Lyndon B. Johnson photo

Remarks at a Rally at the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, Pa., Airport

October 14, 1964

Chairman Mellody, Senator Clark, Senator Blatt, Governor Lawrence, Congressman Flood, next Congressman Jim Haggerty, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls:

Within the past week I have talked to people in 15 States. I have seen more than 2 million Americans. I came to this clear conclusion: Americans are more excited about their future than they have ever been before.

They are willing to work hard to build America's greatness.

They are proud. They are not ashamed of their country. They know that we have problems to solve, but they are eager to solve them.

And they believe that their Government is a partner in the enterprise of liberty and not a predatory enemy trying to devour their rights.

After traveling 10,000 miles across this great land in 1 week, I know some of the things that Americans don't want. I have talked to them about these issues, and I can still hear their response ringing in my ears.

They don't want to gamble with the future of social security by making it voluntary.

They don't want to dash the hopes of the farmers by the prompt and the final termination of our farm program.

They don't want to weaken collective bargaining and threaten the rights of our workingmen and our workingwomen.

They don't want their Government to turn its back on our children's rights to an education.

They don't want to tread an uncertain and an untried path in the pursuit of peace. They don't want a government that threatens other nations with "do-it-our-way-or-else" ultimatums.

I think I know some of the things that the Americans do want. They want their President to be a source of leadership and responsibility. They know that a President who strides forward to do the people's business is a bulwark against the decline and chaos in this country. They know that a President who is willing to move ahead, whose means are just, whose ends are democratic, can be the difference between national stagnation and national progress.

And the people want progress. They want to keep moving.

Americans know that the Presidency belongs to all the people. And they want the President to act and be President of all the people.

Something else is very clear. The source of the President's authority is the people. A President who refuses to go out among the people, who refuses to be judged by the people, who is unwilling to lay his case before the people, can never be President of all the people.

The people want to see their President in person. They want to hear first-hand what he believes. They want to decide if he can act for them.

And unless the President goes to the people, unless he visits and talks with them, unless he senses how they respond as he discusses issues with them, he cannot do the President's job. The voice of the people will be lost among the clamor of divisions and diversities, and the Presidency will not become a clear beacon of national purpose.

As long as I hold it, I will keep the office of President always close to all the people. I think I know what it is the people want, and I make that as a solemn pledge.

It is wonderful to be here in Pennsylvania with you today. I have had a delightful trip to all places in the country, but I came down here to talk to you folks and tell you I need your help. When I became your President almost 11 months ago, I told you that with God's help and with your prayers I would do the best I could. I have done that.

Never before in the history of our country have so many people worked so hard to help their President make a success. Business and labor, farmers and women's groups, young people throughout the land, the high schools and the colleges, have all come into the White House and have tried to help their President give this country good government. No one man can lead alone. He must have other people to help him.

Pennsylvania is a great State. You have a great senior Senator there--Joe Clark. He needs a junior Senator, Genevieve Blatt, to come and help him in the Senate. And when Genevieve Blatt becomes your junior Senator, with Joe Clark your senior Senator, this great State will have two good Senators working with their President for all the people of this State.

We need Jim Haggerty in the House, and I hope you people will help us send him there. I spent the morning with Jim. We have been flying all morning. We had a wonderful rally in New Jersey, and we have been talking about some of the problems of this district and this State.

I just want to say this to you people: If you will get out and do your duty the next 3 weeks of this campaign, if you will talk to your neighbor and kinfolks, your uncles and your cousins and your aunts, if you will get them to go to the polls on November 3d--that's 3 weeks from yesterday--and reelect your good Congressman Dan Flood, elect Jim Haggerry, and give us a new Senator in Genevieve Blatt, we will have good government for all of Pennsylvania.

We are operating a prudent government. In the first 2 months of this fiscal year, we spent $676 million less than we did in July and August of last year. We had 25,000 less people working for the Federal Government in July of this year than we had in July of last year. We reduced our deficit in half. We cut the budget over a billion dollars.

We have saved on the things that we did not need to have so we would have the things that we needed to buy. We have a good poverty program. We have a good health program. We have a good education program. We have a good highway program.

We are moving America forward. We need Pennsylvania's help. We need Genevieve Blatt. We need Jim Haggerty. We need Dan Flood. And Hubert Humphrey and I need you November 3d.

Note: The President spoke at 12:25 p.m. at the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton Airport, Avoca, Pa. In his opening words he referred to Patrick J. Mellody, chairman of the Lackawanna County Democratic Committee, Senator Joseph S. Clark of Pennsylvania, Genevieve Blatt, Secretary of Internal Affairs for Pennsylvania and Democratic candidate for Senator, former Governor David L. Lawrence of Pennsylvania, Representative Daniel J. Flood of Pennsylvania, and James J. Haggerty, Democratic candidate for Representative.

Lyndon B. Johnson, Remarks at a Rally at the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton, Pa., Airport Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/242319

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