[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[November 1, 2004]
[Pages 2901-2907]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania
November 1, 2004
The President. Thank you all. Thank you all for coming. Thanks for
being here. I am so honored so many came out to say hello. I'm here to
ask for your vote and ask for your help. It is close to voting time, and
I'm out here to ask you to get our fellow Republicans and wise
independents and discerning Democrats here in western Pennsylvania to do
our duty and go to the polls tomorrow. And remind your friends and
neighbors, if they want a safer America and a stronger America and a
better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back
into office.
Perhaps the most important reason to put me back in is so that
Laura will be the First Lady for 4 more years. I
regret that she's not here. We started----
Audience members. Aw-w-w!
The President. I understand. [Laughter] We were campaigning together
yesterday.* She's off on her own for a while,
which is wise use of her time. [Laughter] A lot of people have come to
know her like I know her. She is a warm, compassionate, great First
Lady.
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*White House correction.
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I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney. I
really don't intend to insult anybody who's follically challenged--
[laughter]--but I readily concede that the Vice President does not have
the waviest hair in the race. [Laughter] The people of western
Pennsylvania will be pleased to know I didn't pick him because of his
hairdo. [Laughter] I picked him because of his judgment and his
experience. He's getting the job done.
I want to thank Curt and Shonda
Schilling for taking time out of a busy
life to come and endorse my candidacy for President. We all know him as
a great baseball player. I know him as a great dad, a wonderful husband,
a man of enormous character and value. I'm proud to have his support.
And Santorum talks about Shonda lobbying the
Congress; she's pretty effective about lobbying the President too.
[Laughter] I want to thank them for their concern, their care, and their
compassion. Thank you all for coming.
I want to thank my friend the Senator from Pennsylvania, Ricky
Santorum. I wish Senator Arlen
Specter all the best. When you put me in, put
him in too. I appreciate Congressman Tim Murphy,
his dedication and service in the United States Congress. I want to
thank Congresswoman Melissa Hart for her
service. I want to thank all the candidates who are here, those running
statewide and those running locally. I want to thank my friend Lynn
Swann for his friendship and leadership.
I want to thank Mark Wills and Daron
Norwood for being here today. Both of them are
fine singers.
I want to thank the Wingmen for Bush. They are a coalition of guys I
served with. I am honored they're here. I appreciate your friendship.
Thank you all for taking time to come.
Most of all, I want to thank the grassroots activists for being
here. I want to thank you for putting up the signs. I want to thank you
for making the phone calls. I want to thank you for what you have done
and what you're going to do over the next 24 hours. By turning out the
vote, by finding people who are concerned about the future of this
country, we are going to carry Pennsylvania and win a great victory on
Tuesday.
Tomorrow the people of this good State and the people of our Nation
will be heading to the polls. And I'm excited about election day, and
I'm optimistic about the future of this country. You know, one of my
favorite sayings comes from a fellow Texan who said this: He said,
``Sarah and I live on the east side of the mountain.
[[Page 2902]]
It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to see the
day that is coming, not to see the day that is gone.'' During the course
of this campaign, my opponent has spent a lot
of time talking about the day that is gone. I'm talking about the day
that's coming.
I see a great day coming for America. I see a day where prosperity
reaches every corner of this country. I see a day where every child is
able to read and write and add and subtract. I see a day in which this
world becomes more peaceful so our children and our grandchildren can
grow up in the peace we all want. I see a day that's better for every
American. And tomorrow, the American people have a chance to bring that
better day by voting for Bush-Cheney.
The American President must lead with clarity and purpose. The role
of the President is not to follow the path of the latest polls. The
President must lead based on principle and conviction and conscience.
During these 4 years, I've learned that whatever your strengths are,
you're going to need them, and whatever your weaknesses are, people will
notice them. Sometimes I'm a little too blunt. I get that from my
mother. Sometimes I mangle the English
language. [Laughter] I get that from my dad. [Laughter] But all the time, whether you agree with me
or not, you know where I stand, what I believe, and where I'm going to
lead.
This election----
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. This election comes down to clear choices on five
vital issues facing our families. And the first clear choice concerns
your family's budget. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I pledged to
lower taxes for American families. And I kept my word. We doubled the
child credit to help moms and dads. We reduced the marriage penalty. We
believe the Tax Code ought to encourage, not penalize marriage. We
lowered taxes on everybody who pays taxes.
As a result of these policies, our economy is growing at rates as
fast as any in nearly 20 years. Real after-tax income--the money in your
pocket--is up by 10 percent since I've been your President.
Homeownership rate is an alltime high in America, and more minority
families own a home today than ever before in our history.
Pennsylvania's farmers are making a living. The entrepreneurial
spirit is strong. Small businesses are flourishing all across the State.
We've added 1.9 million new jobs in the last 13 months. The national
unemployment rate is 5.4 percent. Let me put that in perspective for
you: That's lower than the average rate of the 1970s, the 1980s, and the
1990s. And the unemployment rate here in Pennsylvania is 5.3 percent.
This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
People in western Pennsylvania need to hear this message. I know
this State depends on a healthy steel and coal economy. And we will keep
taxes low. We will insist on free and fair trade, and we will make those
industries strong so the Pennsylvania recovery keeps on creating jobs
for the Pennsylvania people.
My opponent has an economic plan.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Let me remind you of his history. He's been in the United States Senate 20 years. He's voted to
raise taxes 98 times.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. That's five times for every year he's been in the Senate. I would call that a predictable
pattern, a leading indicator. [Laughter] And when you couple that with
the fact that he's promised 2.2 trillion in new spending----
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. ----you begin to get a sense of his economic plan. That's 2.2 trillion with a ``T.'' That is a
lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts. They asked him how he was
going to pay for it. He said he'll tax the rich. You have heard that
before. You can't raise enough money to
[[Page 2903]]
pay for 2.2 trillion. There is a tax gap. There is a gap between what he
has promised and what he can deliver, and given his record, guess who is
going to get to fill that tax gap?
Audience member. We are!
The President. Hard-working people of western Pennsylvania. We are
not going to let him tax you; we're going to
carry Pennsylvania and win on November the 2d.
The second clear choice involves the quality of life for your
families. I ran for President to challenge the soft bigotry of low
expectations by reforming our public schools. And I have kept my word.
We passed education reforms to bring high standards to our classrooms.
Math and reading scores are now on the rise. We're closing the
achievement gap by helping minority children. My vision for a new term
is to build on these reforms and extend them to our high schools so that
no child is left behind in America.
We'll continue to improve life for our families by making health
care more affordable and available. We will expand health savings
accounts. We will allow small businesses to join together so they can
buy insurance at the same discount that big companies are able to do.
We will help our families in need, and we will do something about
these junk lawsuits that are making it hard to find good doctors in
Pennsylvania. We have a difference of opinion on these lawsuits. My
opponent has voted against medical liability
reform not once, twice, three times but 10 times as a Member of the
United States Senate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He put a personal-injury
trial lawyer on the ticket.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I understand the problem you face here in
Pennsylvania. I've talked to too many ob-gyns in this State that are
having problems staying in practice. I've talked to too many expectant
moms that are worried about their health care. I'm standing with the
doctors of Pennsylvania. I'm standing with the patients of Pennsylvania.
I am for medical liability reform--now. In all we do to improve health
care, we will make sure the decisions are made by doctors and patients,
not by officials in Washington, DC.
My opponent takes a different approach. He
voted for the education reforms but now wants to weaken the
accountability standards.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He's proposed a big-
Government health care plan. I remember that debate when he looked
square in the camera and he said the Government didn't have anything to
do with it, when he was talking about his health care plan. I could
barely contain myself. The Government has got a lot to do with it.
Eighty percent of the people end up on a Government-run plan. The wrong
prescription for American families is to federalize your health care. He
can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
The third clear choice involves your retirement. Our Nation has made
a solemn commitment to America's seniors on Social Security and
Medicare. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I promised to keep that
commitment and improve Medicare by adding prescription drug coverage. I
have kept my word. Seniors are already getting discounts on medicine
with drug discount cards. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be
able to get prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
My opponent has a record. He voted against
the Medicare bill that included prescription drug coverage.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And his campaign is trying to scare our seniors when
it comes to Social Security. But he forgets to
mention that he is the one who voted to increase taxes on Social
Security benefits eight times.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I have kept the promise of Social Security, and we
will always keep
[[Page 2904]]
the promise of Social Security for our seniors. And baby boomers like me
and some others out there I see are in good shape when it comes to the
Social Security trust.
But we need to to worry about our children and our grandchildren.
That's why I believe younger workers ought to be able to take some of
their payroll taxes and set up a personal savings account, an account
they call their own. In a new term, I will bring people together to
strengthen Social Security for generations to come.
The fourth clear choice in this election is on the values that are
so crucial to keeping our families strong. I want the Democrats and
Republicans, independents of western Pennsylvania to understand this: I
stand for marriage and family, which are the foundation of our society.
I stand for a culture of life in which every person matters and every
being counts. I proudly signed the ban on partial-birth abortions. I
stand for the appointment of Federal judges who know the difference
between personal opinion and the strict interpretation of the law.
On issue after--on these issues, my opponent and I are miles apart. He voted against the ban on
partial-birth abortion.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He voted against the
Defense of Marriage Act.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. There is a mainstream in American politics, and John
Kerry sits on the far left bank. He can run
from his record, but he cannot hide.
The final choice----
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. The final choice in this election is the most
important of all because it concerns the security of your family. All
progress in every other issue depends on the safety of our citizens. The
most solemn duty of the American President is to protect the American
people. If this country shows uncertainty or weakness during these
troubled times, the world will drift toward tragedy. This is not going
to happen on my watch.
Our strategy is clear. We are protecting our homeland. Tom
Ridge, the former Governor of this great State, is
doing a wonderful job. We're reforming and strengthening our
intelligence capabilities. We are transforming our All-Volunteer Army.
There will be no draft. We are determined. We are relentless. We are
steadfast. We're staying on the offensive. We are fighting the
terrorists abroad so we do not have to face them here at home.
We're succeeding. Afghanistan is free and an ally in the war on
terror. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are making raids and capturing
terrorist leaders. Libya is dismantling its weapons program. The army of
a free Iraq is fighting for freedom. Al Qaida no longer controls
Afghanistan. We've shut down its camps there. We are systematically
destroying the Al Qaida network.
We are making progress on protecting the American people because
we've got a great military. We will keep it a great military. And I want
to thank those who wear our Nation's uniform for your service. I want to
thank the military families who are here for your sacrifice for our
country. I want to thank the veterans who are here for having set such a
great example to those who wear the uniform. And I assure you, we'll
make sure our troops have that which they need to complete their
missions.
That's why, in September of 2003, I went to the United States
Congress and asked for $87 billion to support our troops in combat. It
was a very important funding request. My opponent said on national TV that it would be irresponsible to vote
against the funding for our troops. And then, because the political
polls changed, he changed his position, and he did the irresponsible
thing, and he voted against funding for our troops.
Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
The President. And then he entered the
flip-flop hall of fame by saying this--upon
[[Page 2905]]
his entry, here is what he said: ``I actually did vote for the 87
billion, right before I voted against it.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I doubt many people in western Pennsylvania talk that
way. [Laughter] He's given a lot of
explanations since that vote, but I think the most revealing is this. He
said, ``The whole thing was a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] My fellow
citizens, there is nothing complicated about supporting our troops in
combat.
Senator Kerry's record on national
security has far deeper problems than election-year reversals. For 20
years, on the largest national security issues, he has been consistently
wrong. During the cold war--I want the citizens of this--of western
Pennsylvania to hear the truth here--during the cold war, Senator Kerry
voted against critical weapons systems and opposed President Ronald
Reagan's policy of peace through strength.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and President Ronald Reagan was right.
When former President Bush assembled an
international coalition to drive Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, Senator Kerry
voted against the use of force to liberate Kuwait.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and former President Bush was right.
One year after----
[At this point, there was a disruption in the audience.]
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. One year after the first bombing of the World Trade
Center, the Senator proposed massive cuts in
America's intelligence budget, so massive----
[The disruption in the audience continued.]
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. So massive that his colleague Ted Kennedy opposed them. Well, history has shown that Senator
Kerry was wrong--and we got to be fair--
Senator Kennedy was right. [Laughter]
We have a difference of opinion. And as you gather up the vote,
remind people about this difference of opinion as to how to better
secure our Nation's families----
[The disruption in the audience continued.]
The President. My opponent suggested
America must pass a ``global test'' before we defend ourselves.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. I will always work with our friends and allies, but I
will never turn over America's national security decisions to leaders of
other countries.
Senator Kerry says September the 11th
didn't change him much at all. It changed me. It changed my outlook
about how to better defend this country. I remember going to the ruins
of the Twin Towers on September the 14th, 2001. It's a day I'll never
forget. There were workers in hardhats there yelling at me at the top of
their lungs, ``Whatever it takes.'' I remember the man who came out of
the rubble, and he grabbed me by the arm. He looked me in the eye, and
he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I get up every
morning trying to figure out how to better protect our country. I will
never relent in defending this country, whatever it takes.
Over the next 4 years, we will defend this country. We will use
every asset at our disposal, and one of the most powerful assets we have
is freedom. I believe in the power of liberty to transform societies.
I want the youngsters here to realize what has happened in a short
period of time in Afghanistan. It wasn't all that long ago that young
girls could not go to school, and their mothers were taken into the
public squares and whipped and sometimes shot in a sports stadium,
because the ideologues of hate, the Taliban, had such a dim view of the
world.
[[Page 2906]]
Because we acted to defend ourselves, because we upheld the doctrine
that said, ``If you harbor a terrorist, you're equally as guilty as the
terrorist,'' millions of citizens went to the polls to vote for their
President. The first voter was a 19-year-old woman. Freedom is on the march. And free societies help us
keep the peace we all want.
Iraq is still dangerous. That's because that country is headed
toward democracy. There will be elections in Iraq in January. Think how
far that country has come from the days of torture chambers and mass
graves.
I believe every person wants to live in a free society. I believe
mothers and dads want to raise their children in a free and peaceful
world. I believe this not because freedom is America's gift to the
world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. We are living in historic times, and a lot is at
stake in this election. The future safety and prosperity of America are
on the ballot. The truth of the matter is, this election comes down to
who do you trust--who do you trust to make this country secure? Who do
you trust to offer leadership and results in a time of challenge to
America?
If you believe that taxes should stay low so families can pay the
bills and small businesses can expand and create jobs, I ask you to come
stand with me.
If you believe in high standards for public schools, I ask you to
come stand with me.
If you believe that patients and doctors should be in charge of
health care, I ask you to come stand with me.
If you believe this Nation must honor the commitments of Medicare
and strengthen Social Security for generations to come, I ask you to
come stand with me.
If you believe that this Nation should honor marriage and family and
make a place for the weak and the vulnerable, I ask you to come stand
with me.
If you believe America should fight the war on terror with all our
might and lead with unwavering confidence in our ideals, I ask you to
come stand with me.
If you are a Democrat who believes your party has turned too far to
the left this year, I ask you to come stand with me.
If you are a minority citizen and believe in free enterprise and
good schools and the enduring values of family and faith, and if you are
tired of your vote being taken for granted, I ask you to come stand with
me.
And if you are a voter who believes that the President of the United
States should say what he means and do what he says and keep his word, I
ask you to come stand with me.
When I traveled your great State 4 years ago, I made a pledge that
if elected, I would uphold the honor and the dignity of the office. With
your help, with your hard work, I will do so for 4 more years.
Thanks for coming. Thank you all.
Note: The President spoke at 9:38 a.m. in the Post-Gazette Pavilion at
Star Lake. In his remarks, he referred to Curt Schilling, pitcher, Major
League Baseball Boston Red Sox, and his wife, Shonda; entertainers Mark
Wills and Daron Norwood; Lynn C. Swann, chairman, President's Council on
Physical Fitness and Sports; and former President Saddam Hussein of
Iraq.
[[Page 2907]]