[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[November 1, 2004]
[Pages 2912-2918]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Des Moines, Iowa
November 1, 2004
The President. Thank you all for coming. Thank you all. Senator,
what I have learned is every day is a good day to be in Iowa. And I've
really enjoyed campaigning in your State in 2000, now in 2004. And I'm
here one more time to ask for your vote and ask for your help. I'm
asking for you to go to your friends and neighbors and tell them we have
a duty in our country to vote. Go to our fellow Republicans, wise
independents, and discerning Democrats. And tell them, if they want a
stronger America, a safer America, and a better America, to put me and
Dick Cheney back in office.
Perhaps the most important reason why people should put me back in
is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more
years. I'm sorry she's not with me right now. She's working--
[laughter]--thankfully, for
[[Page 2913]]
me. [Laughter] She gives a lot of speeches, and when she speaks, the
American people see a warm, compassionate, strong First Lady.
And I'm really proud of Barbara and
Jenna. I want to thank them for joining up. I
can't think of a better way to complete the last day of this campaign
than to be campaigning with two girls I love. And guess who surprised me
today? My sister, Dorothy, is with us.
Thank you, Doro. I'm a lucky man. I've got a great family, and I love my
family. I'm looking forward to working with them as we complete this
campaign.
I've got a great Vice President too. I'm real proud of Dick
Cheney. I don't want to offend anyone here who
is follically challenged, but I readily concede the Vice President
doesn't have the waviest hair in the race. But I know the people of Des
Moines, Iowa, will be pleased to hear that I didn't pick him because of
his hairdo. I picked him because of his judgment, and I picked him
because of his experience. And he's getting the job done for the
American people.
I can't tell you how proud I am to be able to work with your United
States Senator Chuck Grassley. He's an
accomplished, effective Senator for Iowa. He is really good at what he
does. I know you're going to put him back into office. He is so good at
what he does, I've got a job for him on the South Lawn of the White
House--got a lot of grass. [Laughter] And we love Barbara
Grassley too. Chuck's wife is a fine, fine
woman.
I want to thank my friend Congressman Jim Nussle, the chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of
Representatives, for coming today.
I want to thank the State auditor here. I
want to thank the majority leader. I want to thank the Urbandale
mayor. I want to thank all the State and local
officials. I want to thank some candidates who are here. I want to thank
Stan Thompson, who's running for the United
States Congress. He's the right man for the job.
I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I want to
thank those of you who have been putting up the signs and making the
phone calls. I want to thank you for all the work you've done over the
past year to get ready for tomorrow. I want to thank Dave
Roederer. I want to thank my friend Becky
Beach.
I want to thank the--John Stone is with us.
Thank you for coming, John. I'm proud you're here. How about Cael
Sanderson, gold medalist--what a great
ambassador for Iowa, a great ambassador for the United States.
I want to thank you for all you've done and what you're going to do
over the next 24 hours. With your help, with your hard work, by turning
out this vote, there is no doubt in my mind we will carry Iowa and win a
great victory on Tuesday.
Tomorrow the people of this good State and the people of America go
to the polls. I'm excited about Election Day. I'm looking forward to it,
and I'm also optimistic about the future of this country. I see a
brighter day and a more hopeful day. One of my favorite quotes was said
by a fellow Texan named Tom Lea. He said, ``Sarah and I live on the east
side of the mountain. It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It's
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 much of it talking about the day that is gone.
I'm talking about the day that's coming.
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, where
we achieve the peace we want for our children and our grandchildren.
Tomorrow the people of this country have a chance to bring that better
day by voting for strong and principled and optimistic leadership by
voting for Bush-Cheney.
[[Page 2914]]
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 role
of the President is to lead based upon principle and conviction and
conscience. During these 4 years, I have learned that whatever your
strengths are, you're going to need them, and whatever your shortcomings
are, people will notice them. [Laughter] Sometimes I'm a little too
blunt. I get that from my mother. [Laughter]
Sometimes I mangle the English language. [Laughter] I get that from my
father. [Laughter] But at all times,
whether you agree with me or not, you know where I stand, what I
believe, and where I intend to lead.
This election comes down to five clear choices for America's
families. 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. I have 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 reduced the taxes on everybody
who pays taxes.
As a result of these good policies, our economy is growing at rates
as fast as any in nearly 20 years. Real after-tax income is up 10
percent since I've been the President. Homeownership in America is at an
alltime high. More minority families own their home than ever before in
our Nation's history. Small businesses are flourishing. We've added 1.9
million new jobs since September of 2003. 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. Farm
income in Iowa is up, and the unemployment rate in this State is 4.7
percent. This economy of ours is strong, and it is getting stronger.
I have a message for the people of Iowa. We're going to open up
foreign markets for Iowa corn and other products. We'll promote
renewables like ethanol and biodiesel. We will keep this farm economy
strong, and the people of Iowa can count on me to keep my word.
My opponent has an economic plan. I want
you to remember he voted 98 times to increase taxes, in 20 years in the
Senate. That is five times a year.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. That is a predictable pattern. [Laughter] That's a
leading indicator. [Laughter] There's not enough to pay for all his
promises. He's proposing $2.2 trillion, and he
said he's only going to raise the top two brackets. See, that raises
about 600, 800 billion, but that's far short of the 2.2 trillion he's
promised. There is a tax gap. And given his past history, guess who is
going to have to fill the tax gap?
Audience members. We are!
The President. The middle-income families of the America. The good
news is, he's not going to be able to tax you;
we're going to carry Iowa and win a great victory.
The second clear choice in this election involves the quality of
life for our Nation's families. I believe every child can learn and
every school must teach. I went to Washington to challenge the soft
bigotry of low expectations and reform our public schools. I kept my
word. We passed education reforms that bring high standards to the
classrooms. Math and reading scores are now on the rise. We are 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
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'll expand health savings
accounts. We'll allow small businesses to join together so they can buy
insurance at the same discounts big companies are able to do. We'll help
families in need, and we will do something about these junk lawsuits
that are running up the cost of medicine and driving good docs--we're
driving good docs out of practice.
[[Page 2915]]
My opponent and I disagree on this medical
liability issue. I see it as a national problem that requires a national
solution. He's voted against medical liability reform 10 times, and he
put a personal-injury trial lawyer on the
ticket.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I'm standing with the doctors of Iowa. I'm standing
with the patients of Iowa. I am for medical liability reform--now. In
all we do to improve health care, we'll make sure the medical decisions
are made by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
My opponent has a different approach. He
voted for education reform but now wants to weaken the accountability
standards. He's proposing a big-Government health care plan. You might
remember one of the debates, when they asked him about his health care
plan, he looked in the camera and said, ``The Government doesn't have
anything to do with it.'' I could barely contain myself. [Laughter] The
Government has got a lot to do with it. Eighty percent of the people end
up on a Government health care plan under his vision. And that is the
wrong prescription for American families.
The third clear choice in this election 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. With the help of Senator Grassley and with the help of Congressman Nussle, I kept my word. We have modernized Medicare for our
seniors. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get
prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
When you're out rounding up the votes here in Iowa, I want you to
remember what that Medicare did for Iowa's rural hospitals. You might
remember that issue about how the rural hospitals in this State were not
being treated fairly. Because of the law I signed, because of the hard
work of this Senator and this
Congressman, Iowa's hospitals are now being
treated fairly under Medicare.
My opponent voted against that Medicare
bill that helped Iowa's hospitals and provided prescription drug
coverage for our seniors. He's also said that he's going to do something
to protect Social Security, except what he forgot to tell you is that he
voted eight times to raise taxes on Social Security benefits.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He can run from that
record, but he cannot hide.
I know they're trying to scare some seniors, this being election
time, about Social Security. But I have kept the promise of Social
Security for our seniors. I will always keep the promise of Social
Security for our seniors. And the Social Security trust is in pretty
good shape for baby boomers like me and some others out there I see.
[Laughter]
But we need to worry about our children and our grandchildren. We
need to worry about whether the Social Security system will be there for
them when they retire. That's why I believe younger workers ought to be
allowed to take some of their payroll taxes and set up a personal
savings account, an account that earns a better rate of return than the
trust, an account they call their own and the Government cannot take
away.
The fourth clear choice in this election is on the values that are
so crucial to keeping our families strong. 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 was
proud to sign the bill that banned 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 these issues, my opponent and I are
miles apart. He was part of an extreme minority that voted against the
Defense of
[[Page 2916]]
Marriage Act and voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion.
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 that record, but he cannot hide.
The final choice in this election is the most important of all
because it concerns the security of your family. All progress on 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 weakness or uncertainty during these troubled times, the
world will drift toward tragedy. This isn't going to happen on my watch.
Our strategy is clear. We've strengthened protections for the
homeland. We are reforming and strengthening our intelligence gathering
capabilities. We are transforming our military. There will be no draft.
We'll keep the All-Volunteer Army an all-volunteer army. We are
relentless. We are determined to protect this country. We're staying on
the offensive. We will fight the terrorists abroad so we do not have to
face them here at home.
We're succeeding. Afghanistan is an ally in the war on terror.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are making raids and capturing terrorist
leaders. Libya is dismantling its weapons programs. The army of a free
Iraq is defending freedom. And Al Qaida no longer controls Afghanistan.
We've shut down camps there, and we are systematically destroying the Al
Qaida network across the world.
And we're able to do so because we have a great United States
military, and I want to thank those who wear our Nation's uniform. I
want to thank the loved ones of those who wear our Nation's uniform, and
I want to thank the veterans who are here, who have set such a great
example to those who wear our Nation's uniform. And I want to assure
you, we will keep our commitments to make sure our troops have all they
need to complete their missions.
That is why I went to the Congress in September of 2003, and asked
for $87 billion in supplemental funding. It was a very important
request. At first, my opponent said, ``It
would be irresponsible to vote against the funding for the troops.''
Then his poll numbers began to decline, and he voted against the funding
for our troops.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And then he entered the
flip-flop hall of fame. [Laughter] And as he entered, as he entered, he
said this: ``I actually did vote for the 87 billion, right before I
voted against it.'' [Laughter] He's given several explanations on that
vote since then, but I think the most revealing is when he said, ``The
whole thing is a complicated matter.'' [Laughter] My fellow Americans,
there's nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.
It is important for our fellow citizens to know the facts. See, the
problems with Senator Kerry's record on
national security are deeper than election-year reversals. For 20 years,
on the largest national security issues, he's been consistently wrong.
During the cold war, Senator Kerry voted against critical weapons
systems and opposed President Ronald Reagan's policy of peace through
strength. 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. History has shown
that Senator Kerry was wrong and former President Bush was right.
Only a year after the first bombing of the World Trade Center, the
Senator proposed massive cuts in America's
intelligence, cuts so extreme that even his fellow Senator from
Massachusetts, Ted Kennedy, would not
support them. History has shown that Senator Kerry was wrong and--
[[Page 2917]]
we have got to be fair--Senator Kennedy was right. [Laughter]
We have differences of opinion as to how to protect the American
people. My opponent believes that America must
submit to what he calls a ``global test.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I'm not making that up. [Laughter] I heard him say it--[laughter]--in the debate. As far as I can
tell, my opponent's ``global test'' means that America must get
permission in order to defend ourselves. I will work with our allies,
and I will strengthen our alliances, but I will never turn over
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
We have a difference of opinion as to better--how to better protect
America. My opponent has said September the
11th didn't change him much at all. Well, it changed me. I'll never
forget the day I stood in the ruins of the Twin Towers, September the
14th, 2001. 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, and he looked me in the
eye, and he said, ``Do not let me down.'' Ever since that day, I've
gotten up every morning thinking about how to better protect our
country. I will never relent in defending America, whatever it takes.
For the next 4 years, we'll use every asset at our disposal to
protect the American people. The strongest asset we have is to spread
freedom. Free nations do not breed resentments and export terror. Free
nations become allies in the war on terror. Free nations will help us
keep the peace that we want for our children and our grandchildren. I
believe in the power of liberty to transform society.
Think about what's happened in a brief period of time in
Afghanistan. It wasn't all that long ago that that country was the home
base of Al Qaida, and young girls were not allowed to go to school
because the Taliban were so backward and so dark in their vision. And if
their mothers did not toe the line, they were taken in the public square
and whipped and sometimes shot in a sports stadium. But because we acted
to protect ourselves, because we upheld a doctrine that I laid out for
the world that ``If you harbor at terrorist, you're equally as guilty as
the terrorist,'' millions of people went to the polls to vote for the
President of Afghanistan. And the first voter was a 19-year-old
woman. Think about that. Freedom is a
powerful force to transform society.
Iraq is dangerous. It is dangerous because democracy is advancing.
But think of how far that country has come from the days of torture
chambers and mass graves and the brutal reign of a tyrant who hated America. They will be having Presidential
elections in January. Freedom is on the march, and we're more secure for
it. I believe everybody yearns to be free.
I believe that moms and dads around the world want to raise their
children in free societies. I understand freedom is not America's gift
to the world, but I do understand freedom is the Almighty God's gift to
each man and woman in this world.
My fellow citizens, these are historic times, and a lot is at stake
in this election. The future safety and prosperity are on the ballot.
Ultimately, though, this election comes down to, who do you trust? Who
do you trust to protect you?
Audience members. You!
The President. Who do you trust to spread prosperity?
Audience members. You!
The President. If you believe that taxes should stay low so families
can pay the bills and small businesses can create jobs, I ask you to
come stand with me.
If you believe in high standards for our public schools, I ask you
to come stand with me.
If you believe patients and doctors should be in charge of health
care, I ask you to come stand with me.
[[Page 2918]]
If you believe this Nation must honor the commitment of Medicare and
strengthen Social Security for generations to come, I ask you to 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, 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 you 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.
Four years ago, when I traveled your great State asking for the
vote, I made this pledge, that if elected, I would uphold the honor and
the dignity of the office. With your help, with your hard work, we will
carry Iowa, and I will do so for next 4 years.
Thank you all for coming. God bless.
Note: The President spoke at 2 p.m. at the Iowa State Fairgrounds. In
his remarks, he referred to Auditor of State David A. Vaudt of Iowa;
Chuck Gipp, majority leader, Iowa State House of Representatives; Mayor
Brad Zaun of Urbandale, IA; Stan Thompson, candidate in Iowa's Third
Congressional District; David Roederer, Iowa State chairman, and Becky
Beach, Iowa State steering designee, Bush-Cheney '04, Inc.; entertainer
John Stone; Cael Sanderson, 2004 Olympic gold medalist, freestyle
wrestling; and former President Saddam Hussein of Iraq.