For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
September 20, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Rally in Grove City, Ohio
Grove City High School
Grove City, Ohio
6:06 P.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you very much.
(Applause.) All right, (Laughter.) Come on up here. (Applause.) No,
no, no. All right, all right, good enough. Well, that was a great
speech. (Laughter.)
I'm delighted to be here today in Grove City with Lynne. By the
looks of things this is Bush-Cheney country. (Applause.) It's a
special, special pleasure to be here with Deborah Pryce. She does a
superb job for all of you and for all of us. (Applause.) As part of
the House Republican leadership, I get to see a lot of Deborah, and
having served there for 10 years myself, I've come to appreciate the
really first-class talent in the House, and Deborah is right at the top
of the list. (Applause.)
Now, Lynne said she'd known me since I was 14. That's true. But
she wouldn't go out with me till I was 17. (Laughter.) And I often
explain to people the reason we got married is because Dwight
Eisenhower got elected President of the United States. True, true. In
1952, when Eisenhower ran, I was a youngster living in Lincoln,
Nebraska with my folks. Dad worked for the Soil Conservation Service.
Eisenhower got elected, he reorganized the Agriculture Department, and
Dad got transferred to Casper, Wyoming, which is where I met Lynne.
And we grew up together, went to high school, and a couple of weeks ago
celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary. (Applause.) I explained -- I
explained -- 40 more years, you got it. (Laughter and applause.)
Okay, (Laughter.) You want to -- (Laughter.) But I explained to a
group the other night that if it hadn't been for Eisenhower's election
victory, Lynne would have married somebody else. (Laughter.) And she
said, right, and now he'd be Vice President of the United States.
(Laughter and applause.)
We've been traveling the country campaigning, talking about the
terrific convention we had in New York City. (Applause.) The
President, of course, laid out a tremendous forward-looking plan to
make America safer and more secure. And we are tremendously grateful
for all of our supporters here in Ohio and all across the country.
We've got great backing from Republicans and independents, and we're
proud to say that we've also got a lot of support from many Democrats
like Georgia's Senator Zell Miller. (Applause.)
The President and I were proud to carry Ohio in 2000. We're going
to work even harder this year, and you're going to be seeing a lot of
us in the weeks ahead. (Applause.) With your help -- with your help,
we're going to carry Ohio, and we're going to win this election.
(Applause.)
I want to thank Governor Taft for all the help he's provided for us
in this campaign. And I also want to report that your senators, Mike
DeWine and George Voinovich, are also doing a superb job in
Washington. (Applause.) The President and I are pleased to be on the
ballot with George this year and I'm sure he will be reelected in
November. (Applause.)
As I said in my convention speech in New York, I'm mindful that I
now have an opponent. (Laughter.) People keep telling me Senator
Edwards got picked for his good looks, his charm, his sex appeal, his
great hair. I said, "How do you think I got the job?" (Applause.)
But in all seriousness, this is serious business this year. This
is an important election -- this election could not come at a more
crucial time in our history. Today we face an enemy every bit as
intent on destroying us as the Axis powers were in World War II. From
the night of September 11th to this day, America has left no doubt
about where we stand. We have no illusions about the nature of this
struggle, or the character of our enemy. The news reports today of the
beheading of another American hostage is one more reminder of the evil
we face. 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 destroy.
(Applause.) And with President George W. Bush as our
Commander-in-Chief, that is exactly what we will do. (Applause.)
I'm sure many of you heard Rudy Giuliani's remarks at the
convention. He remembered the day of the attacks on his city, and how
at one point he turned to his police commissioner, Bernie Kerik, and
said, "Thank God George W. Bush is our President." (Applause.)
Under the President's leadership, we have reached around the world
to capture and kill hundreds of al Qaeda. In Afghanistan, the camps
where terrorists trained to kill Americans have been shut down, the
Taliban driven from power. In Iraq, we dealt with a gathering threat,
and removed the regime of Saddam Hussein. (Applause.) Seventeen
months ago, he controlled the lives and the fortunes of 25 million
people. Tonight, he sits in jail. (Applause.)
President Bush does not deal in empty threats and half-way
measures, and his determination has sent a very clear message. Just
five days after Saddam was captured, the government of Libya agreed to
abandon its nuclear weapons program and surrender the materials to the
United States. (Applause.)
The biggest danger we face today is having nuclear weapons
technology fall into the hands of terrorists. The President is working
with many countries in a global effort to end the trade and transfer of
that deadly technology. The most important result thus far -- and it
is a very important one -- is that the black-market network that
supplied nuclear weapons technology to Libya, as well as to Iran and
North Korea, has been shut down. (Applause.) The world's worst source
of nuclear proliferation is out of business, and we are safer as a
result. (Applause.)
We could not have succeeded in these efforts without the help of
dozens of countries around the world. We will always seek
international support for international efforts, but as President Bush
has made very clear, there is a difference between leading a coalition
of many nations and submitting to the objections of a few. We will
never seek a permission slip to defend the United States of America.
(Applause.)
America faces a choice on November 2nd between a strong and
steadfast President and his opponent, who seems to adopt a new position
every day.
AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Today, John Kerry gave us what I think is his
ninth position on the war in Iraq. (Laughter.) He attacked the
progress we're making and the policies we've implemented. Yet despite
all the harsh rhetoric, Senator Kerry today endorsed many of the same
goals that President Bush has pursued in Iraq for months.
Senator Kerry also said that under his leadership, more of
America's friends would speak with one voice on Iraq. That seems a
little odd coming from a guy who doesn't speak with one voice himself.
(Applause.)
Senator Kerry also said today that President Bush misled America in
calling Iraq an imminent threat. The President said no such thing.
Our argument was that Saddam Hussein posed a gathering threat, that in
a post-9/11 world we could not wait until a threat was imminent.
(Applause.) By then it would be too late to spare American lives. This
is a profound difference between President Bush and Senator Kerry. As
Senator Kerry said in his acceptance speech in Boston, he would respond
after an attack on America.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: The President -- President Bush wants to
protect America before we are attacked again. (Applause.)
The position Senator Kerry adopted this morning seems to be that he
would not have supported the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein's
regime, and that removing Saddam has somehow weakened our national
security. Now, nine months ago, when Howard Dean took a similar
position during the primary, Senator Kerry said, and I quote --
AUDIENCE MEMBER: (Inaudible.) (Laughter.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Yes. Yes, but who asked you? (Laughter.)
AUDIENCE MEMBER: Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Now, I've got to go back and repeat the intro
to this line. (Laughter.) So we all get it.
Nine months ago when Howard Dean took that same position during the
primary, Senator Kerry said, and I quote: "Those who doubted whether
Iraq or the world would be better off without Saddam Hussein, and those
who believe today that we are not safer with his capture, don't have
the judgment to be President or the credibility to be elected
President." (Applause.) The only thing I have to say to that is, I'm
Dick Cheney and I approve that message. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: What are you guys doing for the next 42 days?
(Applause.) All right, all right.
In all the national campaigns I have watched up close, I've never
seen a candidate go back and forth so many times on a single issue,
especially one so important to our security.
All the shifts Senator Kerry has made are troubling, but there is
one that really stands out. It starts with Senator Kerry and Senator
Edwards, voting in favor of using force against Saddam Hussein. But
then, when it came time to vote for funds that would provide our
fighting men and women with body armor, ammunition, jet fuel, and spare
parts, Senators Kerry and Edwards voted no.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Only 12 members of the United States Senate
opposed the funding that would provide vital resources for our troops.
Only four Senators voted for the use of force and against the resources
our men and women in uniform needed once they were in combat. Only
four. And Senators Kerry and Edwards were two of those four.
At first Senator Kerry said that he didn't really oppose the
funding. He both supported and opposed it. (Laughter.) Then he said,
and I quote, "I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted
against it."
AUDIENCE: Flip-flop! Flip-flop! Flip-flop!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That certainly clears things up. (Laughter.)
Lately he's been saying he's proud that he and John Edwards voted no,
and he explains his decision was "complicated." (Laughter.)
But funding American troops in combat should never be a complicated
question. (Applause.) Last week, while speaking to the National Guard
Association, John Kerry said that our troops deserve no less than the
best. I am stunned by the audacity of that statement since it was John
Kerry -- John Kerry -- who voted to send our troops into combat, and
then voted to deny them the support they needed once they were at war.
We need a President who will back our troops 100 hundred percent, and
that's exactly what we've got in George Bush. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Senator Kerry said that leadership starts with
telling the truth, but the American people know that true leadership
also requires the ability to make a decision. True leadership is
sticking with the decision in the face of political pressure, and true
leadership is standing for your principles regardless of your audience,
or who you've just hired as a political advisor. (Applause.)
Senator Kerry said he would always be straight with the American
people on the good days and on the bad days. In his case, that means
when the headlines are good he's for the war, and when his poll numbers
are bad, he's against it. (Laughter.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
saying one thing one day and another the next. Our troops, our allies,
and our enemies must know where America stands. (Applause.) The
President of the United States must be clear and consistent. In his
years in Washington, John Kerry has been one of a hundred votes in the
United States Senate, and fortunately on matters of national security,
his views rarely prevailed. But the presidency is an entirely
different proposition. A senator can be wrong for 20 years, without
consequence to the nation. But a President -- a President -- always
casts the deciding vote. And in this time of challenge, America needs
-- and America has -- a President we can count on to get it right.
(Applause.)
President Bush knows that our dedicated servicemen and women
represent the very best of the United States of America. And I want to
thank them -- I want to thank them and all the veterans here today for
what all they've done for all of us. (Applause.)
On Iraq, Senator Kerry has disagreed with many of his fellow
Democrats. But Senator Kerry's liveliest disagreement is with
himself. (Laughter.) His back-and-forth reflects a habit of
indecision, and sends a message of confusion. And it is all part of a
pattern. He has, in the last several years, been for the No Child Left
Behind Act -- and against it. He has spoken in favor of the North
American Free Trade Agreement -- and against it. He is for the Patriot
Act -- and against it. Senator Kerry says he sees two Americas. It
makes the whole thing mutual -- America sees two John Kerrys.
(Applause.)
Our country requires strong and consistent leadership for our
actions overseas, and also for our policies here at home. When
President Bush and I stood on the inaugural platform on the west front
of the Capitol and took the oath of office, our economy was sliding
into recession. Then, on 9/11, terrorists struck our nation and shook
the 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 hard-earned money 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.)
Every American who pays federal income taxes benefited from the
Bush tax cuts, and so has the economy. We've created jobs for the last
12 consecutive months, a total of about 1.7 million new jobs over the
past year, including 144,000 jobs last month alone. Mortgage rates,
and interest rates, and inflation are all low. Consumers are
confident; businesses are investing; families are taking home more of
what they earn.
We know there are still challenges, especially in our manufacturing
communities. The President and I will not be satisfied until every
American who wants to work can find a job. We have a plan to double --
(applause) -- we have a plan to double the number of workers trained
through the federal government's job training program. We have
proposed a quarter of a billion dollars to help more workers train at
our nation's fine community colleges. We'll improve math and science
in our public high schools, so every high school student gets the
quality education they deserve, and the foundation they need to fill
the jobs of the 21st century. (Applause.)
Our accomplishments these past four years have made America safer,
stronger, and better. They also demonstrate something about the
character of our President. He didn't go to the White House to mark
time, or to spend his energy on small goals. He went to take on the
big issues, and to make serious reforms. He has led with confidence,
clear vision, and unwavering purpose. He's made hard choices, and kept
his word. And that's exactly how he will lead this country for the
next four years. (Applause.)
In our second term, we will keep moving forward with a pro-growth,
pro-jobs agenda. We will work to make the Bush tax cuts permanent.
And to help families and small businesses, we will lead a bipartisan
effort to reform and simplify the federal tax code. (Applause.)
We will work to end lawsuit abuse. We know it's a lot easier for
America's businesses to hire new workers if they don't have to keep
hiring lawyers. (Applause.)
We will work for medical liability reform because we know the cost
of malpractice insurance is creating a crisis not only in Ohio, but
across the nation. (Applause.) America's doctors should be able to
spend their time healing patients, not fighting off frivolous
lawsuits. (Applause.)
Our opponents have a very different vision for the country. They
opposed our tax relief, now they're proposing massive increases in
federal spending. They helped block the energy plan in the Senate.
They oppose effective reform of the legal system, and they're against
medical liability reform. Their big idea for the economy: raise our
taxes.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: President Bush and I will also continue to
defend our society's fundamental rights and values. We stand for a
culture of life, and we reject the brutal practice of partial birth
abortion. (Applause.) We stand strongly for the Second Amendment, and
we will defend the individual right of every American to bear arms. We
believe that our nation is "one nation under God." (Applause.) And we
believe Americans ought to be able to say so when they pledge
allegiance to the flag. (Applause.)
There shouldn't be any question about this, and there wouldn't be
if we had more reasonable judges on the federal bench. (Applause.) We
have a situation now in the United States Senate now where Democrats --
including Senators Kerry and Edwards -- are using the filibuster to
block the President's mainstream nominations to the judiciary.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Recently, they used their obstructionist
tactics to keep the Senate from voting on Bill Myers, a fine man from
my part of the country. If Bill had made it to an up-or-down vote on
the Senate floor, he had the votes to be confirmed to the Ninth
Circuit, which, by the way, is the circuit that decided we should not
say "under God" when we pledge allegiance to the flag.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Sounds to me like they could use some new
judges on the Ninth Circuit. (Applause.) What the Democrats are doing
is outrageous, and that's why we need to send George Voinovich back to
the United States Senate. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, President Bush has a clear vision for the
future of our nation. America has come to know him, and I have come to
admire him very much. I work with him every day. He's a person of
loyalty and kindness, a man who speaks plainly and means what he says.
I have seen him face some of the hardest decisions that can come to the
man in the Oval Office, and make those decisions with the wisdom and
the humility that Americans expect in their President. (Applause.)
Abroad, under President Bush's leadership, we will use America's
great power to serve great purposes, to protect our homeland by turning
back and defeating the forces of terror, and to spread hope and freedom
around the world. Here at home, we will continue building prosperity
that reaches every corner of the land so that every child in America
has a chance to learn, to succeed, and to rise in the world.
(Applause.)
The President and I are honored by your confidence in us, and by
your commitment to the cause we all share. President Bush and I will
wage this effort with complete confidence in the judgment of the
American people. The signs are good here in Ohio -- and even in
Massachusetts. (Applause.) According to a news account, people leaving
the Democratic National Convention in July asked a Boston policeman for
directions. He replied, "Leave here -? and go vote Republican."
(Applause.)
President Bush and I are honored to have the support of that police
officer, and of Democrats, Republicans, and independents from every
calling in American life. We're grateful for our many friends across
the great state of Ohio. I want to thank you for the tremendous
welcome today. We're proud to have you on the team. And together, on
November 2nd, we're going to see our cause forward to victory.
(Applause.)
END 6:35 P.M. EDT
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