For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 15, 2003
Remarks by the President at Bush-Cheney '04 Reception
Fresno Convention Center
Fresno, California
1:09 P.M. PDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks for the warm welcome. It's great to be back
in California. It's great to be back in Fresno. I was trying to
figure out since I've been running for President, this is either my
third or fourth time here, and every time I come I'm better off for
it. (Laughter and applause.) It kind of reminds me of where I was
raised -- good people, except you've got water and trees. (Laughter.)
I know there's been some interesting changes here in the state of
California. (Laughter and applause.) And tomorrow, I have the honor
of congratulating the Governor-elect in Riverside. (Applause.) And
today, I want to thank you all for your contributions and for your
support. See, what we're doing is, we're laying the groundwork for
what is going to be a great national victory in 2004. (Applause.)
I want you to know that your contributions are important, but so is
your grass-roots support. And by that I mean, when you go to the
coffee shop -- and I know there are a lot of farmers here who go to the
coffee shops -- (laughter) -- tell everybody, or when you go to
community centers or your places of worship, you tell them that this
administration is dedicating its efforts to making sure our country is
hopeful for every citizen, that our message is optimistic, because we
believe in the future of this country. That's what I'm counting on you
to do.
And I'll do my part, but the political season is going to come in
its own time. I'm warming up and I'm getting ready, but I've got a job
to do. I've got a job to do for our country, and there's a lot on the
agenda. And I'm going to continue to work hard to earn the confidence
of every American, regardless of their political party or where they're
from, by keeping this nation strong and secure and prosperous and
free. (Applause.)
I bring greetings from First Lady Laura Bush. (Applause.) You got
the B team. (Laughter.) She has been in the Dominican Republic
recently, meeting with the First Ladies of the different countries in
our hemisphere, I'll be meeting her tomorrow in Riverside, as we take
off to Tokyo -- and I'll be getting some advice from her about
diplomacy. (Laughter.) You may remember the picture of her trip to
France. (Laughter.) I went to France. (Laughter.) And they were
kind to me, but I wasn't treated that way by Jacques Chirac.
(Laughter.)
But she is great. I am a lucky man that she agreed to marry me,
and she's a fabulous First Lady. (Applause.)
I appreciate my friend, Brad Freeman, who is the State Finance
Chairman. I appreciate my friend, Mercer Reynolds, from Cincinnati,
Ohio, who is the National Finance Chairman. These are two very
capable, able business people who are taking time out of their lives to
make sure this campaign is well-funded.
I want to thank members of the Congress who are here. George
Radanovich is with us today. He is a good friend and a fine
congressman. (Applause.) As is Devin Nunes, and I appreciate Devin
being here, as well. (Applause.)
I had the honor of traveling from the airport out to Ruiz Foods --
by the way, which was a fantastic experience going out there, I love
the story of America, I love the fact that people who started with
nothing and have built a fantastic food processing business. The
Ruiz's are here with us today. They were great hosts. They now
process 3 million burritos a day. Are you having burritos for lunch?
(Applause.)
But on the way out to the facility, Alan Autry, was traveling with
me, the great mayor of Fresno, California, and I appreciate him being
here today and I thank him for his friendship. (Applause.) Chuck
Poochigian is here, the state senator, who's been a long-time friend of
mine. And it's great to see his wife, Debbie. (Applause.) Bob
Waterston is the supervisor of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors
-- all politics is local politics, and thank you for coming, Bob.
(Applause.) My friend, Bill Jones, is here. He's a Fresno lad who has
made a name for himself here in the great state of California. It's
great to see you again, Bill, thank you for coming. (Applause.)
Gerry Parsky is with us today, he's the state campaign chairman.
Rosario Marin is with us today, the former treasurer of the state -- of
the country. (Applause.) And I thank all the co-hosts for working so
hard to make this event a record-breaking event.
I appreciate Lance Corporal Nolan Cochran, who gave the Pledge of
Allegiance. He's a brave young guy, he served his country with
distinction. I had the honor of meeting him at the Bethesda Naval
Hospital as he came back from the battlefields. And I was pleased to
see him mom and dad. I'm glad to know his spirits are high and that he
understands that he was making our country more secure in his
sacrifice.
And, finally, I want to thank JoAnna Dias, who sang the National
Anthem. (Applause.)
In the last two-and-a-half years, our nation has acted decisively
to confront great challenges. I came to this office to solve problems,
not to pass them on to future presidents and future generations. I
came to seize opportunities and not let them slip away. This
administration is meeting the test of our time. (Applause.)
Terrorists declared war on the United States of America, and war is
what they got. We've captured or killed many of the key leaders of the
al Qaeda network, and the rest of them know that we're on their trail.
In Afghanistan and Iraq, we gave ultimatums to terror regimes. Those
regimes chose defiance, and those regimes are no more. (Applause.)
Fifty million people in those two countries once lived under tyranny,
and now they live in freedom. (Applause.)
Two-and-a-half years ago, our military was not receiving the
resources it needed, and morale was beginning to suffer. And so we
increased the defense budget to prepare for the threats of a new era.
And, today, no one in the world can question the skill and the strength
and the spirit of the United States military. (Applause.)
Two-and-a-half years ago, we inherited an economy in recession.
And then the attacks came on our country. And we had a march to war to
defend ourselves. And we had scandals in corporate America. All of
which affected the people's confidence. But this administration
acted. We passed two tough new laws to hold corporate criminals to
account. And to get the economy going again, I have twice led the
United States Congress to pass historic tax relief for the American
people. (Applause.)
Here's what I know. I know that when people have more take home
pay, more money in their pocket to save or to spend or invest, the
whole economy will grow, and someone is more likely to find a job. I
also know this -- I understand whose money we spend in Washington. We
don't spend the people's money -- I mean, we don't spend the
government's money, we spend the people's money. (Laughter and
applause.) So we're returning more money to families. We've increased
child credit. And we said the check was in the mail, and it was in the
mail. We reduced the taxes on dividends and capital gains to encourage
investment. We gave small businesses incentives to expand and to hire
new people.
With all these actions, by the fact -- because we led, we are
laying the foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs so that
every single person in this country has a chance to realize the
American Dream.
Two-and-a-half years ago, there was a lot of talk about education
reform, but there wasn't much action. So I acted. I called for, and
the Congress passed, the No Child Left Behind Act. With a solid
bipartisan majority, we delivered the most dramatic education reforms
in a generation. We insisted on high standards for every public school
because we believe every child can learn.
Because we believe every child can learn, we're now saying that in
return for federal money, you must measure to determine whether every
child is learning. We're challenging the soft bigotry of low
expectations. (Applause.) We believe every child can learn the basics
of reading and math, and we expect every public school in America to
teach reading and math so that not one single child is left behind.
(Applause.)
We reorganized our government, the largest reorganization of any
time in our government's history since the Defense Department was
reorganized. We created the Department of Homeland Security to better
safeguard America. We passed trade promotion authority to open up new
markets for California farmers. (Applause.) And ranchers and
entrepreneurs. Listen, I understand free trade. And the cornerstone
of free trade is not only for us to open up our markets, but to make
sure the playing field is level. (Applause.) We're really good at
growing things in California, I want California farmers selling their
crops overseas. (Applause.)
We passed budget agreements in Washington that is helping to
maintain spending discipline. On issue after issue, this
administration has acted on principle, we have kept our word and we
have made progress for the American people.
The Congress deserves credit. We've got a great Speaker in Denny
Hastert and a great Majority Leader in Bill Frist. I appreciate the
congressmen who are here with us today. See, we're working to change
the tone in Washington. There's too much politics in the nation's
capital, too much zero-sum activity. And the best way to do that is to
focus on the people's business and to focus on results. And those are
the kind of people I've attracted to my administration. I think you
can judge a President by the kind of people that he brings to
Washington to serve the people, and I have put together a great team to
serve the American people. (Applause.)
We've had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. (Applause.)
Mother may have a second opinion. (Laughter.)
In two-and-a-half years -- in two-and-a-half years we have done a
lot and we have come far, but our work is only beginning. I have great
goals, worthy of a great nation.
First, America is committed to expanding the realm of freedom and
peace for our own security and for the benefit of the world. And,
second, in our own country we must work for a society of prosperity and
compassion, so that every citizen has a chance to work and succeed and
to realize the promise of our country. It is clear that the future of
freedom and peace depend on the actions of America. This nation is
freedom's home and freedom's defender. We welcome this charge of
history and we are keeping it. (Applause.)
Our war on terror continues. The enemies of freedom are not idle,
and neither are we. This country will not rest, we will not tire, we
will not stop until this danger to civilization is removed.
(Applause.) And we are confronting that danger in Iraq, where Saddam
hold outs and foreign terrorists are desperately trying to throw Iraq
into chaos by attacking coalition forces, by attacking international
aid workers and by killing innocent Iraqis. They know that the advance
of freedom will be a major defeat in the cause of terror.
This collection of killers is trying to shake the will of the
United States. They're trying to frighten us. They do not understand
our country: we will not be frightened. (Applause.) We will stay on
the offensive. We're aggressively striking the terrorists in Iraq,
defeating them there so we will not have to face them in our own
country. (Applause.)
We're calling other nations to help Iraq to build a free country.
A free and peaceful Iraq will make the world more secure. And we'll
stand with the Iraqi people, the long-suffering Iraqi people -- they
are people who put up with torture chambers and rape rooms and mass
graves -- we will help them assume more of their own defense and move
as rapidly as possible toward self-government. These tasks are not
easy, but they are essential tasks. And we will finish what we have
begun, we will win this essential victory in the war on terror.
(Applause.)
But I understand this: our greatest security comes from the
advance of human liberty, because free nations do not support terror,
free nations do not attack their neighbors, free nations do not
threaten the world with weapons of mass terror. (Applause.) Americans
believe that freedom is the deepest need and hope of every human
heart. And I believe that freedom is the right of every person. And I
believe that freedom is the future of every nation. (Applause.)
America also understands that unprecedented influence brings
tremendous responsibilities. We have duties in this world, and when we
see disease and starvation and hopeless poverty, we will not turn
away. On the continent of Africa, this great nation, this strong
nation is committed to bringing the healing power, the healing power of
medicine to millions of men and women and children now suffering with
AIDS. I am incredibly proud of the fact that this great land is
leading the world in the important work of human rescue. (Applause.)
We've got challenges here at home and our actions will prove equal
to those challenges. So long as somebody in our economy -- in our
country is looking for a job, I will continue to try to create the
conditions for job growth, to foster the entrepreneurial spirit, to
make it easier for the small businesses who hire most new workers to be
able to grow and to expand. I want everybody in this country finding a
job. (Applause.)
And we have a duty to keep our commitment to our seniors by
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. A few weeks ago, the Congress
finally passed some Medicare reform. The House passed a version and
the Senate passed a version. For the first time since the creation of
Medicare, both Houses have passed reforms to increase the choices for
seniors and to provide a much needed prescription drug benefit.
(Applause.)
It is time for both bodies to reconcile their differences and to do
their duty not only for today's seniors, but for those of us who will
be seniors, to modernize the Medicare system. (Applause.)
For the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on the
frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine. (Applause.)
People who have been harmed by a bad doc deserve their day in court.
Yet, the system should not reward lawyers who are simply fishing for a
rich settlement. (Applause.) Frivolous lawsuits drive up the cost of
health care and, therefore, affect the federal budget: Medicare goes
up, Medicaid goes up, veteran health care costs go up because of the
frivolous lawsuits. Medical liability reform is a national issue which
requires a national solution.
And so I proposed a good, strong piece of legislation. The House
passed it; it is stuck in the Senate. The Senate must act on behalf of
the American people and they must hear loud and clear that no one has
ever been healed by a frivolous lawsuit. (Applause.)
I have a responsibility as President to make sure the judicial
system runs well, and I have met that duty. I have nominated superb
men and women for the federal courts, people who will interpret the
law, not legislate from the bench. (Applause.) Some members of the
Senate are trying to keep my nominees off the bench by blocking
up-or-down votes. Every judicial nominee deserves a fair hearing and
an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. It is time for some of the
members of the United States Senate to stop playing politics with
American justice. (Applause.)
Congress needs to complete work on a comprehensive energy plan.
This nation must promote energy efficiency and conservation and develop
cleaner technology to help us explore for energy in environmentally
sensitive ways. But for the sake of economic security and for the sake
of national security, we need to be less dependent on foreign sources
of energy. (Applause.)
Our strong and prosperous nation must also be a compassionate
nation. I will continue to advance our agenda of compassionate
conservatism by applying the best and most innovative ideas to the task
of helping our fellow citizens in need. There are still millions of
men and women who want to end their dependence on the government and
become independent through hard work. We must build on the successes
of the welfare reform to bring work and dignity into the lives of more
of our fellow citizens. Congress should complete the Citizen Service
Act so more Americans can serve their communities and their country.
And both Houses should reach agreement on my faith-based
initiative, so we can support the armies of compassion that are
mentoring children, that are caring for the homeless and offering hope
to the addicted. Our government must not fear the influence of faith
in our communities. We must welcome faith programs to help solve the
intractable problems of our society. (Applause.)
A compassionate society promotes opportunity for all, including the
independence and dignity that come from ownership. This administration
will constantly strive to promote an ownership society in America. We
want more people owning their homes. Today, I discussed the minority
home ownership gap -- I described a plan that we put before Congress to
close that gap. We want more people to own and manage their own health
care plans. We want people to own and manage their own retirement
accounts. We want more people owning their own small business in
America, because we understand that when a person owns something, he or
she will have a vital stake in the future of this country.
In the compassionate society people respect one another, and they
take responsibility for the decisions they make. We're changing the
culture of this country from one that has said, if it feels good, do
it, and, if you've got a problem, blame somebody else, to one in which
each of us understands that we are responsible for the decisions we
make. (Applause.)
If you are fortunate enough to be a mother or father, you're
responsible for loving your child with all your heart. If you're
concerned 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 America, you have a responsibility to tell the truth to your
shareholders and your employees. And in this new responsibility
society, each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like
we'd like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.)
We see the culture of service and responsibility growing around
us. Right after September the 11th, I started the USA Freedom Corps,
to encourage Americans to extend a compassionate hand to a neighbor in
need, and the response has been strong. Our charities are strong, our
faith-based organizations are vibrant. Police and firefighters and
people who wear our nation's uniform are reminding us what it means to
sacrifice for something greater than yourself. Once again, the
children of America believe in heroes because they see them every day.
In these challenging times, the world has seen the resolve and the
courage of America. And I have been privileged to see the compassion
and the character of the American people. All the tests of the last
two-and-a-half years have come to the right nation. We're a strong
country, and we use that strength to defend the peace. We're an
optimistic country, confident in ourselves and in ideals bigger than
ourselves. Abroad, we seek to lift whole nations by spreading
freedom. At home, we seek to lift up lives by spreading opportunity to
every corner of America.
This is the work that history has set before us. We welcome it.
And we know that for our country and for our cause, the best days lie
ahead. Thank you for coming. God bless. (Applause.) Thank you, all.
(Applause.)
END 1:37 P.M. PDT
|