Remarks at a
Presidential Campaign Rally for George Bush in
The Vice President. What a crowd! What a
wonderful, enthusiastic crowd! For a minute, I thought we'd come to the
welcoming ceremony for Wayne Gretzky. [Laughter] This is fantastic. I want to
thank the Governor, the good Duke -- thank him for that introduction -- to
urge, with all my heart, the overwhelming reelection of Pete Wilson. That's
going to benefit all of us on the ticket.
And what a glittering array of stars, each and
every one of you.
I thank you. And Bob [Hope] -- those kind words about my dad -- thank you very
much for that. But we're delighted to be here, Barbara and I.
There's a danger -- you have President Reagan, Governor Deukmejian,
and George Bush. Watch out -- overdose of charisma. That's not too good.
[Laughter]
So
-- but Mr. President, I was listening to your wonderful speech at the
convention, and all I can say is, I am grateful for those most supportive
words. And, yes, we are going to go out and ``Win one for the Gipper!'' And November -- that's the one it's going to be.
And
In
the last 6 years, we've created 17 million new jobs. Ninety percent of them are
full-time. The majority are in higher paying categories. And we're not creating
just good jobs and good wages; we're creating better jobs at better wages, and
we intend to keep right on doing it. The President met with some of us earlier,
and he reminded me that more Americans are at work today than ever before in
the history of this country and a greater percentage of the work force is at
work than any time in the history of this country. And they're making more
money. And they're keeping more of it in their own pockets, where it belongs.
And instead of spending it and sending it in to Uncle Sam -- I mean on April
15th -- we are going to keep those tax rates down and hold the line on taxes.
The
Democrats, probably with that old Carter-Mondale misery index in mind, are
running all around the country talking about this swiss-cheese
economy. And as I said in
And
so, I have a program to build on what the Reagan-Bush administration has done:
Start with urban and rural enterprise zones; cut the capital gains tax rate to
help small businesses get started; keep Congress from regulating business to
death; and slash the deficit with a flexible freeze on spending and a line-item
veto for the President. There's a good five-point program for you.
All
we have to do is keep the economy growing at the same rate and guarantee that
everyone who wants a job has a job. But we'll never get it done if we return to
those discredited policies of tax and spend. And as Governor, my opponent
increased taxes so fast that his State was named ``Taxachusetts.''
You've seen the bumper stickers. [Laughter] And if he had -- this is a fact --
if he had increased Federal taxes at the same rate that he's done in
Audience members. Booo!
The Vice President. We cannot afford that
philosophy in the White House. And our opponents are trying to give
Audience members. Yes!
The Vice President. But let me just repeat
what I said on taxes. I promise you, if Congress tries to raise the taxes when
I'm President -- and you know they will -- I'll say no. And if they try again,
I'll stare them right in the eye and say, Read my lips: No new taxes! To the
millions of Americans taking out a loan on that new car or a mortgage on their
first house, I'm going to say we've cut inflation from double digits to 4
percent. And we've cut those interest rates in half. And I'm not going to let
them take it away from you. And to the leaders of this expansion -- the women
who helped create the new jobs and filled two out of every three of them -- I
say you know better than anyone that equality begins with economic empowerment.
You're gaining economic power, and I'm not going to let them take that away
from you either. And to the older Americans, we're going to keep that Social
Security Trust Fund sound. And we're not going to let them take that security
away from the older Americans in this country either.
I
am worried about foreign affairs and the national security of this country. I'm
concerned about my opponent's approach to national security matters. If there's
one thing that our President has proved beyond all doubt, it is that weakness
and ambivalence tempt aggressors to start wars, and strength and clarity deter
aggression and preserve the peace. And we've had a bipartisan consensus on
this: Roosevelt, Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, President Ronald
Reagan -- all of them understood this, formed a basis for our bipartisan
consensus on foreign policy that has kept the peace for 40 years. And I think
it is fair to ask whether my opponent understands that. And his policies place
him far outside the bipartisan consensus, far out on the liberal leftwing. And
that's where he is on these security issues.
Let
me give you an example. He was the only Governor -- many were approached -- he
was the only one to oppose and prevent construction of the groundwave
emergency network in his State, a vital communications link, vital to our
national deterrent and to the security of the
Audience members. Booo!
The Vice President. I'd rather keep this
country prepared. And so, we're going to have a debate on these fundamental,
factual issues. When it comes to the land-based part of our triad, it's three
positions -- no new MX, no midgetman, no flight
testing of new missiles -- that add up to no modernization. And in this
troubled world we're in, no modernization amounts to unilateral cuts. And so I
ask: Is he discarding the mainstream, strategic doctrine of Democratic and
Republican Presidents alike for 30 years? Is he saying we don't need it? And I
want to know, and I believe the American people have a right to know, how we're
approaching these defense matters. I will make you this pledge: I will keep our
forces modern, and I will keep them strong. And I will keep
My
opponent has called a SDI a fantasy. Let me tell you something. The appalling
danger of nuclear missiles is no fantasy: It is a nightmare. And he would leave
Audience members. We want Bush! We want
Bush! We want Bush!
The Vice President. Today we're entering
into a new era in American history: an era of growth and opportunity, an era --
we're strong and hopes are high. But the foundation of our pride -- the
people's pride -- is values, old-fashioned American values like family and
faith, patriotism, persistence, and really a belief in freedom.
And
I just have to insert something here. Yesterday, my opponent came out swinging,
and of all things -- the Pledge of Allegiance. And what is it about the Pledge
of Allegiance that upsets him so much? The Democratic legislature -- now,
listen to these facts -- the Democratic legislature in
And
let's face it, my opponent was looking for a reason
not to sign that bill. I would have looked for a reason to sign that legislation.
It is very hard for me to imagine that the Founding Fathers -- Samuel Adams and
John Adams and John Hancock -- would have objected to teachers leading students
in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of the
Now,
I've served with a great President, and this is no time to go in the opposite
direction. This is the time to build on what we have done and to take this
country forward. This is the time to offer hope to every American. Some haven't
benefited by this, the longest recovery in history, but if we stay the course
and keep this country moving ahead, everyone will benefit.
And
let me be very, very clear about one last point. I have been very proud, very
proud indeed, to serve as Vice President for President Ronald Reagan. And now
it is my high honor to once again introduce him to you, his friends and strong
supporters -- ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States.
Audience members. Four more years! Four
more years! Four more years!
The President. Thank you. [Laughter]
No. Thank you, Governor Deukmejian, Senator and Mrs.
Wilson, and Barbara and Mr. Vice President. Well, now, wait a minute! You're
already President of the Senate, so thank you, Mr. President. Now, you know,
George, some people have been kind enough to say that I'm a great communicator.
But after your speech to the convention, I'd say
Dan
Quayle stands for the same principles George Bush and I stand for. We have a
big job ahead of us this November. It was more than two decades ago that we
first launched, right here in
As
this fire has grown brighter in the last 8 years; as we cut interest rates, as
George told you, to half of what they were and inflation to a third of what it
was; as we set America on the longest peacetime expansion in history and gave
new vitality to America's promise of opportunity; as we restored America's
reduction of -- well, I should say strength, not reduction -- I'm jumping ahead
of myself here -- [laughter] -- and negotiated the first real reduction of U.S.
and Soviet nuclear missiles in world history; as we achieved all this, no one
has been closer to my side and has contributed more to our success than George
Bush.
And
yet, my friends, I must tell you that everything George Bush and I have done
these last 8 years, everything, could be lost faster than you can say furlough.
[Laughter] I said in
Yes,
hard as they tried to hide, the liberals gave themselves away when they said
that if they're elected, the Reagan era will be over. Well, now, I'd like to
ask you something. When George Bush and I took office 8 years ago,
Audience members. No!
The President. Well, let me ask you
another question. Between 1977 and 1981, the real income of the typical
American family dropped by almost 7 percent. Think of what that means -- if
somebody were just to cut your paycheck by that much today -- how much less you
could buy at the grocery store, the clothes you couldn't get for your children,
the books you couldn't buy for their education, and how you might have to cut
back when your church or synagogue passes the collection plate each week. Yet
that's just what happened under the last administration. Since 1981, the year
we took office, real family income has soared almost 9 percent. Do you want
this era to be over? [Applause]
During
the last liberal administration, the Justice Department started to lose
interest in narcotics cases. Each year they brought fewer cases, and
convictions were down by almost half by their last year in office. Since George
Bush and I got in there, Federal narcotics convictions have more than doubled.
And while the number of drug users soared during the last administration, it's
dropping now. And recently we got the best news of all: High school students
have heard the plea of a certain lovely lady I know, and they are saying no to
drugs. And that includes no to cocaine. Now, do you want this progress to be
lost and this era to be over?
Audience members. No!
The President. Well, this year, the
liberal opposition has fielded a three-headed ticket that doesn't know left
from center. [Laughter] They talk about reaching for the center, but on issues
like national defense, they've taken positions that only a McGovern could love.
[Laughter] As former Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger wrote recently,
their ticket seems to believe that, in Secretary Schlesinger's words, ``the way
to deter war is to be unprepared to respond.'' They would cut the B - 1 bomber,
the MX missile, our Strategic Defense Initiative, as George told you, and two
carrier battle groups.
Audience members. No!
The President. In fact, what they plan
for the Navy is so bad, by the time they get through,
Michael may have to row the boat ashore. [Laughter] He won't have any other
choice.
Yes,
my friends, when our liberal friends refuse to even whisper the ``L'' word and
insist that ``this election is not about ideology; it's about competence,''
they're just acknowledging that where they want to take
Throughout
our history, whenever this great and blessed land has searched for true
leadership, it has found it; and this year is no exception. I've worked more
closely with George Bush these two terms than with any other member of the
administration. I've seen him keep a cool head in hot crises. I've seen his
leadership and vision. I've given him some of the most sensitive and difficult
tasks that we've had, and he has never let me or the country down.
I
once said that he is a great Vice President, but I know and I've seen that it
didn't come easily. George Bush is a man of action, a man accustomed to
command. The Vice Presidency doesn't fit easily on such a man. But George Bush
is also a patriot. And so, he made it fit, and he served with a distinction no
one has ever matched. Day in, day out, I've sought George Bush's counsel from
the very first day of our administration. Believe me, no one is better prepared
to lead
There's
one way, however, that I hope a Bush administration will be different. If it
hadn't been for a Republican Senate in our first 6 years, we wouldn't have
accomplished half of what we did. If we'd had one these last 2 years, we could
have done much more. But today, with the other party in control of both Houses,
we face a monkey-wrench Congress, determined to throw almost anything into the
gears of government to gum up the works. I hope we can make sure that George
Bush has more friends on Capitol Hill than he had on that
Should
I remind you that the gerrymandering that has gone on, particularly in this
State, with regard to congressional districts and State legislative districts
has been such that in the last election more Californians voted for Republican
congressional candidates than there were votes for the Democratic candidates. But the Democratic candidates outnumbered --
when they were elected -- the Republicans elected to that office because they
have gerrymandered the district so, that a majority of Californians become a
minority when it comes to counting by those districts.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. Nothing would please me
more than for President Bush to have an Inauguration Day gift: a Republican
Congress. [Applause] You know, it's time for that.
Yes,
I had a Republican Senate, one House for 6 years. But in the last 56 years,
only one Republican President has had a Republican Congress in both Houses, and
that was for only 2 of his 8 years -- during the Eisenhower term. For 56 years,
52 of those years the House of Representatives has
been held by the Democrats.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. Well, on that
Inauguration Day -- it's coming -- I know I'll be
thinking of the journey we Californians began two decades ago, a journey of
rebirth for ourselves and our nation. As it has been so often since then, our
choice this year is simple: the future or the past. Back to the past of
inflation, humiliation, and malaise; or continue forward with George Bush on
the road of hope, opportunity, and peace. We saw here in
They
say our State is close, but I have a hunch I know which way
So,
here's my last request to you. Put
Thank
you all. Thank you all, and God bless you.
Note: Vice President
George Bush spoke at