[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book III)]
[October 23, 2004]
[Pages 2672-2679]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks in Lakeland, Florida
October 23, 2004
The President. Thank you all for coming.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you all for coming today. Laura and I are so honored that so many came out to say
hello. We really appreciate it. It is a beautiful day to be campaigning
in the great State of Florida. Of course, according to your
Governor, every day is a beautiful day in Florida.
I'm here to ask for your vote, and I'm here to ask for your help.
We're close to voting time. As a matter of fact, in your State, voting
time is already here. Please go to your friends and neighbors, people
from all parties--don't overlook discerning Democrats--[laughter]--
people like Zell Miller. They want a better
country too. Tell them we have a duty in this country to vote. Tell them
we have an obligation in a free society to go to the polls. And when you
get them headed to the polls, remind them, if they want a safer America
and a stronger America and a better America, to put me and Dick
Cheney back in office.
I think it's important to go around this country telling people what
you're going to do. I'm here to tell you why I think you need to put me
in office for 4 more years. But perhaps the most important reason of all
is so that Laura is the First Lady for 4 more
years.
Audience members. Laura! Laura! Laura!
The President. I'm sure some of you all will appreciate this, when I
tell you that Laura and I knew each other in the
seventh grade in San Jacinto Junior High in Midland, Texas. We became
reacquainted. She was a public school librarian at the time. I said,
``Will you marry me?'' She said, ``Fine, so long as you make me a
promise.'' I said, ``What is it?'' She said, ``I never want to have to
give a political speech.'' [Laughter] I said, ``Okay, you got a deal.''
Fortunately, she didn't hold me to that deal. She is giving a lot of
speeches, and when she speaks, the American people see a compassionate,
warm, strong First Lady.
I'm proud of my runningmate, Dick Cheney.
He's doing a great job. I see some others out here who are follically
challenged. [Laughter] See, I admit he doesn't have the waviest hair in
the race. [Laughter] You'll be pleased to hear I didn't pick him because
of his hairdo. [Laughter] I picked him because he can get the job done.
I picked him because of his judgment. I picked him because of his
experience.
I'm proud to be traveling with my brother. Jeb Bush is a great Governor for Florida. He's led with
conviction. You know, one thing about him, you don't have to worry about
where he stands. In other words, he's not one of these politicians who
is going to take a poll or run a focus group, trying to figure out what
to tell you. He stands on principles. That's how we were raised. You
stand for what you believe. And Jeb showed great courage and compassion
during the times of these storms. I came over to try to lend a hand and
show the people of this important State that the Federal Government
cared, people around the country cared for you. But I was incredibly
impressed by two things, one, Jeb's leadership, and two, the great
compassion of the people of Florida.
I'm proud to be up here with Adam Putnam.
I call him Red; you call him Congressman. [Laughter] We went over and
saw some orange growers the other day, and it was my honor to be in that
citrus grove, telling the orange growers of this part of the State,
we're going to help them get their feet back on the ground.
I want to thank--listen, while you're out there voting, voting for
me and Dick Cheney, make sure you vote for Mel
Martinez for the United States Senate. He'll
be a
[[Page 2673]]
fine United States Senator, no doubt in my mind.
I want to thank Lieutenant Governor Toni Jennings for being here. I want to thank the State Senate
majority whip. I want to thank all the local
and State officials who are here.
I want to thank Trini Triggs for performing
for you all.
I want to thank the grassroots activists, the people putting up the
signs, the people making the phone calls, the people who have encouraged
this rally. I want to thank you for what you've done. I want to thank
you for what you're going to do. With your help, we will carry Florida
and win a great victory in November.
We just got 10 days to go in the campaign. Who's counting? The
voters have a clear choice between two very different candidates with
dramatically different approaches and records. You know where I stand.
And sometimes, you even know where my opponent
stands. We both have records. We both have records.
Audience members. Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
The President. We both have records. I'm proudly running on mine.
And the Senator is running from his, and
there's a reason why. There is a mainstream in American politics, and
Senator John Kerry sits on the far left bank. I'm a compassionate
conservative and proudly so. At a time when our country has much to
accomplish and much more to do, I offer a record of reform and results,
and my opponent offers a long list of out-of-the-mainstream votes.
This election comes down to five clear choices for American
families, five choices on issues of great consequence: your family's
security; your family's budget; your quality of life; your retirement;
and the bedrock values that are so critical to our families and our
future.
The first choice is the most important because it concerns the
security of your family. All progress on any of the other issues depends
on the safety of our citizens. This will be the first Presidential
election since September the 11th, 2001. Americans will go to the polls
in a time of war and ongoing threats unlike any* we have seen before.
The terrorists who killed thousands are still dangerous, and they are
determined to strike again. The outcome of this election will set the
direction of the war against terrorism.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*White House correction.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
I believe the most solemn duty of the American President, the most
solemn duty, is to protect the American people. If America shows
uncertainty or weakness, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will
not happen on my watch.
Since that terrible morning, September the 11th, 2001, we've 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 strengthening the homeland. We're reforming our intelligence
services. We are transforming our All-Volunteer Army. We will not have a
draft. We are staying on the offensive against these terrorists. We are
relentless and we are determined, and our strategy is paying off. More
than three-quarters of Al Qaida's key members and associates have been
brought to justice, and the rest of them know we're on their trail.
My opponent has a different approach. He
says that September the 11th, quote, ``didn't change me much at all,''
end quote.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. And that's pretty clear. He
considers the war on terror primarily a law enforcement and intelligence
gathering operation.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. His top foreign policy
adviser questioned it is even a war at
all, saying, ``It's just like a metaphor, like the war on poverty.''
Anyone who thinks we're fighting a metaphor does not understand the
enemy we face. You cannot win a war
[[Page 2674]]
if you are not convinced we are even in one.
Senator Kerry also misunderstands our
battle against insurgents and terrorists in Iraq. After voting to
authorize force against Saddam Hussein, after
calling it the right decision when I sent troops into Iraq, the Senator
now calls it the ``wrong war.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. The Senator used to
recognize that Saddam Hussein was a gathering
threat who hated America. After all, he said so. He used to recognize
that Saddam was a state sponsor of terror with a history of pursuing and
even using weapons of mass destruction. After all, he said so. He used
to understand that Saddam was a major source of instability in the
Middle East. After all, he said so. And when he voted to authorize
force, the Senator must have recognized the nightmare scenario that
terrorists might somehow gain access to weapons of mass destruction.
Senator Kerry seems to have forgotten all of that as his position has
evolved during the course of this campaign. You might call it election
amnesia. [Laughter] I know then and I know now that the world and
America are safer with Saddam Hussein sitting in a prison cell.
Senator Kerry now calls Iraq a
``diversion.'' But the case of just one terrorist shows how wrong his
thinking is. A man named Zarqawi is
responsible for the car bombs and beheading Americans in Iraq. He ran a
terrorist training camp in Afghanistan until coalition troops arrived.
He then ran to Iraq, where he's fighting today. He supports and swore
allegiance to Usama bin Laden. If Zarqawi
and his associates were not busy fighting American forces and Iraqi
forces in Iraq, what does my opponent think he'd be doing, a peaceful
businessman somewhere? Leading a benevolence campaign? [Laughter] Of
course not. Our troops will defeat them there so we do not have to face
them in our own cities.
The choice in this election could not be clearer when it comes to
the security of our families. You cannot lead our Nation to decisive
victory, on which the security of every American family depends, if you
do not see the true dangers of a post-September the 11th world. My
opponent has a September 10th point of view.
You might remember, at his convention he declared that his strategy
would be to respond to attacks after America is hit.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. That would be too late. In our debates, he said we can defend America only if we pass a ``global
test.''
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I'm not making that up. He
was standing right there when he said it. I work with our friends and
allies. We will strengthen our coalitions. But I will never turn over
America's national security decisions to leaders of other countries.
I saw some of our troops coming in. I want to thank them for their
service. I want to thank the veterans who are here for having set such a
great example for those who wear the uniform. I want to thank our
military families who are here for supporting our troops fighting for
freedom and security. And I want to assure you your loved ones will have
the full support of our Government.
That's why I went to Congress and asked for $87 billion of
supplemental funding. This was money to support our troops in harm's
way. When you're out gathering up the vote, I want you to remind your
fellow citizens of this startling statistic. There were 4 Members in the
United States Senate--only 4 out of 100--that voted to authorize the use
of force and then voted against funding for our troops in harm's way.
And four of those--two of those four were my opponent and his runningmate.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. They asked him about that
vote. He said, ``I actually did vote for the 87 billion, right before I
voted against it.'' You know--I bet you don't hear many people talking
like that around the coffee shops here. They pressed him even further,
and
[[Page 2675]]
he finally just threw up his hands. He said, ``The whole thing is a
complicated matter.'' My fellow Americans, there is nothing complicated
about supporting our troops in combat.
And to protect America, we will lead the cause of freedom. I believe
in the transformational power of liberty. I want the youngsters here to
understand what has taken place in a short period of time. Afghanistan
was once ruled by the Taliban. Young girls couldn't go to school. If
their mothers didn't toe the ideological line of the haters, they'd be
whipped in the public squares and sometime shot in the stadiums. Because
we acted in our own self-defense, millions of Afghan citizens went to
the polls to vote for the President, and the first voter was a 19-year-
old woman. Freedom is on the march. Freedom
is precious. Freedom is powerful. And we're better off for it.
Iraq will have Presidential elections in January. Think how far that
country has come from the days of torture chambers and the brutality of
Saddam Hussein. Fifty million people now live
in freedom because we acted to secure ourselves. We're more secure. The
world is better off as freedom is on the march. I believe everybody
yearns to be free in this world. Freedom is not America's gift to the
world; freedom is the Almighty God's gift to each man and woman in this
world.
The second clear choice in this election concerns your family
budget, your wallet. When I ran for President 4 years ago, I pledged to
lower taxes for American families. I have kept my word. We raised the
child credit. We reduced the marriage penalty. The Tax Code ought to
encourage marriage, not penalize marriage. We created a 10-percent
bracket to help working families. We reduced income taxes for everybody
who pays taxes. We're helping our small-business owners. And as a result
of these policies, real after-tax income, the money in your pocket, is
up by about 10 percent since I got into office.
Think about what this economy has been through. Tell your friends
and neighbors what we have overcome. Six months prior to my arrival, the
stock market was in serious decline, indicating the recession that came.
Then we had some corporate scandals. And then we got attacked, and those
attacks cost us about a million jobs in the 3 months after September the
11th.
Our economic policies are working. They've led us back to growth.
Our economy is growing at rates as fast as any in nearly 20 years. We've
added more than 1.9 million new jobs since August of 2003. The
unemployment rate is 5.4 percent, lower than the average of the 1970s,
1980s, and 1990s. Farm income is up. Homeownership rates are at an
alltime high. The unemployment rate in Florida is 4.5 percent. We're
moving forward, and we're not going to go back to the old days.
My opponent has very different plans for
your budget. He intends to take a big chunk out of it.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. When I proposed the tax relief to help our families
and get this economy going again, he voted
against the higher child tax credit. He voted against the marriage
penalty relief. He voted against lower taxes. He voted against the help
to small businesses. If he had had his way, the average middle-class
family in America would have been paying $2,000 more in Federal income
taxes.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. It's part of a pattern. The Senator has voted 10 times to raise gasoline taxes since he's been
in the Senate. And all told, during his 20 years in the United States
Senate, my opponent has voted 98 times to raise taxes.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. Think about that. That's about five times every year
he served. When a Senator does something that
often, he must really enjoy it. [Laughter]
During this campaign, he's made a lot of
big promises. As a matter of fact, he's
[[Page 2676]]
promised about $2.2 trillion in new spending. That's with a ``T.''
[Laughter] That's a lot even for a Senator from Massachusetts.
[Laughter] So they said, ``How are you going to pay for it?'' He said,
``Oh, we'll just tax the rich.'' We've heard that before, haven't we?
By running up the top two brackets, guess who he's taxing?
He's taxing job creators. Seventy percent of
new jobs are created by small businesses in America. Most small
businesses pay tax at the individual income-tax level. It's a bad idea
to tax the job creators in this country.
Raising the top two brackets will raise between 600 and 800 billion
dollars, so as you can tell, there's a tax gap. There's a difference
between what he has promised and what he can
deliver. Now, you know who gets to fill that tax gap, don't you? I'll
tell you one other thing about taxing the rich. The rich, during tax
time, hire lawyers and accountants for a reason: to slip the tab and to
stick you with the bill. We're not going to let him tax you; we're going
to carry Florida and win a great victory on November the 2d.
Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
The President. The third clear choice in this election involves the
quality of life for our families. A good education and quality health
care are important for a successful life. When I ran for President 4
years ago, I promised to end and to challenge the soft bigotry of low
expectations in our schools. I kept my word, passed the No Child Left
Behind Act, which is a great piece of legislation. It brings high
standards to our classrooms and makes our schools accountable to our
parents. We're seeing progress. Math and reading scores are rising. We
are closing an achievement gap all across America. We will build on
these reforms. We'll extend them to our high schools so that no child is
left behind in America.
We'll continue to improve life--the life of our families by making
health care more affordable and accessible. We'll expand health savings
accounts so small businesses can cover their workers and more families
are able to get health care accounts they can manage and call their own.
We'll create association health plans so small businesses can join
together and buy insurance at the discounts that big companies are able
to do. We will help our families in need by expanding community health
centers. We'll make sure every child eligible is enrolled in our
Government's low-income health insurance program.
And we'll help patients and doctors everywhere by doing something
about these frivolous lawsuits that are running up the cost of health
care and running good doctors out of practice. I met too many ob-gyns
that are having trouble making ends meet, and so they're quitting the
practice. I met too many women who are driving miles to get the good
health care they need for themselves and their child. And this isn't
right for America. You can't be pro-trial-lawyer and pro-doctor and pro-
patient at the same time. You have to pick. My opponent made his pick. He put a personal injury trial
lawyer on the ticket. I stand for medical
liability reform--now.
Senator Kerry has a different point of
view on our schools and health care system. Listen, he voted for the No
Child Left Behind Act, but now he wants to weaken the accountability
standards. He has proposed including measures like teacher attendance to
judge whether students can read or write or add and subtract. He voted
against health savings accounts. He opposes association health plans
that will help our small businesses. He voted 10 times against medical
liability reform.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He can run from his record,
but he cannot hide.
Now he's proposing a big Government health
care plan that would cause 8 million families to lose private coverage
they get at work and have to go onto a Government plan. Eighty percent
of the people who get
[[Page 2677]]
coverage under his proposal would be enrolled in a Government plan. In
one of our debates, he said with a straight face that when it comes to
his health care plan, and I quote, ``The Government has nothing to do
with it.'' I could barely contain myself when I heard that. [Laughter]
The Government has a lot to do with it. His plan would move America down
the road to Federal control of health care, and that's the wrong road
for American families. He can run from his record, but he cannot hide.
In all we do to improve health care, we will make sure decisions are
made by doctors and patients, not by officials in Washington, DC.
Fourth 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. I have kept my word. You know, leaders in both political
parties have talked about Medicare for years--for years. We got the job
done. Seniors are now getting discounts on medicine with drug discount
cards. Low-income seniors are getting $600 on their card this year and
600 next year. And beginning in 2006, all seniors will be able to get
prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
My opponent voted against the Medicare
bill that included prescription drug coverage, even though it was
supported by the AARP and other seniors groups. Later he said, quote,
``If I am President, we're going to repeal that phony bill.'' A little
later on, he said, ``No, I don't want to repeal it.'' Kind of sounds
familiar. As your President for the next 4 years, I will defend the
reforms we have worked so hard to pass and keep the promise of Medicare
for our senior citizens.
And we will keep the promise of Social Security for our seniors, and
we'll strengthen Social Security for generations to come. Every
election, desperate politicians try to scare our seniors about Social
Security. It is predictable, and it's beginning to happen again. I want
you to tell your friends and neighbors about what happened in the 2000
campaign. They said, ``If George W. gets elected, our seniors will not
get their checks.'' Now, you might remember that. Well, tell them George
W. did get elected, and our seniors did get their checks. And our
seniors will continue to get their checks, and baby boomers like me are
in pretty good shape when it comes to the Social Security trust.
But we need to think about our children and our grandchildren. We
need to make sure that when they retire, there's a Social Security
system available to meet their needs. And that is why I believe younger
workers ought to be allowed to take some of their own money and put it
in a personal account. It will earn a better rate of return, a personal
account they call their own, a personal account the Government cannot
take away.
My opponent is taking a different
approach. He talks about protecting Social Security. He's the only
candidate in this race that voted to tax Social Security benefits eight
times.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He can run, but he cannot
hide. And when it comes to the next generation, he has offered no
reform. The job of a President is to confront problems, not to pass them
on to future Presidents and future generations. In a new term, I'll
bring Republicans and Democrats together to make sure Social Security is
around when a younger generation of America needs it.
The fifth clear choice in this election is on the values that are so
critical to keeping America's families strong. And my opponent and I are miles apart. I believe marriage is a sacred
institution. Marriage is a pillar of our civilization, and I will always
defend it. This is not a partisan issue. When Congress passed the
Defense of Marriage Act, defining marriage as the
[[Page 2678]]
union of a man and a woman, the vast majority of Democrats supported it,
and my predecessor, President Bill Clinton, signed it into law. Senator Kerry was part of an out-of-
the-mainstream minority that voted against the Defense of Marriage Act.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I believe that reasonable people can find common
ground on the most difficult of issues. Republicans and Democrats and
many citizens on both sides of the life issue came together and agreed
we should ban the brutal practice of partial-birth abortion. Senator
Kerry was part of an out-of-the-mainstream
minority that voted against the ban.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He voted against parental
notification laws.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. He voted against the Unborn
Victims of Violence Act.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I'll continue to reach out to Americans of every
belief and move this goodhearted Nation toward a culture of life.
My opponent has said that the heart and
soul of America can be found in Hollywood.
Audience members. Boo-o-o!
The President. I understand most American families do not look to
Hollywood as a source of values. The heart and soul of America is found
in communities like Lakeland, Florida.
All of these choices make this one of the most important elections
in our history. The security and prosperity of our country, the health
and education of our families, the retirement of our seniors, and the
direction of our culture are all at stake. And this decision is in the
best of hands, because the decision rests with the American people.
I can't tell you how optimistic I am about the future of this
country. I see a better day for everybody. You know, one of my favorite
quotes was written by a fellow Texan named Tom Lea. He said, ``Sarah and I live on the east side of the
mountain. It's the sunrise side, not the sunset side. It is the side to
see the day that is coming, not the side to see the day that is gone.''
My opponent has spent much of this campaign
talking about the day that is gone. I see the day that is coming.
We've been lot--we've been through a lot together in the last nearly
4 years. Because we've done the hard work of climbing the mountain, we
can see the valley below. We'll protect our families and build their
prosperity and defend our deepest values. We'll spread freedom in the
world and the peace we all want.
Four years ago, when I traveled your State asking for the vote, I
pledged to restore honor and dignity to the office to which I had been
elected. With your help, I will do so for 4 more years.
God bless. Thank you all. Thank you all. On to victory!
Note: The President spoke at 11:55 a.m. at Ty Cobb Field. In his
remarks, he referred to Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, who made the
keynote address at the 2004 Republican National Convention; Lt. Gov.
Toni Jennings of Florida; Paula Dockery, majority whip, Florida State
Senate; entertainer Trini Triggs; former President Saddam Hussein of
Iraq; and senior Al Qaida associate Abu Musab Al Zarqawi.
[[Page 2679]]