Remarks at a Republican
Campaign Rally in
The President. You are living proof of
something that I have said over and over again:
Let
me say a special hello to Governor Deukmejian, Gabe Kaplan, Bob Naylor, Congressmen Bill Dannemeyer and Bob Dornan, and to
two future Congressmen who have already given invaluable service to their
country in helping to make our administration a success. I could always count
on Chris Cox to push our agenda forward and to keep his sights on why we were
in
And
let me also say hello to a group I take a kind of personal interest in: the
College Republican Club. But there's also some others here I've noticed. You
won't mind if I recognize my fraters in Tau Kappa
Epsilon, because I'm a TEEK.
Somebody
asked why I've come here today. Well, that's easy. I like great teams and I
couldn't think of any greater one than the Titans.
Now,
before I go any further, I have a special message from my roommate: Please, for
your families, for your friends, for your country, and most of all, for
yourselves -- just say no to drugs.
You
know, I watched a certain debate a couple of weeks ago. I don't often feel
sorry for liberals, but I came close. Now, he may have been surprised at George
Bush's strength, but you know something? I wasn't. I've worked more closely
with George Bush these two terms than with any other member of the
administration. I have 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's never let me or the country down. When you ask who led the fight to lift
excessive regulations off of the shoulders of America's economy or who
reassured our allies about deployment of INF missiles and set the stage for the
INF treaty or who ran the initial policy meetings that led to our rescue of
Grenada, or when you ask which candidate for President is on your side and
America's side: George Bush is that man.
George
Bush knows the importance of the values expressed in the Pledge of Allegiance.
He cares that the courts won't allow children in public schools to open their
day with a simple, silent, voluntary prayer. He believes that we must have
judges on our courts who interpret the law and don't try to legislate and who
care not just about the rights of criminals but about those of the victims of
crime. That's why I want the next President of the
But
as I listened to George Bush and his opponent debate, I couldn't help thinking
the problem with those fellows on the other side is not camera angles or
lighting; it's not whether their candidate is likable or not. No, it's the very
thing that they've spent this campaign trying desperately to hide. When our
liberal friends refuse, until the last week of the campaign, even to 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 America,
America doesn't want to go.
The
American people always have a way of figuring out the facts. And that reminds
me of a story. At my age, everything reminds you of a story. This is a story
that happens to be about one of our intelligence agencies in
And
the bartender said, ``If it's Murphy the bootmaker
you want, he's in the second floor of the building across the street. And if
it's Murphy the farmer you want, he's a half a mile down the road -- the farm
on the left.'' ``And,'' he said, ``my name is Murphy.'' And the agent said,
``Well, it's a beautiful day today, but it'll be better tomorrow.'' And the
bartender said, ``Oh, it's Murphy the spy you want.''
[Laughter]
Well,
you know the facts, and so do the American people. Our liberal friends have
spent the last 3 months trying to dress up their agenda in our clothes -- and
now in Harry Truman's clothes or F.D.R.'s clothes --
but somehow nothing fits.
Audience members. We want Mike! We want
Mike! We want Mike!
The President. You see, his supporters
can't even find the right meeting. Well, now, when they say ``opportunity,''
they mean subsidies. When they say ``reducing the deficit,'' they mean raising
the taxes.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. And when they say
``strong defense,'' they mean cut defense spending. You know, it's no wonder
their favorite machine is the snowblower. They talk
about it being time for a change. Well, where have they been the last 8 years?
We are the change. We began it 8 years ago. And the choice this year is to go
forward with the change or to go back to the stagnant status quo of the past.
When
George Bush and I took office,
Since
our expansion began, we have created over 18 million new jobs. That is more new
jobs than
Let
me explain that term ``potential work force'' to you. That is considered by the
statisticians to be everyone in the
Think
of what this means to you when you leave school. There'll be jobs and
opportunities waiting for you. It's a good time to begin a career and maybe get
married to that special someone and start a family. Perhaps now or in a few
years, you'll want to start your own business. Well, it's a great time for
that, too. Think of how lucky you are not to have graduated in the late
seventies when things looked so different. Think of how lucky you are to be
graduating in our country and not some other country.
What
you heard in a recent debate I've heard echoed in my talks with the leaders of
many other nations: Today the
Audience members. We want Mike! We want
Mike! We want Mike!
The President. -- -- and he's no F.D.R. When the
leadership of today's Democratic Party took that party over, I was a Democrat,
and a lot of you probably were. Well, we took the other party over, and it's
now the party of Harry Truman and F.D.R.
Not
long ago, former Defense and Energy Secretary James Schlesinger, who has served
in both Democratic and Republican administrations, wrote that their ticket this
year seems to be, in Secretary Schlesinger's words, ``viscerally antimilitary.''
They'd cut the B - 1 bomber, the mobile MX, our strategic defense against
ballistic missiles, and they would eliminate two carrier battle groups from the
Navy. In fact, what they plan for the Navy is so bad that when they get through
Michael may have to row the boat ashore.
Yes,
it's the same Carter-Mondale liberal agenda they're pushing: less defense, more
big government. For example, as part of their -- --
Audience members. We want Bush! We want
Bush! We want Bush!
The President. You know -- --
Audience members. We want Bush! We want
Bush! We want Bush!
The President. And you're going to
have him. You know, if they'd shut up and listen, they'd learn where George
was. You know, every time this happens, I wonder if some of the people who are
doing that realize that maybe if they had their way about the government people
wouldn't be able to do what they're doing.
Audience members. Ronnie! Ronnie! Ronnie!
The President. All
right. Okay. Well, now, for that other party, and for an example of
their so-called profamily agenda, they propose
Federal child-care assistance. A little while ago, I told an audience that
under this proposal if parents want assistance and they also want to leave
their child with his or her grandmother the grandmother will have to be
licensed by the Federal Government.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. Now, after I first said
that, a reporter called one of the congressional staffers behind that bill and
asked if it was true -- that grandmothers would have to get Federal licenses to
take care of their own grandchildren. And the reply came, yes, of course, it's
true. After all -- and here's the quote -- ``How else can you design a program
that receives Federal funds?''
Audience members. Booo!
The President. Licensing grandmothers
-- can you believe it? But doesn't that tell all the difference between our two
philosophies? When they say ``family,'' they mean Big Brother in
Hearing
all this, maybe it won't surprise you that this year we have an opposition
candidate for President whose appointees to his State's supreme court have been
described, in the words of legal authorities who've studied their record, as
``fervent proponents of the liberal social agenda committed to imposing it
through judicial decree.'' They have opposed the death penalty and opposed
mandatory sentences for drug dealers. They believe that directing teachers to
lead classes in the Pledge of Allegiance is unconstitutional and have voted to
strike down a ban on child pornography.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. Well, I've appointed
very different Justices to the United States Supreme Court, and so will George
Bush. It's just this simple: We Californians know that the U.S. Supreme Court
must never come to resemble the California Supreme Court before the voters rose
up and said, ``Enough!'' And in that, as in so many other battles, George Bush
is on our side. That's where George is.
Now,
George's opponent says this is negative campaigning. We don't do negative
campaigning. We tell them the truth, and they think it's
negative campaigning. You've heard that George's opponent says he's on your
side, but you know better.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. -- -- while the number of manufacturing
jobs nationally grew -- more manufacturing jobs nationally -- manufacturing
jobs lost in
Audience members. Bush! Bush! Bush!
The President. I can see I'm speaking
to a well-educated audience. Let's try one more. The Federal deficit fell by
more than $65 billion between 1986 and 1988 while the top tax rate was cut from
50 percent to 28 percent. Meanwhile, a certain
Audience members. Bush!
The President. Well, all right. Yes,
George Bush is the one, and the only one, who's on your side. And that's not
negative campaigning: That's the truth.
Now,
our friends on the other side have promised that come January the Reagan era is
over, and their era will be just beginning. Well, let me ask you something
else, and again: Could you give me an answer loud enough so they can hear it
all the way to
Audience members. No!
The President. Okay. Do you want our
foreign policy in the hands of those who criticized our rescue mission in
Audience members. No!
The President. You just made my day.
This election campaign is not over. And the only poll that means a thing is the
one on election day. And that's why it's so important
for you to vote. It's disturbing to me that so many of
Earlier
this year, I had the privilege of doing something I never thought an American
President would be able to do. There, in the
So,
let me ask you one or two more questions. And I'm asking you for a commitment,
so if you shout yes, be sure you mean it. This November, will you show up at
the polls to vote?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. Will you also -- and
this goes for even you who are too young to vote -- get your friends to show up
at the polls to vote?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. Will you vote to elect
Don Knabe and Curt Pringle to the State legislature?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. Will you vote to end 34
years of liberal control of the House of Representatives and to elect Chris Cox
and Dana Rohrabacher and reelect Bill Dannemeyer and
Bob Dornan?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. You know I said 34
years. I was being easy on you -- counting this year, 58. For 58 years, the
other party has controlled the House of Representatives.
Audience members. Booo!
The President. Except for 2 years during
Harry Truman, every Democratic President in more than half a century has had a
Democratic Congress. Well, except for 2 years in Ike's term, every Republican
President but me has had a Democratic Congress. I was lucky enough to have for
6 years a majority in the Senate. And that majority is what made it possible
for us to bring about the recovery that we've brought about. So, vote to return
Pete Wilson to the United States Senate. And of course, will you vote for
George Bush?
Audience members. Yes!
The President. You just keep on making
my day. Almost a quarter century ago, we Californians began a crusade for a
stronger, braver, freer land. We've fought side by side ever since. And Nancy
and I have been grateful for all the support that we've received. Right now my
theme song all over
Audience members. Yes!
The President. Thank you all very much
-- almost you all. Thank you, and God bless you all.
Note: The President
spoke at