For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 6, 2004
President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally in Farmington Hills, Michigan
Oakland Community College-Orchard Ridge Campus
Farmington Hills, Michigan
3:22 P.M. EDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) You know
what I think, Bill -- I think that with the help of these good folks
here, we'll carry Michigan; we'll win a great victory in November. And
I'll be there in the White House when you come back. (Applause.)
I appreciate you coming. Thanks for coming today. We're coming
down the stretch. I'm here to ask for your vote, and I'm here to ask
for your help. (Applause.) When you register your friends and
neighbors, make sure you don't overlook discerning Democrats, people
like Zell Miller. (Applause.) Get people headed to the polls, and
remind them, if they want a safer America, a stronger America, and a
better America, to put me and Dick Cheney back in office. (Applause.)
Speaking about the Vice President, I'm sure some of you stayed up
to watch the debate last night. (Applause.) America saw two different
visions of our country, and two different hair styles. (Laughter.)
America saw why I picked Dick Cheney to be the Vice President. He's
strong, he's steady, he knows what he's talking about. (Applause.)
Laura sends her best. (Applause.) She's warming up for the Jay
Leno show. He's lucky to have her as a guest, and I'm lucky to have
her as a wife. (Applause.) She is a great First Lady. Perhaps the
most important reason to put me back into office, so that Laura will be
the First Lady for four more years. (Applause.)
I appreciate Bill Laimbeer for being here. I also want to thank
another great leader and sports figure of your great state, Bo
Schembechler is with us today, as well. (Applause.) I appreciate you
bringing Cathryn. I also want to thank the Attorney General, Mike
Cox. (Applause.) Longtime friend, Brooks Patterson is with us today.
(Applause.) I thank Ruth Johnson and other state and local officials.
I want to thank Betsy DeVos, and all the grassroots activists who are
here. I appreciate what you're doing. (Applause.) I appreciate the
hard work you're doing. (Applause.)
I want to thank Mary Spangler, the Chancellor of the Oakland
Community College; and Ed Callaghan, who's the President. Thank you
all for having me. I want to thank my friend, Mark Wills,
country/western singer, for being here. (Applause.) Most of all,
thank you all for being here. (Applause.)
In less than a month you'll have a chance to vote for Dick Cheney
and me. As your President, I've worked to make America more hopeful
and more secure. I've led our country with principle and resolve, and
that is how I'll lead our nation for four more years. (Applause.)
When I took office in 2001, the bubble of the '90s had burst and
our economy was headed into a recession. Because of the attacks of
September the 11th, nearly a million jobs were lost in three months.
It was a dangerous time for our economy. People were warning of
potential deflation and depression. And I led. To stimulate the
economy, I called on Congress to pass historic tax relief -- which it
did. (Applause.) The tax relief was the fuel that got our economy
growing again. Thanks to the efforts of our citizens and the right
policies at the right place at the right time, we put the recession
behind us, and America is creating jobs again. (Applause.)
We have built a broad and solid record of accomplishment. In the
past year, the United States of America has added about 1.7 million new
jobs -- more than Germany, Japan, Great Britain, Canada and France
combined. (Applause.) Real tax -- real after-tax income, the money in
your pocket you have to spend on groceries and house payments and rent,
is up more than 10 percent since I took office. Home ownership is at
an all-time high in America. (Applause.) The farm economy is strong.
The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well. The small business
sector of America is doing well. (Applause.)
Thanks to our reforms in education, math and reading scores are
increasing in our public schools. Under my budget, 10 million students
will get record levels of grants and loans to help with college.
(Applause.) Low-income seniors are getting $600 extra to help pay for
medicine this year, and soon Medicare will offer prescription drug
coverage to every senior in America. (Applause.) We've made America
stronger, and we're just getting started. (Applause.)
Listen, I understand we're living in changing times -- people are
living and working in a time of change. Workers switch jobs more often
than they used to, which means they need -- oftentimes, need new
schools and new benefits that they can take with them from job to job.
Ultimately, in our competitive global economy, it's our people that
make America successful. And that's why I believe education is so
vital. (Applause.)
So we'll raise standards and expectations for every public school
in America. We'll invest in our nation's fine community colleges, like
this one right here, so they prepare workers for the jobs of the 21st
century. We'll expand health savings accounts so people can pay health
expenses with tax-free money. We'll improve Social Security to allow
younger workers to own a piece of their retirement, a nest egg that
Washington, D.C. politicians can never take away. (Applause.)
To keep our economy strong and competitive, we must make sure
America is the best place in the world to do business. (Applause.)
That's why we need to make our tax relief permanent for our small
businesses and our families. (Applause.) To keep jobs here, we need
to cut needless regulations. To keep jobs here, we need to pass an
energy plan that makes our nation less dependent on foreign sources of
energy. (Applause.) To make sure we got jobs here, we need to stop
these junk and frivolous lawsuits that badger our employers.
(Applause.)
My opponent and I have a very different view as how to grow our
economy. We have a difference of opinion. Let's start with taxes. I
have a record of reducing them. He has a record of raising them.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He voted in the United States Senate to raise taxes
98 times.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: That sounds like a lot to me. He voted for higher
taxes on Social Security benefits.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He voted in 1997 for the formula that has helped
cause the increases in Medicare premiums.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And when I proposed middle class tax relief in
order to get this economy going, I asked Congress to raise the child
credit, reduce the marriage penalty and create a new 10 percent bracket
for lower-income Americans -- he voted against every one of those taxes
to help the middle class.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Now he's proposing higher taxes -- higher taxes on
about 900,000 small business owners.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: When you hear him say, tax the rich, a lot of small
businesses pay individual income taxes. As a matter of fact, 90
percent of small businesses do. And we've heard that rhetoric, haven't
we, tax the rich? That's why the rich hire lawyers and accountants, to
stick you with the bill, to stick those small business owners with the
bill. We're not going to let him tax you. We're going to win Michigan
and win in November. (Applause.)
My opponent is one of the few candidates in history to campaign on
a pledge to raise taxes. That's the kind of pledge a politician from
Massachusetts usually keeps. (Laughter.)
We have a different view on another threat to our economy:
frivolous lawsuits. Senator Kerry has been a part of the Washington
crowd that has obstructed legal reform again and again. Meanwhile, all
across America, unfair lawsuits are hurting small businesses. Lawsuits
are driving up the cost of your health care. Lawsuits are driving good
doctors out of the practice of medicine. We need a President who will
stand up to the trial lawyers in Washington, not put one on the
ticket. (Applause.)
The Senator and I have very different views on health care. I
believe we ought to help the poor with community health centers. We
ought to fully subscribe to the children's health program for
low-income families. We need association health plans to help our
small businesses afford insurance. We need health savings accounts to
help our workers and small businesses be able to better afford
insurance. We need to make sure we use technology to help drive down
the cost of medicine. He has a different view. Under his health plan,
8 million Americans would lose the private insurance they get at work,
and most would end up on a government program. Under his plan, 8 out
of 10 people who get new insurance will get it from the federal
government. My opponent's proposal would be the largest expansion of
government-run health care ever. And when government pays the bills,
government makes the rules. His plan would put bureaucrats in charge
of dictating coverage, which could ration your care and limit your
choice of doctors. My opponent's plan would put us on the path to
"Hillary-care."
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: In everything we do to reform health care, we will
make sure the decisions are made by patients and doctors, not by
bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. (Applause.)
My opponent and I have different views on spending -- spending your
money. Over the years he's voted 274 times to break federal budget
limits. In this campaign he's announced more than $2 trillion in new
spending. And that's a lot of money, even for somebody from
Massachusetts. (Applause.)
During his 20 years as a senator, my opponent hasn't had many
accomplishments. Of the hundreds of bills he submitted, only five
became law. One of them was ceremonial. But to be fair, he's earned a
special distinction in Congress. The nonpartisan National Journal
analyzed his record and named John Kerry the most liberal member of the
United States Senate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And when the competition includes Ted Kennedy,
that's really saying something. Listen, it wasn't easy for my opponent
to become the single most liberal member of the Senate. You might even
say it was hard work. (Laughter.) But he earned that title. He
earned it by voting for higher taxes, more regulation, more junk
lawsuits, and more government control over your life.
And that sets up one of the real differences in this campaign. My
opponent is a tax-and-spend liberal; I'm a compassionate conservative.
(Applause.) My opponent wants to empower government; I want to use
government to empower citizens. (Applause.) My opponent seems to
think all the wisdom is found in Washington, D.C.; I trust the wisdom
of the American people. (Applause.)
Our differences are also clear on issues of national security.
When I took office in 2001, the threats to America had been gathering
for years. And on one terrible morning, terrorists took more lives
than America lost at Pearl Harbor. Since that day we've waged a global
campaign to protect the American people and bring our enemies to
account. Our government has trained over half a million first
responders and tripled spending on homeland security. Law enforcement
and intelligence have better tools to stop terrorists, thanks to the
Patriot Act, that Senator Kerry voted for, but now wants to weaken.
The Taliban regime that sheltered al Qaeda is gone from power, and the
people of Afghanistan will vote in free elections this coming
Saturday. (Applause.)
A black market network that provided weapons materials to North
Korea and Libya and Iran is now out of business. (Applause.) Libya,
itself, has given up its weapons of mass destruction. (Applause.)
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are joining the fight against the
terrorists. And more than three-quarters of al Qaeda's key members and
associates have been brought to justice. (Applause.)
After September the 11th, America had to assess every potential
threat in a new light. Our nation awakened to an even greater danger,
the prospect that terrorists who killed thousands with hijacked
airplanes would kill many more with weapons of mass murder. We had to
take a hard look at everyplace terrorists might get those weapons.
One regime stood out: the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein. We knew
the dictator had a history of using weapons of mass destruction, a long
record of aggression and hatred for America, and was listed by
Republican and Democrat administrations as a state sponsor of terror.
There was a risk Saddam Hussein would pass weapons or materials or
information to terrorists networks. In a world after September the
11th that was a risk we could not afford to take. (Applause.)
After 12 years -- after 12 years of United Nations Security Council
resolutions, we gave him a final chance to come clean and prove his
disarmament. He chose defiance. And when he did, he chose war. Our
coalitions enforced the just demands of the free world, and the world
is better off today with Saddam Hussein in a prison cell. (Applause.)
We have had -- we have had many victories in the war on terror.
And that war goes on. Our nation is safer, but not yet safe. To win
this war we must fight on every front. We will stay on the offensive
against terrorist networks. We will strike them overseas so we do not
have to face them here at home. (Applause.) We will confront
governments that support terrorists and could arm them, because they're
equally guilty of terrorist murder.
And our long-term victory requires confronting the ideology of hate
with freedom and hope. Our long-term victory requires we must change
the conditions that produce radicalism and suicide bombers. Our
long-term security depends upon finding new democratic allies in a
troubled region of the world.
America is always more secure when freedom is on the march.
(Applause.) And freedom is on the march -- in Afghanistan, in Iraq,
and elsewhere. There will be good days and there will be bad days in
the war on terror. But every day we will show our resolve and do our
duty to future generations of Americans. (Applause.) This nation is
determined. We will stay in the fight until the fight is won.
(Applause.)
My opponent agrees with all this -- except when he doesn't.
(Laughter.) Last week in --
AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE PRESIDENT: Last week in our debate, he once again came down
firmly on every side of the Iraq war. (Laughter.) He stated that
Saddam Hussein was a threat, and that America had no business removing
that threat. Senator Kerry said our soldiers and Marines are not
fighting for a mistake; he also called the liberation of Iraq a
colossal error.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He said we need to do more to train Iraqis. But
also said we shouldn't be spending so much money over there. He said
he wants to hold a summit meeting so he wants -- so he can invite other
countries to join what he calls the "wrong war at the wrong place at
the wrong time." He said terrorists are pouring across the Iraqi
border, but also said that fighting those terrorists is a diversion
from the war on terror. If you hear all that you can understand why
somebody would make a face. (Laughter and applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE PRESIDENT: My opponent -- my opponent's endless back-and-forth
on Iraq is part of a larger misunderstanding. In the war on terror,
Senator Kerry is proposing policies and doctrines that would weaken
America and make the world more dangerous. Senator Kerry approaches
the world with a September the 10th mind-set. He declared in his
convention speech that any attack will be met with a swift and a
certain response. This was a mind-set of the 1990s, while al Qaeda was
planning attacks on America. After September the 11th, our object in
the war on terror is not to wait for the next attack and respond, but
to prevent attacks by taking the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: In our debate -- in our debate, Senator Kerry said
that removing Saddam was a mistake because the threat was not
imminent. The problem with this approach is obvious: If America waits
until a threat is at our doorstep, it might be too late to save lives.
Tyrants and terrorists will not give us polite notice before they
launch an attack on our country. I refuse to stand by while dangers
gather. (Applause.)
My opponent has also announced the Kerry doctrine, declaring that
American actions in the war on terror must pass a global test.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Under this test, America would not be able to act
quickly against threats because we'd be sitting around waiting for our
grade from other nations. I have a different view. America will
always work with our allies for security and peace, but the President's
job is not to pass a global test, the President's job is to protect the
American people. (Applause.)
When my opponent first ran for Congress, he argued that American
troops should be deployed only at the directive of the United Nations.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: Look, he has changed his mind, but it is a window
into his thinking. Over the years, Senator Kerry has looked for every
excuse to restrain America's actions in the world. He says he praises
America's broad coalition in the Persian Gulf War, but in 1991, he
criticized those coalition members as -- quote -- "shallow battlefield
allies who barely carry a burden." Sounds familiar. That time, he
voted against the war. If that coalition didn't pass his global test,
clearly nothing will. His mind-set would paralyze America in a
dangerous world. I will never hand over America's national security
decisions to foreign leaders or international bodies. (Applause.)
The Kerry doctrine has other consequences, especially for our men
and women in uniform. The Senator from Massachusetts supports the
International Criminal Court --
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: -- which would allow unaccountable foreign
prosecutors and judges to put American soldiers on trial.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: And that would be a legal nightmare for our
troops. My fellow citizens, as long as I'm your President, Americans
in uniform will answer to the officers and laws of the United States,
not to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. (Applause.)
The Senator speaks often about his plan to strengthen America's
alliances, but he's got an odd way of going about it. In the middle of
the war he's chosen to insult America's fighting allies by calling them
"window dressing" and a "coalition of the coerced and the bribed." The
Italians who died in Nasiriyah were not window dressing. They were
heroes in the war on terror. (Applause.) The British and Poles at the
head of multinational divisions in Iraq were not coerced or bribed.
They have fought, and some have died, in the cause of freedom.
(Applause.) These good allies and dozens of others deserve the respect
of all Americans, not the scorn of a politician. (Applause.)
Instead, the Senator would have America bend over backwards to
satisfy a handful of governments with agendas different from our own.
This is my opponent's alliance-building strategy -- brush off your best
friend, fawn over your critics. That's no way to gain respect in this
world. (Applause.)
My opponent says he has a plan for Iraq. Parts of it sound pretty
familiar. It's already known as the Bush plan. (Applause.) Senator
Kerry suggests we train Iraqi troops. That's what we've been doing for
months. Senator Kerry is proposing that Iraq have elections. Those
elections are scheduled for January. (Applause.) He wants the U.N. to
be involved in those elections. The U.N. is already there. There's
one new element of Senator Kerry's plan; he talked about artificial
timetables to pull the troops out of Iraq. He has send the signal that
America's overriding goal in Iraq would be to leave, even if the job
isn't done. That may satisfy his political needs, but it complicates
the essential work we're doing in Iraq.
The Iraqi people need to know that America will not cut and run
with their freedom at stake. (Applause.) Our soldiers and Marines
need to know that America will honor their service and sacrifice by
completing the mission. (Applause.) Our enemies in Iraq need to know
that they can never outlast the will of America. (Applause.) Senator
Kerry assures us that he's the one to win a war he calls a mistake, or
an error, and a diversion. But you can't win a war you don't believe
in fighting. (Applause.) On Iraq, Senator Kerry has a strategy of
retreat; I have a strategy for victory. (Applause.)
We returned sovereignty to the Iraqi people ahead of schedule.
We've trained about 100,000 Iraqi soldiers, police officers and other
security personnel. And the total will rise to 125,000 by the end of
this year. These people are fighting for their freedom. They want to
be free -- they're being trained to be able to fight and stop these
terrorists -- (inaudible) -- defending the march of freedom. We've
allocated more than $7 billion for reconstruction efforts so more
Iraqis can see the benefit of freedom. We're working with a coalition
of some 30 nations to provide security. Other nations are helping with
debt relief and reconstruction aid for Iraqis. And although terrorists
will try to stop them, Iraq will hold free elections in January --
because the Iraqi people want to be free. (Applause.)
I understand some Americans have strong concerns about our role in
Iraq. I respect the fact that they take this issue seriously. It's a
serious matter. I assure them we're in Iraq because I deeply believe
it is necessary and right and critical to the outcome of the war on
terror, and critical for long-term peace for our children and
grandchildren. (Applause.)
If another terror regime were allowed to emerge in Iraq, the
terrorists would find a home and a source of funding and a source of
support, and they would correctly conclude that free nations do not
have the will to defend themselves. If Iraq becomes a free society at
the heart of the Middle East, an ally in the war on terror, a model for
hopeful reform in that region, the terrorists will suffer a crushing
defeat. (Applause.) And that is why Democratic Senator Joe Lieberman
calls Iraq "a crucial battle in the global war on terrorism." And that
is why Prime Minister Tony Blair has called the struggle in Iraq "the
crucible in which the future of global terrorism will be determined."
That is why the terrorists are fighting with desperate cruelty -- they
know their future is at stake. Iraq is no diversion. It's a place
where civilization is taking a decisive stand against chaos and terror,
and we must not waver. (Applause.)
Unfortunately, my opponent has been known to waver. His
well-chosen words and rationalizations cannot explain why he voted to
authorize force against Saddam Hussein, and then voted against money
for bullets and vehicles and body armor for the troops on the ground.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE PRESIDENT: He tried to clear it up by saying, "I actually did
vote for the $87 billion, before I voted against it." Now he says he
made a mistake in how he talked about that vote. The mistake is not
what Senator Kerry said; the mistake is what Senator Kerry did in
voting against funding for our troops in combat. (Applause.) And that
is the kind of wavering a nation at war cannot afford.
-- candidate, my opponent promises to defend America. The problem
is, as a Senator for two decades, he has built a record of weakness.
The record shows he twice led efforts to gut our intelligence service
budget. The record shows he voted against many of the weapons that won
the Cold War and are vital to current military operations. And the
record shows he has voted more than 50 times against missile defense
systems that would help protect us from the threats of a dangerous
world.
I have a record in office, as well, and all Americans have seen
that record. (Applause.) Not all Americans agree with me, but they
know where I stand. (Applause.) On September the 14th, 2001, I stood
in the ruins of the Twin Towers. It's a day I will never forget.
There were workers in hard hats yelling to me at the top of their
lungs, "Whatever it takes." A guy grabbed me by the arm, he said, "Do
not let me down." Ever since that day I wake up every morning thinking
about how to better protect our country. I've acted again and again to
make America safe. I will never relent in defending the people of this
country, whatever it takes. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA!
THE PRESIDENT: Twenty-seven days from today, Americans will make a
critical choice. My opponent offers an agenda that is stuck in the
thinking and policies of the past. On national security, he offers the
defensive, reactive mind-set of September the 10th -- a global test to
replace American leadership; a strategy of retreat in Iraq, and a
20-year history of weakness. Here at home, he offers a record and an
agenda of more taxes and more spending and more litigation, and more
government control over your life.
The race for President is a contest for the future -- and you know
where I stand. (Applause.) I'm running for President to keep this
nation on the offensive against the terrorists with the goal of total
victory. I'm running for President to keep this economy moving so
every worker has a good job and quality health care, a secure
retirement. I'm running for President to make our strong nation a more
compassionate society, where no one is left out and every life is
valued. (Applause.)
And I have a hopeful vision. I believe this young century will be
liberty's century. (Applause.) We'll promote liberty abroad to
protect our country and to build a better world beyond the war on
terror. We'll encourage liberty at home to spread the prosperity and
opportunity to every corner of this great land. I will carry this
message to my fellow citizens in the closing days of this campaign.
And with your help, we'll carry Michigan and win a great victory in
November.
Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) God bless. (Applause.)
Thank you all.
END 3:58 P.M. EDT
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