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Republican Dinner, Springfield, MO, October 14, 1972
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4526458
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Republican Dinner, Springfield, MO, October 14, 1972
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This file contains material relating to George McGovern.
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The original documents are located in Box D33, folder "Republican Dinner, Springfield,
MO, October 14, 1972" of the Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File
at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. The Council donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
House galliries
Ollice Capy
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. SATURDAY--
October 14, 1972
Excerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at a Republican Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
October 14, 1972, at Springfield, Mo.
I call George McGovern the "backaway candidate.'
He backed away from Tom Eagleton and he has backed away from nearly every
proposal he made during the primaries except his proposed $30 billion cut in
defense.
And that's a backaway, too, because McGovern is urging the United States to
back away from its commitments all over the world. He wants us to back away from
the Atlantic Alliance by unilaterally cutting our forces in Europe by more than
half. He wants us to back away from our support of Israel by cutting off aid to
Greece and thus losing our naval bases there. He wants us to back away completely
from Indochina, thus allowing that entire region of the world to go Communist. He
wants us to back away from our policy of flexible response by cutting our armed
forces by 40 per cent, thus leaving us with only the alternatives of surrender or
nuclear war in the event an aggressor attacks us.
George McGovern is running a completely phony campaign. Do you know what
his fund-raising literature says? That George McGovern "wants to cut $30 billion
in fat and waste out of our military spending.'
What was Sen. Hubert Humphrey's response to that claim while Humphrey and
McGovern were contesting for the Democratic Presidential nomination? Said
Humphrey: "I submit that the McGovern defense proposal cuts into the very muscle
of our defense. It isn't just cutting into waste; it isn't just cutting into
manpower. It's cutting into the very security of this country." On this issue,
I agree with Hubert Humphrey.
If anybody needed proof that McGovern is irresponsible all he had to do was
listen to McGovern's paid television address of last Tuesday night. The man is
absolutely incredible. He talked about Vietnam as though we still had over a
half million men there instead of 35,000. He completely ignored the fact that
President Nixon has ended our ground combat role in Vietnam. He moaned and groaned
about the bombing of North Vietnam and omitted any mention of atrocities committed
(more)
Digitized from Box D33 of The Ford Congressional Papers: Press Secretary and Speech File at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-2-
by the North Vietnamese against the people of South Vietnam. I think George
McGovern really believes the Vietnam War is a just war from the standpoint of the
North Vietnamese and wants them to win. It seems of no concern to him whether
all of Indochina falls into Communist hands.
George McGovern simply is not concerned about communism. I challenge him
to deny whether he cares if any given country in the world goes communist or not.
As for amnesty for draft dodgers, McGovern has made it clear he favors a
general amnesty for those men who fled the United States to avoid serving their
country. He said that he "personally" would want to serve the country in some
fashion to make up for draft evasion, but he would not as President demand any
such service. How could McGovern take any other position when he keeps calling
Vietnam a "wrong war" and feels those who evaded the draft were morally right?
So much for George McGovern's irresponsible foreign policy views.
He would also be a disaster as President in dealing with our domestic
problems.
Take his ,000-per-family welfare proposal, for example. This really adds
up again to his crazy $1,000 handout scheme on the basis of a family of four. As
Hubert Humphrey said in reaction to George McGovern's welfare proposals, "What's
new about putting people on relief?"
And that's what McGovern would do with his $30 billion defense cut, too--put
1.8 million people out of work and then use tax dollars to bail them out.
Sen. McGovern's most recently announced package of economic proposals
embodies the same grave risks as his earlier, far-out schemes. His programs would
require either huge increases in the tax burden of the average American or massive
deficit spending and increased inflation which would disrupt the Nation's economy
and erode the purchasing power of the wage earner.
George McGovern would be a disaster as President and a McGovern Congress
would also be a disaster for the American people. That's why I urge you to do
everything possible to elect Gene Taylor--and other men like him to the U. S.
House of Representatives.
President Nixon has had amazing success in the international arena, where
he is able to operate unencumbered by an opposition Congress. Think what he could
do in solving domestic problems if he had a Congress that would work with him and
help him to succeed rather than seek his defeat.
Look at the Congress just ended. That Congress enacted only about half of
the President's major proposals.
President Nixon is a reform President, and the 92nd Congress should have
been a reform Congress. Instead the 92nd Congress dragged its heels and looked
for every possible excuse to thwart or drastically modify Presidential
initiatives in the domestic area.
What the President needs now is a Republican Congress made up of men like
Gene. Taylor--a Republican Congress which will work with him to move this country
forward toward greater progress and a full generation of peace.
# # #
Distribution: 20 copies with
Galleries moon 10/13/72
M Office Copy
only
CONGRESSMAN
NEWS
GERALD R. FORD
HOUSE REPUBLICAN LEADER
RELEASE
--FOR RELEASE AT 6:30 P.M. SATURDAY--
October 14, 1972
Excerpts from a Speech by Rep. Gerald R. Ford at a Republican Dinner at 6:30 p.m.
October 14, 1972, at Springfield, Mo.
I call George McGovern the "backaway candidate."
He backed away from Tom Eagleton and he has backed away from nearly every
proposal he made during the primaries except his proposed $30 billion cut in
defense.
And that's a backaway, too, because McGovern is urging the United States to
back away from its commitments all over the world. He wants us to back away from
the Atlantic Alliance by unilaterally cutting our forces in Europe by more than
half. He wants us to back away from our support of Israel by cutting off aid to
Greece and thus losing our naval bases there. He wants us to back away completely
from Indochina, thus allowing that entire region of the world to go Communist. He
wants us to back away from our policy of flexible response by cutting our armed
forces by 40 per cent, thus leaving us with only the alternatives of surrender or
nuclear war in the event an aggressor attacks us.
George McGovern is running a completely phony campaign. Do you know what
his fund-raising literature says? That George McGovern "wants to cut $30 billion
in fat and waste out of our military spending."
What was Sen. Hubert Humphrey's response to that claim while Humphrey and
McGovern were contesting for the Democratic Presidential nomination? Said
Humphrey: "I submit that the McGovern defense proposal cuts into the very muscle
of our defense. It isn't just cutting into waste; it isn't just cutting into
manpower. It's cutting into the very security of this country." On this issue,
I agree with Hubert Humphrey.
If anybody needed proof that McGovern is irresponsible all he had to do was
listen to McGovern's paid television address of last Tuesday night. The man is
absolutely incredible. He talked about Vietnam as though we still had over a
half million men there instead of 35,000. He completely ignored the fact that
President Nixon has ended our ground combat role in Vietnam. He moaned and groaned
about the bombing of North Vietnam and omitted any mention of atrocities committed
(more)
-2-
by the North Vietnamese against the people of South Vietnam. I think George
McGovern really believes the Vietnam War is a just war from the standpoint of the
North Vietnamese and wants them to win. It seems of no concern to him whether
all of Indochina falls into Communist hands.
George McGovern simply is not concerned about communism. I challenge him
to deny whether he cares if any given country in the world goes communist or not.
As for amnesty for draft dodgers, McGovern has made it clear he favors a
general amnesty for those men who fled the United States to avoid serving their
country. He said that he "personally" would want to serve the country in some
fashion to make up for draft evasion, but he would not as President demand any
such service. How could McGovern take any other position when he keeps calling
Vietnam a "wrong war" and feels those who evaded the draft were morally right?
So much for George McGovern's irresponsible foreign policy views.
He would also be a disaster as President in dealing with our domestic
problems.
Take his $4,000-per-family welfare proposal, for example. This really adds
up again to his crazy $1,000 handout scheme on the basis of a family of four. As
Hubert Humphrey said in reaction to George McGovern's wel proposals, "What's
new about putting people on relief?"
And that's what McGovern would do with his $30 billion defense cut, too--put
1.8 million people out of work and then use tax dollars to bail them out.
Sen. McGovern's most recently announced package of economic proposals
embodies the same grave risks as his earlier, far-out schemes. His programs would
require either huge increases in the tax burden of the average American or
sive
deficit spending and increased inflation which would disrupt the Nation's economy
and erode the purchasing power of the wage earner.
George McGovern would be a disaster as President and a McGovern Congress
would also be a disaster for the American people. That's why I urge you to do
everything possible to elect Gene Taylor--and other men like him to the U. S.
House of Representatives.
President Nixon has had amazing success in the international arena, where
he is able to operate unencumbered by an opposition Congress. Think what he could
do in solving domestic problems if he had a Congress that would work with him and
help him to succeed rather than seek his defeat.
Look at the Congress just ended. That Congress enacted only about half of
the President's major proposals.
President Nixon is a reform President, and the 92nd Congress should have
been a reform Congress. Instead the 92nd Congress dragged its heels and looked
for every possible excuse to thwart or drastically modify Presidential
initiatives in the domestic area.
What the President needs now is a Republican Congress made up of men like
Gene. Taylor--a Republican Congress which will work with him to move this country
forward toward greater progress and a full generation of peace.
# # #