For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
July 13, 2004
Vice President's Remarks at a Victory 2004 Reception with An Introduction by Mrs. Cheney
Omni William Penn
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
6:25 P.M. EDT
MRS. CHENEY: Good evening. (Applause.) What a pleasure to be
here with all of you. (Applause.) Thank you, thank you very much.
Evans, what a kind introduction. I want to thank you for that, and I
want to thank you for all you have done for the Republican Party and
for the Bush-Cheney ticket. You deserve our gratitude. (Applause.)
Well, Evans mentioned that I was interested in history, and that's
why I have this job of introducing the Vice President because I know
his history. (Laughter.) I have known him for a very long time. In
fact, I have known him since he was 14 years old and working as a
janitor at the Ben Franklin store in Casper, Wyoming. Now, that wasn't
his first job. Before I knew him, he'd been a paper boy. And it
certainly wasn't the last job he had when he was in high school and
college. I made a list today of some of the jobs he had. He clerked
at a candy story. He bussed tables in a cafeteria. He loaded trucks
for a dollar-an-hour. One summer he started out working in a bentonite
plant, filling sacks full of a hundred pounds of bentonite and loading
them on to railroad cars. Then -- and this will surprise you, he got
his union ticket. (Laughter.) And as a member of the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, he spent six years, on and off,
building power lines to help pay his way through school.
Well, our lives have changed a lot since then, but we have never
forgotten the lessons of hard work that we learned, and the importance
of friends and family and teachers who offered encouragement and
support. We live in a great country when a young man with small-town
roots and values and common sense can represent his state in the
Congress, can become Secretary of Defense, and can serve as Vice
President of the United States. (Applause.)
Along the way, I would add, he has been a great husband, and a
great father. And he is a fabulous, if somewhat soft-hearted
grandfather. (Laughter.) When the littlest granddaughter, Gracie, who
has developed quite a voice as the result of growing up with two older
siblings, when Gracie comes through the front door of the Vice
President's house, she usually demands in tones that can be heard
through the whole three floors of the place, she demands to know,
where's Dick? (Laughter.) And he is so happy to see those little
girls, and they to see him. And it makes me so happy. And it is such
a pleasure and honor for me this evening to introduce to you, my
husband, Dick Cheney, the Vice President of the United States.
(Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: (Applause.) Well, thank you very much. It's
great to be back in Pittsburgh. And I appreciate Lynne's warm
introduction. She and I stopped here over the Fourth of July weekend,
of course, and they had a terrific event at the Soldiers and Sailors
Memorial here in Pittsburgh. We had the chance to spend a Sunday with
Rick Santorum, who is doing a superb job, by the way, for the people of
this state. (Applause.)
Lynne has been introducing me that way for some time now. She
points out, I guess, Saturday we're going to be visiting our hometown
in Wyoming for our 45th high school reunion, if you can believe that.
I don't know what happened to 45 years. But it's been a big 10 days
for us. A week ago Friday, our first grandson was born, new addition
to the family. (Applause.)
And I explain to people -- one of my favorite stories is the fact
that if hadn't been for Dwight Eisenhower's election victory in 1952,
our lives would have turned out very differently. In 1952, I lived in
Lincoln, Nebraska as a youngster with my folks. Dad worked for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture. Eisenhower got elected, he reorganized
the Agriculture Department, Dad got shipped to Casper, Wyoming. And
that's where I met Lynne. And we grew up together, went to high
school. And we'll celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary here in a two
weeks, August. (Applause.) Which means we didn't get married till we
got out of high school. (Laughter.) People out there calculating all
those numbers. (Laughter.) But I explained to a group of folks the
other night, if Dwight Eisenhower hadn't won that tremendous victory in
1952, Lynne would have married somebody else. And she said, right, and
now he'd be Vice President of the United States. (Laughter.) There's
no doubt in my mind.
But I'm delighted to be back here this evening the President and I
have a very good feeling about Pennsylvania this year. We've both
visited the state many times. Of course, on Friday, he was here
speaking in York, and Lancaster, and Kutztown. We've got tremendous
support in this state, and with your help, Pennsylvania is going to be
part of a great nationwide victory on November 2nd. (Applause.)
As you know, a lot has changed over the past week. I now have an
opponent in the campaign. In fact, Senator Kerry announced his choice
right here in Pittsburgh. I called Senator Edwards to welcome him to
the competition, and we had a very nice conversation. Somebody said to
me the other day that Senator Edwards got picked for his good looks and
charm. I said, "How do you think I got this job?" (Laughter.) Why is
that funny? (Laughter and applause.) We're going to save the hair
jokes for later. (Laughter.)
We're looking forward to a spirited contest this year, up and down
the ballot. I'm proud to be helping out Republican candidates across
Pennsylvania. Earlier today I had the opportunity to campaign with two
of your outstanding House candidates, Scott Paterno, in Harrisburg; and
Charlie Dent, down in Bethlehem. They'll make great additions to the
U.S. Congress. Congressional races are always crucial, but that's even
more true in times like ours, with the two parties so evenly divided in
Washington. As Vice President, I've cast several tie-breaking votes in
the Senate, including on vital elements of the President's tax relief
program. I don't deserve any special credit for the way I voted. You
can be certain that when the President sent me up to Capitol Hill those
days, I got pretty clear instructions on what I was supposed to do.
(Laughter.) But if we'd had even one less vote in the Senate -- or if
we hadn't maintained control of the House of Representatives -- we
would not have been able to pass our economic plan. And we would not
have enjoyed the strong, growing economy we enjoy today. (Applause.)
That's why it's so essential that we get behind Republican candidates
all across America, and that why it's so essential to re-elect senators
like Arlen Specter to the United States Senate. (Applause.)
These last three-and-a-half years have brought some serious
challenges to our country, and we are meeting those challenges with
strength and resolve. Today, the American people can be confident of a
better future, a stronger economy, and a nation that is more secure,
because of the character and the leadership of President George W.
Bush.
In the weeks following the terrorist attacks -- (applause) -- in
the weeks following the terrorist attacks on America, people in every
part of the country, regardless of party, took great comfort and pride
in the conduct of our President. Since 9/11, he has led a steady,
focused, and relentless campaign against the enemies that struck
America that morning and killed some 3,000 of our fellow citizens.
With the President's leadership, we are fighting the war on terror --
and we will win the war on terror. (Applause.)
Many of al Qaeda's known leaders have been captured or killed.
Those still at large are on the run, and we are going to hunt them
down, one by one. (Applause.)
In Afghanistan, we removed the brutal Taliban from power and
destroyed the camps where terrorists trained to kill Americans. In
Iraq, America and our allies rid the Iraqi people of a murderous
dictator, and rid the world of a gathering threat to our peace and
security. Saddam Hussein once controlled the lives and the future of
nearly 25 million people. Tonight he's in jail. (Applause.) Because
we acted, Afghanistan and Iraq have gone from terrorist states to free,
sovereign nations, and future democracies.
The defeat of tyranny and violence in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the
rise of democracy in a troubled region, will be a crucial setback for
international terror. Because we are strong and resolute, these
nations will never go back to the camp of tyranny and terror. And
America will never go back to the false comforts of the world before
9/11. Terrorist attacks are not caused by the use of strength. They
are invited by the perception of weakness. (Applause.) This nation
has made a decision: We will engage the enemy, facing him with our
military in Afghanistan and Iraq today, so we do not have to face him
with armies of firefighters, police, and medical personnel on the
streets of our own cities. (Applause.)
From the beginning, America has sought -- and received --
international support for our operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In
the war on terror, we will always seek cooperation from our allies
around the world. But as the President has made very clear: There is
a difference between leading a coalition of many nations and submitting
to the objections of a few. The United States will never seek a
permission slip to defend the security of our nation.
We are extremely fortunate during these times of testing to have
the dedicated service of our men and women in uniform. They are
proving every day that when we send them to defend our country, we are
sending the very best of the United States of America. (Applause.)
One of the most important commitments that President Bush and I made
during the 2000 campaign was that the armed forces would be given every
resource they need and all the respect they deserve, and we have kept
our word to the United States military. (Applause.)
These are not times for leaders who shift with the political winds,
saying one thing one day and another, the next. (Applause.) And that
bring to mind our opponents in this campaign. (Laughter.) Many times
prior the war in Iraq, Senator Kerry described Saddam Hussein as a
threat to the United States. And Senator Edwards called Iraq, the most
serious and imminent threat to our country.
Like our administration, other members of Congress, members of the
U.N. Security Council, and member of the previous administration,
Senators Edwards and Kerry reviewed the intelligence and concluded that
Saddam Hussein was a threat. They voted to authorize the use of
force. But now they have developed a convenient case of campaign
amnesia. (Laughter.) I've watched them on TV the last few days,
waffling and weaving, backing and filling. They seem to have forgotten
that they looked at the same information the President did, and that
they came to the same conclusion. The President made the right
decision, and John Kerry is simply to rewrite history for his own
political purposes. (Applause.)
In 2002, after years of defiance by Saddam Hussein, the U.N.
Security Council demanded -- yet again -- a full accounting of his
weapons programs. Saddam said no. So the United States had a choice
to make: Either rely on the good faith of a dictator who had started
two wars; used weapons of mass destruction against his own people; and
provided safe haven for terrorists -- either rely on such a man, or
take action to defend America. President Bush made the only
responsible decision a leader of the United States could have made:
Our President chose to confront the dictator and defend the American
people. And he was absolutely correct to do so. (Applause.)
Defending America also means supporting the troops, especially
those in combat and under fire in Afghanistan and Iraq. Last fall, at
the President's request Congress considered legislation providing
critical funding for our troops for body armor, and other vital support
such as: hazard pay, health benefits, ammunition, jet fuel, vehicles,
and spare parts. The legislation passed overwhelmingly with a vote in
the Senate of 87 to 12, and that small group of 12 senators voting "no"
included Senator Kerry and Senator Edwards.
AUDIENCE: Booo! (Laughter.)
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Lynne says the crowd is getting ahead of me
here. (Laughter.) Later on, Senator Kerry gave one of those
explanations we've all come to expect from him. He said, "I actually
did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it." (Laughter.)
Well, that sure clears things up. (Laughter.)
The second time the issue of troop funding came up, Senator Kerry
and Senator Edwards signaled their own priorities by not even showing
up for the vote. Ladies and gentlemen, the last thing our nation needs
is politicians who support a decision to go to war, and then try to
rewrite history, and then fail to support the troops they voted to send
into battle. (Applause.)
This is a time for steady leadership in the White House, for a
Commander-in-Chief of clear vision and resolve. And that's why our
nation needs George W. Bush for four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: I'm going to take this crowd with me to the
next stop. (Laughter.)
There is no doubt that great events will turn on this election.
The leader who sits in the Oval Office -- and the men and women who
represent us on Capitol Hill -- will set the course of the war on
terror, and set the direction of the American economy for many years to
come. Strong, consistent leadership is required, both on our actions
overseas, as well as our policies here at home.
Our economy has been tested these past three-and-a-half year, and
we have responded with strong, decisive action. When we took office,
the stock market was declining, and our economy was sliding toward
recession. Then, on 9/11, terrorists struck our nation and shook the
economy once again. We faced a basic decision -- to leave more money
with families and businesses, or to take more of your tax dollars for
the federal government. President Bush made his choice. He proposed
and delivered tax relief -- not once, not twice, but three times --
resulting in substantial tax savings for the American people.
(Applause.) Over the past three years, America has had the fastest
growing economy of any major industrialized nation in the world.
Since President Bush took office, more than 4.6 million
Pennsylvania taxpayers have seen their federal tax burden reduced; 1.5
million married couples here now pay lower taxes because we reduced the
marriage penalty; and more than 1.1 million Pennsylvania families now
pay lower taxes because we doubled the child tax credit. (Applause.)
For individuals and families, the average savings from the President's
across-the-board tax cuts topped $1,500. You are using that money far
better than we would have in Washington, and we did the right thing by
returning it. (Applause.)
The Bush tax relief has helped our economy create jobs for ten
consecutive months, and we've added more than 1.5 million new jobs
since last August. In Pennsylvania, tax relief has helped to send over
44,000 men and women to work in the last three months, and to lower the
unemployment rate to 5.1 percent from its peak of 5.9 percent early
last year. The national home ownership rate is at a record high.
Productivity is high. Incomes and wages have been rising. And in the
last year, our economy has grown at a rate of nearly 5 percent. The
American people are proving the pessimists wrong, the Bush tax cuts are
working. (Applause.)
We've seen the positive effects of tax relief, and we know how to
keep a good thing going. We will work with Congress to make the Bush
tax cuts permanent. (Applause.)
Let me mention a few other items on our agenda. For the good of
this economy, we also need to end lawsuit abuse. Junk and frivolous --
(Applause.) Junk and frivolous lawsuits can ruin an honest business.
They put people out of work. They clog the courts, delaying justice
for people with real legal grievances. It's a lot easier for America's
businesses to hire new workers if they don't have to keep hiring
lawyers. (Applause.)
We need medical liability reform to control the costs of health
care. Here in Pennsylvania and across the nation, including our home
state of Wyoming, doctors should be able to spend their time healing
patients, not fighting off frivolous lawsuits. (Applause.)
Our country also needs a comprehensive energy policy. It's time
for Congress to pass the common-sense plan the President submitted
three years ago, a plan that would promote domestic energy production,
modernize our electricity grid, promote conservation, and make the U.S.
less dependent on foreign sources of energy. (Applause.)
Our opponents have a different vision for our economy. They talk a
lot about jobs, yet they never explain how they would put a single
American back to work. They oppose effective reform of our legal
system, and, in fact, they're against medical liability reform.
They've helped block the energy plan in the Senate. Their big idea for
the economy: To raise our taxes.
In fact, they would repeal many of the Bush tax cuts within their
first 100 days in office. This isn't surprising when you consider
their record. Over the years, Senator Kerry has voted over 350 times
for higher taxes on the American people -- including the biggest tax
increase in American history. That's an average of a vote for higher
taxes every three weeks for the last 20 years. At least the folks back
in Massachusetts knew he was on the job. (Laughter.)
Listen to the other side's proposals between now and November, and
you'll see a clear pattern. Their plans would increase the power of
the Washington bureaucracy, increase the clout of trial lawyers, and
increase the size of the government's claim on your paycheck. And they
would not create jobs, nor would they drive economic growth. What
we're hearing from the other side is the failed thinking of the past -?
and we're not going back. (Applause.)
Under the strong economic leadership of President Bush, this nation
is going to continue moving forward with an aggressive, optimistic,
pro-growth, pro-jobs agenda.
President Bush and I will also continue to defend our society's
fundamental rights and values. We stand for the fair treatment of
faith-based charities, so they can receive federal support for their
good works. We stand for a culture of life, and we reject the brutal
practice of partial birth abortion. (Applause.) We believe that our
nation is one nation under God, and that Americans ought to be able to
say so when they pledge allegiance to the flag. (Applause.) The
founders of this great nation acknowledged God in the Declaration of
Independence. But we have judges now who seem to have forgotten its
history. We also have a situation in the United States Senate where
Democrats, including Senators Kerry and Edwards, are blocking the
President's mainstream appointments to the judiciary. Senators Kerry
and Edwards made sure that the Senate never got to vote on a fine man
like Miguel Estrada, a man who came to this country as an immigrant
from Honduras, graduated from Harvard Law School, and served as a clerk
in the U.S. Supreme Court. Senators Kerry and Edwards are keeping fine
people like Miguel Estrada off the bench, and it's time for this
travesty to end. (Applause.)
On issue after issue, the choice on November 2nd will be clear at
every level of the ballot. On national security, it's a choice between
our President, a man of steadfast resolve and his opponent who wavers
with the political winds. On the economy, it's a choice between our
President, who has taken action and led America to days of progress and
opportunity, and his opponent, who would take us backward. On the core
values of this great country, it's a choice between our President, who
has advocated and supported these values throughout his career, and his
opponent, who is the most liberal member of the United States Senate.
AUDIENCE: Booo!
THE VICE PRESIDENT: On all these issues, we welcome the contest
ahead, and we know -- with your help -- it is a contest we will win.
(Applause.)
The President and I are both honored by your confidence in us, and
by your commitment to the cause we all share. We're grateful to our
many friends in Pittsburgh, and across Pennsylvania. We'll see you
again many times before Election Day. And together, we are going to
see our cause forward to victory on November 2nd.
Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 6:47 P.M. EDT
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