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7344676
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Remarks of the Vice President at the Nassau County Republican Committee Dinner [Speeches by Others]
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7344676
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Remarks of the Vice President at the Nassau County Republican Committee Dinner [Speeches by Others]
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White House Press Releases (Ford Administration)
Press Releases
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7344676
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1976-06-24
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1976
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Digitized from Box 28 of the White House Press Releases at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 24, 1976 Office of the Vice President (Huappauge, New York) REMARKS OF THE VICE PRESIDENT AT THE NASSAU COUNTY REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE DINNER BALLROOM, COLONIE HILL RESTAURANT HUAPPAUGE,' NEW YORK AT 8:40 P.M. EDT Thank you, Reverend Clergy; Joe Margiotta and all the wonderful members of the Margiotta family who are here tonight; Tom Pierce; Len Hall; and our two great Congressmen, Jack Wydler and Norm Lent; Ralph Caso; Malcolm Wilson, my long-time friend and companion, your governor; Dick Rosenbaum, that dynamic State chairman; elected officials, candidates, Party leaders and workers, and to all of you generous people who are here supporting the Party this evening. Believe me, as far às I am concerned, it is like a cross between a family party and a reunion, and I am thrilled to be here, thrilled to be back in Nassau County and be back with all of you. (Applause) I have to say Nassau County is not just a subdivision of New York. It is a major part of the United States of America, ladies and gentlemen. (Applause) That's right, economically, socially and politi- cally. I would just like to point out for those of you who have forgotten, you have more population and more members in your congressional delegation than 16 States out of the 50 States in the United States. That's Nassau County now. (Applause) Believe me, I am delighted to have a chance to be here, especially delighted to be here when you are honoring two great Americans, both of them old friends of mine. I just want to say that I feel very badly that one of them cannot be here this evening because he is not well. But we all wish him well. First, Len Hall, where is he? There he is, your friend and mine. A lifetime of dedication to the democratic process, Len Hall has served the country, he has served the State, he has served the Nation. He has served our Party, and most unforgettably, ladies and gentlemen, during those golden Eisenhower years, when Len was the brilliant national chair- man of the Republican National Committee. Len, I join all your friends and neighbors here in the county in saying thank you for all you have done for MORE Page 2 the Party and for the people of this country. I am thrilled to be here in your honor. (Applause) Second, Holly Patterson, who, unfortunately, as I say, cannot be here because he is not well, but there is no doubt about it, he is Mr. Republican here in Nassau County. (Applause) Thirty-five years Holly Patterson has lent his talents, his spirit, his heart for the betterment of his home county. His long tenure as County Executive stands out as an extraordinary period of achievement. During those nine years Nassau County underwent a period of remarkable expansion of its public works, its homes, its courts and its parks. He has lived to be a builder of Long Island, a statesman of local government, and I am delighted to join with all of you in a tribute to a man we love and admire. We are all praying for him and his speedy recovery. (Applause) I can't let the night pass without telling you it is a thrill for me to be here when our great friend, your great leader is terminating his career as a member of the Assembly so he can devote his time to the service of Nassau County as the great political leader of the county and to the Nation, ladies and gentlemen. Now, Joe has been a friend of mine a long time, both in government and in politics. And in both he had one concern, and that was the service to people. That has been Joe's dedication of his life, service of people. And I have to say for the benefit of his wife, that includes his family. Sometimes she has been a little worried about that. But now he is going to be home, so we know that is going to be better. I would just like also to say that Joe personifies as well as any leader I have known this truth about our democracy, that politics is not an end in itself; it is a means to an end, and the end, ladies and gentlemen, is good government. And that is what Nassau County has stood for and New York Republican leadership. (Applause) As Malcolm used to say, partnership government between Republican majorities in the legislature and a Republican governor. That is what counts, ladies and gentlemen, and this is what is going to happen when we go through these elections, first this fall and then whenever this present governor is up for reconsideration. (Laughter, applause) Now, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to say one more thing, and that is, the Republican Party has a MORE Page 3 winning record, and we are going to have a tremendous Republican victory in November. (Applause) All you have to do, ladies and gentlemen, is think of where we were two years ago. We had been through the trauma of Viet Nam and then the trauma of Watergate. This Nation was torn apart. Confidence in government had been eroded, and then we moved into inflation, a depression and unemployment due to the forces of higher action on oil prices by OPEC and then the shortages of food in the world. It looked like we were in for a long, tough period in America. Two years later where are we, ladies and gentle- men, thanks to the Republican Party and a Republican President? (Applause) Confidence has been restored, respect has been restored in the White House and in the Executive Branch of government, a major force in a great democracy. Secondly, ladies and gentlemen, inflation has been cut in half. And as we sit here tonight, there are 3,200,000 more people employed in America today than there were a year ago. And the growth rate for the first quarter of this year was 8.7 percent. Nobody thought this was possible, that you could cut inflation and start on the road back with employment. That is what President Ford has done. Why? Because he believes in the American enterprise system. He believes in private initiative. And he has vetoed all these big- spending measures. They criticize New York City, ladies and gentlemen, in Washington. But you have no idea what those Democrats in Congress do. They make New York City look like a piker. They have got a $75 billion deficit this year despite the President's vetoes, and the only difference is in Washington they can print the money. So don't let anyone tell you about New York, ladies and gentlemen. (Laughter, applause) That record of restoring public trust and of restoring the vitality of our economy is a winning record in itself, but that's not all. In the international field this President and a great Secretary of State have restored the respect and the confidence and the leadership of America in the world. And just remember, ladies and gentlemen, there are no major wars in the world in which the United States is involved. Our people are home because we have got a President who cares, who understands, who stands for freedom but believes in doing it through negotiations and not through fighting. And that is President Ford, ladies and gentlemen. (Applause) MORE Page 4 That is a unique record -- trust, economic vitality and peace in the world. Now, what are the Demo- crats going to come up with in November? They thought they were going to run against his economic record, but he has had the courage to do the things that were necessary. And I say to you, when we get to November, the American people are not going to want to change leadership. They are going to want to keep Republican leadership, and they are going to keep Republican leadership. (Applause) And I want to say one other thing and I am finished. When the delegates get to Kansas City, ladies and gentlemen, they are going to look at this record and they are going to want to keep this leadership. They are not going to want to change it, and they are not going to. We are going to have President Ford as our candidate, and the next President of the United States will be President Ford. (Applause) Taank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. END AT 8:58 P.M. EDT