For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 7, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at Victory '04 Rally in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Holy Family University Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
6:11 P.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Thank you very
much for the wonderful introduction. Thanks to all the state
representatives who are here. Special thanks to Sister Francesca
Onley, President of Holy Family University. Thank you very much.
(Applause.) Dom Giordano, thank you very much for being our emcee. And
Timmy Kelly, that was terrific. It was one of the most beautiful
renditions I've ever heard. Thanks so much. (Applause.)
I want to thank all the Republican candidates who are here with me
today. Aida Aloian is here. She's running for the State House. I
think Melissa Brown maybe is -- here she is, came in in time, running
for the U.S. Congress. I hope you all will support her.
I also want to thank all the other state elected officials who have
joined us today, and every one of the volunteers who are working hard
to make sure George W. Bush is reelected for four more years.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: The President was in Wilkes Barre yesterday.
(Applause.) And I know he and I both will be back in Pennsylvania again
before November 2nd. And with your help, we're going to carry the
state of Pennsylvania. (Applause.)
I have had the real privilege of traveling around our country for
the last three-and-a-half years, and especially over the last several
months, and I've met so many people who have such a very deep love for
our country and for our President. People across America see what you
and I see: that my husband is a person of great character and
conviction. (Applause.)
We've watched as President Bush has led our country through the
most historic struggle of our generation. We've been through a lot
together the last four years, but today our economy is growing, we're
closing the achievement gap in our schools, and America is safer and
stronger thanks to the decisive leadership of President Bush.
(Applause.)
In Ohio, I visited with a woman business owner who summed up our
success this way. She said, "President Bush was born for such a time
as this. He never wavers when it comes to doing the right thing."
(Applause.)
These are historic times, but they're also times of change that
require new ideas to move America forward. Just think about the
differences in our lives today and the lives of our parents or
grandparents. Today, in most families, both parents are working
outside the home, including two-thirds of all mothers. And more single
parents are doing double duty alone.
More entrepreneurs are starting their own business, workers are
changing jobs often during their lifetime, instead of going to work for
one company and staying there their whole life. And more people are
going back to school to keep up with our changing economy.
At our convention in New York, President Bush outlined his agenda
for a new term. Helping families face the challenges of these changing
times is at the heart of the President's plan.
We know, and especially in this gym, we all know that all
opportunity starts with education. Thanks to the No Child Left Behind
Act, our schools are improving with higher standards, accountability
and the most federal funding ever for elementary and secondary
education. (Applause.)
More children are reading at grade level, and scores in math are
improving. And we owe much of this success to America's incredible
teachers. (Applause.)
As we help our younger students, we also want to make sure that our
students in high schools are well prepared for the new jobs of the 21st
century. We want high school students to have increased math and
science training, because we know that's where the new jobs will be.
President Bush wants to make it easier for high school students to take
courses at community college and earn credits toward their degrees
before they even graduate. He also wants to make federal student
financial aid more flexible so Americans can receive training, earn a
degree, or take specialized courses that will help them get a great
job.
And when these graduates enter the work force, I'm proud to say
that a lot of them will go to work for a woman boss. (Applause.) Ten
million women in America own their own business, and that sisterhood
just keeps growing. In fact, women are starting businesses at twice
the rate of men.
Millions of small business owners and families are saving more of
their own money because the President worked to pass the largest tax
relief in a generation. (Applause.)
And just in case you don't know, a lot of small businesses are
either sole proprietorships or sub-S corporations, which means they're
taxed with regular income tax. So when you talk about tax cuts, you're
also talking about the tax cuts that help small business owners expand
their businesses and hire more people.
America has added 1.7 million jobs since August 2003. That's more
jobs than Germany, Japan, England, Canada and France added, combined.
(Applause.)
We know we have more work to do to make sure everybody who wants to
work can find a job. On Monday, President Bush signed a bill extending
the tax relief so that families and small businesses can stay on the
path to greater prosperity. The bipartisan bill that the President
signed extends the $1,000 child tax credit, the marriage penalty
relief, and the expanded 10 percent bracket. Overall, 94 million
Americans will have a lower tax bill next year, including 70 million
women and 38 million families with children. (Applause.)
My husband also wants working moms and dads to keep something we
never seem to have enough of, and that's time -- time to play with our
kids, time to take care of our parents. President Bush will work with
Congress to make flex time and comp time available so more Americans
can better manage the demands of family and work.
Another growing crisis that's of particular interest to families
and to doctors -- and especially in Pennsylvania -- is medical
liability reform. When I visited Philadelphia in August, I met Erin
Zezzo, who learned about junk lawsuits the hard way. Erin had a
trusting relationship with her OB-GYN, who had delivered her first two
children. Into her third pregnancy, Erin's doctor stopped delivering
babies because he couldn't afford the medical liability insurance.
Erin had to find a new doctor when she was six months pregnant.
Frivolous lawsuits raise the cost of insurance and they drive good
doctors out of practice. President Bush will work to reform the
medical liability system and reduce frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)
My husband will make sure that patients and doctors are in charge of
health care, not bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.) George
believes that the government should try to help people improve their
lives, not try to run them. (Applause.)
As President, my husband has met some of the toughest challenges
with courage. He believes that it's his duty, the responsibility of
every leader, to find solutions to problems, not pass them on to future
Presidents and future generations. (Applause.)
As we mark the third anniversary of September 11th, I believe
what's most important is my husband's work to protect our country and
to defeat terror around the world. (Applause.)
President Bush and I want our men and women in uniform and their
families to know how much every American appreciates their service and
their sacrifice. (Applause.) We appreciate courageous Americans like
former state senator and Marine Corps veteran Frank Salvatore, who's
with us today. Senator, thank you for your dedication to our country.
(Applause.)
As we do the hard work of confronting terror, we can be proud that
50 million more men, women and children now have the chance to live in
freedom, thanks to the United States of America and our allies.
(Applause.)
After years of being treated as virtual prisoners in their homes by
the Taliban, the women of Afghanistan are now able to walk outside
their doors without a male escort. And after being denied an
education, even the chance to learn to read, the little girls in
Afghanistan are in school.
Those who question whether people in the broader Middle East desire
freedom need only ask the 10 million Afghans who have registered to
vote in this Saturday's first free presidential election in their
history. (Applause.) This Saturday will be an historic milestone for
all of Afghanistan, and especially the more than 4 million women who
also registered to vote and will be heading to the polls. (Applause.)
Because we acted, the people of Iraq are now free from the tyranny
of Saddam Hussein. Recently, President Bush met with Iraq's new
leader, Prime Minister Allawi, at the White House. Prime Minister
Allawi said that the Iraqi people are determined to exercise their
right to vote this January, even as they face violence from those who
oppose their democracy. These violent acts are grim reminders of why
our work to defeat terror and to support free societies in the Middle
East is so important.
We still have a lot of work to do, but we'll stand with the people
of Iraq and Afghanistan while their hopes for freedom are being
fulfilled. (Applause.)
Building a democracy takes time. Think of how long it took us in
our country. It took almost 100 years after our founders declared all
men are created equal to abolish slavery in America. And not until 84
years ago did American women get the right to vote. Our nation has not
always lived up to its ideals, yet those ideals have never ceased to
guide us.
This Friday, this Friday night in St. Louis, the President will
once again talk to Americans about his plans for making America safer
and more prosperous and for making the world more secure. Americans
will see the strong and thoughtful man that I've known for 27 years, a
man who says what he means and does what he says. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: There are just a few weeks left now, just a little over
three weeks left before November 2nd. So in the next few weeks, talk
to all your neighbors and your friends about the President and his
accomplishments for our country. Reach out to Democrats and
Independents who appreciate strong and optimistic leadership. Make
sure your friends and your neighbors are registered to vote and then
turn them out at the polls. Everything you do to help will be a huge
help for the President's campaign.
These are times of change for our nation, but they're also years of
promise. George and I grew up in West Texas, where the sky seems
endless and so do the possibilities. My husband brings that optimism,
that sense of purpose, that certainty that a better day lies before us
to his job every day. And with your help, he'll do it for four more
years. (Applause.)
Thank you all. Thanks so much. May God bless America. Thank you
all. Thanks a lot. (Applause.)
6:28 P.M. EDT
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