For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
May 22, 2004
Remarks by the Vice President at a Reception for Congressional Candidate Judge Louis Gohmert
Maude Cobb Convention Center
Longview, Texas
May 21, 2004
6:28 P.M. CDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
(Applause.) Thank you for that introduction, Louie, and thank all of
you for that warm welcome back to Texas, and Longview. This is my
third stop in Texas today. It doesn't take quite as long to hit all
the congressional districts in my home state of Wyoming. Wyoming only
has one congressman. And I was that congressman for 10 years. It was
a small delegation, but it was quality.
And it's a pleasure to be back in Texas. And of course, Lynne and
I spent five years here in Dallas. And we love Texas very much. It's
always a great place to come back, and I want to, as well, bring good
wishes to all of your today from your former governor, President George
W. Bush. (Applause.)
Texas gave us 32 electoral votes the last election, in 2000. We
don't take anything for granted, but I do think our chances look pretty
good down here. (Applause.) And I don't imagine we'll need a
recount. (Laughter.)
When the President asked me four years ago to sign on as his
running mate, he said it wasn't because he was worried about carrying
Wyoming. We got 70 percent of the vote there. But I also remind those
three electoral votes came in pretty darn handy.
I know all Texans are especially proud not only of our President ?-
also our outstanding First Lady, Laura Bush. (Applause.)
As Louie mentioned, my only real job in Washington is as the
President of the Senate. When they wrote the Constitution, they
created the post of Vice President. They got down to the end of the
Constitutional Conventional and decided they hadn't given him anything
to do. So they decided, well, we'll have him preside over the Senate
-- preside over the Senate, cast tie-breaking votes.
My predecessor, the first Vice President, John Adams, also had
floor privileges. He could actually go down into the well of the
Senate and engage and participate in the debate. Then he did a couple
of times, and they withdrew his floor privileges. Those have never
been restored, but I get an opportunity to work closely with the
Senate. I'm up there every Tuesday for lunch with the Senate
Republicans, and I can tell you that Texas has a superb Senate
delegation -- Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. They do a great
job. (Applause.)
The reason we're gathered here tonight is to make absolutely
certain Louie Gohmert is the next congressman from the first district
of Texas. (Applause.) Louie has got an exceptional record of public
service, from his years on the Smith County District Court, to his time
as the Chief Justice of Texas's 12th Court of Appeals. He has
dedicated his career to upholding Texas law and values -- and he'll
fight hard every day for those values in the House of Representatives.
Send this man to Washington, and you'll have a strong voice on the
issues that matter most. Louie is committed to low taxes, job
creation, and a well-trained, well-equipped military. Anyone who has
seen Louie in the courtroom knows his remarkable work ethic, and his
dedication to the public interest. Serving in the House is a big job,
and Louie Gohmert has everything it takes to do the job right. The
President and I are behind him all the way. And come November, the
people of the first district are going to make him your next
representative in the United States House of Representatives.
(Applause.)
These are challenging times for Texas, and for our nation. Those
of us in public office have serious responsibilities. And today, as we
look forward to November, I believe we've also got a record of
accomplishment to show for our efforts. The American people can be
confident of a better future, a stronger economy, and greater security
against the dangers of our new era, because of the character and
leadership of President George W. Bush. (Applause.)
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.
The attacks of September 11th, 2001 signaled the arrival of an
entirely new era in our history. We suffered massive civilian
casualties right here on our own soil. And we awakened to dangers even
more lethal -- the possibility that terrorists could gain chemical,
biological, or even nuclear weapons from rogue regimes and possibly
turn them against us.
More than two-and-a-half years have now passed since 9/11, yet it
would be a grave mistake to assume the threat to our country and the
world has passed. As we have seen in attacks all over the world since
9/11 -? 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
the outcome of elections. We have to assume they will make further
attempts inside the United States. And every American can be certain:
The President and I are doing everything we can to prevent another
terrorist attack on America.
We created the Department of Homeland Security, and brought
together 180,000 federal employees from 22 different agencies with a
single purpose -- to protect America. Congress also passed the Patriot
Act, to give law enforcement the tools needed to catch 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 biological attack. This is urgent work -? yet
a good defense is not enough. The war on terror must be won on the
offensive, so we are taking the fight to enemy. (Applause.)
We're dismantling the terror networks, and 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 our peace and security. Just over a
year ago, Saddam Hussein controlled the lives of some 25 million
people. Tonight, 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 on the ground
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 in Iraq -? 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. (Applause.)
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. (Applause.) This
nation has 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, 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 cooperation from 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 the decency that
our servicemen and women have shown in Afghanistan and Iraq.
(Applause.) 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 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. 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.)
That 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, 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 materiel support they need. May I remind the Senator
that last fall, at the President's request, Congress considered
legislation providing funding for our troops -- for body armor and
other vital support, such as hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition,
fuel and spare parts. Senator Kerry was asked whether he would vote
against the President's request. He said, quote, "I don't think any
United States senator is going to abandon our troops. That's
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 said, quote,
"I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it."
End quote. The Senator, obviously, is free to vote as he chooses, but
he should be held to his own standard. It is irresponsible to vote
against vital support for the United States military. (Applause.)
On the broader picture, Senator Kerry has questioned whether the
war on terror is really a war at all. He said, I don't want to use
that terminology. In his view, opposing terrorism is far less of a
military operation and far more of a 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, or explain away, his
inconsistent votes and his statements about the war on terror, about
our cause in Iraq, and 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 the nation.
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 the economy began to recover, terrorists
struck and the economy was shaken 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. (Applause.) 2.3
million married couples in Texas are benefiting from marriage penalty
relief; and more than 1.9 million families 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, expand facilities, and hire additional
workers.
Across the nation, the results of the President's policies are
clear. The economy added 288,000 new jobs last month, 600,000 jobs in
the past two months, and more than 1.1 million new jobs since August.
Manufacturing jobs have increased now for three straight months. As we
learned just this morning, the Texas unemployment rate declined from
its peak of 6.9 percent a year ago 6 percent last month. 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 surprisingly, the American people are using their money far
better than the government would have -? and as Louie Gohmert agrees --
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 just one at
random, there is the Junior Senator from Massachusetts.
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
over 350 times for higher taxes on the American people -? including the
biggest tax increase in American history. That's an average of a vote
for higher taxes every three weeks for 20 years. At least the folks
back in Massachusetts knew he was on the job.
For the sake of long-term growth and job creation, we should do
exactly the opposite of what Senator Kerry proposes. We should
continue spending discipline in Washington, D.C., and we should make
the Bush tax cuts permanent. (Applause.)
Under the strong economic leadership of President Bush, 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 unnecessary regulation.
(Applause.)
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. No one has ever been
healed by a frivolous lawsuit. (Applause.)
As you understand here in Texas, Congress also needs to pass energy
legislation. (Applause.) Three years ago, the President sent Congress
a sound energy plan to modernize our electricity system, increase
conservation, expand the 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 would be well on our way
to increasing our domestic oil supply. The House has passed
legislation -- 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's also time for the United States Senate to get about the
business of confirming President Bush's judicial nominees.
(Applause.) The recent agreement by Senate Democrats to stop
obstructing votes on 25 of the President's nominees is a welcome step.
Yet far too many nominees are still being forced to spend months, or
even years, waiting for hearings and up-or-down votes. That is unfair
to judicial nominees, and an abuse of the constitutional process.
Every nominee deserves a prompt up-or-down vote on the Senate floor.
And that's another 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 economic growth to a strong national
defense -? President Bush has led the way in making progress for the
American people. Louie is with us on these issues -- and we look
forward to having him on Capitol Hill.
President Bush has a clear vision for the future of our 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 building
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 all share. It's an honor to help with Louie's outstanding
campaign. He's going to be a outstanding Congressman, and President
Bush and I look forward to working with him for a good many years to
come.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 6:50 P.M. CDT
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