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Republican Eagles 10/13/89 [OA 3536][1]
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5
ADDRESS: REPUBLICAN EAGLES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1989
GRAND HYATT, WASHINGTON D.C.
12:00 P.M.
((THANK YOU, BUT YOU CAN'T KID ME. I KNOW ALL THE
APPLAUSE WAS REALLY FOR THE SILVER FOX.))\\
I WANT TO THANK LEE ATWATER. AS SOMEONE WHO ONCE
WORKED IN THE CHAIRMAN'S FOURTH FLOOR OFFICE, I KNOW
THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE. AND I KNOW HOW WELL YOUR
LEADERSHIP HAS SET A STEADY COURSE FOR OUR REPUBLICAN
PARTY. AND, OF COURSE, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE
OUR OUTSTANDING CO-CHAIRMAN, JEANIE AUSTIN, WHO'S
BROUGHT HER OWN BRAND OF FLORIDA KNOW-HOW TO THE RNC.
LARRY BATHGATE, RNC FINANCE CHAIRMAN: YOU'VE DONE
A GREAT JOB. ALL THAT WE DO, YOU HELP MAKE POSSIBLE.
ALSO
ALONG THOSE LINES, I'D ^LIKE TO THANK MARGARET
ALEXANDER, FORMER FINANCE CHAIRMAN OF
THE RNC AND CAMPAIGN.
- 2 -
AND BOBBY HOLT, A FELLOW TEXAN AND ONE OF MY
OLDEST AND DEAREST FRIENDS -- ((AS THEY SAY IN MIDLAND,
I'D KNOW YOUR ASHES IN A WHIRLWIND.)) BOBBY, I'M GLAD
YOU BRING THE SAME DRIVE TO THE EAGLES PROGRAM THAT YOU
BROUGHT TO THE INAUGURAL. NANCY THAWLEY, GOOD TO SEE
YOU. AND BILL MCMANUS, OUR TREASURER. ((YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE THINK I'M ACTIVE. BUT BILL MAKES ME LOOK LIKE A
VERITABLE COUCH POTATO. 11 AND YET HE STILL IS THE ONLY
MAN IN AMERICA WHO CALLS RONALD REAGAN "SONNY.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. BUT MOST OF ALL, I CAME
HERE TODAY TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK A GROUP OF MEN AND
WOMEN WHO ARE NOT CONTENT TO FOLLOW, BUT MUST LEAD --
THE REPUBLICAN EAGLES OF AMERICA.
((OUR GROUP IS, OF COURSE, NAMED AFTER THE
NATIONAL SYMBOL OF AMERICA. BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW THAT
IF BEN FRANKLIN HAD HIS WAY, OUR NATIONAL SYMBOL WOULD
HAVE BEEN ANOTHER NATIVE AMERICAN BIRD. 11 AND HAD THAT
BEEN THE CASE, THEN WE WOULD HAVE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO
LET THE OTHER PARTY USE THE NAME. CAN YOU IMAGINE
IT?\\ THE DEMOCRATIC TURKEYS?\\))
- 3 -
THE LAST TIME WE MET, THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS WERE IN
FULL BLOOM, AND WASHINGTON WAS DEBATING HOW THE YEAR
WOULD GO. THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM HELD THAT FOR
REPUBLICANS, THIS WAS TO BE THE YEAR OF LIVING
DANGEROUSLY. IT IS NOW MID-OCTOBER, AND WE CAN,
INSTEAD, LOOK BACK TO A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT.
EXAMPLE: THE HOUSE, INCLUDING SOME 64 DEMOCRATS,
VOTED FOR A CAPITAL GAINS TAX CUT. 11 THE COURAGEOUS
STAND TAKEN BY SO MANY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOWS THAT
WASHINGTON IS REALIZING WHAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS
ALWAYS KNOWN: WE MUST JOIN THE OTHER MAJOR INDUSTRIAL
POWERS IN FAVORING INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH -- IN
OTHER WORDS, JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS. III
((AND AS FOR THOSE WHO STILL OPPOSE THIS CAPITOL GAINS
DIFFERENTIAL, WELL, SOMETIMES I THINK THERE SHOULD BE
AN EDUCATION SUMMIT JUST FOR LIBERALS.) WHICH BRINGS
ME TO OUR NEXT EXAMPLE.
- 4 -
TWO MONTHS AGO, I INVITED THE GOVERNORS TO A
SUMMIT -- ONLY THE THIRD OF ITS KIND IN OUR HISTORY --
TO DISCUSS HISTORIC REFORM OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
AT THAT SUMMIT, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE AGREED TO SET
NATIONAL GOALS, TO REQUIRE ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TO
PERMIT STATES, LOCALITIES AND SCHOOLS THE FLEXIBILITY
THEY NEED TO MEET THESE HIGHER GOALS. TWO WEEKS AGO,
WE JOINED FORCES FOR A SOCIAL COMPACT -- WE CALLED IT A
JEFFERSONIAN COMPACT -- BETWEEN PRESIDENT AND
PRINCIPAL, GOVERNORS AND TEACHERS, PARENTS AND
STUDENTS, TO SAVE OUR SCHOOLS.
ONE MORE EXAMPLE: CONTINUED PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
VICTOR HUGO SAID THAT THERE IS NO ARMY THAT CAN MATCH
AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME. ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL
FREEDOM IS AN IDEA THAT IS ON THE MARCH ABROAD, AND
ALLOWS US UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY AT HOME. IN FACT,
UNDER REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, WE HAVE CREATED 20 MILLION
NEW JOBS AS WE MARK THE 83RD MONTH OF ECONOMIC GROWTH -
- THE LONGEST PEACETIME EXPANSION IN MODERN AMERICAN
HISTORY ((IN SHORT, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS DONE
FOR AMERICA WHAT WILL CLARK HAS DONE FOR THE SAN
FRANCISCO GIANTS.))
- 5 -
SO TO PUT IT SIMPLY, OUR PARTY, THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, HAS LED AMERICA FROM THE DESPONDENCY AND DESPAIR
OF THE PAST, TO A NEW ERA OF OPPORTUNITY. WILL THIS
PROGRESS CONTINUE? YES, BUT ONLY IF REPUBLICANS
CONTINUE TO LEAD.
DURING THE LAST DECADE, THE TWO PARTIES HAVE
BATTLED FOR THE MAJORITY POSITION -- THE RIGHT TO LEAD
AMERICA. WE WILL START TO KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THIS
STRUGGLE IN JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN ONE YEAR FROM
TODAY.
ONE PARTY WON THE PRESIDENCY BY MAKING PROMISES;
AND KEPT THE PRESIDENCY BY DELIVERING ON THOSE
PROMISES. BUT THE OTHER PARTY HAS RETAINED ITS HOLD ON
CONGRESS WELL INTO ITS THIRD DECADE, IN PART BECAUSE IT
IS AFRAID TO MEET US ON A LEVEL FIELD OF FAIR
COMPETITION.
- 6 -
YOU KNOW HOW THE UGLY GERRYMANDER DILUTES THE
VOTES OF REPUBLICAN AND INDEPENDENT VOTERS ACROSS
AMERICA. WE HAVE PROTESTED THIS IN THE PAST; BUT NOW
IT IS TIME FOR US TO BECOME ACTIVISTS. I HAVE SENT
PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO CONGRESS WHICH CALLS FOR NEW
FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR FAIR REDISTRICTING. OUR
DISTINGUISHED REPUBLICAN LEADERS, BOB DOLE AND BOB
MICHEL, HAVE INTRODUCED THIS LEGISLATION WHICH I URGE
CONGRESS TO ENACT. IT IS TIME WE STAND UP, AND MAKE
OUR CASE IN THE CONGRESS, IN THE COURTS, IN THE MEDIA
AND WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: THIS FORM OF
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST VOTERS MUST END.
IF WE ARE GOING TO GET A FAIR CHANCE IN CONGRESS,
WE MUST HAVE A SAY IN HOW CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE
LEGISLATIVE LINES ARE DRAWN. THIS MAKES IT CRITICAL
FOR US TO INVEST OUR BEST EFFORTS IN STATE LEGISLATIVE
RACES AND GOVERNORSHIPS. IN THIS WAY, REPUBLICAN
CAMPAIGNS AT THE LOCAL AND STATE LEVEL CAN SUPPORT AND
STRENGTHEN OUR BID FOR CONTROL OF CONGRESS.
- 7 -
OUR VISION IS SET: WE ARE GOING TO BE THE PARTY
THAT LEADS THE STATES. WE ARE GOING TO BE THE PARTY
THAT LEADS CONGRESS. AND THEN WE WILL BE THE PARTY
THAT LEADS AMERICA INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. 11
TO DO THIS, WE MUST ALSO REACH OUT TO NEW
CONSTITUENCIES, TO THOSE ONCE CONSIDERED TO BE THE
EXCLUSIVE VOTING BLOC OF THE OPPOSITION. WE ARE GOING
TO REACH OUT TO NEW VOTERS AND REACH OUT TO BROADEN OUR
PARTY.
so IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS: TO WIN BIG, YOU MUST
THINK BIG. WE MUST HAVE THE AUDACITY -- NOT JUST TO
WIN MORE SEATS IN THE HOUSE -- BUT TO TAKE BACK THE
SPEAKER'S CHAIR. WE MUST HAVE THE DARING -- NOT JUST
TO REACH OUT, BUT TO WIN SUPPORT IN EVERY COMMUNITY, AT
EVERY LEVEL.
- 8 -
SOME OBSERVERS LOOK BACK AT THE ELECTIONS OF THE
1980S, AND WONDER IF THE REPUBLICANS HAVE ALREADY SEEN
THEIR BEST DAYS. WELL, WE HAVE A SAYING IN TEXAS: YOU
CAN'T TELL WHICH WAY THE TRAIN WENT BY LOOKING AT THE
TRACKS. WHEN THE DUST SETTLES FROM THE 1990 ELECTION,
THIS NATION WILL BE HEADING ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. I
KNOW THAT WITH THE LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT OF THE
EAGLES, AMERICA WILL BE GOING IN A REPUBLICAN
DIRECTION.
FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR OUR GREAT
PARTY AND COUNTRY AND ARE PLEDGED TO DO, I THANK YOU.
GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
#
#
#
Document No.
077355
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 09/30/89
----
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY:
SUBJECT: PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL INNER CIRCLE GALA
(09/29 3:30 p.m. draft)
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
MCCLURE
SUNUNU
>
NEWMAN
SCOWCROFT
PORTER
>
DARMAN
9
STUDDERT
BATES
>
UNTERMEYER
BREEDEN
ROGERS
9
PINKERTON
CARD
WRAY
CICCONI
DEMAREST
9
WINSTON
d
FITZWATER
GRAY
de
HAGIN
REMARKS:
The attached has been forwarded to the President.
RESPONSE:
89 SEP I A 9 : 48
James W. Cicconi
Assistant to the President
and Deputy to the Chief of Staff
Ext. 2702
THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
1983 SEP 29
September 29, 1989
PM 4: 04
INFORMATION
MEMORANDUM FOR THE PRESIDENT
THROUGH: CHRISS WINSTON cw
FROM:
DANIEL McGROARTY Much
SUBJECT: REMARKS AT REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL INNER CIRCLE GALA
I. SUMMARY
On Monday, October 2, at 9:00 p.m., you will make brief
remarks at the Republican Senatorial Inner Circle Gala, at Union
Station. Approximately 2500 Inner Circle members will attend
this 10th anniversary celebration, which is closed to the press.
Approximately two dozen U.S. Senators will be in attendance.
Among the entertainers who will precede you is Fred Travalena,
who will be doing his impersonation of you.
II. DISCUSSION
Your remarks focus on the central role of the Inner Circle
in the Republican successes of the 1980s, and enlist its
membership in the effort to take back the Senate in 1990. Senate
Candidates Bill Cabaniss (Ala.), Claudine Schneider (R.I.), Tom
Tauke (Ia.), Lynn Martin (Il.) and Hank Brown (Col.) -- the five
uncontested candidates -- are mentioned in the text. St. Senator
Cabaniss and Cong. Schneider will be in attendance.
McGroarty/Dooley
September 29, 1989
3:30 pm
[INNER]
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL INNER CIRCLE GALA
UNION STATION, WASHINGTON, D.C.
OCTOBER 2, 1989
9:00 PM
Thank you, Don [Sen. Nickles] -- and thank you for the fine
work you're doing as Chairman of the Inner Circle. And let me
say hello to all the members of the Senate who have turned out
tonight. To Mary Hart. And to another fine entertainer -- Lee
Atwater.
Barbara and I are delighted to be here -- delighted to see
so many friendly faces.
And I'm delighted to be in Washington. In the past ten days
I've been to New Jersey, Maine, Massachusetts, New York,
Virginia, South Carolina, and Maryland. I told John Sununu I'd
done enough travelling for awhile -- and he promised he'd keep me
off Air Force One. That's why I got a little bit suspicious when
he told me tonight I'd be going to Union Station
[Pause]
I've known many of you active in the Inner Circle for years,
and I've always valued your friendship and support. Barbara and
I remember having some of you over to Observatory Hill just a few
months before the '84 elections. We agreed back then that we'd
like to get together more often -- but we'd have to get a bigger
house. [[Pause]] Well, we got that bigger house -- but the
Inner Circle's gotten bigger, too.
2
I am pleased to share this evening with you and so many
special guests. [[I heard I missed a great routine by Fred
Travalena -- but Barbara tells me it's nothing I haven't seen
before. ]]
[ [You know, Fred, the other day I ran into Bob Dole. He
told me: "I know George Bush. George Bush is a friend of mine.
But George, let me tell you -- you're no Fred Travalena. ]
[ [Fred, I just want you to know we've got something else in
common: you've been on Johnny Carson -- and Johnny Carson's been
all over me
]]
Tonight is the 10th anniversary of the Inner Circle. I
want to congratulate all of you who have made these past ten
years ten of the very best years ever for the Republican Party.
But it's the next ten years I want to talk about tonight --
and how we can make the 1990s the decade the Grand Old Party
becomes the majority party in America.
I know there are plenty of baseball fans here. [ [Must be a
few old Senators fans in this crowd
]]
This is the time of
year when the teams at the top are watching that magic number
that will bring them the championship. Well, the Republican
Party has a magic number of its own, and that number is 5: 5
seats stand between us and a Senate majority. And we've got a
lucky number, too: 13 -- 13 months until the 1990 elections.
That's why we've got to make today the first day of the
Republican "stretch drive" for the Senate. And make no mistake:
we can put the Senate back in Republican hands.
3
And I don't need to tell you how much it means down on my
end of Pennsylvania Avenue to have a majority on the Hill.
President Reagan and I had a Republican majority in the Senate
from 1980 to 1986. In those six years, steady Senate support
helped us launch the economic recovery -- 82 months and still
going strong. It helped us restore America to a position of
strength and respect in the world -- and it helped us put the
values of faith, family, honest work and open opportunity back
where they belong: at the center of all America stands for.
And a Republican Senate is within reach. Even a small shift
can put us back on top. In 1986, 35,000 more Republican votes in
the 6 tightest Senate races would have given us a 51-49 majority.
Think about that: That's a fraction of 1 percent of all votes
cast.
We're privileged to have here tonight two of the talented
candidates who can help us take back the Senate: Claudine
Schneider and Bill Cabaniss. Along with Lynn Martin, Tom Tauke
and Hank Brown -- that makes 5 great reasons we're looking to
1990 to be the beginning of the GOP decade.
I hope you're optimistic -- because I am. The Republican
Party is building an agenda for the 1990s -- an agenda for a new
American Century. Whatever the issues -- economic growth. The
war on drugs. The environment. Education. America's place in a
changing world: We're the party with ideas. We're the party
with experience. We're the party with solutions.
4
We occupy the high ground. We stand for the solid values of
mainstream America. It's time the Republican Party became the
majority party -- the party America puts its faith in.
That's our goal for the 1990s. And with the Inner Circle's
help, we're going to make the Senate our first step. [[And I
can't think of a better setting than this, to point out that the
Republican Party is on the right track, and with your help, we'll
leave our opponents at the station. ]] [Pause]
It's been my pleasure to join you tonight. God bless you,
and God bless the United States of America.
# # #
Davis/Martin
Oct. 10, 1989
Title: Governors
Draft: One
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOC.,
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
Thank you Chairman Hayden for that gracious introduction.
My congratulations go to you for your effective tenure, and to
your successor, Governor Ashcroft.
I also ask you to join me in honoring another governor among
us today, someone who stood his ground through a time of
turbulence and tragedy, a great governor and a true leader
Carroll Campbell of South Carolina. \\
( (Finally, I also want to recognize a former chairman of
this association, and my chief of staff, John Sununu. John,
did you hear of the boy in the spelling bee who was asked if he
could spell your last name? The boy said he could spell
"Sununu," but he just wasn't sure when to stop. ) 1\\
((By the way, did you hear that ABC is going to air a made-
for-T.V. movie entitled: "George Bush, the War Years"? You can
pretty much guess what this movie will be about. It'll be about
the time I had to bail out. And to think, Terry Branstad, that
there are actually people out there who would want to see a movie
about the Iowa primary. \\\\))
As you know, I am not an alumnus of your organization. But
over the years, as I worked with the governors, I have come to
fully appreciate the responsibility you are shouldering, and the
leadership you provide.
2
But of course, there are times when federalism seems to be a
mixed blessing. It is not possible for a governor to shy away
from the hard decisions. You are responsible, as am I. You are
forced to confront the gritty problems, as am I. Some describe
this responsibility as a great burden. But as I said before, for
us, if it is a burden, it is one we cheerfully accept. To sit
where the buck stops, to resolve disputes, to help those in need
and to set a course for the future is to know a special kind of
satisfaction.
For that reason I believe we can, we must, as chief
executives take responsibility, join forces, and make a common
cause of building a better America.
That is why we came together at Charlottesville, at an
historic summit, only the third of its kind in our history. We
came together, with your Democratic counterparts, in open, wide-
ranging and creative sessions to seek a new direction in
education. In the end, we agreed to an historic compact -- a
Jeffersonian compact -- to set national goals; to allow for
greater flexibility, more creativity; and then to be accountable
for the results.
We could achieve this, because at Charlottesville we put
progress before partisanship, the future before the moment and
our children before ourselves. America simply faces too many of
these long-term challenges for us to act only as Republicans or
Democrats, conservatives or liberals. We must work together to
redeem our schools. We must work together to save our children
3
from drugs. We must work together to protect the environment and
meet the changing needs of the American family.
Still, this does not mean that there is no time and place
for partisanship. There is a Republican approach to the
challenges we face. And we ha.e 3 proven, time and again, that the
Republican approach is the best approach.
I consider this a atter of record, a record that includes
eighty-three months of economic growth and more than twenty
million new jobs. A few years ago, when our opponents said
that a tax cut would hurt the economy, we cut taxes -- and it did
the opposite. When our opponents said that a stronger defense
would make the Soviets more militant, we revitalized our armed
lorces -- and the Soviets met us at the negotiating table. In
short, whatever has worl ed at the federal level happened only
because Republicans and conservative Democrats in Congress joined
forces to make it work.
So the bottom line is this -- throughout the 1980s, the
epubl. a: P¿ ty i. be ! = a :y OT eas. nj is no less
true at the state level. Who is implementing alternative teacher
certification? Our Republican governors. Who enacted the first
child-care programs based OI t1 3 principle 01 choice? Our
Republican governors. Who is leading the way to welfare reform?
Or to protect our wetlands and environment? Again, it is you.
While Republicans lead the way, where is the opposition?
Answer: in the throes of an identity crisis. After the longest
peacetime expansion in history, the Democrats can't quite bring
4
themselves to admit that Republicans were right. Nor do they
have a new vision of where Ameri a should be going. All they can
do is cloak their out-of-step ideas in the language of
moderation.
I don't often quote Frankli. Delano Roosevelt on partisan
matters. But the little story he told to make fun of his
Republican opponents iits the liberal Democrats so well today.
It is the story of the "unfortunate chameleon which turned brown
when placed on a brown rug, and turned red when placed on a red
rug, but who died a tragic death whe: they put him on a Scotch
Plaid. "\\
This is precisely what we must do in the 1990 election -- to
keep the focus on the issues, and expose the true colors of the
chameleon candidates. For the natio al and state elections of
the 1990s will not just be a battle of the century; it will be a
battle for the century -- the 21st century.
We have proven, time and egain, hat our party can keep the
it Hc SE it to inair ty CT overporships, state
offices and seats in Congress, we must roll up our sleeves and
get down to the basics of winning elections. We must be more
competitive, for when it comes t the nuts and bolts of politics,
our opponents are the master mechanics of all time.
As we look to the upcoming elections, we have three
obtainable goals. First, to move toward our rightful place as
the majority party of governors. As federalism has enhanced
your role, SO the control of the governorships has become one of
5
the most critical national goals of our party. Our second goal
is to recapture the U.S. Senate. And third, we must pen the
House of Representatives to two-party competition. But the key
to all three goals is the first -- to elect more Republican
go ernors.
It's no coincidence that our party slipped to minority
status in the House as we became a minority in state government.
It S no coincidence that the House majority remains i. force
today. The Founding Fathers intended the House of
Rerresentatives to be the most sensitive barometer of the
changing needs of the American people. Instead, whol
generations have never known what it means to experience a change
in party control of the House.
Let me tell you about my son Neil, as 7 way to i lustrate
the seemingly unending nature of the Democratic majority. Neil
is thirty-four years old. Neil was both On January, 44, 1955,
three weeks after the last Republican
ed
= ja el
over to a Democrat. Not one time ih
se en the
leadership of the House of Representatives change parties. Not
one time. Just like Neil, there are millions of men and women
across America in their twenties and th rt. .S who have never
known true two-party competition in the House.
Will the House remain static for another thirty-four years?
Yes, but only if Republicans passively accept it. Today,
Democrats now have a redistricting advantage in states that
6
compose about 90 percent of the seats in Congress. This must not
continue. \\
You know how the ugly gerrymander dilutes the votes of
Republicans and Independents across this country. We have
protested this in the past; but now it is time for us to raise
our voices, to become true activists. As Republican leaders, you
can take our message to voters of your states. You must declare
that this form of voter discrimination must end. \\
To lead America in the next century, we must make aggressive
gains at the state level in the next few years. A majority, or
even a large minority, of Republicans in state legislatures can
join with you to sustain the veto of outrageous gerrymander
schemes, strengthening our numbers in the U.S. House. Strong
state parties can also help us to win back the U.S. Senate.
But we have far greater reasons than reapportionment to
pursue the governorships of America. America faces tough
problems that require more than federal solutions. They require
national solutions. And solutions are now possible because the
states are embracing a new dynamism based on an old vision.
The great Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis foresaw a
time when: "a single courageous state
may serve as a
laboratory and try novel social and economic experiments without
risk to the nation." ( (To borrow a phrase) ) The states are
becoming these "laboratories of democracy," with each state
endowed with freedom -- freedom to fail, freedom to succeed, and
freedom to discover and share its discoveries.
7
In an era of tight resources, necessity, the mother of
invention, has also proven to be the mother of creative policies.
You are following the advice of Teddy Roosevelt, a great
Republican governor who said that our national greatness "is not
what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in
which we use it."
Dozens of states are experimenting with ways to remove
obstacles to opportunity, and to bring the creative energy of
entrepreneurship to the public sector. Some of your experiments
are certain to become the national policies of the next century.
The states are at the forefront because the first instinct
of our governors is not to look to Washington, but to the
combined strength of the public and the private sector. Much has
been written about how governors in both parties are rejecting
the old ideologies and stale approaches of the past. Credit
should be given where it is due. But I have to say, while
Democrats have been adept at promoting new programs that attract
a lot of fanfare, the Republicans governors have quietly
distinguished themselves with programs that work.
The people know this. And come November, 1990, I believe
the voters will choose innovation and daring for their state
government. They will vote Republican.
But to win big, you must think big. We must have the
audacity -- not just to hold our own in the Senate, but to win it
back. We must have the tenacity -- not just to elect more
Members of Congress, but to reach for the Speaker's Chair. And
8
we must have the daring to seize the majority position among
governors.
Republican governors are already thinking big, thinking
ahead. You are the planr ers and the prophets, the managers and
the visionaries, the dre 913 3 and the de ers Yc'l are the ones T
loo'- to join me, in a pa- hership, to W-n the future.
Co this is our visio. We are going to be the party that
leads the states. We ar going to be the party chat leads
Congress. Then we will be the party that leads America into the
21st Century. 11
Thank you, God bles. you and God bless America.
#
#
Davis/Martin
Oct. 10, 1989
Title: Governors
Draft: One
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: REPUBLICAN GOVERNORS ASSOC.,
Tuesday, Oct. 17, 7 p.m.
Thank you Chairman Hayden for that gracious introduction.
My congratulations go to you for your effective tenure, and to
your successor, Governor Ashcroft.
I also ask you to join me in honoring another governor among
us today, someone who stood his ground through a time of
turbulence and tragedy, a great governor and a true leader
Carroll Campbell of South Carolina.
((Finally, I also want to recognize a former chairman of
this association, and my chief of staff, John Sununu. John,
did you hear of the boy in the spelling bee who was asked if he
could spell your last name? The boy said he could spell
"Sununu," but he just wasn't sure when to stop. ) 111
((By the way, did you hear that ABC is going to air a made-
for-T.V. movie entitled: "George Bush, the War Years"?\ You can
pretty much guess what this movie will be about. It'll be about
the time I had to bail out. And to think, Terry Branstad, that
there are actually people out there who would want to see a movie
about the Iowa primary. \\\\))
As you know, I am not an alumnus of your organization. But
over the years, as I worked with the governors, I have come to
fully appreciate the responsibility you are shouldering, and the
leadership you provide.
2
But of course, there are times when federalism seems to be a
mixed blessing. It is not possible for a governor to shy away
from the hard decisions. You are responsible, as am I. You are
forced to confront the gritty problems, as am I. Some describe
this responsibility as a great burden. But as I said before, for
us, if it is a burden, it is one we cheerfully accept. To sit
where the buck stops, to resolve disputes, to help those in need
and to set a course for the future is to know a special kind of
satisfaction.
For that reason I believe we can, we must, as chief
executives take responsibility, join forces, and make a common
cause of building a better America.
That is why we came together at Charlottesville, at an
historic summit, only the third of its kind in our history. We
came together, with your Democratic counterparts, in open, wide-
ranging and creative sessions to seek a new direction in
education. In the end, we agreed to an historic compact -- a
Jeffersonian compact -- to set national goals; to allow for
greater flexibility, more creativity; and then to be accountable
for the results.
We could achieve this, because at Charlottesville we put
progress before partisanship, the future before the moment and
our children before ourselves. America simply faces too many of
these long-term challenges for us to act only as Republicans or
Democrats, conservatives or liberals. We must work together to
redeem our schools. We must work together to save our children
3
from drugs. We must work together to protect the environment and
meet the changing needs of the American family.
Still, this does not mean that there is no time and place
for partisanship. There is a Republican approach to the
challenges we face. And we have proven, time and again, that the
Republican approach is the best approach.
I consider this a matter of record, a record that includes
eighty-three months of economic growth and more than twenty
million new jobs. A few years ago, when our opponents said
that a tax cut would hurt the economy, we cut taxes -- and it did
the opposite. When our opponents said that a stronger defense
would make the Soviets more militant, we revitalized our armed
forces -- and the Soviets met us at the negotiating table. In
short, whatever has worked at the federal level happened only
because Republicans and conservative Democrats in Congress joined
forces to make it work.
So the bottom line is this -- throughout the 1980s, the
Republican Partv as been the party of ideas. This is no less
true at the state level. Who is implementing alternative teacher
certification? Our Republican governors. Who enacted the first
child-care programs based on the principle of choice? Our
Republican governors. Who is leading the way to welfare reform?
Or to protect our wetlands and environment? Again, it is you.
While Republicans lead the way, where is the opposition?
Answer: in the throes of an identity crisis. After the longest
peacetime expansion in history, the Democrats can't quite bring
4
themselves to admit that Republicans were right. Nor do they
have a new vision of where America should be going. All they can
do is cloak their out-of-step ideas in the language of
moderation.
I don't often quote Franklin Delano Roosevelt on partisan
matters. But the little story he told to make fun of his
Republican opponents fits the liberal Democrats so well today.
It is the story of the "unfortunate chameleon which turned brown
when placed on a brown rug, and turned red when placed on a red
rug, but who died a tragic death when they put him on a Scotch
Plaid."\\
This is precisely what we must do in the 1990 election -- to
keep the focus on the issues, and expose the true colors of the
chameleon candidates. For the national and state elections of
the 1990s will not just be a battle of the century; it will be a
battle for the century -- the 21st century.
We have proven, time and again, that our p- ⁻⁺γ can keep the
White House. But to win a majority of governorsh os state
offices and seats in Congress, we must roll up our sleeves and
get down to the basics of winning elections. We must be more
competitive, for when it comes to the nuts and bolts of politics,
our opponents are the master mechanics of all time.
As we look to the upcoming elections, we have three
obtainable goals. First, to move toward our rightful place as
the majority party of governors.\ As federalism has enhanced
your role, so the control of the governorships has become one of
5
the most critical national goals of our party. Our second goal
is to recapture the U.S. Senate. And third, we must open the
House of Representatives to two-party competition. But the key
to all three goals is the first -- to elect more Republican
governors.
It's no coincidence that our party slipped to minority
status in the House as we became a minority in state government.
It's no coincidence that the House majority remains in force
today. The Founding Fathers intended the House of
Representatives to be the most sensitive barometer of the
changing needs of the American people. Instead, whole
generations have never known what it means to experience a change
in party control of the House.
Let me tell you about my son Neil, as a way to illustrate
the seemingly unending nature of the Democratic majority. Neil
is thirty-four years old. Neil was born on January, 22, 1955,
three weeks after the last Republican Speaker turned the gavel
over to a Democrat. Not one time in his life has Neil seen the
leadership of the House of Representatives change parties. Not
one time. Just like Neil, there are millions of men and women
across America in their twenties and thirties who have never
known true two-party competition in the House.
Will the House remain static for another thirty-four years?
Yes, but only if Republicans passively accept it. Today,
Democrats now have a redistricting advantage in states that
6
compose about 90 percent of the seats in Congress. This must not
continue.
You know how the ugly gerrymander dilutes the votes of
Republicans and Independents across this country. We have
protested this in the past; but now it is time for us to raise
our voices, to become true activists. As Republican leaders, you
can take our message to voters of your states. You must declare
that this form of voter discrimination must end. \\
To lead America in the next century, we must make aggressive
gains at the state level in the next few years. A majority, or
even a large minority, of Republicans in state legislatures can
join with you to sustain the veto of outrageous gerrymander
schemes, strengthening our numbers in the U.S. House. Strong
state parties can also help us to win back the U.S. Senate.
But we have far greater reasons than reapportionment to
pursue the governorships of America. America faces tough
problems that require more than federal solutions. They require
na onal solutions. And solutions are now possible because the
states are embracing a new dynamism based on an old vision.
The great Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis foresaw a
time: when: "a single courageous state
may serve as a
laboratory and try novel social and economic experiments without
risk to the nation." ( (To borrow a phrase) ) The states are
becoming these "laboratories of democracy," with each state
endowed with freedom -- freedom to fail, freedom to succeed, and
freedom to discover and share its discoveries.
7
In an era of tight resources, necessity, the mother of
invention, has als proven to be the mother of creative policies.
You are following the advice of Teddy Roosevelt, a great
Republican governor who said that our national greatness "is not
what we have that ill make us a great nation; it is the way in
which we use it."
Dozens of sta as are experimenting with ways to remove
obstacles to oppor unity, and to bring the creative energy of
entrepreneurship to the public sector. Some of your experiments
are certain to become the national policies of the next century.
The states ar= at the forefront because the first instinct
of our governors is not to look to Washington, but to the
combined strength of the public and the private sector. Much has
been written about how governors in both parties are rejecting
the old ideologies and stale approaches of the past. Credit
should be given where it is due. But I have to say, while
Democrats hav hes adep+ at promoting new programs that attract
a lot of fanfa , ne Republicars nov: rrors have quietly
distinguished themselves with programs that work.
The people know this. And come November, 1990, I believe
the voters will - choose innovatio: and daring for their state
government. They ..ill vote Republican.
But to win bic, you must think big. We must have the
audacity -- not ju't to hold our own in the Senate, but to win it
back. We must have the tenacity -- not just to elect more
Members of Congress, but to reach for the Speaker's Chair. And
8
we must have the daring to seize the majority position among
governors.
Republican governors are already thinking big, thinking
ahead. You are the planners and the prophets, the managers and
the visionaries, the dreamers and the doers You .re t: ? ones I
look to join me, n a partnership, to win the Luture.
So this is C .r vision: We are going to be the party that
leads the states. We are going to be the party t: it leads
Congress. Then we will be the party that leads America into the
21st Century. \\
Thank you, God bless you a: d God bless Americ E.
#
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8
we must have the daring to seize the majority position among
governors.
Republican governors are already thinking big, thinking
ahead. You are the planners and the prophets, the managers and
the visionaries, the dreamers and the doers. You are the ones I
look to join me, in a partnership, to win the future.
So this is our vision: We are going to be the party that
leads the states. We are going to be the party that leads
Congress. Then we will be the party that leads America into the
21st Century.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless America.
#
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ADDRESS: REPUBLICAN EAGLES
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1989
GRAND HYATT, WASHINGTON D.C.
12:00 P.M.
((THANK YOU, BUT YOU CAN'T KID ME. I KNOW ALL THE
APPLAUSE WAS REALLY FOR THE SILVER FOX.))
I WANT TO THANK LEE ATWATER. AS SOMEONE WHO ONCE
WORKED IN THE CHAIRMAN'S FOURTH FLOOR OFFICE, I KNOW
THE CHALLENGES YOU FACE. AND I KNOW HOW WELL YOUR
LEADERSHIP HAS SET A STEADY COURSE FOR OUR REPUBLICAN
PARTY. AND, OF COURSE, IT'S ALWAYS A PLEASURE TO SEE
OUR OUTSTANDING CO-CHAIRMAN, JEANIE AUSTIN, WHO'S
BROUGHT HER OWN BRAND OF FLORIDA KNOW-HOW TO THE RNC.
LARRY BATHGATE, RNC FINANCE CHAIRMAN: YOU'VE DONE
A GREAT JOB. ALL THAT WE DO, YOU HELP MAKE POSSIBLE.
- 2 -
AND BOBBY HOLT, A FELLOW TEXAN AND ONE OF MY
OLDEST AND DEAREST FRIENDS -- ((AS THEY SAY IN MIDLAND,
I'D KNOW YOUR ASHES IN A WHIRLWIND.)) BOBBY, I'M GLAD
YOU BRING THE SAME DRIVE TO THE EAGLES PROGRAM THAT YOU
BROUGHT TO THE INAUGURAL. NANCY THAWLEY, GOOD TO SEE
YOU. AND BILL MCMANUS, OUR TREASURER. ((YOU KNOW,
PEOPLE THINK I'M ACTIVE. BUT BILL MAKES ME LOOK LIKE A
VERITABLE COUCH POTATO. AND YET HE STILL IS THE ONLY
MAN IN AMERICA WHO CALLS RONALD REAGAN "SONNY."))\\
IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU. BUT MOST OF ALL, I CAME
HERE TODAY TO RECOGNIZE AND THANK A GROUP OF MEN AND
WOMEN WHO ARE NOT CONTENT TO FOLLOW, BUT MUST LEAD --
THE REPUBLICAN EAGLES OF AMERICA.
((OUR GROUP IS, OF COURSE, NAMED AFTER THE
NATIONAL SYMBOL OF AMERICA. BUT I'M SURE YOU KNOW THAT
IF BEN FRANKLIN HAD HIS WAY, OUR NATIONAL SYMBOL WOULD
HAVE BEEN ANOTHER NATIVE AMERICAN BIRD. AND HAD THAT
BEEN THE CASE, THEN WE WOULD HAVE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO
LET THE OTHER PARTY USE THE NAME.\ CAN YOU IMAGINE
IT?\\ THE DEMOCRATIC TURKEYS?\\))
- 3 -
THE LAST TIME WE MET, THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS WERE IN
FULL BLOOM, AND WASHINGTON WAS DEBATING HOW THE YEAR
WOULD GO. THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM HELD THAT FOR
REPUBLICANS, THIS WAS TO BE THE YEAR OF LIVING
DANGEROUSLY. IT IS NOW MID-OCTOBER, AND WE CAN,
INSTEAD, LOOK BACK TO A YEAR OF ACHIEVEMENT.
EXAMPLE: THE HOUSE, INCLUDING SOME 64 DEMOCRATS,
VOTED FOR A CAPITAL GAINS TAX CUT. 11 THE COURAGEOUS
STAND TAKEN BY so MANY MEMBERS OF CONGRESS SHOWS THAT
WASHINGTON IS REALIZING WHAT THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY HAS
ALWAYS KNOWN: WE MUST JOIN THE OTHER MAJOR INDUSTRIAL
POWERS IN FAVORING INVESTMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH -- IN
OTHER WORDS, JOBS AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS. III
((AND AS FOR THOSE WHO STILL OPPOSE THIS CAPITOL GAINS
DIFFERENTIAL, WELL, SOMETIMES I THINK THERE SHOULD BE
AN EDUCATION SUMMIT JUST FOR LIBERALS.)) WHICH BRINGS
ME TO OUR NEXT EXAMPLE.
- 4 -
TWO MONTHS AGO, I INVITED THE GOVERNORS TO A
SUMMIT -- ONLY THE THIRD OF ITS KIND IN OUR HISTORY --
TO DISCUSS HISTORIC REFORM OF OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM.
AT THAT SUMMIT, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE AGREED TO SET
NATIONAL GOALS, TO REQUIRE ACCOUNTABILITY, AND TO
PERMIT STATES, LOCALITIES AND SCHOOLS THE FLEXIBILITY
THEY NEED TO MEET THESE HIGHER GOALS. TWO WEEKS AGO,
WE JOINED FORCES FOR A SOCIAL COMPACT -- WE CALLED IT A
JEFFERSONIAN COMPACT -- BETWEEN PRESIDENT AND
PRINCIPAL, GOVERNORS AND TEACHERS, PARENTS AND
STUDENTS, TO SAVE OUR SCHOOLS.
ONE MORE EXAMPLE: CONTINUED PEACE AND PROSPERITY.
VICTOR HUGO SAID THAT THERE IS NO ARMY THAT CAN MATCH
AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME. ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL
FREEDOM IS AN IDEA THAT IS ON THE MARCH ABROAD, AND
ALLOWS US UNPRECEDENTED PROSPERITY AT HOME. IN FACT,
UNDER REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP, WE HAVE CREATED 20 MILLION
NEW JOBS AS WE MARK THE 83RD MONTH OF ECONOMIC GROWTH -
- THE LONGEST PEACETIME EXPANSION IN MODERN AMERICAN
HISTORY. ((IN SHORT, THE REPUBLICAN PARTY HAS DONE
FOR AMERICA WHAT WILL CLARK HAS DONE FOR THE SAN
FRANCISCO GIANTS.)
- 5 -
SO TO PUT IT SIMPLY, OUR PARTY, THE REPUBLICAN
PARTY, HAS LED AMERICA FROM THE DESPONDENCY AND DESPAIR
OF THE PAST, TO A NEW ERA OF OPPORTUNITY. WILL THIS
PROGRESS CONTINUE? YES, BUT ONLY IF REPUBLICANS
CONTINUE TO LEAD.
DURING THE LAST DECADE, THE TWO PARTIES HAVE
BATTLED FOR THE MAJORITY POSITION -- THE RIGHT TO LEAD
AMERICA. WE WILL START TO KNOW THE OUTCOME OF THIS
STRUGGLE IN JUST A LITTLE MORE THAN ONE YEAR FROM
TODAY.
ONE PARTY WON THE PRESIDENCY BY MAKING PROMISES;
AND KEPT THE PRESIDENCY BY DELIVERING ON THOSE
PROMISES. BUT THE OTHER PARTY HAS RETAINED ITS HOLD ON
CONGRESS WELL INTO ITS THIRD DECADE, IN PART BECAUSE IT
IS AFRAID TO MEET US ON A LEVEL FIELD OF FAIR
COMPETITION.
- 6 -
YOU KNOW HOW THE UGLY GERRYMANDER DILUTES THE
VOTES OF REPUBLICAN AND INDEPENDENT VOTERS ACROSS
AMERICA. WE HAVE PROTESTED THIS IN THE PAST; BUT NOW
IT IS TIME FOR US TO BECOME ACTIVISTS. I HAVE SENT
PROPOSED LEGISLATION TO CONGRESS WHICH CALLS FOR NEW
FEDERAL STANDARDS FOR FAIR REDISTRICTING. OUR
DISTINGUISHED REPUBLICAN LEADERS, BOB DOLE AND BOB
MICHEL, HAVE INTRODUCED THIS LEGISLATION WHICH I URGE
CONGRESS TO ENACT. IT IS TIME WE STAND UP, AND MAKE
OUR CASE IN THE CONGRESS, IN THE COURTS, IN THE MEDIA
AND WITH THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: THIS FORM OF
DISCRIMINATION AGAINST VOTERS MUST END.\\
IF WE ARE GOING TO GET A FAIR CHANCE IN CONGRESS,
WE MUST HAVE A SAY IN HOW CONGRESSIONAL AND STATE
LEGISLATIVE LINES ARE DRAWN. THIS MAKES IT CRITICAL
FOR US TO INVEST OUR BEST EFFORTS IN STATE LEGISLATIVE
RACES AND GOVERNORSHIPS. IN THIS WAY, REPUBLICAN
CAMPAIGNS AT THE LOCAL AND STATE LEVEL CAN SUPPORT AND
STRENGTHEN OUR BID FOR CONTROL OF CONGRESS.
- 7 -
OUR VISION IS SET: WE ARE GOING TO BE THE PARTY
THAT LEADS THE STATES. WE ARE GOING TO BE THE PARTY
THAT LEADS CONGRESS. AND THEN WE WILL BE THE PARTY
THAT LEADS AMERICA INTO THE 21ST CENTURY. 11
TO DO THIS, WE MUST ALSO REACH OUT TO NEW
CONSTITUENCIES, TO THOSE ONCE CONSIDERED TO BE THE
EXCLUSIVE VOTING BLOC OF THE OPPOSITION. WE ARE GOING
TO REACH OUT TO NEW VOTERS AND REACH OUT TO BROADEN OUR
PARTY.
so IT ALL COMES DOWN TO THIS: TO WIN BIG, YOU MUST
THINK BIG. WE MUST HAVE THE AUDACITY -- NOT JUST TO
WIN MORE SEATS IN THE HOUSE -- BUT TO TAKE BACK THE
SPEAKER'S CHAIR. WE MUST HAVE THE DARING -- NOT JUST
TO REACH OUT, BUT TO WIN SUPPORT IN EVERY COMMUNITY, AT
EVERY LEVEL.
- 8 -
SOME OBSERVERS LOOK BACK AT THE ELECTIONS OF THE
1980S, AND WONDER IF THE REPUBLICANS HAVE ALREADY SEEN
THEIR BEST DAYS. WELL, WE HAVE A SAYING IN TEXAS: YOU
CAN'T TELL WHICH WAY THE TRAIN WENT BY LOOKING AT THE
TRACKS. WHEN THE DUST SETTLES FROM THE 1990 ELECTION,
THIS NATION WILL BE HEADING ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. I
KNOW THAT WITH THE LEADERSHIP AND SUPPORT OF THE
EAGLES, AMERICA WILL BE GOING IN A REPUBLICAN
DIRECTION.
FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR OUR GREAT
PARTY AND COUNTRY AND ARE PLEDGED TO DO, I THANK YOU.
GOD BLESS YOU AND GOD BLESS AMERICA.
#
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Davis/Martin
Date: Oct. 11, 1989
Draft: Two
Title: Eagles
PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS: REPUBLICAN EAGLES
Friday, Oct. 13, 1989
Grand Hyatt, Washington, D.C.
12:00 p.m.
((Thank you, but you can't kid me. I know all the applause
was really for the Silver Fox. ))
I want to thank Lee Atwater. As someone who once worked in
the Chairman's fourth floor office, I know the challenges you
face. And I know how well your leadership has set a steady
course for our Republican Party. And, of course, it's always a
pleasure to see our outstanding Co-Chairman, Jeanie Austin, who's
brought her own brand of Florida know-how to the RNC.
Larry Bathgate, RNC Finance Chairman: You've done a great
job. All that we do, you help make possible.
And Bobby Holt, a fellow Texan and one of my oldest and
dearest friends -- ( (As they say in Midland, I'd know your ashes
in a whirlwind.) ) Bobby, I'm glad you bring the same drive to
the Eagles program that you brought to the Inaugural. Nancy
Thawley, good to see you. And Bill McManus, our Treasurer.
((You know, people think I'm active. But Bill makes me look like
a veritable couch potato. And yet he still is the only man in
America who calls Ronald Reagan "Sonny. ") )
It's good to see you. But most of all, I came here today to
recognize and thank a group of men and women who are not content
to follow, but must lead -- the Republican Eagles of America.
2
( (Our group is, of course, named after the national symbol
of America. But I'm sure you know that if Ben Franklin had his
way, our national symbol would have been another native American
bird. And had that been the case, then we would have had no
choice but to let the other party use the name. Can you
imagine it?\\ The Democratic Turkeys?\\))
The last time we met, the cherry blossoms were in full
bloom, and Washington was debating how the year would go. The
conventional wisdom held that for Republicans, this was to be the
year of living dangerously. It is now mid-October, and we can,
instead, look back to a year of achievement.
Example: The House, including some 64 Democrats, voted for
capital gains tax cut. The courageous stand taken by so many
Members of Congress shows that Washington is realizing what the
business community has always known: we must join the other major
industrial powers in favoring investment and economic growth --
in other words, jobs and opportunity for all Americans. ((And
as for those who still oppose this capitol gains differential,
well, sometimes I think there should be an education summit just
for liberals.) ) Which brings me to our next example.
A few months ago, I invited the governors to a summit --
only the third of its kind in our history -- to discuss historic
at that summit,
reform of our educational system. For the first time, we agreed
to set national goals, to require accountability, and to permit
states, localities and schools the flexibility they need to meet
these higher goals. Two weeks ago, we joined forces for a social
3
compact -- we called it a Jeffersonian Compact -- between
president and principal, governors and teachers, parents and
students, to save our schools.
One more example: Continued peace and prosperity. Victor
Hugo said that there is no army that can match an idea whose time
has come. Economic and political freedom is an idea that is on
the march abroad, and allows us unprecedented prosperity at home.
In fact, under Republican leadership, we have created 20 million
new jobs as we mark the 83rd month of economic growth -- the
longest peacetime expansion in modern American history. ( (In
short, the Republican Party has done for America what Will Clark
has done for the San Francisco Giants. ))
So to put it simply, our party, the Republican Party, has
led America from the despondency and despair of the past, to a
new era of opportunity. Will this progress continue? Yes, but
only if Republicans continue to lead.
During the last decade, the two parties have battled for the
majority position -- the right to lead America. We will start to
know the outcome of this struggle in just a little more than one
year from today.
One party won the presidency by making promises; and kept
the presidency by delivering on those promises. But the other
party has retained its hold on Congress well into its third
decade, in part because it is afraid to meet us on a level field
of fair competition.
4
You know how the ugly gerrymander dilutes the votes of
Republican and Independent voters across America. We have
protested this in the past; but now it is time for us to become
activists. I have sent proposed legislation to Congress which
calls for new federal standards for fair redistricting. Our
distinguished Republican leaders, Bob Dole and Bob Michel, have
introduced this legislation which I urge Congress to enact. It
is time we stand up, and make our case in the Congress, in the
courts, in the media and with the American people: this form of
discrimination against voters must end.
If we are going to get a fair chance in Congress, we must
have a say in how Congressional and state legislative lines are
drawn. This makes it critical for us to invest our best efforts
in state legislative races and governorships. In this way,
Republican campaigns at the local and state level can support and
strengthen our bid for control of Congress.
Our vision is set: We are going to be the party that leads
the states. We are going to be the party that leads Congress.
And then we will be the party that leads America into the 21st
Century.
To do this, we must also reach out to new constituencies, to
those once considered to be the exclusive voting bloc of the
opposition. We are going to reach out to new voters and reach
out to broaden our party.
So it all comes down to this: to win big, you must think
big. We must have the audacity -- not just to win more seats in
5
the House -- but to take back the Speaker's Chair. We must have
the temerity -- not just to reach out, but to win support in
every community, at every level.
Some observers look back at the elections of the 1980s, and
wonder if the Republicans have already seen their best days.
Well, we have a saying in Texas: You can't tell which way the
train went by looking at the tracks. When the dust settles from
the 1990 election, this nation will be heading one way or the
other. I know that with the leadership and support of the
Eagles, America will be going in a Republican direction.
For everything that you have done for our great party and
country and are pledged to do, I thank you. God bless you and
God bless America.
#
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