get prescription drug coverage, and we're not
turning back.
I believe in the energy and innovative spirit of the American worker
and farmer and small-business owner. And that's why we unleashed that
energy with the largest tax relief in a generation. When you're out
rounding up the vote, remind your friends and neighbors that we've been
through a lot. This economy of ours has been through a lot. See, 5
months before I got into office, the stock market had begun to decline.
We had a recession. We had corporate scandals, which affected our
economy. And of course, we had the attacks on our country. But we've
overcome all these obstacles because we've got good workers, good small-
business owners. We've overcome them too because of well-timed tax cuts.
And this economy of ours is strong, and it is getting stronger. Our
economy has been growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years.
We're adding jobs here in America, about 1.7 million new jobs over the
last 12 months. We've added 107,000 manufacturing jobs since January.
The unemployment rate is now 5.4 percent. That is lower than the average
rate of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The unemployment rate in your great
State is 5.3 percent. The economic stimulus plan we passed is working.
I believe a President must confront problems, not pass them on to
future Presidents and future generations. I believe the most solemn duty
of the American President is to protect the American people. If America
shows uncertainty or weakness in this decade, the world will drift
toward tragedy. This is not going to happen on my watch. I believe this
Nation wants steady, consistent, principled leadership, and that is why,
with your help, we're going to win a great victory in November.
The world in which we live and work is changing. In the generations
of our dads and granddads, a man generally had one job and one career,
worked for one company, and the company provided health care and a
pension plan. It's a different world today; I understand it's a
different world today. Many women now work inside the home and outside
the home. The workplace is changing. Many people change careers. Yet
many of the most fundamental systems of our Government, the Tax Code,
health coverage, pension plans, and worker training, were created for
the world of yesterday, not tomorrow. In the next 4 years, we will
transform these systems so that all citizens are equipped, prepared, and
thus truly free to make your own choices, so you can realize the great
promise of America.
Listen, any hopeful society has a growing economy, and I've got a
plan to keep this economy moving forward. To create more jobs in
America, America must be the best place in the world to do business.
That means we must reduce the regulatory burden on our small-business
owners in America. To create more jobs in America, we must stop the junk
lawsuits that threaten our employers. To keep jobs here and to expand
our economy, Congress needs to pass my energy plan, a plan that
encourage conservation, encourages renewable sources of energy like
ethanol and biodiesel. It encourages clean coal technology. It is a plan
that understands that we must become less dependent on foreign sources
of energy.
Listen, to create jobs here, we've got to open up markets for U.S.
products. We open up our markets for goods from other countries, and
that's good for the consumer. And it's good for you. If you've got more
choices to choose from, you're likely to get the product you want at a
better price and higher quality. So what I tell countries like China is,
``You treat us the way we treat you.'' America can compete with anybody,
anytime, anywhere so long as the rules are fair.
To create jobs, we got to be wise about how we spend your money and
keep your taxes low. We have a difference of opinion about taxes in this
campaign. I'm running
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against a fellow who has proposed more than $2
trillion in new spending so far.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Awfully tempting when you're coming down the pike to
tell everybody what they want to hear. So they said, ``Well, how are you
going to pay for it?'' He said, ``Oh, that's
simple. We'll just tax the rich.'' There's two problems with that. One
is that you can't raise enough money by taxing the rich to pay for $2
trillion. There's a gap between what he promises and what he says he's
going to do. Guess who usually has to fill that gap? Yes. Here's the
other problem. You've heard that rhetoric before, ``Oh, don't worry.
We'll just tax the rich.'' They hire lawyers and accountants and dodge,
and you get stuck with the bill. We're not going to let him tax you.
We're going to win in November.
Thinking about taxes, the Federal Tax Code needs to be changed. It's
a complicated mess. It is full of special interest loopholes. Americans
spend hours after hours filling out their tax form. They estimate about
6 billion hours worth of paperwork and headache on an annual basis is
spent by American workers and small-business owners and big businesses.
You see, the American people need a simpler, fairer, progrowth Tax Code.
In a new term, I will lead a bipartisan effort to simplify and make more
fair the Federal Tax Code.
The job base is changing, and we've got to help workers gain the
skills necessary to fill the jobs of the 21st century. That's why I'm
such a strong proponent of helping workers gain new skills at the
community colleges across this country. Most new jobs are now filled by
people with at least 2 years of college. Yet one in four of our students
gets there. So in our high schools, we'll fund early intervention
programs to help students at risk. We'll place an emphasis on math and
science. Over time, we'll require a rigorous exam before graduation. By
raising performance in our high schools and by expanding Pell grants for
low- and middle-income families, we will help more Americans start their
career with a college diploma.
In this time of change, we will do more to make sure health care is
available and affordable. More than half of the uninsured are employees
of small businesses. Small businesses are having trouble with health
care costs. In order to help those families and help small businesses,
Government should allow small businesses to join together to purchase
insurance at the discounts available for big companies.
We will expand health savings accounts. We will make sure poor
communities have got community health centers. And we've got to do
something about these junk lawsuits. I'm telling you, the cost of
medicine is on the rise because junk lawsuits are driving good docs out
of practice and running up the cost of medicine here in America. You
cannot be pro-doctor, pro-hospital, pro-patient, and pro-trial-lawyer at
the same time. You have to choose. And my opponent has made his choice, and he put him on the ticket.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I have made my choice. I am for medical liability
reform--now. In all we do to improve health care in America, we will
make sure that health decisions are made by doctors and patients, not by
bureaucrats in Washington, DC.
In a changing society, ownership can help bring stability to
people's lives. That's why we want more people owning their own home in
America. The homeownership rate in America is at an alltime high right
now. Isn't that fantastic? Think about that. More people are opening
their front door, saying, ``Welcome to my home. Welcome to my piece of
property.'' We've got a plan to continue to expand homeownership to
every community in this country.
And we also want to make sure that our pension plans are modern and
work. If you're an older citizen, you're in good shape when it comes to
Social Security. If you're a baby boomer, like me, you're
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in okay shape when it comes to Social Security. But we need to worry
about our children and our grandchildren. I believe younger workers
ought to be able to take some of their own money and set it aside in a
personal account to make sure Social Security is available.
We have a difference of philosophy in this campaign. If you listen
carefully to the rhetoric, my opponent's programs
expand Government. My programs expand opportunity. And I feel
comfortable doing that because I think the role of Government is to
trust the people, trust the people with their own decisions, trust the
people with their own money, trust the people to make the right
judgment.
In a world of change, there's some things that just do not change,
the values we try to live by, courage and compassion, reverence and
integrity. In a time of change, we must support the institutions that
give us stability, our families, our schools, and our religious
congregations.
We stand for a culture of live in which every person counts and
every being matters. We stand for marriage and family, which are the
foundations of our society. And I stand for the appointment of Federal
judges who know the difference between personal opinion and the strict
interpretation of the law.
This election will also determine how America responds to the
continuing danger of terrorism. Since the terrible morning of September
the 11th, 2001, we have fought the terrorists across the Earth, not for
pride, not for power, but because the lives of our citizens are at
stake. Our strategy is clear. We're defending the homeland. We're
transforming our military. And we're reforming and strengthening the
intelligence services. We're staying on the offensive. We're striking
the terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. We will work to advance liberty in the broader Middle
East and around the world, and we will prevail. Our strategy is
succeeding. Four years ago, Afghanistan was the home base of Al Qaida;
Pakistan was a transit point for terrorist groups; Saudi Arabia was
fertile ground for terrorist fundraising; Libya was secretly pursuing
nuclear weapons; Iraq was a gathering threat; and Al Qaida was largely
unchallenged as it planned attacks.
Because we led, because we acted, the Government of a free
Afghanistan is fighting terror; Pakistan is capturing terrorists; Saudi
Arabia is making raids and arrests; Libya is dismantling its weapons
programs; the army of a free Iraq is fighting for freedom; and more than
three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates have been
brought to justice. We have led. Many have joined, and America and the
world are safer.
This progress involved careful diplomacy and clear moral purpose and
some tough decisions, and the toughest came on Iraq. We knew Saddam
Hussein's record of aggression and support
for terror. We knew his long history of pursuing and using weapons of
mass destruction. And we know that after September the 11th, this Nation
must think differently. We must take threats seriously before they fully
materialize.
In Saddam Hussein, we saw a threat. I
went to the United States Congress. I said, ``Take a look at this
threat,'' and they took a look at the same intelligence I looked at.
They remembered the same history I remembered. They concluded that
Saddam Hussein was a threat and authorized the use of force. My
opponent looked at the very same intelligence I
looked at, came to the same conclusion we came to, and he authorized the
use of force.
Before the Commander in Chief commits troops into combat, we must
try all means to deal with any threat. See, I was hopeful diplomacy
would work. And so I went to the United Nations, and I gave a speech at
the U.N. They looked at the
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same intelligence I looked at. They remembered the same history we
remembered. And with a 15-to-nothing vote, the United Nations Security
Council voted that Saddam Hussein must
disclose, disarm, or face serious consequences.
But as he had for over a decade, Saddam Hussein wasn't interested in what the free world has to say.
As a matter of fact, he systematically deceived the inspectors that were
sent into his country. So I had a choice to make, a choice that only
comes to the Oval Office, a choice nobody wants to make but must be
prepared to make: Do I trust the word of a madman and forget the lessons
of September the 11th, or do I take action to defend America? Given that
choice, I will defend our country every time.
Because we acted, because we acted to defend our country, 50 million
people now live in freedom. Fifty million people are free. In
Afghanistan, the world has changed since those dark days when young
girls weren't allowed to go to school and their mothers were whipped in
the public square. The Taliban were barbaric people. They were backward.
They had a dim vision of the world. Today, Afghanistan is an ally.
They're helping us in the war on terror, and over 10 million Afghan
citizens have registered to vote in the upcoming Presidential elections.
It's amazing.
Despite ongoing violence, Iraq now has a strong Prime
Minister, a National Council, and national
elections are scheduled for January. We are standing with the people of
Afghanistan and Iraq because when America gives its word, America must
keep its word. We're also standing with them because we're serving a
vital and historic cause that will make our country safer. Free
societies in the Middle East will be hopeful societies, which no longer
feed resentments and breed violence for export. Free Governments in the
Middle East will fight terrorists, instead of harboring them. And that
makes America more secure, and it makes the world more peaceful.
Our mission in Afghanistan and Iraq is clear. We'll help new leaders
to train their armies and their police forces so citizens in those
countries can do the hard work of defending the hopes of many against
the terror of a few. We'll help them get on their way to elections.
We'll help them become more stable, and then our troops will return home
with the honor they've earned.
I'm proud of our military. I'm proud of our military, and I know you
are as well. We've got a fantastic United States military. I've had the
privilege of meeting with the service men and women who wear our
uniform. I've seen their unselfish courage. I know their great decency.
The cause of freedom is in really good hands.
I have made a pledge to those who wear the uniform and their
families that they will have all the support they need to complete their
missions. That's why, a year ago, I went to the United States Congress
and proposed supplemental funding of $87 billion to help our troops in
not only Iraq, but Afghanistan. It was important funding, really
important funding. It was a really important funding request because it
funded body armor and spare parts, ammunition, fuel, supplies needed for
people to do their jobs. And we received great bipartisan support, so
strong that only 12 United States Senators voted against the funding
request.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Two of those Senators were my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. In fact, only four United States Senators voted to
authorize the use of force and then voted against funding our troops.
Two of those Senators--two of those four were my opponent and his runningmate. When asked
to explain his vote, he said, ``Well, I actually did vote for the $87
billion, before I voted against it.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Now, I suspect that not many people in Johnstown,
Pennsylvania,
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talks that way. They kept asking him. He said,
well, he was proud of the vote. And finally, my opponent said, ``The
whole thing is a complicated matter.'' There is nothing complicated
about supporting our troops in combat.
After voting for the war but against funding it, after saying
he would have voted for the war even knowing
everything we know today, my opponent woke up this week--[laughter]--
with new campaign advisers and yet another new position. Suddenly, he's
against it again.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. No matter how many times he
flip-flops, we were right to remove Saddam Hussein from power.
I appreciate the contributions our friends and allies are making. I
spoke with Tony Blair this morning. He's got a
clear vision. He's a good, strong leader. Every time I talk to him, I
thank him for his contributions. You know, we put together a broad
coalition--some 40 nations in Afghanistan, some 30 in Iraq. And I will
continue, over the next 4 years, to build our alliances, to strengthen
our relationships. But I will never turn over America's national
security decisions to leaders of other countries.
Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!
The President. I believe in the transformational power of liberty.
The wisest use of American strength is to advance freedom. I like to
tell the people that I've spent time with the Prime Minister of
Japan during my 3\1/2\ years as President.
I like him a lot. He's a good fellow. The amazing thing about my
discussions with him is that here I am, sitting down with somebody that
our country was at war with some 60 years ago--my dad, I'm sure your dads or granddads fought against the
Japanese. They were our sworn enemy. Yet right after World War II,
President Harry Truman and many Americans believed that by helping the
Japanese self-govern and become a democracy, that liberty would
transform an enemy into a friend. And sure enough, it worked, because,
guess what, Prime Minister Koizumi and I sit around the table talking
about how to make the world more peaceful, talking about how to use our
respective positions in the world to make our countries more secure and
the world a better place. Someday, an American President and a duly
elected leader from Iraq will be sitting down at the table talking about
the peace.
I believe that millions in the Middle East plead in silence for
their liberty. I believe that if given the chance, they will embrace the
most honorable form of government ever devised by man. I believe these
things because freedom is not America's gift to the world; it is the
Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this world.
This young century will be liberty's century. By promoting freedom
at home and freedom abroad, we will build a safer world and a more
hopeful America. By reforming our systems of Government, we'll help more
Americans realize their dreams. We'll spread ownership and opportunity
to every corner of the land. We will pass the enduring values of our
country on to a new generation, and we will continue to work for freedom
and peace.
For all Americans, these years in our history will always stand
apart. There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is
expected of its leaders. This isn't one of those times. This is a time
when we need firm resolve, clear vision, and a deep faith in the values
that makes this a great nation.
None of us will ever forget that week when one era ended and another
began. On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. It's a day I'll never forget. There were workers in hardhats
yelling at me, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember trying to console the
first-responders, the brave firefighters and policemen who had gone into
rubble and come out emptyhanded--a lot of them had come out emptyhanded.
They'd lost their buddies. A guy looked me right in the eye,
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and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' I wake up every morning thinking
about how to better protect our country. I will never relent in
defending America, whatever it takes.
Four years ago, as I traveled this great State asking for the vote,
I made a pledge that if you gave me a chance to serve, I would uphold
the honor and the dignity of the office to which I had been elected.
With your help and with your hard work, I will do so for the next 4
years.
God bless. Thank you all. Thanks for coming.
Note: The President spoke at 5:06 p.m. at the Cambria County War
Memorial Arena. In his remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of
Georgia, who made the keynote address at the 2004 Republican National
Convention; Mayor Donato B. Zucco of Johnstown, PA; Prime Minister Ayad
Allawi of the Iraqi Interim Government; Prime Minister Tony Blair of the
United Kingdom; and Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan.