For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 5, 2004
Remarks by the President at a Bush-Cheney '04 Luncheon
Charlotte Convention Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
12:32 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. (Applause.) Thank you all very
much. (Applause.) Thanks for coming. (Applause.) Thank you all.
Thanks for the warm welcome. Last time I was supposed to be here, it
wasn't going to be so warm. (Laughter.) And I want to thank you for
your understanding about the mayor telling me not to come.
(Laughter.) He blamed it on the police chief. (Laughter.) Actually,
it was the right call. And I want to thank you all for your patience.
Thank you for letting me come back.
I generally try to stay on time. I'm running a little late. I met
with some special people in order for me to -- before I came over here,
so thanks. There's nothing worse than a politician making people
wait. I think I've got a pretty good excuse. I met with the family of
a fellow who -- who was killed in Iraq. It's part of my duty, it's
part of my obligation. It was an uplifting experience to meet with a
family that loves their country. I told the -- I told the dad, and the
mom, and the wife that we'd stay the course. We'd do what's right, and
their son would not have died in vain. (Applause.)
If you're noticing me working my shoulder a little bit, it's
because after dinner I've got to go out and deliver a hopping fastball
to open up the baseball season. I can't run very far, just hope I can
throw 60 foot and six inches. (Laughter.)
And the Vice President, by the way, is venturing out to the mound.
He's been warming up. It turns out we don't need a radar gun on him
either. (Laughter.) Speaking about the Vice President, he's the
finest Vice President our nation has ever had. (Applause.) Mother
heard me say that and said, wait a minute, Boy. (Laughter.)
I'm sorry Laura's not here. She's with her mother in Midland,
Texas. We were both raised in Midland. She's helping her mom move out
of her -- the home she was raised in. Her mom is getting up in years,
and Laura is doing her duty as a -- a loyal daughter. Let me just tell
you, this is a lady who's got her life in perspective. Her faith and
her family come first. And I love her. She is a fabulous First Lady
for the country. (Applause.) She sends her love. I'm going to see
her tonight in Crawford. We're going to spend the Easter time in
Crawford. I'm going to be working out at the Western White House, as
we call it -- the Southwestern White House. But I'll give her -- you
her best.
I appreciate Thompson and Hance. Those boys delivered a fine
introduction, didn't they? They are silver-tongued devils from --
(laughter) -- Charlotte. But I want to thank Ken and Jim for their
leadership on this event. I'm proud to have you on my team. I
appreciate you working so hard to make this fundraiser so successful.
I appreciate Ed McMahan, as well, for being one of the event chairmen.
Thank you for your help. (Applause.)
I remember campaigning here and saying to the people of North
Carolina that the best choice they had for the United States Senate was
Elizabeth Dole, that she'd do a great job for the citizens of this
state. And she has. (Applause.) Really proud of the job Elizabeth is
doing. She works hard. She's well versed on the issues. She's
articulate. She's making a big difference, a big difference in a short
period of time on the floor of the Senate. I don't know about the
company you're keeping there with Senator Faircloth. But --
(Laughter.)
I appreciate so very much my friend Congressman Cass Ballenger for
joining us today. Thank you for being here, Cass. Sue Myrick, as
well, the great congress lady from this part of the world. Thank you,
Sue, for coming. (Applause.)
Congressman Robin Hayes is with us today. Robin, I appreciate your
friendship -- (applause.)
And finally, the next United States senator from the great state of
North Carolina, Richard Burr. He'll be a good one. And I want him to
win. (Applause.)
I appreciate Pat McCrory, the mayor. The Mayor's doing a fine
job. He's a good fellow. I've known him a while, and he's doing a
really good for the people. (Applause.)
I thank all the state and local officials who are here. I want to
thank my friend Jim Culbertson for his hard work, and Dr. Aldona Wos.
I want to thank Ferrell Blount. I want to thank Jim Cain. I want to
thank all my friends for working so hard to make this event a
successful event.
I appreciate Teresa Earnhardt being here. Teresa, thank you for
coming. It's -- going to Daytona 500 is -- it's a pretty interesting
experience, if you've never been there. And starting the race is even
more interesting. It's -- I want to thank the Earnhardt family for
their -- for being such great Americans.
I want to thank Ric Flair, professional wrestler. He's with us
today. Big Ric, I'm proud you're here. Thank you for coming.
(Applause.) I want to thank the grassroots activists who are here. We
won North Carolina last time. We're going to win it this time. And I
appreciate your help. (Applause.)
And I'm ready for the contest. I just want you to know I'm looking
forward to it. I'm looking forward to campaigning. I'm looking
forward to talking about what I intend to do. I'm looking forward to
reminding people in the last three years we've achieved great things.
(Applause.) But most importantly, I'm looking forward to reminding
people about our positive vision, a positive vision to win the war on
terror, a positive vision for extending peace and freedom throughout
the world, a positive vision for creating jobs and promoting
opportunity and compassion at home. I'll leave no doubt where we
stand, and we're going to win on the 2nd of November. (Applause.)
The last three years have brought serious challenges, and we have
given serious answers. We came to office with the stock market in
decline and an economy headed into recession. We delivered historic
tax relief -- and now our economy is the fast-growing of any major
industrialized nation. (Applause.)
We had to confront corporate crimes that cost people their jobs and
their savings. So we passed strong corporate reforms, and we made it
abundantly clear that we will not tolerate dishonesty in the boardrooms
of America. (Applause.)
We saw grief and war arrive on a quiet September morning. So we
have pursued the terrorist enemy across the world. We've captured or
killed many key leaders of the al Qaeda network. And the rest will
learn: There is no cave or hole deep enough to hide from American
justice. (Applause.)
We confronted the dangers of state-sponsored terror, and the spread
of weapons of mass destruction. So we ended two of the most violent
and dangerous regimes on Earth. We freed over 50 million people. Once
again, America is proud to lead the armies of liberation. (Applause.)
When Dick Cheney and I came to Washington, we found a military that
was under-funded and under-appreciated. So we gave our military the
resources and respect they deserve. And today, no one can question the
skill, and the strength, and the spirit of the United States military.
(Applause.)
It is the President's job to confront problems, not to pass them on
to future Presidents or future generations. (Applause.) A President
needs to step up and make the tough decisions, and keep his
commitments. And that is how I will continue to lead our great
nation. (Applause.)
Great events will turn on this election. The man who sits in the
Oval Office will set the course of the war on terror, and the direction
of our economy. The security and prosperity of America are at stake.
I finally got an opponent. (Laughter.) I'm running against an
experienced senator, and he has built up quite a record. In fact,
Senator Kerry has been in Washington long enough to take both sides of
just about every issue. (Laughter and applause.) He voted for the
Patriot Act, for NAFTA, for the No Child Left Behind Act, and for the
use of force in Iraq. Now he opposes the Patriot Act, NAFTA, the No
Child Left Behind Act, and the liberation of Iraq. He's been on both
sides of so many big issues, that if he could find a third side, I
imagine he'd take it. (Laughter and applause.)
Someone recently asked my opponent why he had voted against the
$87-billion funding bill to help our troops in Iraq. Here's what he
said -- he actually said this, "I actually did vote for the $87
billion, before I voted against it." (Laughter.) End of quote.
(Laughter.) The President must speak clearly. (Applause.)
We will have a clear choice in the campaign this year, the choice
between keeping the tax relief that is moving our economy forward, or
putting the burden of higher taxes back on the American people. We'll
have a choice between an America that leads the world with strength and
confidence, or an America that is uncertain in the face of danger. I
look forward to making that choice very clear.
The other side hasn't offered much in the way of strategies to win
the war, or policies to expand the economy. All we hear from that side
is a lot of old bitterness and partisan anger. Anger is not an agenda
for the future of America. (Applause.)
I look forward to taking on the big issues with optimism, and
resolve. I will make it clear that I stand ready to lead this nation
for four more years. (Applause.)
A big issue for every family in America is the federal tax burden.
With the largest tax relief since Ronald Reagan was the President, we
have left more money in the hands that earned it. By spending and
investing, and to help create new jobs, the American people have used
their money far better than the federal government would have.
(Applause.)
This economy is strong, and it is getting stronger. Economic
growth is strong. America added 308,000 new jobs in March -- the
highest monthly job growth total in almost four years. (Applause.)
And since August, our economy has added over three-quarter of a million
new jobs. The second half of 2003, the economy grew at its fastest
rate in nearly 20 years. Interest rates are low. Mortgage rates are
low. Manufacturing activity is on the increase. Disposable income is
rising. Homeownership is at all-time historic high. The tax relief we
passed is working. (Applause.)
There's a clear difference when it comes to taxes. When we passed
the tax increase in the child credit to help families, my opponent
voted against it. When we reduced the marriage penalty, he voted
against it. When we created a lower 10-percent tax rate for working
families, he voted against it. When we reduced the tax rate on
dividends that many seniors depend on, he voted "no." When we gave
small businesses tax incentives to expand and hire, he voted against
it. When we passed a phase-out of the death tax, he voted against it.
I think there's a pattern here. (Laughter.)
When tax increases are proposed, it's a lot easier to get a yes
vote out of him. Over the years, he has voted over 350 times for
higher taxes on the American people -- including the biggest tax
increase in American history. He's supported higher gas taxes 11
times, and once favored a tax increase of 50 cents a gallon. That
would cost you another $5 or more every time you fill up your tank.
For that kind of money, he ought to at least throw in a free car wash.
(Laughter.)
My opponent proposes a lot of new government spending -- about $1.7
trillion at last count. And the campaign has just barely gotten
started. He said he's going to pay for it by raising the taxes on the
rich people. He's got a problem. See, to cover all the new spending,
Senator Kerry would need to eliminate every single one of the tax
reductions we've passed, and then he'd still have to raise taxes on top
of that. The marriage penalty would go up; the child credit would go
down; taxes on small businesses would rise. It turns out if you have a
job, a child, or a dollar to spare, Senator Kerry thinks you're rich
enough to pay more taxes. Fortunately, we're not going to give him
that chance. (Applause.)
Higher taxes now would undermine growth and destroy jobs. To help
grow the American economy and to create more jobs, I have a better
idea: We should make all the tax cuts permanent. (Applause.)
And there is more we can do to make sure we maintain economic
growth. We need spending discipline in the Nation's Capital. I have a
plan to protect small business owners and employees from frivolous and
junk lawsuits. I have a plan to help control the cost of health care
by giving people better access to association health plans and tax-free
health savings accounts. And the Senate must pass medical liability
reform in order to control the cost of health care. (Applause.)
Rather than to wall ourselves from the world, and rather to listen
to the economic isolationists, we need to level the playing field and
open up more markets for North Carolina's farmers, and ranchers, and
manufacturers, and entrepreneurs.
In order to make sure this country continues to grow and people can
find work at home, we need an energy plan that encourages conservation,
that makes our electricity systems more reliable, that encourages clean
coal technology, that allows for exploration. This nation must become
less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
These are ways to keep jobs here at home, and to make sure the job
base expands. But my opponent is against every one of these
job-creating measures. Empty talk about jobs and economic isolationism
will not get anybody hired. This country needs to reelect a
pro-growth, pro-small business, pro-entrepreneur President, George W.
Bush. (Applause.)
Our future also depends on America's leadership in the world. The
momentum of freedom in our time is strong, but we still face serious
dangers. Al Qaeda is wounded -- but not broken. Terrorists are
testing our will in Afghanistan and Iraq. We still face dangers in
North Korea and Iran. If America shows weakness and uncertainty in
this decade, the world will drift toward tragedy. This will not happen
on my watch. (Applause.)
This nation is strong and confident in the cause of freedom -- and
today no friend or enemy doubts the word of the United States. America
and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Afghanistan.
The Taliban chose defiance, and the Taliban are no longer in power.
America and our allies gave an ultimatum to the terror regime in Iraq.
The dictator chose defiance, and now the dictator sits in a prison
cell. (Applause.)
September the 11th, 2001, taught a lesson I will never forget, a
lesson America must never forget: America must confront threats before
they fully materialize. In Iraq, my administration looked at the
intelligence information, and we saw a threat. The United States
Congress looked at the intelligence, and they saw a threat. The United
Nations Security Council looked at the intelligence, and it saw a
threat. The previous administration and Congress looked at the
intelligence and made regime change in Iraq the policy of our country.
In 2002, the United Nations Security Council, yet again, demanded a
full accounting of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs. As he had for
over a decade, Saddam Hussein refused to comply. So I had a choice:
either take the word of a madman, take the word of a man who had used
weapons of mass destruction on his own people, or take action to defend
America. Given that choice, I will defend America every time.
(Applause.)
My opponent admits that Saddam Hussein was a threat. He just
didn't support my decision to remove Saddam from power. Perhaps he was
hoping Saddam would lose the next Iraqi election. (Laughter.) We
showed the dictator, and a watching world, that America means what it
says. Because our coalition acted, Saddam's torture chambers are
closed. Because we acted, Iraq's weapons programs are ended forever.
Because we acted, nations like Libya have gotten the message and
renounced their own weapons programs. (Applause.) Because we acted,
an example of democracy is rising at the very heart of the Middle
East. Because we acted, the world is more free, because we acted
America is more secure. (Applause.)
We still face thugs and terrorists in Iraq, who would rather go on
killing innocent people than accept the advance of liberty. And
there's a reason why: They know that a free Iraq will be a major
defeat in the cause of terror. They hate freedom. They can't stand
the thought of a free society. And what they're trying to do is
they're trying to shake our will. They're trying to shake the will of
America. America will never be intimidated by thugs and assassins.
(Applause.)
We are on the offense. We will stay on the offense. We will
aggressively strike the terrorists in Iraq. We will defeat them there
so we do not have to face them in our own country. We're calling on
other nations to help Iraq build a free society. They understand what
we know: A free Iraq will make the world more peaceful. And we're
standing with those brave Iraqi citizens who've endured Saddam Hussein
and who now long for self-government.
These aren't easy tasks. I understand that. But they are
essential tasks. America will finish what we have begun, and we will
win this essential victory in the war on terror. (Applause.)
On national security, Americans have the clearest possible choice.
My opponent says he approves of bold action in the world, but only if
other countries do not object. I'm all for united action, and so are
our 34 coalition partners in Iraq right now. Yet America must never
allow our national security decisions to be made by leaders of other
countries. (Applause.)
Some are skeptical that the war on terror is really a war at all.
My opponent said this, "The war on terror is far less of a military
operation, and far more of an intelligence-gathering, law enforcement
operation." I disagree.
Our nation followed this approach after the World Trade Center was
bombed in 1993. The matter was handled in the courts and thought by
some to be settled. But the terrorists were still training in
Afghanistan. They were plotting in other nations. They were drawing
up more ambitious plans. After the chaos and carnage of September the
11th, it is not enough to serve our enemies with legal papers. With
those attacks, the terrorists and their supporters declared war on the
United States of America, and war is what they got. (Applause.)
Our men and women in the military are taking great risks, and doing
great work. At bases across our country and the world, I have had the
privilege of meeting those who defend our country and sacrifice for our
security. I've seen their great decency and unselfish courage. And I
assure you, ladies and gentlemen, the cause of freedom is in good
hands. (Applause.)
This nation is prosperous and strong, yet we need to remember that
our greatest strength is in the hearts and souls of our citizens.
We're strong because of the values we try to live by: courage and
compassion, reverence and integrity. We're strong because of the
institutions that help give us direction and purpose: our families,
our schools, our religious congregations.
These values and institutions are fundamental to our lives, and
they deserve the respect of our government. We stand for the fair
treatment of faith-based groups so they can receive federal support for
their works of compassion and healing. We will not stand for
government discrimination against people of faith. We stand for
welfare reforms that require work and strengthen marriage, which have
helped millions of Americans find independence and dignity. We will
not stand for any attempt to weaken those reforms and send people back
into lives of dependence.
We stand for a culture of life, in which every person counts and
every person matters. We will not stand for the treatment of any life
as a commodity to be experimented upon, to be exploited or cloned.
(Applause.) We stand for the confirmation of judges who strictly and
faithfully interpret the law. We will not stand for judges who
undermine democracy by legislating from the bench, or judges who try to
remake the values of America by court order. (Applause.)
We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. We're
changing the culture of this country from one that has said, if it
feels good, do it, and if you got a problem, blame somebody else, to a
culture in which each of us are responsible for the decisions we make
in life.
If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you are
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. (Applause.) If
you're worried about the quality of the education in the community in
which you live, you're responsible for doing something about it. If
you're a CEO in corporate America, you're responsible for telling the
truth to your shareholders and your employees. (Applause.) And in the
new responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our
neighbor just like we'd like to be loved our self.
For all Americans these years in our history will stand apart.
There are quiet times in the life of a nation when little is expected
of its leaders. These aren't one of those times. You and I are living
in a period when the stakes are high, the challenges are difficult, a
time when firm resolve is needed. None of us will ever forget that
week when one era ended and another began.
On September the 14th, 2001, I stood in the ruins of the Twin
Towers. I'll never forget the day. There were workers in hard hats
yelling at me, "Whatever it takes." I remember walking a rope line, a
guy said to me -- looked me right in the eye and said, "Don't let me
down."
As we all did that day, these men and women who were searching
through the rubble took it personally. I took it personally. I have a
responsibility that goes on. I will never relent in bringing justice
to our enemies. I will defend the security of America -- whatever it
takes. (Applause.)
In these times, I've also been witness to the character of this
nation. Not so long ago some had their doubts about the American
character, about our capacity to meet serious challenges, or our
willingness to serve a cause greater than self-interest. Americans
gave their answer. I've seen the unselfish courage of our troops.
I've seen the heroism of Americans in the face of danger. I've seen
the spirit of service and compassion renewed in our country. We've all
seen our nation unite in common purpose when it mattered most. We'll
need all these qualities for the work ahead. We have a war to win.
And the world is counting on us to lead the cause of freedom and
peace. We have a duty to spread opportunity to every part of America.
This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it, and we
know that for our country, the best days lie ahead. May God bless you
all. (Applause.)
Thank you all.
END 1:04 P.M. EDT
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