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GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Galesburg, IL, July 29, 1966
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GOP Fund-Raising Dinner, Galesburg, IL, July 29, 1966
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The original documents are located in Box D20, folder "GOP Fund-Raising Dinner,
Galesburg, IL, July 29, 1966" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and
Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box D20 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M.
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1966
SPEECH EXCERPTS--BY REP. GERALD R. FORD AT GOP FUND-RAISING DINNER, GALESBURG, ILL.
I have been predicting a Republican gain of 40 to 50 House seats in the November
election. That is just a feeling I have from having traveled in nearly all of the
50 states since I became House Republican leader. It makes me feel good, therefore,
to have the Gallup Poll report that an even 50 per cent of the voters outside the
South now favor Republicans for Congress. Do you know what that means? The last
time the GOP rated half of the non-South vote in a mid-term election was in 1954.
That year the Republican Party won 196 House seats. The way we're moving, why not
try for 218?
The reason the GOP is on the go is that it is the party of sound money and sound
ideas. The voters are turning to the GOP because this nation is in deep trouble and
it is President Johnson and the Democrats in Congress who have put it there.
Americans are becoming increasingly disturbed by the steady rise in the cost of
living.
They are disturbed because the Johnson-Humphrey Administration and the 2-to-1
Democratic majority in Congress have not only failed to cope with inflationary
pressures but have in fact created the push behind rising prices. These inflationary
pressures have pushed up prices faster in the first six months of this year than in
any other half-year period in eight years.
The increase in the cost of living for June--0.3 of 1 per brought the
six-month rise in living costs to 1.7 per cent. That indicates a cost-of-living
climb for the entire year of nearly 4 per cent, a staggering blow to Americans living
on pensions and fixed incomes.
President Johnson now is jetting around the country telling Americans they never
had it so good. And you remember the old Democratic campaign theme "Don't let them
take it away." The truth is that the Democrats are taking it away.
Proof of this is the fact that higher taxes and higher prices more than wiped
out any added income Americans may have earned in the last three months. According
to the government's own studies, the average American wound up with $10 less
purchasing power in the second quarter of this year than in January, February and
March.
(MORE)
-2-
While Lyndon Johnson keeps spreading his "Big Daddyism" around and telling the
people the government will take care of all their problems, his Administration keeps
dipping into their pockets with the secret sales tax known as inflation.
Mr. Johnson's government recently disclosed that per capita take-home pay,
adjusted for the cost-of-living rise, fell from an annual rate of $2,287 in the first
three months of this year to $2,277 in April, May and June.
Some Johnson-Humphrey Administration statements I find contradictory and con-
fusing. But I think we can accept and rely on these figures, depressing though they
are.
***
Most Americans find it difficult to understand what excessive government
spending has to do with inflation. Those disinclined to believe Republican state-
ments on the subject were treated to the clincher a few days ago when none other than
President Johnson warned of the inflationary peril in the ballooning of his budget.
The President pleaded with Congress not to continue adding to his budget requests.
To be accurate, he begged Democrats in Congress not to pad his budget. He didn't
have to talk to Republicans about it. We have been trying to cut the spending bills
the Democratic-dominated committees have been sending to the floor. We have been
trying to reduce the President's budget requests, because his $112.8 billion budget
calls for a $3.2 billion expansion of his Great Society programs. So the monkey is
on the President's back, too--and not just the Democrats in Congress. Mr. Johnson
is one of the Great Spenders--not a Great Economizer, as he would have the American
people believe.
The biggest factor in boosting the cost-of-living is non-essential government
spending added to the tremendous cost of the Vietnam War. The war is costing nearly
$2 billion a month.
We have to pay for the war. It is because non-essential spending is piled on
top of war costs that prices keep going up.
Republicans urged the President last January to admit we are fighting a costly
war halfway around the world and to adjust other government spending accordingly.
But Mr. Johnson spurned our advice.
I used to say "you'd think there wasn't a war on," but even Mr. Johnson now
admits that the chickens are coming home to roost.
The way Mr. Johnson is scolding Democrats in Congress about big spending, you'd
think he was telling Americans to vote Republican in November. Americans might well
read that into his remarks. They would be doing what's best for the country.
Democrats in Congress are making short shrift of thrift. It's time the voters made
short shrift of them.
###
Re: Implation
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M.
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1966
SPEECH EXCERPTS--BY REP. GERALD R. FORD AT GOP FUND-RAISING DINNER, GALESBURG, ILL.
I have been predicting a Republican gain of 40 to 50 House seats in the November
election. That is just a feeling I have from having traveled in nearly all of the
50 states since I became House Republican leader. It makes me feel good, therefore,
to have the Gallup Poll report that an even 50 per cent of the voters outside the
South now favor Republicans for Congress. Do you know what that means? The last
time the GOP rated half of the non-South vote in a mid-term election was in 1954.
That year the Republican Party won 196 House seats. The way we're moving, why not
try for 218?
The reason the GOP is on the go is that it is the party of sound money and sound
ideas. The voters are turning to the GOP because this nation is in deep trouble and
it is President Johnson and the Democrats in Congress who have put it there.
Americans are becoming asingli disturbed by the steady rise in the of
living.
They are disturbed because the Johnson-Humphrey ministration and the 2-tb-1
Democratic majority in Congress have not only failed to cope with inflationary
pressures but have in fact created the push behind rising prices. These inflationary
pressures have pushed up prices faster in the first six months of this year than in
any other half-year period in eight years.
The increase in the cost of living for June--0.3 of 1 per cent--brought the
six-month rise in living costs to 1.7 per cent. That indicates a cost-of-living
climb for the entire year of nearly 4 per cent, a staggering blow to Americans living
on pensions and fixed incomes.
President Johnson now is jetting around the country telling Americans they never
had it so good. And you remember the old Democratic campaign theme--"Don't let them
take it away." The truth is that the Democrats are taking it away.
Proof of this is the fact that higher taxes and higher prices more than wiped
out any added income Americans may have earned in the last three months. According
to the government's own studies, the average American wound up with $10 less
purchasing power in the second quarter of this year than in January, February and
March.
(MORE)
-2-
While Lyndon Johnson keeps spreading his "Big Daddyism" around and telling the
people the government will take care of all their problems, his Administration keeps
dipping into their pockets with the secret sales tax known as inflation.
Mr. Johnson's government recently disclosed that per capita take-home pay,
adjusted for the cost-of-living rise, fell from an annual rate of $2,287 in the first
three months of this year to $2,277 in April, May and June.
Some Johnson-Humphrey Administration statements I find contradictory and con-
fusing. But I think we can accept and rely on these figures, depressing though they
are.
***
Most Americans find it difficult to understand what excessive government
spending has to do with inflation. Those disinclined to believe Republican state-
ments on the subject were treated to the clincher a few days ago when none other than
President Johnson warned of the inflationary peril in the ballooning of his budget.
The President pleaded with Congress not to continue adding to his budget requests.
To be accurate, he begged Democrats in Congress not to pad his budget. He didn't
have to talk to Republicans about it. We have been trying to cut the spending bills
the Democratic-dominated committees have been sending to the floor. We have been
trying to reduce the President's budget requests, because his $112.8 billion budget
calls for a $3.2 billion expansion of his Great Society programs. So the monkey is
on the President's back, too--and not just the Democrats in Congress. Mr. Johnson
is one of the Great Spenders--not a Great Economizer, as he would have the American
people believe.
The biggest factor in boosting the cost-of-living is non-essential government
spending added to the tremendous cost of the Vietnam War. The war is costing nearly
$2 billion a month.
We have to pay for the war. It is because non-essential spending is piled on
top of war costs that prices keep going up.
Republicans urged the President last January to admit we are fighting a costly
war halfway around the world and to adjust other government spending accordingly.
But Mr. Johnson spurned our advice.
I used to say "you'd think there wasn't a war on," but even Mr. Johnson now
admits that the chickens are coming home to roost.
The way Mr. Johnson is scolding Democrats in Congress about big spending, you'd
think he was telling Americans to vote Republican in November. Americans might well
read that into his remarks. They would be doing what's best for the country.
Democrats in Congress are making short shrift of thrift. It's time the voters made
short shrift of them.
###