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    "label": "Election Results of 1962, 1963",
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    "id": "4525784",
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    "contentType": "document",
    "title": "Election Results of 1962, 1963",
    "citationUrl": "https://catalog.archives.gov/id/4525784",
    "collections": [
        "Gerald R. Ford Congressional Papers",
        "Speeches"
    ],
    "subjects": [
        "Cuba",
        "Congressional elections",
        "Taxation"
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        "logicalDate": "1963-12-31",
        "year": 1963
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    "ocrText": "The original documents are located in Box D16, folder \"Election Results of 1962, 1963\" of\nthe Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford\nPresidential Library.\nCopyright Notice\nThe copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of\nphotocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United\nStates of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.\nWorks prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public\ndomain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to\nremain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid\ncopyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.\nDigitized from Box D16 of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library\n1963\nEXERPTS - from talk by Rep. Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich)\nOn the election results of 1962\nnet\nThe Republicans had hoped to elect eight new Republican Governors, but had a/gain\nof only one. In the Senate we had hoped to hold our own, but lost four seats. In the\nHouse we had visualized a gain of 20 seats, but gained only three. It was a poor\nshowing, caused mostly by a combination of redistricting and gerrymandering--a term\noriginated in Boston (the home of some well known Democratic politicians).\nThere were some bright spots, however, When you total the votes in all\nthe races for Governors, Senate and House members, you find that the Republican candi-\ndates won 49 percent of the total vote. And when you couple this with the skin-of-the-\nteeth victory by the Democrats in 1960, you cannot escape the conclusion that there is\nno overwhelming mandate for the radical programs sponsored by the Whiz Kids in the\nWhite House.\nOur Michigan experience was one of these bright spots. After 14 long, barren\nyears in which the Democratic administration led the state into bankruptcy, unemployment\nand national ridicule, the Republicans finally put their bickering aside and rallied\nbehind George Romney. We learned that as a party, if you carry your grudges along\nwith you very long, you carry them all the way to the grave. We had more prima donnas\nin the Republican party in Michigan than we had voters, and the Democratic victories\nwere largely due to our own refusal to compromise and unite. As a measure of what a\nRepublican victory has meant, Governor Romney is the first Governor in 14 years who has\nproposed a balanced budget without any increase in taxes.\nAbout the prospects for 1964\nThe Republicans can win. We have found that the Kennedy policies are not\nadequate for the challenges of this complicated, turbulent and controversial world.\nOur job is to get out and tell the truth, tell it often and tell it with conviction.\nIt is beginning to get through to the American people that you can manage the news just\nso long. The folks at home are beginning to realize that there is very little substance\nto the fog of publicity put out by the White House corps of mimeograph operators. By\nthe time the 1964 election comes around, if we do our job, Americans will know there is\na mighty shaky foundation under the House that Jack Built.\nWe have a good stable of cándidates, and these men have a responsibility to\nthemselves, to the party and to the nation to get out and spread the Republican message.\nThey should dramatize the vast differences which exist between the two parties and do\nall they can to build party organization. No candidate worth his salt can afford to\nlinger in the wings or sit on the bench. They must get into the game and fight for\nRepublican principles now.\n- 2 -\nAbout Cuba --\nBetween October 14th and about November 1st last year, the Kennedy Administra-\ntion acted with confidence and in a manner which I certainly applaud. But before that\ntime, especially from the middle of September to the middle of October, the Administration\nhad solid evidence which should have, but did not, prompt them to step up surveillance\nof the island. Had they done what the evidence would have prompted alert and reasonable\nmen to do, we would not have been caught be surprise on October 14th. And since the\nfirst of November, the Kennedy Administration has been doing almost the same thing: they\nhave been publicly downgrading the threat which the Russian forces so obviously pose\nand have not taken all the action they can to isolate and neutralize the threat. I\nbelieve we should reimpose the quarantine which we maintained around Cuba during the\nOctober crisis, so that we can determine with precision what is going in and out of\nthat Communist-infested island. Then, further, I believe we should resume our low-level\nreconnaisance flights with a view toward keeping the closest possible eye on the military\npotential of the Cuban forces.\nIf this Administration had continued to use the proven principles of foreign\npolicy which the Eisenhower Administration framed, we would not today be surrounded by\nthe shambles and confusion which we call American prestige.\nOn the Kennedy Tax program --\nThe Democratic theories of economy have, over the last 30 years, taken us so\ndeeply and consistently into debt that the motto of our coins should be changed to\n\"In Debt We Trust.\" In his short tenure in office, if we accept his own figures,\nMr. Kennedy will have amassed some $27-billion debt. This is more than the entire\ncost of government for the first 127 years of the Republic from President Washington\nthrough President Wilson.\nWe Republicans agree that tax rates are too high and that the system needs\nreform. But we insist that the government should not reduce its rates, increase\nspending and bring on even higher deficits.\nI have strenuous objection to the so-called five percent floor on charitable\ndeductions. This Kennedy proposal would favor the person who does not own his own home\nand who does not pay real estate taxes, or support his church, or give to the Community\nChest or do all the other things necessary to support our society.\nOn What Republicans must do to win --\nWe Republicans must start walking across America block by block, stopping\nat every home and farm and factory and dockside along the way, pointing out the failure\nof the Democrats and selling these basic Republican principles I have been talking\nabout.\n- 3 -\nIf we do this, we will retire those Kennedys from the White House to Glen Ora,\nor Newport, or Hyannis Port, or Palm Beach, or wherever else they may have homes by\nthat time.\nThe people who are going to put the wheels under the Kennedy rocking chair\nand push him out of the White House are right here in this room. You have an important\nstate. You have the enthusiasm and the desire. You can get the money. You have the\nindependent spirit of the Abe Lincolns and Teddy Roosevelts and Dwight Eisenhowers and\nother greats of our Republican Party. You have all the ingredients so that you can\nbring victory to us and to the nation in 1964. The question is -- will you accept the\nchallenge ??\nEXERPTS - from talk by Rep. Gerald R. Ford (R-Mich)\nOn the election results of 1962 --\nnet\nThe Republicans had hoped to elect eight new Republican Governors, but had a/gain\nof only one. In the Senate we had hoped to hold our own, but lost four seats. In the\nHouse we had visualized a gain of 20 seats, but gained only three. It was a poor\nshowing, caused mostly by a combination of redistricting and gerrymandering--a term\noriginated in Boston (the home of some well known Democratic politicians).\nThere were some bright spots, however, When you total the votes in all\nthe races for Governors, Senate and House members, you find that the Republican candi-\ndates won 49 percent of the total vote. And when you couple this with the skin-of-the-\nteeth victory by the Democrats in 1960, you cannot escape the conclusion that there is\nno overwhelming mandate for the radical programs sponsored by the Whiz Kids in the\nWhite House.\nOur Michigan experience was one of these bright spots. After 14 long, barren\nyears in which the Democratic administration led the state into bankruptcy, unemployment\nand national ridicule, the Republicans finally put their bickering aside and rallied\nbehind George Romney. We learned that as a party, if you carry your grudges along\nwith you very long, you carry them all the way to the grave. We had more prima donnas\nin the Republican party in Michigan than we had voters, and the Democratic victories\nwere largely due to our own refusal to compromise and unite. As a measure of what a\nRepublican victory has meant, Governor Romney is the first Governor in 14 years who has\nproposed a balanced budget without any increase in taxes.\nAbout the prospects for 1964 --\nThe Republicans can win. We have found that the Kennedy policies are not\nadequate for the challenges of this complicated, turbulent and controversial world.\nOur job is to get out and tell the truth, tell it often and tell it with conviction.\nIt is beginning to get through to the American people that you can manage the news just\nso long. The folks at home are beginning to realize that there is very little substance\nto the fog of publicity put out by the White House corps of mimeograph operators. By\nthe time the 1964 election comes around, if we do our job, Americans will know there is\na mighty shaky foundation under the House that Jack Built.\nWe have a good stable of candidates, and these men have a responsibility to\nthemselves, to the party and to the nation to get out and spread the Republican message.\nThey should dramatize the vast differences which exist between the two parties and do\nall they can to build party organization. No candidate worth his salt can afford to\nlinger in the wings or sit on the bench. They must get into the game and fight for\nRepublican principles now.\n- 2 -\nAbout Cuba -\nBetween October 14th and about November 1st last year, the Kennedy Administra-\ntion acted with confidence and in a manner which I certainly applaud. But before that\ntime, especially from the middle of September to the middle of October, the Administration\nhad solid evidence which should have, but did not, prompt them to step up surveillance\nof the island. Had they done what the evidence would have prompted alert and reasonable\nmen to do, we would not have been caught be surprise on October 14th. And since the\nfirst of November, the Kennedy Administration has been doing almost the same thing: they\nhave been publicly downgrading the threat which the Russian forces so obviously pose\nand have not taken all the action they can to isolate and neutralize the threat. I\nbelieve we should reimpose the quarantine which we maintained around Cuba during the\nOctober crisis, so that we can determine with precision what is going in and out of\nthat Communist-infested island. Then, further, I believe we should resume our low-level\nreconnaisance flights with a view toward keeping the closest possible eye on the military\npotential of the Cuban forces.\nIf this Administration had continued to use the proven principles of foreign\npolicy which the Eisenhower Administration framed, we would not today be surrounded by\nthe shambles and confusion which we call American prestige.\nOn the Kennedy Tax program --\nThe Democratic theories of economy have, over the last 30 years, taken us so\ndeeply and consistently into debt that the motto of our coins should be changed to\n\"In Debt We Trust.\" In his short tenure in office, if we accept his own figures,\nMr. Kennedy will have amassed some $27-billion debt. This is more than the entire\ncost of government for the first 127 years of the Republic from President Washington\nthrough President Wilson.\nWe Republicans agree that tax rates are too high and that the system needs\nreform. But we insist that the government should not reduce its rates, increase\nspending and bring on even higher deficits.\nI have strenuous objection to the so-called five percent floor on charitable\ndeductions. This Kennedy proposal would favor the person who does not own his own home\nand who does not pay real estate taxes, or support his church, or give to the Community\nChest or do all the other things necessary to support our society.\nOn What Republicans must do to win --\nWe Republicans must start walking across America block by block, stopping\nat every home and farm and factory and dockside along the way, pointing out the failure\nof the Democrats and selling these basic Republican principles I have been talking\nabout.\n- 3 -\nIf we do this, we will retire those Kennedys from the White House to Glen Ora,\nor Newport, or Hyannis Port, or Palm Beach, or wherever else they may have homes by\nthat time.\nThe people who are going to put the wheels under the Kennedy rocking chair\nand push him out of the White House are right here in this room. You have an important\nstate. You have the enthusiasm and the desire. You can get the money. You have the\nindependent spirit of the Abe Lincolns and Teddy Roosevelts and Dwight Eisenhowers and\nother greats of our Republican Party. You have all the ingredients so that you can\nbring victory to us and to the nation in 1964. The question is -- will you accept the\nchallenge ??"
}