For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
November 13, 2003
Remarks by the President at Bush-Cheney 2004 Luncheon
Disney's Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
Orlando, Florida
12:09 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thanks, Jeb --
I mean, Governor. (Laughter.) It's hard to get used to it.
(Laughter.) The thing I love about Jeb is he's a modest fellow. When
the Florida Marlins won he was trying to take credit for their
success. (Laughter.) I told him he doesn't have any idea what it
takes to run a championship baseball team. (Laughter.) He reminded me
I don't either. (Laughter.)
Love being back in Florida with our friends. Thank you all for
coming. (Applause.) I appreciate your support a lot. It means a lot
to me. Listen, the political season is going to come in its own time.
I'm loosening up and I'm getting ready. But I've got a job to do for
everybody who lives in this country. And I'm going to continue doing
that job. And as you work the phones and go to the coffee shops and
houses of worship, I want you to remind the people that I'm going to
work hard to keep America strong, to keep America secure; I'll work
hard to make sure we're prosperous and free. (Applause.)
I regret one thing about this event, and that is Laura is not with
me.
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Ohhh --
THE PRESIDENT: I know it. I know it. (Laughter.) You drew the
short straw. (Laughter.) She is a fabulous sister-in-law, she's a
great wife, a wonderful mother, and she's doing a heck of a good job as
the First Lady of this country. I'm really proud of her. (Applause.)
She sends her very best to all our friends here in Central Florida.
I'm proud of my brother. I tell you, he is a -- he has been a
superb governor. (Applause.) He is a principled man, principled man.
He -- when he says something, you can book it. He is a man of his
word, he is a courageous person, and he's got his priorities absolutely
right. He loves his faith; he loves his family; and he loves his
Florida. (Applause.)
I want to thank the other cast of characters who have joined me on
this stage. That would be Tom Petway, Zach Zachariah, and David Brown,
all of whom are working hard to make sure that this campaign is
well-financed. I want to thank you for your hard work. I appreciate
your efforts. (Applause.)
He's done a superb job in my government. We'll talk a little bit
about the home ownership gap a little later on -- he's the leader in
making sure that we promote ownership here in America. He is a -- I
love his story -- it's the story of America, as far as I am concerned.
As you know, Mel was a part of what they call Pedro Pan -- Peter Pan.
It's a program that -- where Cuban moms and dads had the courage to
send their children -- I think Mel was 13 at the time -- to send this
teenager to America so that they could grow up in freedom. It speaks a
lot about the mom and dad. It speaks a lot about the compassion of the
American families who received the Mel Martinezes of the world. As
well, it speaks a lot about Mel and the other men and women who came
from Cuba to flee -- to flee to freedom. And Mel -- it touches my
heart to know that this man, who could have been living in repression
and tyranny, is now in the Cabinet of the President of the United
States. (Applause.)
I want to thank Congresswoman Katherine Harris and Congressman Tom
Feeney for joining us today. Thank you all for coming. (Applause.) I
appreciate my friend, Bill McCollum, former Congressman from this part
of the world, for being here. (Applause.) Thank you for coming,
Bill. (Applause.) I know we've got members of the statehouse here.
You're probably standing by, waiting for your orders from Governor Bush
on what to do next. (Laughter.) Oh, yes, that's not the way it
works. (Laughter.)
The Lieutenant Governor, Toni Jennings is here, and I want to thank
Toni for coming. (Applause.) Charlie Crist is here. I appreciate
Charlie for being here, the Attorney General -- we call him, "General"
now. (Laughter.) Tom Gallagher is here. I appreciate both the
statewide holders. I know State Senator Dan Webster is with us today.
I want to thank you for coming, Dan. I know my friend, Rich Crotty, is
here, one of the co-chairmen of the event.
But most of all, I want to thank you all for coming. Well, Crotty
-- (laughter and applause.) A couple of distant cousins leading the
charge there. (Laughter.) Finally, my friend, Mercer Reynolds is with
us, who is the National Finance Chairman for Bush-Cheney '04. He's
from Cincinnati, Ohio. He's an entrepreneur and a business guy who has
taken time out of his life to work hard, to encourage you all to
participate. It looks like he, as well as the Floridian leadership,
did a fabulous job. I'm proud you're here, and I thank you for
coming.
Over the last three years, our nation has acted decisively to
confront great challenges. I came to this office to solve problems,
and not pass them on to future Presidents and future generations.
(Applause.) I came to seize opportunities, instead of letting them slip
away. My administration is meeting the tests 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 we're on their trail. In
Afghanistan and in 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 today they live in freedom. (Applause.)
Three years ago, our military was not receiving the resources it
needed and morale was beginning to suffer. So we increased the defense
budgets 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.)
Three years ago, the economy was in trouble and then recession was
beginning. Then the attacks happened on our country. That affected
economic growth. We had some scandals in corporate America. We
marched to war in order to make America more secure and the world more
peaceful. That all affected the way our people felt about the future.
But we acted. We acted. We passed tough new laws to hold corporate
criminals to account. And in order to get this economy going again, I
have twice led the United States Congress to pass historic tax relief
for the American people. (Applause.)
I know that when Americans have more take-home pay to spend, to
save, or invest, the whole economy grows, and people are more likely to
find a job. We're returning more money to the people to help them
raise their families, reducing taxes on dividends and capital gains to
encourage investment. We're giving small businesses incentives to
expand and to hire new people. With all these actions, we're laying
the foundation for greater prosperity and more jobs across America, so
every single citizen has a chance to realize the American Dream.
Today, the American economy is strong, and it is getting stronger.
(Applause.) Third quarter growth in our economy was at the fastest
pace in nearly 20 years. That's a good sign. (Applause.) People are
finding more new jobs are being created. That's a good sign.
Productivity is high. Business investment is rising. The housing
construction is strong. The tax relief we passed is working. We left
more money in the hands of the American people, and our economy is
growing stronger. (Applause.)
Three years ago, there was a lot of talk about education reform,
but the truth of the matter is, in Washington, there was not 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.
See, we believe in high standards. We're going to challenge the
soft bigotry of low expectations. We believe every child can learn to
read and write and add and subtract. And we expect every child to
learn to read and write and add and subtract. We've increased the
education budgets for Title One students. But for the first time, now
the federal government is saying, show us some results. For the first
time, we're saying the days of excuse-making are over. We expect
results in every classroom so not one single child is left behind.
(Applause.)
We reorganized our government and created the Department of
Homeland Security to better safeguard our ports and borders, and better
secure the American people. We passed trade promotion authority to
open up markets for Florida's farmers and ranchers and entrepreneurs.
We passed budget agreements to maintain much-needed spending discipline
in Washington, D.C. On issue after issue, this administration has
acted on principle, has kept its word, and has made progress for the
American people. (Applause.)
The Congress gets a lot of credit for the progress we've made. I
want to thank the Speaker, Denny Hastert, and Majority Leader Bill
Frist for providing strong leadership. I want to thank the members who
are here. And you've got a great delegation from Florida with whom
I've been able to work. I want to thank them for their hard work.
See, what we're trying to do is to change the tone in Washington, D.C.
We're trying to get rid of all the needless politics and focus on the
people's business, focus on results, and not the ugly process that
sometimes takes on. We're making good progress. We really are.
And one of the reasons why this administration has been successful
is because I've called upon people from all walks of life, people like
Mel Martinez to join our government. I have put together a fantastic
administration for the American people. (Applause.) Our country has
had no finer Vice President than Dick Cheney. (Applause.) Okay, I
agree. Mother may have a second opinion. (Laughter.)
In three years, we've come far, we've done a lot. But our work is
only beginning. I've set 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 to
succeed and realize the great promise of America.
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.) The 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.)
We are confronting that danger in Iraq, the latest front in the war
on terror. We're confronting that danger where Saddam holdouts and
foreign terrorists are desperately trying to throw Iraq into chaos by
attacking coalition forces and international aid workers and innocent
Iraqi citizens. They know that the advance of freedom in Iraq would be
a major defeat for the cause of terror. This collection of killers is
trying to shake the will of America. America will not be intimidated.
(Applause.)
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 for other nations to help. You see, a free Iraq will
make the whole world more secure. We're standing with the Iraqi people
as they assume more of their own defense, and as they move toward
self-government.
These are not easy tasks, but they are essential tasks. We will
finish what we have begun, and we will win this essential victory in
the war on terror. (Applause.) 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.
Americans believe that freedom is the deepest need and hope of
every human heart. I believe that freedom is the future of every
nation. And I know that freedom is not America's gift to the world,
freedom is God's gift to every man and women who lives in the world.
(Applause.)
We understand 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, America is leading the world. We are
committed to bringing the healing power, the healing power of medicine
to millions of men and women and children suffering with AIDS. This
mighty, strong, powerful nation is a compassionate nation. And I'm
proud to say, we're doing everything we can in the important work of
human rescue. (Applause.)
We've got challenges here at home, and we'll be equal to the
challenges. We'll continue to push a pro-growth environment. I want
people working. We'll continue to work on our economy until everybody
who wants to work and is not working today can find a job.
We have a duty to keep our commitment to America's seniors by
strengthening and modernizing Medicare. After years of debate and
delay and deadlock, the Congress is nearing final passage of the
biggest improvements in senior health care in nearly 40 years. We're
on the verge of getting our seniors prescription drug coverage,
expanded coverage for preventing medicine and therapies, more health
care choices. Members of Congress have supported these Medicare
reforms with their words. Now it is time to support these reforms with
their votes. The House and the Senate -- (applause) -- the House and
the Senate must quickly reconcile their differences and send me a
bill. We need to give our seniors a modern Medicare system before the
year is out. (Applause.)
And for the sake of our health care system, we need to cut down on
the frivolous lawsuits which increase the cost of medicine.
(Applause.) I appreciate Jeb's leadership on this important issue.
And it's an important issue. If you've been harmed by a bad doctor,
you deserve your day in court. Systems shouldn't reward lawyers who
are simply fishing for a rich settlement. (Applause.) Jeb's taking on
this issue, and so have I. And the reason I have is because frivolous
lawsuits drive up the cost of health care, and they, therefore, affect
the federal budget. Medical liability reform is a national issue that
requires a national solution.
I put out a good proposal; it was passed by the House of
Representatives. It is stuck in the United States Senate. It is
important for those senators who are preventing this bill from going
forward to understand that nobody has ever been healed by a frivolous
lawsuit. (Applause.)
I have a responsibility as the President to make sure the judicial
system runs well, and I met that duty. I've nominated superb men and
women for the federal courts, people who will interpret the law, not
legislate from the bench. Today, I met with three superb women in the
Oval Office before I got on the airplane to come to Florida, three
fantastic nominees, people who will represent their judiciary with
class and distinction and integrity. Yet, their nominations are being
held up. They can't get a vote on the floor. I call upon the Florida
senators to let these three women get a vote on the floor of the United
States Senate. (Applause.) Every nominee deserves a fair hearing and
an up or down vote. It's time for members of the United States Senate
to stop playing politics with American justice. (Applause.)
This country needs a comprehensive energy plan. We must promote
energy efficiency and conservation and develop clean technologies to
help us explore in environmentally sensible ways for energy. For the
sake of economic security, and for the sake of national security, this
nation must become less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
(Applause.) They passed a bill out of the House. They passed a bill
out of the Senate. They need to reconcile their differences and get
the energy plan to my desk before they go home this Christmas.
(Applause.)
A strong and prosperous nation must also be a compassionate
nation. I'm going to continue to advance our agenda of compassionate
conservatism, which means we will apply the most effective, innovative
techniques and ideas to help fellow citizens who hurt. There's still a
lot of people in our country, millions of men and women who want to end
their dependence on government and become independent through hard
work. We've got a bill on the success of welfare reform to bring work
and dignity into the lives of more of our citizens. Congress needs to
complete the Citizen Service Act so that more Americans can serve their
communities and their country.
Both Houses should reach agreement on my faith-based initiative, to
support the armies of compassion, the soldiers of which are mentoring
children, caring for the homeless, offering hope to the addicted.
Government can hand out money, but it cannot put hope in people's
hearts. This country is strong because we're a country of all faiths,
we welcome all faiths. And our government should not fear the positive
influence of faith when it comes to the help of healing broken hearts.
(Applause.)
A compassionate society must promote opportunity for all, including
the independence and dignity that come from owning something, from
ownership. This administration will constantly strive to promote an
ownership society in America. We want more people owning their own
home. There is a minority home-ownership gap in America that must be
closed. Mel and I have developed a plan to close that gap. I've
submitted elements of the plan to the United States Congress.
We want more people owning and managing their own health care
plans. We want more people owning and managing their own retirement
accounts. We want more people owning their own small business. This
administration understands that when a person owns something, he or she
has a vital stake in the future of our country. (Applause.)
A compassionate society -- in a compassionate society, people
respect one another and they take responsibility for the decisions they
make in life. The culture of America is changing, from one that has
said, if it feels good, do it, and if you've got a problem, blame
somebody else, to a culture in which each of us understands we're
responsible for the decisions we make in life. If you're fortunate
enough to be a mom or a dad, you're responsible for loving your child
with all your heart. 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. (Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate
America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
and your employees. (Applause.) And in a responsibility society, each
of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be
loved ourself. (Applause.)
I said the culture is changing, and the culture of service is
growing. I started what's called the USA Freedom Corps to give
Americans a chance to participate in making their communities and
cities and neighborhoods better, and the response has been fantastic.
Our charities are strong, neighborhood healers are active all across
America. Our policemen and firefighters and people who wear our
nation's uniform remind us on a daily basis 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 the American people. I've been privileged to see the
compassion and character of the American people. All the tests of the
last years have come to the right nation. We're a strong country and
we use our strength to defend the peace. (Applause.) 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 the best days lie ahead.
May God bless you all. (Applause.)
END 12:39 P.M. EST
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