For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
May 21, 2004
Remarks by the Vice President at a Luncheon for Congressional Candidate Arlene Wohlgemuth
Waco Convention Center
Waco, Texas
12:30 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all very
much. (Applause.) Well, thank you, Arlene, for that introduction, and
let me thank all of you for the warm welcome to Waco. I just flew in
from Houston on Air Force Two. For some reason, the airport crew here
seems to be pretty well accustomed to high-profile arrivals.
(Laughter.)
It's a pleasure to be with so many friends. And of course, it's a
pleasure to bring you good wishes from a proud resident of the
district, President George W. Bush. (Applause.)
And the President wanted to make sure I didn't leave out the 17th
district's most popular resident -- so today it's an honor also to
bring the greetings of our First Lady, Laura Bush. (Applause.)
I know you're proud of the President and First Lady here, in Waco.
And we're all very grateful for your support. Texas gave us 32
electoral votes in 2000. We don't take any state for granted, but I
think we look pretty good down here in 2004, this year's race. And we
don't expect to need a recount in Texas. (Laughter and applause.)
When the President asked me four years ago to be his running mate,
he said that he didn't pick me because he was worried about carrying
Wyoming. (Laughter.) We did get 70 percent of the vote there. But I
remind him from time to time, those three electoral votes came in
pretty darn handy. (Laughter.)
But you can also take pride in a superb congressional delegation.
And as President of the Senate, I can tell you that one of the finest
teams in Washington is the team of Kay Bailey Hutchison and John
Cornyn. They do a superb job for the people of Texas. (Applause.)
We're all here today to make certain that Arlene Wohlgemuth is the
next congresswoman from the 17th district. (Applause.) Ten years ago
you sent Arlene to the State Capitol in Austin, along with a new
governor named George W. Bush. Over the past decade, Arlene has worked
with Governors Bush and Perry, and she's built an impressive record of
accomplishment for the people of Texas. Arlene led the way to better
health care, lower taxes, and a responsible state budget. She's been a
steady advocate for veterans, and a reliable friend of our armed
forces. Arlene is a strong defender of Texas values. And she knows
the priorities of people here in the 17th district, from job creation,
to quality education, to national defense.
I served just over a decade in the House of Representatives, and I
spent a good part of my career working with the Congress. I was the
congressman from Wyoming for 10 years. Wyoming only has one member of
Congress. It's a small delegation. (Laughter.) But it was quality.
(Laughter and applause.)
But I think I know a few things about what it takes to do the job
well. And I can say with confidence I believe Arlene has exactly what
it takes. She's a strong, reliable, energetic leader. She has my full
support, and she has even more from the President -- she's got his
vote. (Laughter and applause.) Come November, Arlene's going to earn
many more votes here in the 17th, and we look forward to the day when
she's your representative in the United States House of
Representatives. (Applause.)
These are challenging times for Texas, indeed, for our entire
nation. Those of us in public office have serious responsibilities.
And today, as we look ahead to the election this November, I believe we
also have a record of accomplishment to show for the President's
efforts. The American people can be confident of a better future, a
stronger economy, and greater security against the dangers of this new
era, because of the character and the leadership of President George W.
Bush.
This is a period in history defined by serious challenges, and the
need for decisive action. And the greatest responsibility of our
government is clear: We must protect the safety and security of the
American people. (Applause.)
The attacks on September 11th, 2001 signaled the arrival of an
entirely new era in our history. We suffered massive civilian
casualties on our own soil that day. And we awakened to dangers even
more lethal -- the possibility that terrorists could acquire chemical,
biological, or even nuclear weapons from rogue regimes, and turn those
weapons against the United States.
More than two-and-a-half years now have passed since 9/11, yet it
would be a grave mistake for us to assume that the threat to our
country and, indeed, to the world has passed. As we have seen in
attacks all over the world -- in Riyadh, Casablanca, Istanbul, Karbala,
Mombasa, Bali, Jakarta, Najaf, Jerusalem, Baghdad, and Madrid --
terrorists are determined to intimidate free countries, and even to try
to influence elections. We have to assume they will make further
attempts inside the United States. And every American can be certain
that the President is doing everything he can to protect the United
States and to prevent another attack on America.
We created the Department of Homeland Security, and brought
together 180,000 federal employees from 22 different federal agencies
with a single purpose -- to strengthen our defenses. Congress also
passed the Patriot Act, to give law enforcement the tools needed to
catch and prosecute terrorists inside the United States. And this week
the Senate passed the President's Project BioShield Initiative, which
will better prepare the nation to defend against a biological attack.
This is urgent work, yet good defenses are not enough. The war on
terror must be won on offense, so we are taking the fight to enemy, as
well.
We are dismantling the financial networks that fund terror, and we
are going after the terrorists wherever they plot and plan. In
Afghanistan, we removed the brutal Taliban from power and destroyed the
al Qaeda training camps. In Iraq, America and our allies rid the Iraqi
people of a murderous dictator and rid the world of a gathering threat
to its peace and security. Just over a year ago, Saddam Hussein
controlled the lives of nearly 25 million people. Today, he is in
jail. (Applause.) Because we acted, he will never again brutalize the
Iraqi people, never again support terrorists or pursue weapons of mass
destruction, and never again threaten the United States of America.
We still face serious challenges in Afghanistan and in Iraq. In
Iraq, thugs and assassins are desperately trying to shake our will, and
they have made Iraq a central front in the war on terror. The
terrorists understand the stakes of our mission there, and so do we.
The defeat of tyranny and violence in that nation, and the rise of
democracy in the heart of the Middle East, will be a crucial setback
for terror everywhere. As President Bush has said from the start, we
will do what is necessary to succeed in Iraq -- destroying the
terrorists, transferring sovereignty to the Iraqi people on the 30th of
June, and helping them build a stable, self-governing society. We will
finish what we have begun -- Iraq will be a free nation, and its people
will be free of tyranny and terror.
America will never go back to the false comforts of the world
before 9/11. Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength.
They are invited by the perception of weakness. And this nation has
made a decision -- (Applause.) We've made a decision: We will engage
the enemy, facing him with our military in Afghanistan and Iraq today,
so we do not have to face him with armies of firefighters, and police,
and medical personnel on the streets of our own cities. (Applause.)
From the beginning, America has sought -- and received --
international support for our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In
the war on terror, we will always seek the cooperation of our friends
and allies around the world. But as the President has made very clear,
there is a difference between leading a coalition of many nations and
submitting to the objections of a few. The United States will never
seek a permission slip to defend the security of our country.
(Applause.)
Our nation is extremely fortunate during these times of testing to
have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. The
misconduct of a few does not diminish the honor and decency that our
servicemen and women have shown in Afghanistan and Iraq. They have
seen hard duty, long deployments, and fierce fighting. They've endured
the loss of friends and comrades. And they are unwavering in their
mission. They are proving every day that when we send them to defend
this nation, we are sending the very best of the United States of
America. (Applause.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
saying one thing one day and another, the next. (Applause.) We need a
Commander-in-Chief of clear vision and steady determination, and that's
just what we have in President George W. Bush. (Applause.) The same
standard should be applied to the candidate who now opposes him in this
year's election, the Junior Senator from Massachusetts.
A while back, Senator Kerry informed us that he has met with
unnamed foreign leaders who support him. Not long after that happened
and the Senator made that statement, a voter asked Senator Kerry
directly who these foreign leaders are. Senator Kerry said, "That's
none of your business." But it is our business when a candidate for
President claims the political endorsement of foreign leaders. This
election will not be decided by unnamed foreign leaders -- it will be
decided by the voters of America. (Applause.)
Senator Kerry has also asserted that our troops in Iraq are not
receiving the material support they need. I'd like to remind the
Senator that last fall, at the President's request, Congress considered
legislation providing additional funding for our troops needs,
including body armor -- vital support for the military, such as hazard
pay, health benefits, ammunition, fuel and spare parts. Senator Kerry
was asked at the time whether or not he would vote against the
President's request. He said, and I quote, "I don't think any United
States senator is going to abandon our troops. That would be
irresponsible." End quote.
Within weeks, the legislation passed overwhelmingly, with a vote of
87 to 12 in the Senate. Senator Kerry voted "no." As a way to clarify
the matter, Senator Kerry later said, quote, "I actually did vote for
the $87 billion before I voted against it." (Laughter.) End quote.
The Senator is obviously free to vote as he wishes, but he should be
held to his own standard. It out is irresponsible to vote against
vital support for the United States military.
On the broader picture, Senator Kerry has questioned whether the
war on terror is really a war at all. He said, I don't like to use
that terminology. In his view, opposing terrorism is less of a
military operation and more of law enforcement operation. As we have
seen, however, that approach was tried before, and proved entirely
inadequate to protecting the American people from terrorists who are
quite certain they are at war with us.
I leave it for Senator Kerry to explain his inconsistent votes and
his statements about the war on terror, our cause in Iraq, or the needs
of the American military. Whatever the explanation, it is not an
impressive record for someone who aspires to become Commander-in-Chief
in this time of testing for our country. (Applause.)
The American people will have a clear choice in the election of
2004 -- on national security as well as on policies here at home.
When the President and I took office, the economy was sliding into
recession. Then, just as our economy was ready to recover, terrorists
struck our nation and shook the economy once again. President Bush
took strong, confident steps to get the economy growing again. Working
with strong allies on Capitol Hill, the President signed into law
significant tax relief for millions of American families and
businesses. We doubled the child tax credit, decreased the marriage
penalty, cut tax rates across the board, and put the death tax on the
path to extinction.
Since President Bush took office, more than 7.3 million taxpayers
in Texas have seen their income tax bills reduced; 2.3 million married
couples in Texas are benefiting from marriage penalty relief; and more
than 1.9 million families in Texas have benefited from the increase in
the child tax credit. More than 1.6 million business owners in Texas
have seen their federal tax burden go down, allowing them to invest in
new equipment, to expand facilities, and to hire additional workers.
Across the nation, the results of the President's policies are
clear. The economy added 288,000 new jobs last month, more than
600,000 jobs in the last two months, and more than 1.1 million new jobs
since August. Manufacturing jobs have increased for three straight
months. And as we learned just this morning, the Texas unemployment
rate declined from its peak of 6.9 percent a year ago to 6 percent last
month. (Applause.) Over the past year, the economy has grown at a
rate of 4.9 percent -- the fastest pace since Ronald Reagan's first
term in the White House, and the fastest of any major industrialized
nation in the world. (Applause.)
Our economy is growing stronger in other ways as well. The home
ownership rate is the highest ever. Interest rates and inflation are
low. Real incomes and wages are growing. Productivity is high.
Business investment and factory orders are rising. There's a simple
reason for our growing prosperity: The Bush tax cuts are working.
(Applause.)
Not surprising, the American people are using their money far
better than the government would have, and as Arlene has said, Congress
was right to let them keep it. There are some voices in the land who
want to roll back the Bush tax cuts. To choose one at random, there is
the Junior Senator from Massachusetts. (Laughter.)
If elected, Senator Kerry has promised to repeal most of the Bush
tax cuts within his first 100 days in office. This isn't surprising
when you consider his record. Over the years, Senator Kerry has voted
more than 350 times for higher taxes on the American people --
including the biggest tax increase in history. That's an average of a
vote for higher taxes every three weeks for the last 20 years. At
least the folks back in Massachusetts knew he was on the job.
(Laughter.)
For the sake of long-term growth and job creation, Arlene knows
that we should do exactly the opposite of what Senator Kerry proposes.
We should continue spending discipline in Washington, D.C., and make
the tax cuts permanent. (Applause.)
Under the leadership of the President, this nation is going to
continue moving forward with an aggressive, pro-growth, pro-jobs
agenda.
Our nation needs legal reform, to protect small business owners and
employees from frivolous lawsuits and needless regulation.
And as Arlene understands better than anyone, we need to control
the costs of health care by passing medical liability reform. Here in
Texas, and across the nation, doctors should be able to spend their
time healing patients, not fighting frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)
No one has ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit.
As you understand here in Texas, as well, Congress needs to pass
energy legislation. Three years ago, the President sent Congress a
sound energy plan to modernize our electricity system, increase
conservation, expand use of alternative fuels, and increase domestic
exploration and production in America. If Congress had acted on our
energy plan three years ago, today we'd be well on our way to
increasing our domestic oil supply. The House has passed legislation,
yet it's hung up in the Senate. It's time for Congress to pass our
energy plan, so we can make America less dependent on foreign sources
of energy. (Applause.)
It is also time for the United States Senate to get about the
business of confirming President Bush's judicial nominees.
(Applause.) We reached agreement this week to have up-or-down votes on
25 of our nominees over the course of the next six weeks. Yet far too
many nominees are still being forced to spend months, or even years,
waiting for hearings and up-or-down votes. The filibuster the
Democrats have mounted in the Senate has been fundamentally unfair to
judicial nominees, and it's an abuse of the constitutional process.
Every nominee deserves a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.
And that's a reason we need to send more Republicans like Kay Bailey
Hutchison and John Cornyn to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
On issue after issue -- from national security, to economic growth,
to improving our schools -- President Bush has led the way in making
progress for the American people. Arlene shares the President's views
on these issues. She's going to be a valuable ally on Capitol Hill as
soon as you send her to the United States Congress.
President Bush has a clear vision for the future of the country.
Abroad, we will use America's great power to serve great purposes -- to
turn back the forces of terror, and to spread hope and freedom
throughout the world. Here at home, we will continue to build
prosperity that reaches every corner of the land, so that every child
who grows up in the United States will have a chance to learn, to
succeed, and to rise in the world.
Once again, I want to thank all of you for your commitment to the
cause we share. It's an honor to help kickoff Arlene's general
election campaign. I know you look forward to calling her your
congresswoman, and President Bush and I look forward to working with
her for a good many years to come.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 12:50 P.M. CDT
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