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8/17/76 - National Federation of Republican Women
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1133476
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document
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8/17/76 - National Federation of Republican Women
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collections
Carla A. Hills Speeches
Speeches
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Fiscal policy
Great Society
Presidential campaign, 1976
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17
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1976-08-17
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8
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1976
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17
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1976-08-17
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8
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1976
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The original documents are located in Box 2, folder "8/17/76 - National Federation of
Republican Women" of the Carla A. Hills Speeches 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. Gerald Ford 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States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.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.
Digitized from Box 2 of the Carla A. Hills Speeches at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
FINAL
NATIONAL FEDERATION OF REPUBLICAN WOMEN
AUGUST 17, 1976
ON THIS EVE OF CONVENTION BALLOTING, IT WOULD BE NAIVE
FOR ANY OF US, HERE, TO PRETEND THAT WE ARE NOT DIVIDED ON
SOME THINGS,
BUT, I'D LIKE TO LEAVE OUR INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN
THE CAUCUS ROOMS -- FOR THE TIME BEING -- AND SALUTE THE VERY
IMPORTANT THINGS THAT GIVE US UNION, BOTH AS REPUBLICANS AND
AS REPUBLICAN WOMEN.
CERTAINLY WE CAN START WITH ONE GREAT THING WE CAN AGREE
ON: AND THAT IS HOW LUCKY WE ARE TO HAVE so MANY OUTSTANDING
REPUBLICAN WOMEN OF ACHIEVMENT ON OUR SIDE. JUST TO NAME TWO
HERE WITH US TODAY: NANCY REAGAN AND BETTY FORD.
As A CALIFORNIAN, I HAVE A LONG-HELD AFFINITY FOR NANCY
REAGAN AS THE FIRST LADY OF MY STATE -- A TITLE SHE STILL HOLDS
IN THE HEARTS OF CALIFORNIANS.
As AN AMERICAN, I AM so PROUD OF BETTY FORD AS THE FIRST
LADY OF MY COUNTRY -- CANDID, OPEN, WARM, AND SPARKLING ---
TRULY A LADY OF THE FIRST ORDER WHO HAS ACHIEVED THE UNPRECEDENTED
APPROVAL RATING OF OVER 70 PERCENT OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE --
MALE, FEMALE, REPUBLICAN, DEMOCRAT -- LOVED BY so MANY BECAUSE
FORD
SHE IS THE MAGNIFICENT PERSON SHE IS,
of
GERALD
-2-
So, KEEPING IN MIND THE GREAT THINGS WE DO HAVE, WE CAN
SALUTE ONE OF THE GREAT THINGS WE DON'T HAVE: WE DON'T HAVE
TO GO OUT OF THIS CONVENTION AND CAMPAIGN ON THE DEMOCRAT
PLATFORM.
IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FULL TEXT OF THE DEMOCRATS'
PLATFORM OF PROMISES, I RECOMMEND YOU DO. NOT FOR YOUR READING
PLEASURE, BUT AS AN EXERCISE IN THE OCCULT. BECAUSE, IT IS
TRULY "BEYOND THE REALM OF HUMAN COMPREHENSION" HOW ANY
ADMINISTRATION CAN POSSIBLY PAY FOR ALL THOSE PROMISED GOVERNMENT
SCHEMES AND, AT THE SAME TIME, CUT THE BUDGET AND REDUCE TAXES.
IN MY PARTICULAR AREA, I TOTED UP THE POTENTIAL COST OF
THE DEMOCRATS' VAUNTED HOUSING PLATFORM, WOULD YOU BELIEVE A
MINIMUM OF $62 BILLION FOR HOUSING ALONE?
YET WE KNOW, BECAUSE THE RECORD OF HISTORY PROVES, THAT
OUR PRIVATE ECONOMY CANNOT SUSTAIN SUCH AWESOME FEDERAL DEFICITS
WITHOUT THE EROSION OF THE VERY FINANCIAL RESOURCES THAT ARE
VITAL TO THE GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY OF OUR FREE ENTERPRISES,
WHICH ARE THE SOURCE OF FIVE OUT OF SIX JOBS.
GERALD
-3-
JUDGED ONLY BY THE YARDSTICK OF THEIR PLATFORM, WE ARE
WARNED THAT FEDERAL EXPENDITURES UNDER A DEMOCRATIC ADMINISTRATION
WOULD DRIVE OUR COUNTRY TO THE WALL AND MOVE US INTO A NEW
ERA OF TOTAL BUREAUCRACY FROM WHICH THERE WOULD BE NO HOPE OF
RESCUE.
IN PLACE OF PRUDENT AND POSITIVE ACTION FROM THE OVAL
OFFICE, WE'D RETURN TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE 1960's, A DECADE
IN WHICH WE AS A NATION EMBARKED ON A CRUSADE FOR A NEW FRONTIER
AND A GREAT SOCIETY AND IN SO DOING WE SQUANDERED OUR RESOURCES,
DECIMATED OUR CITIES, ROLLED UP A STAGGERING $350 BILLION
FEDERAL DEBT. THE EXHORBITANT EXPENDITURES FAILED TO BUY ANY
REAL SOLUTIONS TO OUR COMPLEX ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL PROBLEMS,
BUT INSTEAD FIRED A RAGING INFLATION, AND GENERATED A PAINFUL
RECESSION WHICH SEVERELY SHOOK PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE
CREDIBILITY AND STABILITY OF BOTH BUSINESS AND GOVERNMENT.
TRADITIONALLY, POLITICAL CAMPAIGNS HAVE BEEN WAGED AND
WON ON THE PROMISE OF "MORE FOR EVERYBODY". BUT THESE ARE
NOT TRADITIONAL TIMES. WE, AS REPUBLICANS, MUST TAKE TO THE
PEOPLE THE LESSON FOR WHICH WE, AS A NATION, PAID so DEARLY
IN THE 1960's -- THAT NO MATTER HOW MUCH WE MAY WILL IT -- A
"SOCIETY" IS NOT SUDDENLY MADE "GREAT" THROUGH WELL-MEANING
PROGRAMS WHOSE SOLE SOURCE OF SUSTENANCE IS THE FEDERAL EXCHEQUER.
-4-
IN CONTRAST TO PROFLIGATE POLICIES THAT SIMPLY "THROW"
MONEY AT AMERICA'S PROBLEMS, WE MUST FOCUS ON THE BENEFITS
THAT HAVE COME TO US AS A NATION THROUGH A COURSE CHARTED
WITH RESTRAINT AND REASON. THE POLICIES FOLLOWED, AGAINST
STRIDENT DEMOCRATIC OPPOSITION, OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS,
CONSTITUTE THE HONORED REPUBLICAN POLICIES OF FISCAL RESTRAINT;
OF GOVERNMENT IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE, LOCALLY CONCEIVED,
LOCALLY EXECUTED AND LOCALLY EFFECTIVE -- THROUGH THE CONCEPTS
OF REVENUE SHARING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS;
OF RELIANCE ON THE PRIVATE SECTOR THROUGH FREE PRIVATE ENTERPRISE,
RATHER THAN BIG GOVERNMENT HAND-OUTS, TO CURE OUR ECONOMIC ILLS.
THAT IS THE REPUBLICAN APPROACH. IT IS AN APPROACH THAT
HAS WORKED AND WILL CONTINUE TO WORK FOR ALL THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
As A RESULT OF THOSE POLICIES, WE HAVE SEEN IN ONE SHORT
YEAR: PERSONAL SPENDABLE INCOME JUMP BY $83 BILLION. OUR
GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT GO FROM $1.5 TRILLION TO A PREDICTED
$1.7 TRILLION, RETAIL SALES INCREASE 16 PERCENT. AUTO SALES
38 PERCENT. GENERAL MERCHANDISE 11 PERCENT. HOUSING STARTS
38 PERCENT. NEW FACTORY ORDERS HAVE RISEN FROM $78 BILLION
TO $95 BILLION. TODAY, OVER 3 MILLION MORE AMERICANS ARE
WORKING THAN ONE YEAR AGO,
THE FUTURE PROGNOSIS IS JUST AS BRIGHT.
-5-
EVEN THE DEMOCRATIC ECONOMIC EXPERTS HAVE REPORTED TO
THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES THAT THEY CANNOT ATTACK
THE REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATION ON THE ECONOMY.
IN THE FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
CALLING FOR STRONGER FEDERAL STIMULUS TO BOOST THE ECONOMY,
THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE HAS HAD TO CONFESS THAT THE
ECONOMY IS NOW ON A COURSE OF CONTINUOUS GROWTH AND GRADUALLY
DECLINING UNEMPLOYMENT.
To QUOTE THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE DIRECTOR:
"THROUGH THE END OF CALENDAR 1977 WE DON'T SEE THIS
RECOVERY STALLING OUT -- AND THIS ECONOMIC GROWTH WILL BE
SUFFICIENT TO LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT."
THIS IS OUR ISSUE. AND IT IS AS CLEARLY DRAWN IN ITS
POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY AS IS THE ECONOMIC PLATFORM LAID DOWN
BY THE DEMOCRATS IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN LAST MONTH.
WE NEED NOT LAMENT THE MINORITY STATUS OF OUR PARTY.
OUR UNFORTUNATE EXCLUSIVITY SHOULD GENERATE A COMRADERY
THAT BINDS US FAR MORE CLOSELY WITH FAR MORE PURPOSE THAN
THE NEWLY BORN "COALITION" WHICH GOVERNOR CARTER PUT
TOGETHER AT THE DEMOCRATIC CONVENTION.
-6-
OUR ISSUE BINDS US TOGETHER -- AND OUR ISSUE CAN CRACK
THE THIN COATING OF TOGETHERNESS WHICH NOW, OSTENSIBLY, IS
REGARDED AS A DEMOCRATIC PARTY STRENGTH.
OUR COMMON RESOLVE AND OUR COMMON PURPOSE CAN BE CONTAGIOUS.
IN THE FINAL COUNT, THE REAL TEST, FOR BOTH PARTIES, IS HOW
WELL THEY DO IN ATTRACTING VOTERS WHO INDEPENDENTLY ASSESS THE
ISSUES. As FOR PARTY CROSSOVERS, THE DEMOCRATS HAVE LESS TO
GAIN FROM OUR NUMBERS THAN WE DO FROM THEIRS. AND LESS STILL,
IF WE STICK TOGETHER,
As REPUBLICAN WOMEN, WE ARE JOINED TOGETHER BY YET ANOTHER
BOND -- BY THE REAL ACHIEVEMENT OF WOMEN UNDER THE BANNER OF
REPUBLICAN ADMINISTRATIONS DATING BACK TO THE EISENHOWER YEARS.
WE HAVE WOMEN IN THE CABINET, PRESIDENTIAL COUNSELLORS AND
ASSISTANTS, AS AMBASSADORS, THE CHIEF OF PROTOCOL, ASSISTANT
SECRETARIES, COMMISSIONERS, BOARD CHAIRMEN, AND FEDERAL JUDGES,
THE REPUBLICAN PARTY WAS THE FIRST TO HAVE A FULL
Co-CHAIRMAN -- WITH ELLIE PETERSON LEADING THE WAY FOLLOWED
BY ANNE ARMSTRONG, BOTH OF TREMENDOUS CAPABILITY. AND RIGHT
NOW, WE HAVE THE ONLY, FULL-TIME NATIONAL CHAIRMAN -- AS YOU
KNOW -- DOING A MAGNIFICEINT JOB -- OUR BELOVED MARY LOUISE,
-7-
INDEED, EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM QUALIFIES AS A REPUBLICAN
WOMAN OF ACHIEVEMENT.
AND OUR NEXT ACHIEVEMENT -- WORKING TOGETHER -- IS TO
ENSURE THAT THIS COUNTRY WE LOVE so MUCH WILL HAVE FOUR MORE
YEARS OF REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP.