For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
October 21, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at W Stands for Women Rally in Hopkinton, New Hampshire
Hopkinton Town Hall
Hopkinton, New Hampshire
1:58 P.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Jenna, for that very kind introduction. One of
the great things about having the girls on the campaign trail with us
is getting to hear them talk about how much they love us -? (laughter)
-- and in public, no less. (Laughter.)
Thank you all very, very much. Thank you for your warm welcome today.
Today seemed like a perfect day for a road trip with a few friends -?
(laughter) -- and I can't think of a better place to take a fall drive
than here in New Hampshire. Thank you all so much for that.
Kitty Sununu has been showing of your state to me all day, and I'm so
glad that she's traveling with me. Special thanks also to my friend
Cindy McCain for being here. A few years ago, Cindy and I were on
different buses -? (laughter) -- and her bus nearly knocked ours off
the road. (Laughter.) But today, I'm so happy that she and Senator
McCain are traveling with us on the road to victory.
And of course, I'm happy to be traveling with two of our closest
friends, your Senator Judd Gregg and his wife, Kathy. (Applause.)
President Bush and I are also very glad to have Congressman Charlie
Bass and his wife, Lisa, as our friends. Thank you both for being
here. (Applause.)
And thanks to our beautiful Miss America, Erika Harold. Thank you,
Erika, for joining us. (Applause.)
And, of course, I'm especially honored to have Cheryl McGuiness
traveling with us. (Applause.) Cheryl has been through so much, and we
really admire her grace and her dignity and her example to the rest of
us. Thank you so much, Cheryl. (Applause.)
And thanks to Sharon Sykas and Linda Henderson and Lorraine Keavany
for welcoming us to Hopkinton. I'm so happy to be back in New
Hampshire. And especially to be here to talk about why it's so
important to reelect President George W. Bush. (Applause.)
President Bush and I love to visit your home state, as you know.
And so does the President's family. Barbara Bush has been traveling in
New Hampshire for us, and she was here in this very same town hall in
1992 on her bus tour.
A couple of summers ago we were visiting them at their house in Maine
for the 4th of July. George woke up at 6:00 a.m. and, as usual, he
padded downstairs for a cup of coffee. Then he went and sat on the sofa
in his parents' bedroom and put his feet up. And all of a sudden,
Barbara Bush hollered, "Put your feet down." (Laughter.) George's dad
said, "For Goodness sake, Barbara, he's the President of the United
States." (Laughter.) And Bar replied, "I don't care; I don't want his
feet on my coffee table." (Laughter.) So you see, even Presidents have
to listen to their mother. (Laughter.)
George is a lot like his mother. My husband makes his views clear and
he stands on principle. And above all, the President says what he means
and he does what he says.
When our economy needed a jumpstart, my husband said that he would
reduce taxes -? and he did. Millions of families and small business
owners are saving more of their own money because the President worked
to pass the largest tax relief in a generation. (Applause.) And today,
our economy is growing and it's getting stronger every day. In a new
term, my husband will keep America on the road to prosperity by working
to keep taxes low. (Applause.)
Four years ago, my husband said we were going to reform public
education in America because too many children from our poorest schools
were being left behind. And he worked with Congress to do just that.
Today, thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act, our schools are
improving with higher standards, with accountability, and with the most
federal funding ever for elementary and secondary education.
(Applause.)
We will continue to make sure that every child in America receives an
excellent education. And in a new term, my husband wants to make career
training and student financial aid more accessible so more Americans
can go to work to earn a college degree.
Four years ago, my husband said he would work with Congress to give
seniors relief from the rising costs of prescription drugs -? and he
did. The Medicare bill passed the Congress and he signed it and, in
2006, when the full drug benefit will begin, seniors will save even
more on their drug costs. And in a new term, the President will work to
bring down the cost of health care by reforming the medical liability
system and working to reduce junk lawsuits. (Applause.)
When it comes to healthcare, education, and strengthening our economy,
George believes that government should try to help people improve their
lives, not try to run them. (Applause.)
As President, my husband has met the toughest challenges with
courage. He believes that it's his duty, the responsibility of every
leader, to find solutions to problems, not pass them on to future
Presidents or future generations. And his first and most solemn duty is
to protect our country and protect the people of the United States.
(Applause.)
He has worked to defeat terror around the world. And President Bush
and I want the men and women of the United States military and their
families to know how much every American appreciates their service and
their sacrifice. (Applause.)
We appreciate the sacrifice of courageous Americans like military wife
April Heuton, who is here with us today. April, we want you to know
that your husband and all military men and women are in our thoughts
and prayers. And there's her husband right there, home on leave from
Iraq. Thank you so much. (Applause.)
As long as my husband is Commander-in-Chief, our troops and first
responders will have the support they need, and the United States
military will remain an all-volunteer military. (Applause.)
As we do the hard work of confronting terror, we can be proud that
today 50 million more men, women and children have the chance to live
in freedom thanks to the United States of America and our allies.
(Applause.)
Just two weeks ago, millions of Afghans voted in their first free
presidential election in the history of their country. And in a great
display of how far Afghanistan has come, a 19-year-old woman was the
first person to cast her ballot. (Applause.) The people of Iraq are
working to build their country, even as they face violence from those
who oppose democracy. Already an Iraqi independent electoral commission
is up and running, political parties are planning campaigns, voter
registration will begin next month -? and free and fair elections will
be held this coming January.
The future holds great promise, and though there will be many
difficult struggles to remain, the United States will stay a constant
friend to both nations. (Applause.)
Americans know that building a democracy takes time. Think of how long
it took us. It took almost 100 years after our founders declared all
men are created equal to abolish slavery. And not until 84 years ago
did American women get the right to vote. Building a democracy is not
easy, but we know it's right. (Applause.)
This is a critical moment in our history. In just 12 days, voters will
face the choice between an America that is uncertain in the face of
danger, or an America that takes decisive action to defeat terror and
spread liberty. Americans can choose a leader who understands the
threat we face today. Families and business owners can choose a
President who will keep taxes low so that people can keep more of their
own money. We can choose a President who wants the health care system
to be where patients and doctors are in charge, not government
bureaucrats. (Applause.)
And parents can choose a President who will keep us on the path to
excellence and high standards in our schools for every single child.
The choice is clear: America needs the leadership of President Bush for
four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: So with less than two weeks to go, I want to encourage you,
when you leave here today, tell your neighbors about the President's
vision for making America better. Reach out to Democrats and
Independents who appreciate strong and optimistic leadership. Get an
absentee ballot if you're going to be away on November 2nd, then make
sure you vote, and turn out as many people as you can. Everything you
do will be great help for the President's campaign.
These are times of change for our nation, but they're also years of
promise. George and I grew up in West Texas, where the sky seems
endless and so do the possibilities. My husband brings that optimism,
that sense of purpose, that certainty that a better day is before us to
his job every day and, with your help, he'll do it for four more years.
(Applause.) Thank you all. God bless you. God bless America.
(Applause.)
2:10 P.M. EDT
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