For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
August 9, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at Victory '04 Rally in Royal Oak, Michigan
Boys and Girls Club
Royal Oak, Michigan
August 9, 2004
5:53 P.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all very, very much. Thank you, Olivia. I
was standing backstage and I could see the monitor and I heard her
start to sing and then I heard the rest of you start to sing with her
and saw the flags waving. It was a very moving way to come in here
today in Royal Oak, Michigan, and I'm so glad to be here.
I want to thank Congresswoman Candice Miller for her friendship and
for her support of George in Washington, for standing by him. Thank
you very much, Candice. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Don't forget
to vote for Candice also on November 2nd -- Candice Miller.
(Applause.)
I'm so glad to be here in Michigan today, to be with all of you and
to talk to you about why it's so important to reelect George W. Bush.
(Applause.) The President and I first traveled together on a campaign
for Congress, he was running for Congress in 1978 back in Midland.
Newly married, we spent all of our time in our car, driving up and down
the panhandle of West Texas. Believe me, you learn a lot about your
husband when you spend that much time in a car with him. (Laughter.)
And now, this is our last campaign. Being on the campaign trail
isn't what it used to be. These days, we travel in a very nice
airplane. (Laughter.) And George isn't behind the wheel anymore.
(Laughter.)
But we still love the very best part of every campaign, and that's
the people -- the wonderful people we meet all across our country.
Thank you all so much for coming out to see me today. (Applause.)
Thank you all so much.
I'm so glad also that Congressmen Joe Knollenberg is here with me.
Thank you very much, Joe, for being here. (Applause.) The President
needs Joe by his side in Congress, so we're asking you to be sure and
vote for him in November. We also hope you'll send Myrah Kirkwood and
Cynthia Cassell to Congress. Thank you all, thank you for running.
Thanks a lot. (Applause.)
Carlo Ginotti needs your vote in the State House here in Michigan.
(Applause.) And thanks to State Representative Ruth Johnson for being
here. Thank you so much, Ruth. (Applause.) She also deserves your
support in her race
I'm also grateful for all the state and local officials and
candidates and party leaders who are here. We have a great woman
leading the Republican effort in Michigan, Betsy DeVoss. Thank you,
Betsy, thank you very much. (Applause.)
And I loved meeting Jack and Patti Salter just a minute ago, who
have done so much for Boys and Girls Clubs. Thank you all very, very
much. (Applause.) And thanks to Brett Tillander for welcoming us; he
is the executive director here now. And to Cynthia Merritt and Olivia,
who just sang our national anthem for us. Thank you very much for
lending your voices. (Applause.)
And a very special thanks to Pastor Williams for the invocation.
Thank you so much, Pastor. (Applause.)
Thank you all. George and I want to thank every one of you,
everyone who is here today, for your help in his campaign. I know that
you see what I see: The President is a steady leader during these
historic times. He is hopeful about America because he has tremendous
confidence in the American people. He has a good and compassionate
heart. And he knows that the heart and soul of America is found in
towns just like Royal Oak, Michigan. He understands your values and
they inspire his work in the White House.
When the President took office, he was determined to accomplish
great goals on behalf of all Americans. At the time, we couldn't
possibly imagine how challenging these last three years would be. But
I've known George Bush for nearly 30 years, and I've known for every
second of our time in the White House that he has the character and the
courage that these times demand. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: Thanks to President Bush's leadership, America is
moving forward. And with your support, he will make our country safer,
our economy stronger, and our future better for every citizen for the
next four years. (Applause.)
The President's tax relief plan is leaving more money in the hands
of millions of families across America. Families with children
received tax relief. People who are married received tax relief. And
small business owners received tax relief. More than 3.6 million
people right here in Michigan are paying less in taxes thanks to
President Bush. (Applause.)
In some families, tax relief means more money to pay the monthly
bills. In other families, it means money to start a college fund for
their children or a retirement fund for themselves. For small business
owners, tax relief means expanding their operations and adding jobs.
These millions of individual decisions that Americans are making with
their own money are lifting our economy and improving the lives of
people around our country.
The economy has made great gains. After enduring a recession,
terrorist attacks, and corporate scandals, we are now enjoying strong
economic growth. More Americans than ever before are realizing the
dream of home ownership. Minority home ownership is particularly
strong. We set a new record this year in our history. More than half
of all minority families now own their own homes. (Applause.) And
more than 1.5 million jobs have been created over the last eleven
months. The record is clear. More Americans are proud to be back on
the job thanks to our growing economy. (Applause.)
And the President has the right plan to keep our economy strong.
He will urge Congress to make tax relief permanent. He'll make sure
regulations on business are fair and reasonable. He'll continue his
efforts to make energy -- to make America more energy independent. And
the President will work to give all Americans their own opportunity to
own their own home, own their own business, or own their own health
care accounts.
Reliable health care is vital to our economic security. No one can
feel confident about the future if they fear that the next illness
might wipe out their savings or send them into debt. That's why the
President is taking action to make health care more affordable and more
accessible to millions of Americans. (Applause.) He worked with
Congress to add a prescription drug benefit to Medicare to help seniors
afford their medicines. Already, more than four million seniors have
signed up for their prescription drug discount cards. And in 2006, all
seniors will be able to choose the coverage plan that suits them best.
The President has expanded the system of community health centers
in America. Now, more than 13 million people are seeing doctors and
nurses at community health care centers, regardless of their ability to
pay. (Applause.) And President Bush is expanding insurance options
for Americans, promoting new ideas like health savings accounts. He
wants to make sure that patients and doctors are in charge of medical
decisions, not bureaucrats in Washington. (Applause.)
And he will continue to press Congress to approve association
health plans, so that small businesses can pool, so they can buy health
insurance for their employees at lower rates. And because frivolous
lawsuits raise the costs of health care in America and drive good
doctors out of their practices, the President will work to reform the
medical liability system and reduce junk lawsuits. (Applause.)
Education is close to the President's heart, and to mine.
(Applause.) The No Child Left Behind Act is bringing more money,
higher standards, and stronger accountability to schools throughout
America. Now we have clear goals for education. Every child should
learn to read by the third grade, because reading is the foundation for
all other learning. We're assessing students' progress every year in
elementary school to make sure that children don't fall behind. And
with a new emphasis on high standards and accountability, every student
will graduate high school well prepared to go on to college or to enter
the workforce.
President Bush has the right plans to ensure that new graduates and
experienced workers have the skills to succeed in the jobs of the 21st
century. He will expand math and science education in high schools and
broaden Internet training in classrooms to ensure that Americans are
well equipped to compete in a technology-driven world. He is providing
more resources to help workers get high-tech training at local
community colleges. And to help moms and dads juggle the demands of
work and family, President Bush will work with Congress to make flex
time a reality for more Americans. (Applause.)
In this world of rapid change, though, some things never change:
Our conviction that every life matters and that every life counts, our
belief in liberty and opportunity, the individual values we try to live
by -- courage and compassion, reverence and integrity, hard work and
duty -- the institutions that give us direction and purpose -- our
families, our schools, our religious congregations. These values are
fundamental to our lives, and they deserve the respect of our
government. (Applause.)
My husband has always believed that government can be a force for
tremendous good in society. And he also appreciates the great work
that's done outside of government by compassionate citizens who
recognize a need in their community and take action to meet it. George
and I have seen first hand the good and generous hearts of the American
people. Compassion and ingenuity are being put to work all over our
country to lift up lives, from the mentoring of children of prisoners
to bringing meals and a few minutes of friendly conversation to our
elderly neighbors. Our strong values make this a better and more
hopeful nation.
As we strengthen our communities here, we are also sharing the
blessings of liberty with our neighbors abroad. The terrible acts of
September 11th showed us the face of evil in the world, but they also
called us to the great work of promoting freedom and democracy. Today,
50 million more men, women, and children live in freedom thanks to the
United States of America. (Applause.)
From the very night of September 11th, when George and I were
reunited at the White House, I've seen his character and his courage
lead his efforts. The President organized a broad coalition of nearly
40 nations to remove the Taliban from Afghanistan. Because we acted,
al Qaeda's greatest supporters were driven from power and the people of
Afghanistan were liberated from their oppressors. Today, women can
walk freely in public without male supervision. And millions of girls
are going to school in Afghanistan, many for the first times in their
lives. (Applause.)
Afghanistan's new constitution protects the right of people to
speak freely and to vote -- and they'll participate in their first
election next month. In fact, nearly nine million Afghans have already
registered to vote, despite terror threats and intimidation from
remnants of the old regime. (Applause.)
In Iraq, the brave men and women of our military, along with our
allies from some 30 nations, toppled Saddam Hussein's government and
liberated the Iraqi people. Because we acted, the people of Iraq are
now free from the tyranny of a brutal regime. The new Iraqi interim
government has the full support of the United Nations, NATO, and the
European Union. And we pledged to stand with the Iraqi people during
this historic, hopeful time. (Applause.)
We face challenges every day as we serve the ideal of liberty. But
we know that wherever freedom finds a home, terror is unwelcome. To
make the world more peaceful and to make America more secure, we will
continue the great work of promoting freedom and opportunity in the
Middle East.
I'm proud of my husband for recognizing the challenges America
faces at home and abroad, and for taking action to meet them. As the
American people consider who they want to lead our Nation for the next
four years, they'll have to ask: Who has proven his ability to
accomplish great goals and who has the right plan to make America
safer, stronger, and better in the years ahead? (Applause.)
George W. Bush saw that our economy would need new energy to
overcome recession and help people get back to work -- and he got the
job done. George W. Bush saw that our schools needed to improve so
that all children can learn, no matter what their neighborhood -- and
he got the job done. George W. Bush saw that seniors needed help
paying for their prescription drugs -- and after people in Washington
talked about it for years, the President got the job done.
(Applause.) George W. Bush saw the need to strengthen our defenses at
home and confront terrorists abroad, and bring hope to people who are
yearning for freedom -- and thanks to the heroes of our military, we
are getting the job done. (Applause.) Because of his steady
leadership, his compassion, and his optimism for America's future, our
President deserves four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: And now the President needs your help to win
reelection. All of you can contribute so much to our campaign by
getting out the word about the President's record of accomplishment and
his vision for the future. Please talk to your neighbors and your
friends -- and don't be afraid to reach out to Democrats and
independents who appreciate strong and optimistic leadership. Sign up
with the campaign here in Michigan, make phone calls, go door to door
bringing the President's message to voters. Everything you do to reach
voters and to get them to the polls will be a huge help for the
President's campaign.
These are hopeful times for our country. We are moving America
forward, and we have great confidence in our ability to overcome any
challenge. And these are times that require particularly strong and
determined leaders. I'm proud that my husband is that kind of leader.
(Applause.)
Thank you all very much. Thank you for working hard for President
Bush. Thank you very much. Thank you for your friendship. Thank
you. May God bless you and may God bless America. Thank you so much.
(Applause.)
END 6:16 P.M. EDT
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