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Bush-Quayle Fundraising Dinner 10/31/91 [OA 6038] [2]
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13586
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13586-012
Folder Title:
Bush-Quayle Fundraising Dinner 10/31/91 [OA 6038] [2]
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281492ss
Document No.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFING MEMORANDUM
DATE: 10/25/91
ACTION/CONCURRENCE/COMMENT DUE BY: MONDAY, 10/28/91 2:00 pm
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
SUBJECT:
HOUSTON, TX - THURSDAY, OCT. 31, 1991
ACTION FYI
ACTION FYI
VICE PRESIDENT
HORNER
SUNUNU
MCCLURE
>
SCOWCROFT
PETERSMEYER
DARMAN
PORTER
BRADY
ROGICH
1
BROMLEY
SMITH
CARD
BOSKIN
KAUFMAN
DEMAREST
MCBRIDE
FITZWATER
SNOW
GRAY
HOLIDAY
REMARKS:
Please forward your comments directly to Tony Snow, Rm. 122, x2930,
no later than 2:00 pm., MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, with a copy to this
office. Thank you.
RESPONSE:
No comment.
Thanks,
EL
Elizabeth Luttig
PHILLIP D. BRADY
Assistant to the President
and Staff Secretary
Ext. 2702
cm
Grant / Aarhus
A:HOUSTON Draft five
October 31, 1991
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991
9:20 P.M.
Thank you, Bob [Cruikshank.] A special note of thanks to
our Vice President, Dan Quayle, and his wife Marilyn. /// Hello
to Sec. Mosbacher; Bobby Holt; Senator and Mrs. Gramm; everyone,
thank you. It's always great to be back in Houston and to see so
many good friends. ( (With a welcome like that, I had to check
that banner behind me and see if it said "Warren Moon in '92." ))
Coming back to Texas like this brings a man back to his
roots. I first became active in politics in West Texas, when I
chaired the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in Midland in both '52 and
'56. Then I remember our early years in Houston, when I first
ran for Harris County Republican Chairman -- and Barbara and I
got our first taste of what was to become a way of life for us.
Driving our stationwagon precinct to precinct, eating chicken-
fried steak
... shaking hands and knocking on doors every night,
giving speeches with Barbara on the platform behind me.
( (At the time, she took up needlepoint to stay awake during
my speeches. Maybe you've got one of those "Bush Bags" she used
to make. Depending on the event, as Nolan Ryan would say, I'd
hit either a "one-bagger" or a "two-bagger." // ))
Later, I ran for the Senate and then for the Congress.
Barbara and I -- ( (and some of the original "Bush Belles," if you
remember them) ) -- we traveled Texas, from the Panhandle to the
Rio Grande, from Texarkana to El Paso. Those days, the only
2
thing that wasn't big about Texas was the state Republican Party.
In fact, the only Texas Republican who had won state-wide office
in over a century was a man I sorely miss tonight, a dear friend
to many of us, Senator John Tower. //
Politics is a way of life here in Houston. In the early
'60s, when I began thinking about making a run for office I
started talking over the idea with close friends -- many of them
Democrats. The advice they gave me was predictable in those days
-- if I was serious, I'd better switch parties and run as a
Democrat. // Sure, it made sense -- by the numbers. But
I
had to be.
think everybody here knew what my answer was
///
And so, with the leadership of John Tower and Peter
O'Donnell, our band of underdogs began building a party. We
fought liberal Democratic nonsense with down-home common sense
-- and I relied on a set of ideas that have carried me forward
all my life.
Everywhere I looked, I saw Texans ready to take the
calculated risk, to dream of a better life -- and then try to go
out and achieve it. I saw Texans who believed in the dignity of
the human spirit, no matter what color or creed or religion the
human being -- Texans committed to keeping America strong and
proud. But these weren't just the ideals of Texas. They're the
ideals of America -- the America that stands as a symbol to the
world -- of freedom, justice, and opportunity. And nowhere do we
hold those ideals more deeply than right here in Texas. //
3
And up there in Washington, we're going to keep on pressing
for these ideals. Funny thing
lately the opposition says we
don't have an agenda, but I've noticed their agenda for Congress
is stopping our agenda for America. Well, if you ask me, there's
only one agenda -- the pro-growth, pro-family, pro-freedom agenda
-- and that's our agenda to build a better America. //
As one who helped start two or three small companies here in
Texas, I never forget what America owes to its small business men
and women. That's why, over the last three years, I've fought
policies that would drive American small business into the ground
-- through government-mandated policies and costly over-
regulation. Let the other Party measure success by the number of
unemployment checks we can authorize -- I measure it in the
number of jobs that create paychecks for American workers. And
until we get the kind of economic growth this country needs, I'll
keep fighting that anti-job crowd. //
Let me tell you, I don't think there's anyone here who
doesn't sympathize with someone who is out of work. It's very
easy to demagogue on this issue. Nobody likes to veto an
unemployment compensation bill. But I have a responsibility to
all Americans -- the ones who have jobs, and the ones who don't,
the ones who pay taxes, and the ones who are counting on interest
rates to stay low. So I'm not afraid to veto a bad bill --
especially one that would bust the budget, hurt the economy
further, drive taxes higher, and put more people out of work.
Every time I turn around, somebody wants to bust the budget.
4
Sometimes it gets a little lonely -- but it's right to stand up
for those Americans who depend upon economic growth a lot more
than on a feel-good spending bill that's sets us back. //
At times, we're able to persuade the opposition to cooperate
-- to join with us to enact sound legislation. We pushed through
the historic Clean Air Act amendments that employ free market
incentives to encourage environmental protection. We advanced
the cause of property rights and home ownership with our unique
HOPE initiative. HOPE promotes tenant ownership and management
of public housing -- and we're looking at a goal of 1 million new
homeowners by 1992. We've broken down the barriers to employment
for 43 million Americans with our landmark Americans With
Disabilities Act, which I signed last year.
Other times we can do some positive things on our own. Just
last week, I signed an Executive Order to take the first steps in
reforming our legal system and putting an end to these outrageous
lawsuits and monstrous settlements. Vice President Quayle has
been on the cutting edge of this -- and I'm behind him all the
way. // Let me add this: Dan Quayle may have touch a sore spot
with some members of the American Bar Association when he called
for real reform of our legal system, but he touched a nerve with
a whole lot more everyday Americans who stood up and cheered.
Dan has done a tremendous job. I'm proud to have him by my side
-- every step of the way. ///
We still need our tough crime bill from the Congress and our
job-creating transportation bill. We've seen some progress in
5
education with our "America 2000" initiative. It promotes safe
and decent schools, world-class education standards, and
community-based learning so that our kids and grandkids can
compete -- and succeed -- in the global arena.
Unfortunately, our original banking reform proposals have
Democratic Congressmen
been gutted by partisans who don't understand that I will veto a
bad bill. We're still waiting for our National Energy Strategy
from the Congress, which could mean jobs and increased production
here in Texas. And let me add that I will continue to support
environmentally responsible access to ANWR for energy production.
We must reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and we can.
We've called for economic growth initiatives in three State
of the Union speeches in three years. // Well, three strikes --
you're out. // It's time for a new Congress -- a Republican
?
Congress. ///
One of those proposals was a capital gains tax cut. Let the
demagogues call it a "tax break for the rich." I'll tell you
what it really is. It's a jobs measure
a small-business-
creation measure a shot-in-the-arm-for-a-sluggish-economy
measure. History has already shown that it does not add to the
deficit -- in fact, it reduces the deficit. So let the
opposition prattle on about tax breaks for the rich -- I'll take
the political heat -- but in the meantime, give America a capital
gains tax cut. //
Time and again, we hear of the desire for economic and
political liberty -- from Managua to Moscow -- yet the only
6
people who don't seem to understand are the liberal Democrats in
Washington. That's why, time and again, we have been forced to
veto regressive Democratic legislation. With more Republicans
we can enact more of our agenda for freedom, justice and
opportunity
Whether in the House or the Senate, we need more
men and women who do understand -- we need more Republicans. //
It's time we got rid of a practice where a privileged few
stand outside the law -- where attending to the national interest
takes a back seat to serving the special interests. It's time
Congress started following the laws it imposes on everyone else.
[I thought that might get your blood going]
in Congress (?)
And when I hear critics arguing about our priorities --
foreign policy or domestic policy, I wonder where their
priorities are. The "global marketplace" isn't off in Europe or
Asia or Africa -- it's right here in our neighborhoods, our
businesses, our schools. For example, take a look at our North
American Free Trade Agreement. It will have a monumental effect
on the quality of life here in the United States over the next
decade -- every billion dollars in new trade means 20,000 more
jobs. A better-educated workforce means higher quality products
which means more economic growth. The cycle continues --
growth means more jobs and more opportunity for everyone.
But the world beyond our borders affects us in other ways,
and we must make a choice: Meet its challenges, or fall behind.
Since I've been President, we have been called upon to meet
one crucial challenge after another. And meet them we did --
7
each and every one. From Eastern Europe to Panama to the Persian
Gulf, America stood as a beacon of freedom throughout the world.
Yesterday I helped open the Middle East peace conference in
Madrid. I saw some narrow-minded liberal Democrats attack me for
being at that important conference -- that historic conference.
Well, you can tell them this: I am going to keep right on
standing up to aggression -- as we did in Desert Storm. And I am
going to keep trying to bring peace to troubled regions of the
world -- as we did in Madrid. [[ I know they haven't had the
experience in a while, but that's part of the job of being
President of the United States. ]]
To me, both at home and abroad -- American interests are the
same: peace, excellence, competitiveness, and strength.
Regardless of what some beltway liberal says, when it comes to
advancing America's interests --- at home or abroad, no apology
necessary. ////
We live in an integrated world. In that world, you can't
divide foreign policy from domestic policy. When I talk with
foreign leaders about new markets for American products, is it
foreign policy or domestic policy? When I meet with Latin
American leaders to keep drugs out of America's neighborhoods, is
that foreign policy or domestic policy? When Desert Storm
reignited Americans' faith in themselves, was that just foreign
policy? No: It demonstrated our special role as the world's
preeminent moral, political, economic and military power. The
LINCLAS
CLASSIFICATION
11
of AND
O
0
A R HAH A A
C
0
AIR FORCE 1 FAX # 1
HEADQUARTERS 89TH MILITARY AIRLIFT WING
AIR FORCE ONE
ANDREWS AFB, MD 20331-7004
WHCA COMMUNICATIONS CENTER
TELEFAX SECURE # (202) 395-1206/07
TELEFAX ADMIN # (202) 395-5521/22
DATE/TIME: 31 OCT 91 1 /26500
FROM: CHRISTINA MARTiN
TO: DAVID JONES + ANDY FOSTER
REMARKS: ANSWER BACK TO AFI
2 PAGES
UNCLAS
PLEASE FAX to
DAVID JONES
+
ANDY FOSTER
PLEASE CHECK ACKNOW.
+
FAX or CALL AFI
THANKS!
FROM: CHRISTINA MARTIN
Grant / Aarhus
A: :HOUSTON Draft five
October 31, 1991
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991
9:20 P.M.
Thank you, Bob [Cruikshank.] A special note of thanks to
our Vice President, Dan Quayle, and his wife Marilyn. /// Hello
to Sec. Mosbacher; Bobby Holt; Senator and Mrs. Gramm; everyone,
thank you. It's always great to be back in Houston and to see so
many good friends. ( (With a welcome like that, I had to check
that banner behind me and see if it said "Warren Moon in '92." ))
Coming back to Texas like this brings a man back to his
roots. I first became active in politics in West Texas, when I
chaired the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in Midland in both '52 and
'56. Then I remember our early years in Houston, when I first
ran for Harris County Republican Chairman -- and Barbara and I
got our first taste of what was to become a way of life for us.
Driving our stationwagon precinct to precinct, eating chicken-
fried steak
...
shaking hands and knocking on doors every night,
giving speeches with Barbara on the platform behind me.
( (At the time, she took up needlepoint to stay awake during
my speeches. Maybe you've got one of those "Bush Bags" she used
to make. Depending on the event, as Nolan Ryan would say, I'd
hit either a "one-bagger" or a "two-bagger." // ))
Later, I ran for the Senate and then for the Congress.
Barbara and I -- ( (and some of the original "Bush Belles, if you
remember them) ) -- we traveled Texas, from the Panhandle to the
Rio Grande, from Texarkana to El Paso. Those days, the only
Grant / Aarhus
A:HOUSTON Draft five
October 31, 1991
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991
9:20 P.M.
Thank you, Bob [Cruikshank.] A special note of thanks to
our Vice President, Dan Quayle, and his wife Marilyn. /// Hello
to Sec. Mosbacher; Bobby Holt; Senator
Gramm; everyone,
thank you. It's always great to be back in Houston and to see so
many good friends. ( (With a welcome like that, I had to check
that banner behind me and see if it said "Warren Moon in '92." ))
Coming back to Texas like this brings a man back to his
roots. I first became active in politics in West Texas, when I
chaired the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in Midland in both '52 and
'56. Then I remember our early years in Houston, when I first
ran for Harris County Republican Chairman -- and Barbara and I
got our first taste of what was to become a way of life for us.
Driving our stationwagon precinct to precinct, eating chicken-
fried steak
... shaking hands and knocking on doors every night,
giving speeches with Barbara on the platform behind me.
( (At the time, she took up needlepoint to stay awake during
my speeches. Maybe you've got one of those "Bush Bags" she used
to make. Depending on the event, as Nolan Ryan would say, I'd
hit either a "one-bagger" or a "two-bagger." // ))
Later, I ran for the Senate and then for the Congress.
Barbara and I -- ( (and some of the original "Bush Belles,' if you
remember them) ) -- we traveled Texas, from the Panhandle to the
Rio Grande, from Texarkana to El Paso. Those days, the only
2
thing that wasn't big about Texas was the state Republican Party.
In fact, the only Texas Republican who had won state-wide office
in over a century was a man I sorely miss tonight, a dear friend
to many of us, Senator John Tower. //
Politics is a way of life here in Houston. In the early
'60s, when I began thinking about making a run for office I
started talking over the idea with close friends -- many of them
Democrats. The advice they gave me was predictable in those days
-- if I was serious, I'd better switch parties and run as a
Democrat. // Sure, it made sense -- by the numbers. But I
think everybody here knew what my answer was. ///
And so, with the leadership of John Tower and Peter
O'Donnell, our band of underdogs began building a party. We
fought liberal Democratic nonsense with down-home common sense
-- and I relied on a set of ideas that have carried me forward
all my life.
Everywhere I looked, I saw Texans ready to take the
calculated risk, to dream of a better life -- and then try to go
out and achieve it. I saw Texans who believed in the dignity of
the human spirit, no matter what color or creed or religion the
human being -- Texans committed to keeping America strong and
proud. But these weren't just the ideals of Texas. They're the
ideals of America -- the America that stands as a symbol to the
world -- of freedom, justice, and opportunity. And nowhere do we
hold those ideals more deeply than right here in Texas. //
3
And up there in Washington, we're going to keep on pressing
for these ideals. Funny thing lately the opposition says we
don't have an agenda, but I've noticed their agenda for Congress
is stopping our agenda for America. Well, if you ask me, there's
only one agenda -- the pro-growth, pro-family, pro-freedom agenda
--- and that's our agenda to build a better America. //
As one who helped start two or three small companies here in
Texas, I never forget what America owes to its small business men
and women. That's why, over the last three years, I've fought
policies that would drive American small business into the ground
-- through government-mandated policies and costly over-
regulation Let the other Party measure success by the number of
unemployment checks we can authorize -- I measure it in the
number of jobs that create paychecks for American workers.
And
until we get the kind of economic growth this country needs, I'll
keep fighting that anti-job crowd. //
Let me tell you, I don't think there's anyone here who
doesn't sympathize with someone who is out of work. It's very
easy to demagogue on this issue. Nobody likes to veto an
unemployment compensation bill. But I have a responsibility to
all Americans -- the ones who have jobs, and the ones who don't,
the ones who pay taxes, and the ones who are counting on interest
rates to stay low. So I'm not afraid to veto a bad bill --
especially one that would bust the budget, hurt the economy
further, drive taxes higher, and put more people out of work.
Every time I turn around, somebody wants to bust the budget.
4
Sometimes it gets a little lonely -- but it's right to stand up
for those Americans who depend upon economic growth a lot more
than on a feel-good spending bill that's sets us back. //
At times, we're able to persuade the opposition to cooperate
-- to join with us to enact sound legislation. We pushed through
the historic Clean Air Act amendments that employ free market
incentives to encourage environmental protection. We advanced
the cause of property rights and home ownership with our unique
HOPE initiative. HOPE promotes tenant ownership and management
of public housing -- and we're looking at a goal of 1 million new
homeowners by 1992. We've broken down the barriers to employment
for 43 million Americans with our landmark Americans With
Disabilities Act, which I signed last year.
Other times we can do some positive things on our own. Just
last week, I signed an Executive Order to take the first steps in
reforming our legal system and putting an end to these outrageous.
lawsuits and monstrous settlements. Vice President Quayle has
been on the cutting edge of this and I'm behind him all the
way. // Let me add this: Dan Quayle may have touch a sore spot
with some members of the American Bar Association when he called
for real reform of our legal system, but he touched a nerve with
a whole lot more everyday Americans who stood up and cheered.
Dan has done a tremendous job. I'm proud to have him by my side
-- every step of the way. ///
We still need our tough crime bill from the Congress and our
job-creating transportation bill. We've seen some progress in
5
education with our "America 2000" initiative. It promotes safe
and decent schools, world-class education standards, and
community-based learning so that our kids and grandkids can
compete -- and succeed -- in the global arena.
Unfortunately, our original banking reform proposals have
been gutted by partisans who don't understand that I will veto a
bad bill. We're still waiting for our National Energy Strategy
from the Congress, which could mean jobs and increased production
here in Texas. And let me add that I will continue to support
environmentally responsible access to ANWR for energy production.
We must reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and we can.
We've called for economic growth initiatives in three State
of the Union speeches in three years. // Well, three strikes =
you're out. // It's time for a new Congress -- a Republican
Congress. ///
One of those proposals was a capital gains tax cut. Let the
demagoguès call it a "tax break for the rich." I'll tell you
what it really is. It's a jobs measure
a small-business-
creation measure a shot-in-the-arm-for-a-sluggish-economy
measure. History has already shown that it does not add to the
deficit -- in fact, it reduces the deficit. So let the
opposition prattle on about tax breaks for the rich -- I'll take
the political heat -- but in the meantime, give America a capital
gains tax cut. //
Time and again, we hear of the desire for economic and
political liberty -- from Managua to Moscow -- yet the only
6
people who don't seem to understand are the liberal Democrats in
Washington. That's why, time and again, we have been forced to
veto regressive Democratic legislation. With more Republicans,
we can enact more of our agenda for freedom, justice and
opportunity. Whether in the House or the Senate, we need more
men and women who do understand -- we need more Republicans. //
It's time we got rid of a practice where a privileged few
stand outside the law -- where attending to the national interest
takes a back seat to serving the special interests. It's time
Congress started following the laws it imposes on everyone else.
[I thought that might get your blood going]
And when I hear critics arguing about our priorities --
foreign policy or domestic policy, I wonder where their
priorities are. The "global marketplace" isn't off in Europe or
Asia or Africa -- it's right here in our neighborhoods, our
businesses, our schools. For example, take a look at our North
American Free Trade Agreement. It will have a monumental effect
on the quality of life here in the United States over the next
decade -- every billion dollars in new trade means 20,000 more
jobs. A better-educated workforce means higher quality products
which means more economic growth. The cycle continues --
growth means more jobs and more opportunity for everyone.
But the world beyond our borders affects us in other ways,
and we must make a choice: Meet its challenges, or fall behind.
Since I've been President, we have been called upon to meet
one crucial challenge after another. And meet them we did --
7
each and every one. From Eastern Europe to Panama to the Persian
Gulf, America stood as a beacon of freedom throughout the world.
Yesterday I helped open the Middle East peace conference in
Madrid. I saw some narrow-minded liberal Democrats attack me for
being at that important conference -- that historic conference.
Well, you can tell them this: I am going to keep right on
standing up to aggression -- as we did in Desert Storm. And I am
going to keep trying to bring peace to troubled regions of the
world -- as we did in Madrid. [[ I know they haven't had the
experience in a while, but that's part of the job of being
President of the United States. ]]
To me, both at home and abroad -- American interests are the
same: peace, excellence, competitiveness, and strength.
Regardless of what some beltway liberal says, when it comes to
advancing America's interests -- at home or abroad, no apology
necessary. ////
We live in an integrated world. In that world, you can't
divide foreign policy from domestic policy. When I talk with
foreign leaders about new markets for American products, is it
foreign policy or domestic policy? When I meet with Latin
American leaders to keep drugs out of America's neighborhoods, is
that foreign policy or domestic policy? When Desert Storm
reignited Americans' faith in themselves, was that just foreign
policy? No: It demonstrated our special role as the world's
preeminent moral, political, economic and military power. The
8
pride we felt in our fighting men and women -- and in ourselves -
- should never be trivialized as something "foreign."
Anyone who says we should retreat into an isolationist
cocoon is living in the last century -- when we should be
focussed on the next. They should know, America's destiny has
always been to lead. And if I have anything to do with it, lead
we will.
I'll tell you what I learned many years ago right here in
Texas: America is the most productive, prosperous, enlightened
nation on Earth. /// But we can become even more. Whether
you're talking about global competition or a political campaign,
we have no margin for overconfidence and complacency. As Darryl
Royal would say: Always compete as if you're seven points down.
The 21st Century demands that our domestic policy and
foreign policy reflect our fundamental aims as a people: peace,
excellence, competitiveness and strength. Our excellence at home
will allow us to compete effectively abroad. And international
peace will enable us to stay strong economically.
In Texas or in Washington, we've got to keep up the fight.
Hold as your banner the pioneer spirit, political unity and
common-sense ideals of those early Texas Republicans who built
this great Party. Together, we can build a better America. //
Thank you for being here tonight -- it means a great deal to
Barbara and me -- and God bless each one of you. Thank you.
###
Grant / Aarhus
A:HOUSTON Draft five
October 31, 1991
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991
9:20 P.M.
Thank you, Bob [Cruikshank.] A special note of thanks to
our Vice President, Dan Quayle, and his wife Marilyn. /// Hello
to Sec. Mosbacher; Bobby Holt; Senator and Mrs. Gramm; everyone,
thank you. It's always great to be back in Houston and to see so
many good friends. ((With a welcome like that, I had to check
that banner behind me and see if it said "Warren Moon in '92." ))
Coming back to Texas like this brings a man back to his
roots. I first became active in politics in West Texas, when I
chaired the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in Midland in both '52 and
'56. Then I remember our early years in Houston, when I first
ran for Harris County Republican Chairman -- and Barbara and I
got our first taste of what was to become a way of life for us.
Driving our stationwagon precinct to precinct, eating chicken-
fried steak
... shaking hands and knocking on doors every night,
giving speeches with Barbara on the platform behind me.
( (At the time, she took up needlepoint to stay awake during
my speeches. Maybe you've got one of those "Bush Bags" she used
to make. Depending on the event, as Nolan Ryan would say, I'd
hit either a "one-bagger" or a "two-bagger." // ))
Later, I ran for the Senate and then for the Congress.
Barbara and I -- ( (and some of the original "Bush Belles," if you
remember them) ) -- we traveled Texas, from the Panhandle to the
Rio Grande, from Texarkana to El Paso. Those days, the only
2
thing that wasn't big about Texas was the state Republican Party.
In fact, the only Texas Republican who had won state-wide office
in over a century was a man I sorely miss tonight, a dear friend
to many of us, Senator John Tower. //
Politics is a way of life here in Houston. In the early
'60s, when I began thinking about making a run for office I
started talking over the idea with close friends -- many of them
Democrats. The advice they gave me was predictable in those days
-- if I was serious, I'd better switch parties and run as a
Democrat. // Sure, it made sense -- by the numbers. But
u
had to he to he.
think everybody here knew what my answer was.
///
And so, with the leadership of John Tower and Peter
O'Donnell, our band of underdogs began building a party. We
fought liberal Democratic nonsense with down-home common sense
-- and I relied on a set of ideas that have carried me forward
all my life.
Everywhere I looked, I saw Texans ready to take the
calculated risk, to dream of a better life -- and then try to go
out and achieve it. I saw Texans who believed in the dignity of
the human spirit, no matter what color or creed or religion the
human being -- Texans committed to keeping America strong and
proud. But these weren't just the ideals of Texas. They're the
ideals of America -- the America that stands as a symbol to the
world -- of freedom, justice, and opportunity. And nowhere do we
hold those ideals more deeply than right here in Texas. //
3
And up there in Washington, we're going to keep on pressing
for these ideals. Funny thing
lately the opposition says we
don't have an agenda, but I've noticed their agenda for Congress
is stopping our agenda for America. Well, if you ask me, there's
only one agenda the pro-growth, pro-family, pro-freedom agenda
-- and that's our agenda to build a better America. //
As one who helped start two or three small companies here in
Texas, I never forget what America owes to its small business men
and women. That's why, over the last three years, I've fought
policies that would drive American small business into the ground
-- through government-mandated policies and costly over-
regulation. Let the other Party measure success by the number of
unemployment checks we can authorize -- I measure it in the
number of jobs that create paychecks for American workers. And
until we get the kind of economic growth this country needs, I'll
keep fighting that anti-job crowd. //
Let me tell you, I don't think there's anyone here who
doesn't sympathize with someone who is out of work. It's very
easy to demagogue on this issue. Nobody likes to veto an
unemployment compensation bill. But I have a responsibility to
all Americans -- the ones who have jobs, and the ones who don't,
the ones who pay taxes, and the ones who are counting on interest
rates to stay low. So I'm not afraid to veto a bad bill --
especially one that would bust the budget, hurt the economy
further, drive taxes higher, and put more people out of work.
Every time I turn around, somebody wants to bust the budget.
4
Sometimes it gets a little lonely -- but it's right to stand up
for those Americans who depend upon economic growth a lot more
than on a feel-good spending bill that's sets us back. //
At times, we're able to persuade the opposition to cooperate
-- to join with us to enact sound legislation. We pushed through
the historic Clean Air Act amendments that employ free market
incentives to encourage environmental protection. We advanced
the cause of property rights and home ownership with our unique
HOPE initiative. HOPE promotes tenant ownership and management
of public housing -- and we're looking at a goal of 1 million new
homeowners by 1992. We've broken down the barriers to employment
for 43 million Americans with our landmark Americans With
Disabilities Act, which I signed last year.
Other times we can do some positive things on our own. Just
last week, I signed an Executive Order to take the first steps in
reforming our legal system and putting an end to these outrageous
lawsuits and monstrous settlements. Vice President Quayle has
been on the cutting edge of this -- and I'm behind him all the
way. // Let me add this: Dan Quayle may have touch a sore spot
with some members of the American Bar Association when he called
for real reform of our legal system, but he touched a nerve with
a whole lot more everyday Americans who stood up and cheered.
Dan has done a tremendous job. I'm proud to have him by my side
-- every step of the way. ///
We still need our tough crime bill from the Congress and our
job-creating transportation bill. We've seen some progress in
Democratic Congressnen
5
education with our "America 2000" initiative. It promotes safe
and decent schools, world-class education standards, and
community-based learning so that our kids and grandkids can
compete -- and succeed -- in the global arena.
Unfortunately, our original banking reform proposals have
been gutted by partisans who don't understand that I will veto a
bad bill. We're still waiting for our National Energy Strategy
from the Congress, which could mean jobs and increased production
here in Texas. And let me add that I will continue to support
environmentally responsible access to ANWR for energy production.
We must reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and we can.
We've called for economic growth initiatives in three State
of the Union speeches in three years. // Well, three strikes --
you're out. // It's time for a new Congress -- a Republican
2
Congress. ///
One of those proposals was a capital gains tax cut. Let the
demagogues call it a "tax break for the rich." I'll tell you
what it really is. It's a jobs measure
a small-business-
creation measure
a shot-in-the-arm-for-a-sluggish-economy
measure. History has already shown that it does not add to the
deficit -- in fact, it reduces the deficit. So let the
opposition prattle on about tax breaks for the rich -- I'll take
the political heat -- but in the meantime, give America a capital
gains tax cut. //
Time and again, we hear of the desire for economic and
political liberty -- from Managua to Moscow -- yet the only
6
people who don't seem to understand are the liberal Democrats in
Washington. That's why, time and again, we have been forced to
veto regressive Democratic legislation. With more Republicans
we can enact more of our agenda for freedom, justice and
opportunity. Whether in the House or the Senate, we need more
men and women who do understand -- we need more Republicans. //
It's time we got rid of a practice where a privileged few
stand outside the law -- where attending to the national interest
takes a back seat to serving the special interests. It's time
Congress started following the laws it imposes on everyone else.
[I thought that might get your blood going]
And when I hear critics arguing about our priorities --
foreign policy or domestic policy, I wonder where their
priorities are. The "global marketplace" isn't off in Europe or
Asia or Africa -- it's right here in our neighborhoods, our
businesses, our schools. For example, take a look at our North
American Free Trade Agreement. It will have a monumental effect
on the quality of life here in the United States over the next
decade -- every billion dollars in new trade means 20,000 more
jobs. A better-educated workforce means higher quality products
which means more economic growth. The cycle continues --
growth means more jobs and more opportunity for everyone.
But the world beyond our borders affects us in other ways,
and we must make a choice: Meet its challenges, or fall behind.
Since I've been President, we have been called upon to meet
one crucial challenge after another. And meet them we did --
7
each and every one. From Eastern Europe to Panama to the Persian
Gulf, America stood as a beacon of freedom throughout the world.
Yesterday I helped open the Middle East peace conference in
Madrid. I saw some narrow-minded liberal Democrats attack me for
being at that important conference -- that historic conference.
Well, you can tell them this: I am going to keep right on
standing up to aggression -- as we did in Desert Storm. And I am
going to keep trying to bring peace to troubled regions of the
world -- as we did in Madrid. [[ I know they haven't had the
experience in a while, but that's part of the job of being
President of the United States. ]]
To me, both at home and abroad -- American interests are the
same: peace, excellence, competitiveness, and strength.
Regardless of what some beltway liberal says, when it comes to
advancing America's interests -- at home or abroad, no apology
necessary. ////
We live in an integrated world. In that world, you can't
divide foreign policy from domestic policy. When I talk with
foreign leaders about new markets for American products, is it
foreign policy or domestic policy? When I meet with Latin
American leaders to keep drugs out of America's neighborhoods, is
that foreign policy or domestic policy? When Desert Storm
reignited Americans' faith in themselves, was that just foreign
policy? No: It demonstrated our special role as the world's
preeminent moral, political, economic and military power. The
8
pride we felt in our fighting men and women -- and in ourselves -
- should never be trivialized as something "foreign."
Anyone who says we should retreat into an isolationist
cocoon is living in the last century -- when we should be
focussed on the next. They should know, America's destiny has
always been to lead. And if I have anything to do with it, lead
we will.
I'll tell you what I learned many years ago right here in
Texas: America is the most productive, prosperous, enlightened
nation on Earth. /// But we can become even more. Whether
you're talking about global competition or a political campaign,
we have no margin for overconfidence and complacency. As Darryl
Royal would say: Always compete as if you're seven points down.
The 21st Century demands that our domestic policy and
foreign policy reflect our fundamental aims as a people: peace,
excellence, competitiveness and strength. Our excellence at home
will allow us to compete effectively abroad. And international
peace will enable us to stay strong economically.
In Texas or in Washington, we've got to keep up the fight.
Hold as your banner the pioneer spirit, political unity and
common-sense ideals of those early Texas Republicans who built
this great Party. Together, we can build a better America. //
Thank you for being here tonight -- it means a great deal to
Barbara and me -- and God bless each one of you. Thank you.
###
Grant / Aarhus
A:HOUSTON Draft five
October 31, 1991
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991
9:20 P.M.
Thank you, Bob [Cruikshank.] A special note of thanks to
our Vice President, Dan Quayle, and Marilyn Quayle. /// Hello
to Sec. Mosbacher; Bobby Holt; Senator Phil Gramm; everyone,
thank you. It's always great to be back in Houston and to see so
many good friends. ( (With a welcome like that, I had to check
that banner behind me and see if it said "Warren Moon in '92.' ))
Coming back to Texas like this brings a man back to his
roots. I first became active in politics in West Texas, when I
chaired the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in Midland in both '52 and
'56. Then I remember our early years in Houston, when I first
ran for Harris County Republican Chairman -- and Barbara and I
got our first taste of what was to become a way of life for us.
Driving our stationwagon precinct to precinct, eating chicken-
fried steak
...
shaking hands and knocking on doors every night,
giving speeches with Barbara on the platform behind me.
( (At the time, she took up needlepoint to stay awake during
my speeches. Maybe you've got one of those "Bush Bags" she used
to make. Depending on the event, as Nolan Ryan would say, I'd
hit either a "one-bagger" or a "two-bagger." // ))
Later, I ran for the Senate and then for the Congress.
Barbara and I -- ( (and some of the original "Bush Belles," if you
remember them) ) -- we traveled Texas, from the Panhandle to the
Rio Grande, from Texarkana to El Paso. Those days, the only
2
thing that wasn't big about Texas was the state Republican Party.
In fact, the only Texas Republican who had won state-wide office
in over a century was a man I sorely miss tonight, a dear friend
to many of us, Senator John Tower. //
Politics is a way of life here in Houston. In the early
'60s, when I began thinking about making a run for office I
started talking over the idea with close friends and business
leaders -- many of them Democrats. The advice they gave me was
predictable in those days -- if I was serious, I'd better switch
parties and run as a Democrat. // Sure, it made sense -- by
the numbers. But I think everybody here knew what my answer was.
///
And so, with the leadership of John Tower and Peter
'Donnell, our band of underdogs began building a party. We
fought liberal Democratic nonsense with down-home common sense
and I relied on a set of ideas that have carried me forward
all my life.
Everywhere I looked, I saw Texans ready to take the
calculated risk, to dream of a better life -- and then try to go
out and achieve it. I saw Texans who believed in the dignity of
the human spirit, no matter what color or creed or religion the
human being -- Texans committed to keeping America strong and
proud. But these weren't just the ideals of Texas. They're the
ideals of America -- the America that stands as a symbol to the
world -- of freedom, justice, and opportunity. And nowhere do we
hold those ideals more deeply than right here in Texas. //
3
And up there in Washington, we're going to keep on pressing
for these ideals. Funny thing
lately the opposition says we
don't have an agenda, but I've noticed their agenda for Congress
is stopping our agenda for America. Well, if you ask me, there's
only one agenda -- the pro-growth, pro-family, pro-freedom agenda
-- and that's our agenda to build a better America. //
As one who helped start two or three small companies here in
Texas, I never forget what America owes to its small business men
and women. That's why, over the last three years, I've fought
policies that would drive American small business into the ground
-- through government-mandated policies and costly over-
regulation. Let the other Party measure success by the number of
unemployment checks we can authorize -- I measure it in the
number of jobs that create paychecks for American workers. And
until we get the kind of economic growth this country needs, I'll
keep fighting that anti-job crowd. //
Let me tell you, I don't think there's anyone here who
doesn't sympathize with someone who is out of work. It's very
easy to demagogue on this issue. Nobody likes to veto an
unemployment compensation bill. Here's my position on
unemployment compensation --
1. I want to help those whose unemployment check has dried
up. Families are hurting, and I have said for months I
want to help them.
4
2.
I want a bill that does not break the budget agreement.
The only safeguard we have against more and more
federal spending is last year's budget agreement.
Every time I turn the liberal democrats want to bust the
agreement -- add to the deficit and thus eventually add to the
tax burden of present generations and the debt burden of future
generations.
We have a proposal before Congress that extends benefits --
gets the checks going to those families that are hurting and
does it within the budget agreement.
The Democrat leaders of Congress can try to play political
games all they want. I will veto any compensation bill that
comes down busting the agreement. I challenge Congress tonight -
- send me a bill that will help those families and send me a bill
that also protects the taxpayers.
But its not all negative -- At times, we're able to persuade
the opposition to cooperate -- to join with us to enact sound
legislation. We pushed through the historic Clean Air Act
amendments that employ free market incentives to encourage
environmental protection. We advanced the cause of property
rights and home ownership with our unique HOPE initiative. HOPE
promotes tenant ownership and management of public housing -- and
we're looking at a goal of 1 million new homeowners by 1992.
We've broken down the barriers to employment for 43 million
Americans with our landmark Americans With Disabilities Act,
which I signed last year.
5
Other times we can do some positive things on our own. Just
last week, I signed an Executive Order to take the first steps in
reforming our legal system we're trying to put an end to these
outrageous lawsuits and monstrous settlements. Liability reform
legislation is needed yet those who court lawyers keep it bottled
up. Vice President Quayle has been on the cutting edge of this -
- and I'm behind him all the way. // Let me add this: Dan
Quayle may have touch a sore spot with some members of the
American Bar Association when he called for real reform of our
legal system, but he touched a nerve with a whole lot more
everyday Americans who stood up and cheered. Dan has done a
tremendous job. I'm proud to have him by my side -- every step
of the way. ///
We still need our tough crime bill from the Congress and our
job-creating transportation bill. We've seen some progress in
education with our "America 2000" initiative -- a concept
designed to literally revolutionize our schools. It promotes
safe and decent schools, parental choice, world-class education
standards, and community-based learning so that our kids and
grandkids can compete -- and succeed -- in the global arena.
One thing that would help restore confidence in our economy
is passage of our original banking reform proposals
but they
have been gutted by partisan infighting. (How I long for a
Congress where we can at least take the offense on these
important issues.) We're still waiting for our National Energy
Strategy from the Congress, which could mean jobs and increased
6
production here in Texas. .And let me add that I will continue to
support environmentally responsible access to ANWR for energy
production. We must reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and we
can if we pass the Energy bill that came out of Senator Johnson
and Senator Wallop's committee.
We've called for economic growth initiatives in three State
of the Union speeches in three years. //
One of those proposals was a capital gains tax cut. Let the
demagogues call it a "tax break for the rich." I'll tell you
what it really is. It's a jobs measure
a small-business-
creation measure
a shot-in-the-arm-for-a-sluggish-economy
measure. History has already shown that it does not add to the
deficit -- in fact, it reduces the deficit. So let the
opposition prattle on about tax breaks for the rich -- I'll take
the political heat on that -- but in the meantime, give America
the jobs that come with a capital gains tax cut. //
Time and again, we hear of the desire for economic and
political liberty -- from Managua to Moscow -- yet the only
people who don't seem to understand are the liberal Democrats in
Washington. That's why, time and again, we have been forced to
veto regressive Democratic legislation. With more Republicans,
we can enact more of our agenda for freedom, justice and
opportunity. Whether in the House or the Senate, we need more
Finally men and women who do understand -- we need more Republicans. //
It's time we got rid of a practice where a privileged few
stand outside the law -- where attending to the national interest
7
takes a back seat to serving the special interests. It's time
Congress started following the laws it imposes on everyone else.
[I thought that might get your blood going] I nudged Congress
on this the other day pointing out that with all of the pious
cries during the Thomas hearings Congress had exempted itself
from sexual harassment laws -- Yesterday the Senate did move to
put itself under the same laws the rest of the people have to
obey.
the
incongress
And when I hear critics arguing about our priorities --
foreign policy or domestic policy, I wonder where their
priorities are. The "global marketplace" isn't off in Europe or
Asia or Africa -- it's right here in our neighborhoods, our
businesses, our schools. For example, take a look at our North
American Free Trade Agreement. It will have a monumental effect
on the quality of life here in the United States over the next
decade -- every billion dollars in new trade means 20,000 more
jobs. A better-educated workforce means higher quality products
which means more economic growth. The cycle continues --
growth means more jobs and more opportunity for everyone.
But the world beyond our borders affects us in other ways,
and we must make a choice: Meet its challenges, or fall behind.
Since I've been President, we have been called upon to meet
one crucial challenge after another. And meet them we did --
each and every one. From Eastern Europe to Panama to the Persian
Gulf, America stood as a beacon of freedom throughout the world.
8
Yesterday I helped open the Middle East peace conference in
Madrid. Over in Madrid, I flipped on CNN and saw one of the
Democrat leaders attack me for being at that important conference
-- that historic conference. Well, you can tell them this: I am
going to keep right on standing up to aggression -- as we did in
Desert Storm. And I am going to keep trying to bring peace to
the Middle East. (Incidentally, I am very very proud of Jim
Baker, of his determination and persistence. What a job he's
doing for our country.)
We live in an integrated world. In that world, you can't
divide foreign policy from domestic policy. When I talk with
foreign leaders about new markets for American products, is it
foreign policy or domestic policy? When I meet with Latin
American leaders to keep drugs out of America's neighborhoods, is
that foreign policy or domestic policy? When Desert Storm
reignited Americans' faith in themselves, was that just foreign
policy? No: It demonstrated our special role as the world's
preeminent moral, political, economic and military power. The
pride we felt in our fighting men and women -- and in ourselves -
- should never be trivialized as something "foreign."
Anyone who says we should retreat into an isolationist
cocoon is living in the last century -- when we should be
focussed on the next. They should know, America's destiny has
always been to lead. And if I have anything to do with it, lead
we will.
9
I'll tell you what I learned many years ago right here in
Texas: America is the most productive, prosperous, enlightened
nation on Earth. /// But we can become even more. Whether
you're talking about global competition or a political campaign,
we have no margin for overconfidence and complacency. As Darryl
Royal would say: Always compete as if you're seven points down.
There are some problems out there, human problems where real
because Amenca
people, real lives are at stake. But we will prevail
We must
girit is alive
not let ourselves be talked into economic malaise. Our country
and
well.
is fundamentally strong, our economy is turning around, and all
this gloom and doom talk by our political opponents
The 21st Century demands that our domestic policy and
2320
foreign policy reflect our fundamental aims as a people: peace,
excellence, competitiveness and strength. Our excellence at home
will allow us to compete effectively abroad. And international
peace will enable us to stay strong economically.
In Texas or in Washington, we've got to keep up the fight.
Hold as your banner the pioneer spirit, political unity and
common-sense ideals of those early Texas Republicans who built
this great Party. Together, we can build a better America. //
Thank you for being here tonight -- it means a great deal to
Barbara and me -- and God bless each one of you. Thank you.
# # #
BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER \ HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991 \ 9:20 P.M.
THANK YOU, BoB [CRUIKSHANK.] A SPECIAL NOTE OF
THANKS TO OUR VICE PRESIDENT, DAN QUAYLE, AND MARILYN
QUAYLE. /// HELLO TO SEC. MOSBACHER; BoBBy HOLT;
SENATOR PHIL GRAMM; WILLIE ALEXANDER (FOR LEADING US IN
THE PLEDGE); REV. CLAUDE PAYNE (FOR THE INVOCATION);
THE TEXAS A&M SINGING CADETS; EVERYONE, THANK YOU.
IT'S ALWAYS GREAT TO BE BACK IN HOUSTON AND To SEE so
MANY GOOD FRIENDS.
- 2 -
((WITH A WELCOME LIKE THAT, I HAD TO CHECK THAT BANNER
BEHIND ME AND SEE IF IT SAID "WARREN MOON IN '92." ))
COMING BACK TO TEXAS LIKE THIS BRINGS A MAN BACK TO
HIS ROOTS. I FIRST BECAME ACTIVE IN POLITICS IN WEST
TEXAS, WHEN I CHAIRED THE EISENHOWER-NIXON CAMPAIGN IN
MIDLAND IN BOTH '52 AND '56. THEN I REMEMBER OUR EARLY
YEARS IN HOUSTON, WHEN I FIRST RAN FOR HARRIS COUNTY
REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN -- AND BARBARA AND I GOT OUR FIRST
TASTE OF WHAT WAS TO BECOME A WAY OF LIFE FOR US.
- 3 -
DRIVING OUR STATIONWAGON PRECINCT To PRECINCT, EATING
CHICKEN-FRIED STEAK
...
SHAKING HANDS AND KNOCKING ON
DOORS EVERY NIGHT, GIVING SPEECHES WITH BARBARA ON THE
PLATFORM BEHIND ME.
((AT THE TIME, SHE TOOK UP NEEDLEPOINT To STAY
AWAKE DURING MY SPEECHES. MAYBE YOU'VE GOT ONE OF
THOSE "BUSH BAGS" SHE USED TO MAKE. DEPENDING ON THE
EVENT, AS NOLAN RYAN WOULD SAY, I'D HIT EITHER A "ONE-
BAGGER" OR A "TWO-BAGGER." //))
- 4 -
LATER, I RAN FOR THE SENATE AND THEN FOR THE
CONGRESS. BARBARA AND I -- ((AND SOME OF THE ORIGINAL
"BUSH BELLES," IF YOU REMEMBER THEM)) -- WE TRAVELED
TEXAS, FROM THE PANHANDLE TO THE RIO GRANDE, FROM
TEXARKANA TO EL PASO. THOSE DAYS, THE ONLY THING THAT
WASN'T BIG ABOUT TEXAS WAS THE STATE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
IN FACT, THE ONLY TEXAS REPUBLICAN WHO HAD WON STATE-
WIDE OFFICE IN OVER A CENTURY WAS A MAN I SORELY MISS
TONIGHT, A DEAR FRIEND TO MANY OF US, SENATOR JOHN
TOWER. //
- 5 -
POLITICS IS A WAY OF LIFE HERE IN HOUSTON. IN THE
EARLY '60s, WHEN I BEGAN THINKING ABOUT MAKING A RUN
FOR OFFICE I STARTED TALKING OVER THE IDEA WITH CLOSE
FRIENDS AND BUSINESS LEADERS -- MANY OF THEM DEMOCRATS.
THE ADVICE THEY GAVE ME WAS PREDICTABLE IN THOSE DAYS
-- IF I WAS SERIOUS, I'D BETTER SWITCH PARTIES AND RUN
AS A DEMOCRAT. // SURE, IT MADE SENSE -- BY THE
NUMBERS. BUT EVERYBODY HERE KNEW WHAT MY ANSWER HAD TO
BE.
- 6 -
AND so, WITH THE LEADERSHIP OF JOHN TOWER AND PETER
O'DONNELL, OUR BAND OF UNDERDOGS BEGAN BUILDING A
PARTY. WE FOUGHT LIBERAL DEMOCRATIC NONSENSE WITH
DOWN-HOME COMMON SENSE -- AND I RELIED ON A SET OF
IDEALS THAT HAVE CARRIED ME FORWARD ALL MY LIFE.
Now WE'RE UP THERE IN WASHINGTON, BUT DON'T WORRY,
WE'RE STILL PRESSING FOR THOSE SAME IDEALS. FUNNY
THING
... LATELY THE OPPOSITION SAYS WE DON'T HAVE AN
AGENDA, BUT I'VE NOTICED THEIR AGENDA FOR CONGRESS, IS
STOPPING OUR AGENDA FOR AMERICA.
- 7 -
WELL, IF YOU ASK ME, THERE'S ONLY ONE AGENDA -- THE
PRO-GROWTH, PRO-FAMILY, PRO-FREEDOM AGENDA -- THAT'S
OUR AGENDA TO BUILD A BETTER AMERICA. //
As ONE WHO HELPED START TWO OR THREE SMALL
COMPANIES HERE IN TEXAS, I NEVER FORGET WHAT AMERICA
OWES TO ITS SMALL BUSINESS MEN AND WOMEN. THAT'S WHY,
OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS, I'VE FOUGHT POLICIES THAT
WOULD DRIVE AMERICAN SMALL BUSINESS INTO THE GROUND --
THROUGH GOVERNMENT-MANDATES AND COSTLY OVER-REGULATION.
- 8 -
LET THE OTHER PARTY MEASURE SUCCESS BY THE NUMBER OF
UNEMPLOYMENT CHECKS WE CAN AUTHORIZE -- I MEASURE IT IN
THE NUMBER OF JOBS, THE NUMBER OF PAYCHECKS FOR
AMERICAN WORKERS. AND UNTIL WE GET THE KIND OF
ECONOMIC GROWTH THIS COUNTRY NEEDS, I'LL KEEP FIGHTING
THAT ANTI-JOB CROWD. //
LET ME TELL YOU, I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANYONE HERE
WHO DOESN'T SYMPATHIZE WITH SOMEONE WHO IS OUT OF WORK.
It's VERY EASY TO DEMAGOGUE ON THIS ISSUE.
- 9 -
NOBODY LIKES To VETO AN UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION BILL.
HERE'S MY POSITION ON UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION:
NUMBER ONE, I WANT TO HELP THOSE WHOSE UNEMPLOYMENT
CHECK HAS DRIED UP. FAMILIES ARE HURTING, AND I HAVE
SAID FOR MONTHS I WANT TO HELP THEM.
NUMBER TWO, I WANT A BILL THAT DOES NOT BREAK THE
BUDGET AGREEMENT. THE ONLY SAFEGUARD WE HAVE AGAINST
MORE AND MORE FEDERAL SPENDING IS LAST YEAR'S BUDGET
AGREEMENT.
- 10 -
EVERY TIME I TURN AROUND, THE LIBERAL DEMOCRATS WANT TO
BUST THE AGREEMENT. THAT WOULD ADD TO THE DEFICIT --
EVENTUALLY ADD TO THE TAX BURDEN OF PRESENT GENERATIONS
AND THE DEBT BURDEN OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.
NUMBER THREE, WE HAVE A PROPOSAL BEFORE CONGRESS
THAT EXTENDS BENEFITS -- GETS THE CHECKS GOING TO THOSE
FAMILIES THAT ARE HURTING AND DOES IT WITHIN THE BUDGET
AGREEMENT.
- 11 -
AND NUMBER FOUR, THE DEMOCRAT LEADERS OF CONGRESS
CAN TRY TO PLAY POLITICAL GAMES ALL THEY WANT. BUT I
WILL VETO ANY COMPENSATION BILL THAT BUSTS THE
AGREEMENT. I CHALLENGE CONGRESS TONIGHT -- SEND ME ONE
BILL -- THAT HELPS THOSE FAMILIES AND ALSO PROTECTS THE
TAXPAYERS. ///
BUT ITS NOT ALL NEGATIVE -- AT TIMES, WE'RE ABLE TO
PERSUADE THE OPPOSITION TO COOPERATE -- TO JOIN WITH US
TO ENACT SOUND LEGISLATION.
- 12 -
WE PUSHED THROUGH THE HISTORIC CLEAN AIR Act AMENDMENTS
THAT EMPLOY FREE MARKET INCENTIVES TO ENCOURAGE
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION. WE ADVANCED THE CAUSE OF
PROPERTY RIGHTS AND HOME OWNERSHIP WITH OUR UNIQUE HOPE
INITIATIVE. WE'VE BROKEN DOWN THE BARRIERS TO
EMPLOYMENT FOR 43 MILLION AMERICANS WITH OUR LANDMARK
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES AcT, WHICH I SIGNED LAST
YEAR.
- 13 -
OTHER TIMES WE CAN DO SOME POSITIVE THINGS ON OUR
OWN. JUST LAST WEEK, I SIGNED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO
TAKE THE FIRST STEPS IN REFORMING OUR LEGAL SYSTEM.
WE'RE TRYING TO PUT AN END TO OUTRAGEOUS LAWSUITS AND
MONSTROUS SETTLEMENTS. AMERICANS WANT LIABILITY REFORM
LEGISLATION AS WELL, YET THOSE WHO COURT LAWYERS KEEP
IT BOTTLED UP. VICE PRESIDENT QUAYLE HAS BEEN ON THE
CUTTING EDGE OF THIS -- AND I'M BEHIND HIM ALL THE WAY.
//
- 14 -
LET ME ADD THIS: DAN QUAYLE MAY HAVE TOUCHED A SORE
SPOT WITH SOME MEMBERS OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
WHEN HE CALLED FOR LEGAL REFORM, BUT HE TOUCHED A NERVE
WITH A WHOLE LOT MORE EVERYDAY AMERICANS WHO STOOD UP
AND CHEERED. /// DAN HAS DONE A TREMENDOUS JOB. I'm
PROUD TO HAVE HIM BY MY SIDE -- EVERY STEP OF THE WAY.
///
WE STILL NEED OUR TOUGH CRIME BILL FROM THE
CONGRESS AND OUR JOB-CREATING TRANSPORTATION BILL.
- 15 -
WE'VE SEEN SOME PROGRESS IN EDUCATION WITH OUR "AMERICA
2000" INITIATIVE -- A CONCEPT DESIGNED TO LITERALLY
REVOLUTIONIZE OUR SCHOOLS. IT PROMOTES SAFE AND DECENT
SCHOOLS, PARENTAL CHOICE, WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION
STANDARDS, AND COMMUNITY-BASED LEARNING so THAT OUR
KIDS AND GRANDKIDS CAN COMPETE -- AND SUCCEED -- IN THE
GLOBAL ARENA.
- 16 -
ONE THING THAT WOULD HELP RESTORE CONFIDENCE IN OUR
ECONOMY IS PASSAGE OF OUR ORIGINAL BANKING REFORM
PROPOSALS BUT THEY HAVE BEEN GUTTED BY PARTISAN
INFIGHTING. (How I LONG FOR A CONGRESS WHERE WE CAN AT
LEAST TAKE THE OFFENSE ON THESE IMPORTANT ISSUES.)
WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR OUR NATIONAL ENERGY STRATEGY
FROM THE CONGRESS, WHICH COULD MEAN JOBS AND INCREASED
PRODUCTION HERE IN TEXAS.
- 17 -
AND LET ME ADD THAT I WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT
ENVIRONMENTALLY RESPONSIBLE ACCESS TO ANWR FOR ENERGY
PRODUCTION. WE MUST REDUCE OUR RELIANCE ON FOREIGN
OIL, AND WE CAN IF WE PASS THE ENERGY BILL THAT CAME
OUT OF SENATOR JOHNSTON AND SENATOR WALLOP'S COMMITTEE.
WE'VE CALLED FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH INITIATIVES IN
THREE STATE OF THE UNION SPEECHES IN THREE YEARS.
ONE
OF THOSE PROPOSALS WAS A CAPITAL GAINS TAX CUT. LET
THE DEMAGOGUES CALL IT A "TAX BREAK FOR THE RICH."
- 18 -
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT IT REALLY IS. It's A JOBS MEASURE
A SMALL-BUSINESS-CREATION MEASURE ...
A SHOT-IN-
THE-ARM-FOR-A-SLUGGISH-ECONOMY MEASURE. HISTORY HAS
ALREADY SHOWN THAT IT DOES NOT ADD TO THE DEFICIT -- IN
FACT, IT REDUCES THE DEFICIT. So LET THE OPPOSITION
PRATTLE ON ABOUT TAX BREAKS FOR THE RICH -- I'LL TAKE
THE POLITICAL HEAT ON THAT -- BUT IN THE MEANTIME, GIVE
AMERICA THE JOBS THAT COME WITH A CAPITAL GAINS TAX
CUT. //
- 19 -
FINALLY, IT'S TIME WE GOT RID OF A PRACTICE WHERE A
PRIVILEGED FEW STAND OUTSIDE THE LAW -- WHERE ATTENDING
TO THE NATIONAL INTEREST TAKES A BACK SEAT TO SERVING
THE SPECIAL INTERESTS. It's TIME CONGRESS STARTED
FOLLOWING THE LAWS IT IMPOSES ON EVERYONE ELSE. /// [I
THOUGHT THAT MIGHT GET YOUR BLOOD GOING.]
- 20 -
I NUDGED CONGRESS ON THIS THE OTHER DAY POINTING
OUT THAT WITH ALL OF THE PIOUS CRIES DURING THE THOMAS
HEARINGS, CONGRESS HAD EXEMPTED ITSELF FROM SEXUAL
HARASSMENT LAWS -- YESTERDAY THE SENATE DID TAKE ONE
STEP TO PUT ITSELF UNDER THE SAME LAWS THE REST OF THE
PEOPLE HAVE TO OBEY. BUT THAT'S JUST NOT ENOUGH.
It's TIME THAT THOSE WHO MAKE THE LAWS, LIVE BY THE
LAWS THEY MAKE.
- 21 -
AND WHEN I HEAR THE CRITICS IN CONGRESS ARGUING
ABOUT OUR PRIORITIES -- FOREIGN POLICY OR DOMESTIC
POLICY, I WONDER WHERE THEIR PRIORITIES ARE. THE
"GLOBAL MARKETPLACE" ISN'T OFF IN EUROPE OR ASIA OR
AFRICA -- IT'S RIGHT HERE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR
BUSINESSES, OUR SCHOOLS. FOR EXAMPLE, TAKE A LOOK AT
OUR NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT. IT WILL HAVE
A MONUMENTAL EFFECT ON THE QUALITY OF LIFE HERE IN THE
UNITED STATES OVER THE NEXT DECADE -- EVERY BILLION
DOLLARS IN NEW TRADE MEANS 20,000 MORE JOBS.
- 22 -
A BETTER-EDUCATED WORKFORCE MEANS HIGHER QUALITY
PRODUCTS ... WHICH MEANS MORE ECONOMIC GROWTH. THE
CYCLE CONTINUES -- GROWTH MEANS MORE JOBS AND MORE
OPPORTUNITY FOR EVERYONE.
BUT THE WORLD BEYOND OUR BORDERS AFFECTS US IN
OTHER WAYS, AND WE MUST MAKE A CHOICE: MEET ITS
CHALLENGES, OR FALL BEHIND.
SINCE I'VE BEEN PRESIDENT, WE HAVE BEEN CALLED UPON
TO MEET ONE CRUCIAL CHALLENGE AFTER ANOTHER.
- 23 -
AND MEET THEM WE DID -- EACH AND EVERY ONE. FROM
EASTERN EUROPE TO PANAMA To THE PERSIAN GULF, AMERICA
STOOD AS A BEACON OF FREEDOM THROUGHOUT THE WORLD.
YESTERDAY I HELPED OPEN THE MIDDLE EAST PEACE
CONFERENCE IN MADRID. OVER IN MADRID, I FLIPPED ON CNN
AND SAW ONE OF THE DEMOCRAT LEADERS ATTACK ME FOR BEING
AT THAT IMPORTANT CONFERENCE -- THAT HISTORIC
CONFERENCE.
- 24 -
WELL, YOU CAN TELL THEM THIS: I AM GOING TO KEEP RIGHT
ON STANDING UP TO AGGRESSION -- AS WE DID IN DESERT
STORM. AND I AM GOING TO KEEP TRYING TO BRING PEACE To
THE MIDDLE EAST. (INCIDENTALLY, I AM VERY VERY PROUD
OF JIM BAKER, OF HIS DETERMINATION AND PERSISTENCE.
WHAT A JOB HE'S DOING FOR OUR COUNTRY.)
WE LIVE IN AN INTEGRATED WORLD. IN THAT WORLD, YOU
CAN'T DIVIDE FOREIGN POLICY FROM DOMESTIC POLICY.
- 25 -
WHEN I TALK WITH FOREIGN LEADERS ABOUT NEW MARKETS FOR
AMERICAN PRODUCTS, IS IT FOREIGN POLICY OR DOMESTIC
POLICY? WHEN I MEET WITH LATIN AMERICAN LEADERS TO
KEEP DRUGS OUT OF AMERICA'S NEIGHBORHOODS, IS THAT
FOREIGN POLICY OR DOMESTIC POLICY? WHEN DESERT STORM
REIGNITED AMERICANS' FAITH IN THEMSELVES, WAS THAT JUST
FOREIGN POLICY? No: IT DEMONSTRATED OUR SPECIAL ROLE
AS THE WORLD'S PREEMINENT MORAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC
AND MILITARY POWER.
- 26 -
THE PRIDE WE FELT IN OUR FIGHTING MEN AND WOMEN -- AND
IN OURSELVES -- SHOULD NEVER BE TRIVIALIZED AS
SOMETHING "FOREIGN."
ANYONE WHO SAYS WE SHOULD RETREAT INTO AN
ISOLATIONIST COCOON IS LIVING IN THE LAST CENTURY --
WHEN WE SHOULD BE FOCUSSED ON THE NEXT. THEY SHOULD
KNOW, AMERICA'S DESTINY HAS ALWAYS BEEN To LEAD. AND
IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT, LEAD WE WILL.
- 27 -
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I LEARNED MANY YEARS AGO RIGHT
HERE IN TEXAS: AMERICA IS THE MOST PRODUCTIVE,
PROSPEROUS, ENLIGHTENED NATION ON EARTH. /// BUT WE
CAN BECOME EVEN MORE. WHETHER YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
GLOBAL COMPETITION OR A POLITICAL CAMPAIGN, WE HAVE NO
MARGIN FOR OVERCONFIDENCE AND COMPLACENCY. As DARRYL
ROYAL WOULD SAY: ALWAYS COMPETE AS IF YOU'RE SEVEN
POINTS DOWN.
- 28 -
THERE ARE SOME PROBLEMS OUT THERE, HUMAN PROBLEMS
WHERE REAL PEOPLE, REAL LIVES ARE AT STAKE. BUT WE
WILL PREVAIL BECAUSE THE AMERICAN SPIRIT IS ALIVE AND
WELL.
IN TEXAS OR IN WASHINGTON, I KNOW WE'LL KEEP UP THE
FIGHT. WE WILL HOLD AS OUR BANNER THE FRONTIER RESOLVE
AND THE COMMON-SENSE IDEALS OF THOSE EARLY TEXANS WHO
BUILT THIS GREAT STATE. TOGETHER, WE CAN BUILD A
BETTER AMERICA.
- 29 - -
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT -- IT MEANS A GREAT
DEAL TO BARBARA AND ME -- AND GOD BLESS EACH ONE OF
YOU. THANK YOU.
###
4:05pm
Grant / Aarhus
A: HOUSTON Draft five
October 31, 1991
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE FUNDRAISING DINNER
HOUSTON, TEXAS
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1991
9:20 P.M.
Thank you, Bob [Cruikshank.] A special note of thanks to
our Vice President, Dan Quayle, and Marilyn Quayle. /// Hello
to Sec. Mosbacher; Bobby Holt; Senator Phil Gramm; everyone,
thank you. It's always great to be back in Houston and to see so
many good friends. ( (With a welcome like that, I had to check
that banner behind me and see if it said "Warren Moon in '92." ))
Coming back to Texas like this brings a man back to his
roots. I first became active in politics in West Texas, when I
chaired the Eisenhower-Nixon campaign in Midland in both '52 and
'56. Then I remember our early years in Houston, when I first
ran for Harris County Republican Chairman -- and Barbara and I
got our first taste of what was to become a way of life for us.
Driving our stationwagon precinct to precinct, eating chicken-
fried steak
...
shaking hands and knocking on doors every night,
giving speeches with Barbara on the platform behind me.
( (At the time, she took up needlepoint to stay awake during
my speeches. Maybe you've got one of those "Bush Bags" she used
to make. Depending on the event, as Nolan Ryan would say, I'd
hit either a "one-bagger" or a "two-bagger." // ))
Later, I ran for the Senate and then for the Congress.
Barbara and I -- ( (and some of the original "Bush Belles,' if you
remember them) ) __ we traveled Texas, from the Panhandle to the
Rio Grande, from Texarkana to El Paso. Those days, the only
2
thing that wasn't big about Texas was the state Republican Party.
In fact, the only Texas Republican who had won state-wide office
in over a century was a man I sorely miss tonight, a dear friend
to many of us, Senator John Tower. //
Politics is a way of life here in Houston. In the early
'60s, when I began thinking about making a run for office I
started talking over the idea with close friends and business
leaders -- many of them Democrats. The advice they gave me was
predictable in those days -- if I was serious, I'd better switch
parties and run as a Democrat. // Sure, it made sense -- by
the numbers. But everybody here knew what my answer had to be.
///
And so, with the leadership of John Tower and Peter
O'Donnell, our band of underdogs began building a party. We
fought liberal Democratic nonsense with down-home common sense
-- and I relied on a set of ideals that have carried me forward
all my life.
And up there in Washington, we're going to keep on pressing
for these ideals. Funny thing
lately the opposition says we
don't have an agenda, but I've noticed their agenda for Congress
is stopping our agenda for America. Well, if you ask me, there's
only one agenda -- the pro-growth, pro-family, pro-freedom agenda
-- and that's our agenda to build a better America. //
As one who helped start two or three small companies here in
Texas, I never forget what America owes to its small business men
and women. That's why, over the last three years, I've fought
3
policies that would drive American small business into the ground
through government-mandated policies and costly over-
regulation. Let the other Party measure success by the number of
unemployment checks we can authorize -- I measure it in the
number of jobs that create paychecks for American workers. And
until we get the kind of economic growth this country needs, I'll
keep fighting that anti-job crowd. //
Let me tell you, I don't think there's anyone here who
doesn't sympathize with someone who is out of work. It's very
easy to demagogue on this issue. Nobody likes to veto an
unemployment compensation bill. Here's my position on
unemployment compensation
1.
I want to help those whose unemployment check has dried
up. Families are hurting, and I have said for months I
want to help them.
2.
I want a bill that does not break the budget agreement.
The only safeguard we have against more and more
federal spending is last year's budget agreement.
Every time I turn the liberal democrats want to bust the
agreement -- add to the deficit and thus eventually add to the
tax burden of present generations and the debt burden of future
generations.
We have a proposal before Congress that extends benefits --
gets the checks going to those families that are hurting and
does it within the budget agreement.
4
The Democrat leaders of Congress can try to play political
games all they want. I will veto any compensation bill that
comes down busting the agreement. I challenge Congress tonight -
- send me a bill that will help those families and send me a bill
that also protects the taxpayers.
But its not all negative -- At times, we're able to persuade
the opposition to cooperate -- to join with us to enact sound.
legislation. We pushed through the historic Clean Air Act
amendments that employ free market incentives to encourage
environmental protection. We advanced the cause of property
rights and home ownership with our unique HOPE initiative. HOPE
promotes tenant ownership and management of public housing -- and
we're looking at a goal of 1 million new homeowners by 1992.
We've broken down the barriers to employment for 43 million
Americans with our landmark Americans With Disabilities Act,
which I signed last year.
Other times we can do some positive things on our own. Just
last week, I signed an Executive Order to take the first steps in
reforming our legal system we're trying to put an end to
outrageous lawsuits and monstrous settlements. Liability reform
legislation is needed yet those who court lawyers keep it bottled
up. Vice President Quayle has been on the cutting edge of this -
- and I'm behind him all the way. // Let me add this: Dan
Quayle may have touched a sore spot with some members of the
American Bar Association when he called for real reform of our
legal system, but he touched a nerve with a whole lot more
5
everyday Americans who stood up and cheered. Dan has done a
tremendous job. I'm proud to have him by my side -- every step
of the way. ///
We still need our tough crime bill from the Congress and our
job-creating transportation bill. We've seen some progress in
education with our "America 2000" initiative -- a concept
designed to literally revolutionize our schools. It promotes
safe and decent schools, parental choice, world-class education
standards, and community-based learning so that our kids and
grandkids can compete -- and succeed -- in the global arena.
One thing that would help restore confidence in our economy
is passage of our original banking reform proposals but they have
been gutted by partisan infighting. (How I long for a Congress
where we can at least take the offense on these important
issues.) We're still waiting for our National Energy Strategy
from the Congress, which could mean jobs and increased production
here in Texas. And let me add that I will continue to support
environmentally responsible access to ANWR for energy production.
We must reduce our reliance on foreign oil, and we can if we pass
the Energy bill that came out of Senator Johnson and Senator
Wallop's committee.
We've called for economic growth initiatives in three State
of the Union speeches in three years. //
One of those proposals was a capital gains tax cut. Let the
demagogues call it a "tax break for the rich. " I'll tell you
what it really is. It's a jobs measure
a small-business-
6
creation measure
a shot-in-the-arm-for-a-sluggish-economy
measure. History has already shown that it does not add to the
deficit -- in fact, it reduces the deficit. So let the
opposition prattle on about tax breaks for the rich -- I'll take
the political heat on that -- but in the meantime, give America
the jobs that come with a capital gains tax cut. //
Finally, it's time we got rid of a practice where a
privileged few stand outside the law -- where attending to the
national interest takes a back seat to serving the special
interests. It's time Congress started following the laws it
imposes on everyone else. [I thought that might get your blood
going] I nudged Congress on this the other day pointing out
that with all of the pious cries during the Thomas hearings
Congress had exempted itself from sexual harassment laws --
Yesterday the Senate did move to put itself under the same laws
the rest of the people have to obey.
And when I hear the critics in Congress arguing about our
priorities -- foreign policy or domestic policy, I wonder where
their priorities are. The "global marketplace" isn't off in
Europe or Asia or Africa -- it's right here in our neighborhoods,
our businesses, our schools. For example, take a look at our
North American Free Trade Agreement. It will have a monumental
effect on the quality of life here in the United States over the
next decade -- every billion dollars in new trade means 20,000
more jobs. A better-educated workforce means higher quality
products
which means more economic growth. The cycle
7
continues -- growth means more jobs and more opportunity for
everyone.
But the world beyond our borders affects us in other ways,
and we must make a choice: Meet its challenges, or fall behind.
Since I've been President, we have been called upon to meet
one crucial challenge after another. And meet them we did --
each and every one. From Eastern Europe to Panama to the Persian
Gulf, America stood as a beacon of freedom throughout the world.
Yesterday I helped open the Middle East peace conference in
Madrid. Over in Madrid, I flipped on CNN and saw one of the
Democrat leaders attack me for being at that important conference
-- that historic conference. Well, you can tell them this: I am
going to keep right on standing up to aggression -- as we did in
Desert Storm. And I am going to keep trying to bring peace to
the Middle East. (Incidentally, I am very very proud of Jim
Baker, of his determination and persistence. What a job he's
doing for our country.)
We live in an integrated world. In that world, you can't
divide foreign policy from domestic policy. When I talk with
foreign leaders about new markets for American products, is it
foreign policy or domestic policy? When I meet with Latin
American leaders to keep drugs out of America's neighborhoods, is
that foreign policy or domestic policy? When Desert Storm
reignited Americans' faith in themselves, was that just foreign
policy? No: It demonstrated our special role as the world's
preeminent moral, political, economic and military power. The
8
pride we felt in our fighting men and women -- and in ourselves -
- should never be trivialized as something "foreign."
Anyone who says we should retreat into an isolationist
cocoon is living in the last century -- when we should be
focussed on the next. They should know, America's destiny has
always been to lead. And if I have anything to do with it, lead
we will.
I'll tell you what I learned many years ago right here in
Texas: America is the most productive, prosperous, enlightened
nation on Earth. /// But we can become even more. Whether
you're talking about global competition or a political campaign,
we have no margin for overconfidence and complacency. As Darryl
Royal would say: Always compete as if you're seven points down.
There are some problems out there, human problems where real
people, real lives are at stake. But we will prevail because the
American spirit is alive and well.
In Texas or in Washington, we've got to keep up the fight.
Hold as your banner the pioneer spirit, political unity and
common-sense ideals of those early Texas Republicans who built
this great Party. Together, we can build a better America. //
Thank you for being here tonight -- it means a great deal to
Barbara and me -- and God bless each one of you. Thank you.
# # #
(Smith/Simon)
November 1, 1991
Draft Seven
DALLAS.TS
PRESIDENTIAL REMARKS: BUSH-QUAYLE EVENT
DALLAS, TEXAS
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1991
8:45 P.M.
Thank you, Ray Hunt, for that introduction. I also want to
salute my good friends Bobby Holt and Perry Bass. / A special
thanks to RNC Chairman Clayton Yeutter, who could not be with us.
Bill Clements, along with Phil Gramm, Tom Loeffler and Bob
Mosbacher, are here -- and they, too, have my appreciation. /
It's great to have our strong statewide team here: State
Chairman Fred Meyer, state treasurer Kay Bailey Hutchison, and
Agriculture Commissioner Rick Perry. Reverend Don Benton. The
Texas Boys Choir (national anthem). Most of all, hello to my
fellow Texans, and friends. //
((I want to thank you for that outstanding welcome. I don't
think your enthusiasm could have been warmer if I had changed my
name to "Troy Aikman. ) //
We are here tonight to talk about America's bright hopes for
the future -- a future built upon the special values that
Americans have always held dear.
This quest is founded upon a commitment to economic growth,
a steadfast respect for the individual, and a proud determination
to carry faith in democracy to the rest of the world.
Phil Gramm knows what I'm talking about. So do thousands
of other Texans -- and millions of Americans. We have an
2
extraordinary opportunity before us. Together we can cement the
gains we have made these last few years. Let me tell you why:
Everyday the difference between the liberals' agenda and ours
becomes clearer and clearer. They are the crowd asking questions
about the last century when we should be finding solutions for
the next. //
It's about what we believe as human beings -- what we are as
a nation. // Liberal Democrats want to burden people for the
benefit of government. // We want to use government to ease
burdens on people. // They believe America's finest hours are
behind us. We believe our finest hours are still ahead. //
We believe that because we have an abiding faith in the
American people. We understand that when we talk about issues,
what we're really talking about are people. For example, too
often we talk of the economy as if it were some dusty inhuman
thing, rather than the canvas on which we paint our lives and
dreams.
Years ago I learned that economics focuses mostly on people,
not numbers. I remember driving a red Studebaker from the East
with Barbara and the kids. When I got to Texas, I saw people
working hard to achieve their dreams. They started in small
homes, they scrimped, they saved. They sent their children to
school, and they taught them to love their country.
It doesn't take long for anyone to understand that the great
strength of the Nation lies not on Capitol Hill in Washington,
3
D.C. It rests in the main streets of Dalhart and Dallas and
Weslaco and Wichita Falls.
America's strength comes from a simple source, freedom. /
Let liberal Democrats pursue programs that enlarge government.
We'll pursue policies that enlarge opportunity. //
We've tried to do just that for years. Right now, we're
working to energize a sluggish economy. An economy that did grow
last quarter at 2.4 percent, but an economy in which a lot of
people are still hurting. The liberals whose tired programs of
government mandates has failed now have discovered "growth
initiatives". Let me remind you that I have been urging
empowerment and growth for sometime. Here, again are my views of
what would help the economy's growth to become far more vigorous:
1) a capital gains tax cut, 2) personal savings incentives, 3)
the creation of a permanent R&D tax credit, 4) increased
investment in science, technology, and infrastructure. 5)
cutting needless government red tape, 6) transportation bill, 7)
and now one more -- stop passing needless mandates that
.
Texans know that you don't unleash the
genius of the American system by weighing it down with
unnecessary regulations. In short, we're trying to give this
economy a shot in the arm.
What's happened? Our efforts
have been blocked by a Congress controlled by liberal Democrats.
[[ Some people ask why we can't take the kind of action, get the
kind of results with the economy, that we were able to do in
Desert Storm. The answer is easy: In Desert Storm, I didn't
4
have to get an OK from Secretary of State Ted Kennedy or Sec. of
Defense George Mitchell when I wanted to make something happen!
When I wanted to Norm Schwarzkopf to move Saddam Hussein out of
Kuwait, Secretary of Everything Howard Metzenbaum wasn't standing
in the way! ]]
The liberals in Congress have a simple agenda: to block
ours. The Democratic leaders in the Senate won't even permit a
vote on our capital gains tax cut to unleash a new wave of
opportunity. Important appointments to key economic positions
have gone unfilled because the Senate won't vote on them.
Speaking of the economy, let me say a few words about the
unemployment issue. First, I want to help those whose
unemployment check has dried up. Families are hurting, and I
have said for months I want to help them. I want a bill that does
not break the budget agreement.
Second, the only safeguard we have against more and more
federal spending is last year's budget agreement. Every time I
turn the liberal democrats want to bust the agreement -- add to
the deficit and thus eventually add to the tax burden of present
generations and the debt burden of future generations. We have a
proposal before Congress that extends benefits -- gets the checks
going to those families that are hurting and does it within the
budget agreement.
Third, the Democrat leaders of Congress can try to play
political games all they want. I will veto any compensation bill
that comes down busting the agreement. Finally, I challenge
5
Congress again tonight -- send me a bill that will help those
families and send me a bill that also protects the taxpayers.
Congress talks a lot about unemployment, but they ought to
be doing something about economic growth. Disappointed to read
that the Democratic leaders have agreed to work with us to get
money now, but that George Mitchell for pure parisian
governmentship was holding them back. This is not the time for
partisan government. Let's get the checks moving now -- but
let's me clear. I will not hesitate to again veto any bill that
.
The time has come for Washington to put aside
partisan, inside-the-Beltway disputes. I call on Congress to
stop doing business as usual, and start doing the people's
business. If they can't do that, then it's time we got ourselves
a new Congress. //
All of us know that there's more to do. But we can't do it
when the Congress won't deliver. Last March 6, I challenged
Congress to pass a bill to take criminals off the street --
including a workable federal death penalty. I still don't have a
bill. // That same day I asked Congress for a job-creating
transportation bill. Same answer -- still no bill. For two
years, we have prodded Congress to pass legislation to help make
us No. 1 in education by the year 2000. // Liberal Democrats want
to throw money at the problem -- keep the status-quo. That
answer won't do either. We need education reform to get the most
out of our schools -- and prepare ourselves for a better future.
If we're going to teach democracy in our schools, let's practice
6
more of it in our education system. That means more local control
and parents being allowed to choose where their kids go to
school. //
Yes, like most Presidents, I've had my share of problems
with the Congress. But I believe the American people are smart
enough to see through all the bluster and bravado that's come to
symbolize Capitol Hill. A few days ago I nudged Congress to pay
a little more attention to its own backyard.
I would wager that most Americans don't know that Congress
regularly exempts itself from those same laws Congress passes for
everyone else. Laws like the Equal Pay Act of 1963 or Title VII
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 -- that's the title that
prohibits sexual harassment, as well as discrimination on the
basis of race, color, sex, religion and national origin. And the
list goes on. Just recently, we heard an extraordinary chorus
about sexual harassment up on Capitol Hill, and yes, we all
should do more to stamp out this ugly and obscene practice. But
as we do that, let's also resolve that those who make the laws,
live by the laws they make.
Finally, Thomas Jefferson once said the price of freedom is
eternal vigilance. // I say: We must be vigilant, we must be
strong, we must be principled.
We have a record to be proud of in that regard. When a
dictator crushed hopes for democracy in his homeland and
endangered the Western Hemisphere -- we helped the Panamanian
people restore free elections and the rule of law. //
7
When a brutal tyrant invaded and plundered Kuwait -- we
helped build an international coalition that rolled back his
aggression and liberated a nation. //
As Communism crumbled, we extended a helping hand and made
it clear that America will support those who promote democracy,
free enterprise, and individual liberty. // We who are free to
live our dreams, must support those who dream of living free.
Everyday the world becomes a little bit smaller. The line
between foreign policy and domestic policy becomes almost
invisible.
When I hear some liberal Democrat carping about our
engagement in world affairs, I have to ask the question, when I
sit down with Latin and South American leaders to keep crack
cocaine off our streets, is that foreign policy or domestic
policy? When I sit across the table from the best customers for
America's farmers, is that foreign policy or domestic policy? Or
when Desert Storm reignited America's faith in itself was that
just foreign policy? I have a responsibility to advance and
promote America's interests -- at home, and abroad. And America
has a special responsibility to lead, and lead we will.
One hundred and thirty years ago, Abraham Lincoln left
Springfield, Illinois, to assume the Presidency. He addressed
his home people at the Great Western Railway Station. Here is
what he said: "To this place, and the kindness of these people,
I owe everything. // I now [go to assume] a task
greater than
that which rested on Washington. Without the assistance of that
8
Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that
assistance, I cannot fail. "
What Lincoln felt about Illinois, I feel about Texas.
Without God's help, we cannot succeed. With it, we cannot fail.
Thank you for this occasion, and for your loyalty and love. God
bless the United States of America.
#
#
#
In my view, the Election of 1992 will revolve around this
type of leadership -- moral leadership, economic leadership,
international leadership. // We need to provide that leadership
-- leadership committed to the general interest, not the special
interest. // We need leadership which talks not of hate, but of
heroism; indulges not in character assassination, but builds
character. //
But we must begin by recognizing that a Grand Canyon divides
what we stand for and what our competition espouses. /
We
want to unite America -- not divide it into competing camps. //
We want to build a nation united in a quest for fairness and
opportunity -- not one divided in a fruitless scramble for
special benefits. //