For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
July 28, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at Jones Reception
July 27, 2004
the Historic Mission Inn
Riverside, California
6:30 P.M. PDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
(Applause.) Well, thank you all very much. Thank you for the warm
welcome. It's great to be back in California. It's good to see your
Congressman, Ken Calvert, here. He's a colleague and a great friend.
(Applause.) And it's good to stand next to the next United States
Senator from California, Bill Jones. (Applause.)
I'm always a little nervous when Lynne gets up to introduce me.
The fact is we were just back in Casper, our hometown, a few weeks ago
for our 45th high school reunion. (Applause.) Some of them even
remembered me. (Laughter.) There were a few there who said, whatever
happened to Cheney? (Laughter.)
But the story I like to tell is that Lynne and I actually got
married because Dwight Eisenhower got elected President. You may think
these presidential elections don't have far-reaching consequences. But
I'm here to tell you they do. In 1952, I was living in Lincoln,
Nebraska with my folks. Dad worked for the Soil Conservation Service.
And Eisenhower got elected, went in and reorganized the Agriculture
Department. Dad got transferred to Casper, Wyoming, which is where I
met Lynne. We grew up together, went to high school together, and next
month, we'll mark our 40th wedding anniversary. (Applause.) I
explained to a group the other night if hadn't been for Eisenhower's
great victory in 1952, Lynne would have married somebody else.
(Laughter.) And she said, right, and now he'd be Vice President of the
United States. (Laughter.) We all know it's absolutely true.
But I also want to bring all of you today the good wishes of our
President, George W. Bush. (Applause.) The President and I are
grateful for our many supporters in California. And it's an honor to
be in the state led by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Applause.)
I'm looking forward to the campaign ahead, especially now that I
know who my opponent will be. People keep telling me that Senator
Edwards was put on the ticket because he's sexy, good looking,
charming. I said, "How do you think I got the job?" (Laughter.) I
always ask -- it's a great line, but I always wonder, why do they
laugh? (Laughter.)
As President of the Senate, I am not allowed to debate on the floor
of the Senate. My only real job is President of the Senate. When they
wrote the Constitution and created the post of Vice President, they got
down to the end of the convention in Philadelphia there and decided
they hadn't given the Vice President anything to do, so they made him
the President of the Senate, let him preside over the Senate and cast
tie-breaking votes. And my predecessor John Adams, our first Vice
President, actually had floor privileges. He could go down into the
well of the Senate and engage in the debate of the day, and argue for
and against various propositions. And then he did a couple of times,
and they withdrew his floor privileges. (Laughter.) And they've never
been restored. But I get to spend a lot of time in the Senate. And I
can tell you without hesitation it's time for California to send Bill
Jones to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
As a former statewide office holder, Bill has experience working
with Californians of many backgrounds, and many diverse points of
view. He knows how to listen to both sides of an issue and to arrive
at his own independent conclusions. He's the kind of leader who
reaches across party lines to get things done, instead of standing in
the way of progress -- and that's just the kind of senator that
California needs.
Bill recognizes the tremendous opportunities available in
California, but he also understands that the state faces serious
challenges. California has one of the largest economies in the world,
but too many employers have moved jobs out of the state. They're not
being lured away by better weather. (Laughter.) In the past, they
were driven away by a climate of over-taxation, over-regulation, and
over-litigation. Now there's a clear course of action to make
California a better place to live, work, and do business, to do that,
you need to continue to support Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento,
and send Bill Jones to Washington as a United States senator.
(Applause.)
There are major decisions at hand on national issues, as well.
Bill is a steadfast supporter of the war on terror, and he has a firm
grasp on the homeland security challenges facing your Pacific state.
On the fundamental matter of security, and on so many other issues,
Bill is ready to confront California's problems head on. He's a
thoughtful candidate with real ideas, and Californians from both
parties need to give him a serious look. The President and I are going
to work hard for him in this race. We believe he can win it. And next
January, as President of the Senate, I look forward to swearing in Bill
Jones as your United States Senator from California. (Applause.)
This country needs people of Bill's caliber serving in the Senate
as we take on one of the greatest challenges in our history. Today we
face an enemy every bit as intent on destroying us as the Axis powers
were in World War II, or the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The
enemy, in the words of the 9/11 Commission report released just last
week, is "sophisticated, patient, disciplined, and lethal." What this
enemy wants, as the 9/11 report explains, is to do away with democracy,
end the rights of women, and rid the world of religious pluralism. And
in pursuit of its goals, this enemy is perfectly prepared to slaughter
anyone -- man, woman, or child -- who gets in its way.
This is not an enemy we can reason with, or negotiate with, or
appease. This is, to put it simply, an enemy that we must vanquish.
And with President George W. Bush as our Commander-in-chief, that is
exactly what we are going to do. (Applause.)
Under the President's leadership, we removed the Taliban from power
in Afghanistan and closed down the training camps where terrorists
trained to kill Americans. Under the President's leadership, we
removed the regime of Saddam Hussein, a man who cultivated weapons of
mass destruction, used them against his own people, and provided
sanctuary and safe harbor for terrorists. Saddam Hussein once
controlled the lives and the future of nearly 25 million people.
Tonight, he is in jail. (Applause.)
The defeat of tyranny and violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the
rise of democracy in that troubled part of the globe, will be a crucial
setback for international terrorism. Because we are strong and
resolute, these nations will never go back to the camp of tyranny and
terror. And 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. 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. President Bush will never seek a permission slip to defend the
security of the United States of America. (Applause.) Today, every
American can be certain we are doing everything in our power to defend
against a terrorist attack on the American homeland.
Our nation is extraordinarily fortunate during these times of
testing to have the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform.
As I saw again today, with the United States Marines at Camp Pendleton,
the men and women defending our country represent the very best of the
United States of America. (Applause.) One of the most important
commitments that George W. Bush and I made during the 2000 campaign
was that our armed forces would be given the resources they need and
the respect they deserve, and we have kept our word to the United
States military. (Applause.)
The President and I have some important differences with the folks
now gathered in Boston. When Congress voted to authorize force against
Saddam Hussein, Senators Kerry and Edwards voted yes. But when it came
time to fund the troops doing the fighting in Iraq, it was another
story. Last fall, at the President's request, Congress considered
legislation providing critical funding for our troops; for body armor
and other vital support, such as hazard pay, ammunition, jet fuel,
vehicles, and spare parts. The legislation passed overwhelmingly, with
a vote in the Senate of 87 to 12, and that small group of 12 senators
voting no included Senators Kerry and Edwards.
Recently, Senator Kerry told us that his decision to oppose funding
for our military personnel was "complicated." But as Bill understands,
funding American troops in combat should never be a complicated
choice. (Applause.) It's wrong to vote to commit our troops to combat
and then refuse to provide them the resources they need. We need a
President who will back our troops 100 percent, and that's just what
we've got in George W. Bush. (Applause.)
At every level of the ballot, great events will turn on the outcome
of this election. The leader who sits in the Oval Office, and the men
and women who represent us on Capitol Hill will set the course for the
future, and the war on terror, and set the direction of the American
economy. Strong, consistent leadership is required, both on our
actions overseas and our policies here at home.
When President Bush and I took office, the economy was sliding
toward recession. Then, on 9/11, terrorists struck our nation and
shook our economy once again. We faced a basic decision -- to leave
more money with families and businesses, or to take more of the
American people's tax dollars for the federal government. President
Bush made his choice. He proposed and he delivered tax savings to the
American people -- not once, not twice, but three times. (Applause.)
The Bush tax cuts have helped our national economy create jobs for
10 consecutive months. We've added more than 1.5 million new jobs
since last August. Here in California, more than 136,000 people have
gone to work at a new job in the last 11 months. Our economy is strong
and growing stronger. The Bush tax cuts are working. (Applause.)
These past four years have brought great progress in other critical
areas, as well. With the No Child Left Behind Act, the President has
brought high standards, accountability, and measurable results to
public schools throughout the country. With his leadership, we passed
Medicare reform -- after years of inaction. And now senior citizens
have more affordable access to modern medicine and prescription drugs.
And we passed a responsible environmental law called the Healthy
Forests Act to improve forest health and to reduce the risk of
catastrophic wildfires in the West.
Our accomplishments these past four years demonstrate something
about the character of our President. President Bush did not go to
Washington to mark time, or to spend his energy on small goals. He
came to take on the big issues, and to make serious reforms. He has
led with confidence, and clear vision, and unwavering purpose. He's
made the hard choices, and kept his word. And that's exactly how he
plans to lead the country for the next four years. (Applause.)
Bill Jones shares our hopeful, optimistic vision for the future,
and we look forward to working with him to accomplish great goals. We
need Bill in the U.S. Senate to keep us moving forward with a
pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda. We need Bill in the U.S. Senate to help
us make the Bush tax cuts permanent. We need Bill in the United States
Senate to help us end lawsuit abuse. It's a lot easier for America's
businesses to hire new workers if they don't have to keep hiring
lawyers. (Applause.) And for the good of our health care system, we
need medical liability reform. America's doctors should be able to
spend their time healing patients, not fighting off frivolous
lawsuits. (Applause.)
Our country needs a comprehensive energy policy. It's time for the
Democrats in the Senate to allow passage of the President's plan to
make the United States less dependent on foreign sources of energy.
Our opponents have a different vision for the economy. They talk
about jobs, yet they never explain how they would put a single American
back to work. They opposed our tax relief, and now they're proposing
massive increases in federal spending. They helped block the energy
plan in the Senate. They oppose effective reform of our legal system,
and they're against medical liability reform. Their big idea for the
economy: to raise our taxes.
In fact, the team meeting this week in Boston would repeal many of
the Bush tax cuts their first 100 days in office. This isn't
surprising when you consider their record. Over the years, Senator
Kerry has voted over 350 times for higher taxes on the American people
-- including the biggest tax increase in our 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.)
If you listen to the other side's proposals between now and
November, you'll recognize a clear pattern. Their plans would increase
the power of the Washington bureaucracy, increase the clout of the
trial lawyers, and increase the size of government's claim on the
average American's paycheck. And they would not create jobs or drive
economic growth. What we're hearing from the other side is the failed
thinking of the past -- and we're not going back. (Applause.)
With Bill's support, President Bush and I will continue to defend
our society's fundamental rights and values. We stand for the fair
treatment of faith-based charities, so they can receive federal support
for their good works. (Applause.) We stand for a culture of life, and
we reject the brutal practice of partial birth abortion. (Applause.)
We believe that our nation is "one nation under God." (Applause.) And
we believe that Americans ought to be able to say "under God" when they
pledge allegiance to the flag. (Applause.)
The founders of this great country acknowledged God in the
Declaration of Independence, but we have judges now who seem to have
forgotten that history. We also have a situation in the United States
Senate where Democrats -- including Senators Kerry and Edwards -- are
blocking the President's mainstream appointments to the judiciary via
filibuster. What the Democrats in the Senate are doing is simply
outrageous, and in the months ahead I want you to keep that in mind as
you work to elect Bill Jones to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, President Bush has a clear vision for the
future of our nation. Abroad, we will use America's great power for
great purposes, to protect our homeland by turning back the forces of
terror, and to spread hope and freedom around the world. Here at home,
we will continue to build prosperity that reaches every corner of the
land so that every child born in America has a chance to learn, to
succeed, and to rise in the world.
Bill has the same great goals for the state of California, and with
your help, he'll bring his ideas and talent to the floor of the United
States Senate next year. (Applause.) I have tremendous confidence in
Bill, and in the strong, bipartisan leadership he'll bring to the
people of the Golden State. I'm grateful to all of you for your hard
work and your commitment to the cause we all share. The President and
I are looking forward to the months ahead, and to November 2nd, when we
will see our cause to victory. And we look forward to working with
Bill Jones for a good many years to come.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 7:55 P.M. PDT
|