Robert Dole photo

Remarks in Montgomery, Alabama

October 26, 1996

[JOINED IN PROGRESS]

I noticed a lot about Richard when he changed parties. He looks better. Said he eats better, sleeps better. He votes the same, but he just looks like a better person.

And I know he must feel good inside, he can sleep at night not worrying about all these big liberals like Ted Kennedy and Bill Clinton and all the other people he has to put up with.

[applause]

Now, this campaign is about telling the truth. You wouldn't know that from listening to the president, to the vice president. But it's about telling the truth, telling the American people the truth, letting the American people make the judgment. And the truth is that the federal government is too big and it spends too much of your money.

[applause]

And that's why we've been talking about an economic package.

And I want to say to everybody in this audience, I know you're probably suspect, I know you're skeptical. Some may even be cynical because candidate Clinton came to Alabama in '92 and he said, "The centerpiece of my first four years will be a middle class tax cut."

Well, what you really got, as you remember, is the largest tax increase in the history of America.

I said that one day on the Senate floor and a Democratic friend of mine, colleague, said, no, in the history of the world. So I've modified it. The largest tax increase in the history of the world, after you were promised a tax cut.

Remember, it was liberal Bill Clinton, candidate Clinton who talked about health care, and then he got elected. And then he came to us with this giant health care package.

And of course health care is a problem, we're working in a lot of areas. But he wanted the federal government to take it over — $1.5 trillion in new spending, 17 new taxes, price controls, 50 new bureaucracies. And the Congress said no because the American people said no.

[applause]

DOLE: But I think if President Clinton has a chance again, he'll try it again, he'll try it again, because he's a liberal inside and out. Don't let him fool anybody in Alabama or anywhere else in America.

Now, what have we proposed to do? We are the party with ideas and we are the party with an agenda. And keep in mind that Dole-Kemp are two four-letter words you can teach your kids. You can teach your kids Dole-Kemp, Dole-Kemp, Dole -Kemp.

AUDIENCE: Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp!

DOLE: Well, we're going to give you a tax cut. You haven't had a federal tax cut for ten years. It's 15 percent across the board. It's $500 per child tax credit, every child under 18. It's cutting the capital gains rate in half to create more jobs and more opportunities in Alabama. And we're going to get it done for the average family.

We have a basic principle in mind. The principle is that it's your money. This is your money. It is not my money. It's certainly not Bill Clinton's money.

It's your money and you should not have to apologize to the government because they take so much. They ought to apologize to you for taking so much of it in the first place. It's your money.

[applause]

And for the average family of four in Alabama making, say, $30,000 a year, that's $1261 tax cut, that's an 86 percent tax cut, $1261 per year.

What can you do with it? Day care, whatever, take a vacation, mortgage payments. But it's your money. You can spend it better than the United States government can spend it.

[applause]

Now, of course President Clinton says we can't afford it. Well, he can't afford it. He says the government has to have it, but he's got all these great ideas in mind where the government will tell you how to run your lives and what to do, and if you do the right things you might get something for it.

But our view is this. As I said, it's not our money, it's your money. We have one simple difference. And he thinks that, you know, they can't do without it.

I asked him in the first debate, he said, well, you can afford a tax cut. Well, if he needs a tax cut or he wants a tax cut, he makes $200,000, what about the rest of the American people making a lot, lot less. They need a tax cut, too.

[applause]

And that is just phase one. Phase two of our tax plan is a fairer, flatter system and end the IRS as we know it.

[applause]

And let me say to senior citizens — I don't think any came today, but if you know of any senior citizens — President Clinton and the labor bosses have spent about $91 million trying to frighten seniors all across America this past year.

DOLE: $91 million.

[boos]

You don't read about it in the mainstream media. They don't print anything in the mainstream media except pro-Clinton pieces.

But in some parts of the country maybe you've heard about it. Maybe you've heard about it.

Ninety-one million dollars — and what are they telling seniors?

Well, that Bob Dole's going to push you off the Medicare rolls. Or Bob Dole's going to cut Medicare.

Medicare grows 7 percent a year under our economic plan. Remember it was Mrs. Clinton who said we ought to have zero growth in Medicare.

It grows 7 percent under our plan. Mr. Clinton start telling the American seniors the truth. And stop trying to frighten seniors.

[applause]

In 1983, when Social Security was about to go belly up, Ronald Reagan, a Republican, and Tip O'Neill, a Democrat, got together and said we've had enough politics.

Let's stop preying on the fears of senior citizens. Let's have a bipartisan, nonpartisan commission and let's resolve this issue.

And I happened to be on that commission. And in 1983, we solved it. We rescued — we saved Social Security. So 40 some million people still get their checks on time.

And I want to be the president who saves Medicare in 1997. And I will do it.

[applause]

Now let me give you just a few differences between me and President Clinton because you know, he's really already had to terms. The first term he was a liberal — the first two years.

And then the American people said, we've had enough of that. Let's send him a Republican Congress and slow down some of that.

So the last couple of years he's been trying to act like a conservative. But let me give you just a few little things here.

I'm for a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. He's against a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. One big difference.

I'm for an amendment to protect the flag of the United States of America.

[applause]

And he is opposed to the amendment.

I believe in an amendment that would permit voluntary prayer in school. And he is against it.

[applause]

I will appoint no-nonsense conservative judges to the district court, circuit court, and Supreme Court. And he will appoint liberals.

[applause]

You send me the partial-birth abortion bill and I will sign it. I will not veto it.

[applause]

And you may have different views on abortion. Maybe pro-choice or maybe pro-life. But if you understood this procedure, you would not be for it.

But President Clinton, like he does everything else, tries to have it both ways. Well, if you just put in this little amendment.

We put an amendment in to protect the life of the mother. It was my amendment. He vetoed it.

DOLE: Don't let him get away with it. He just can't — he looks you in the eye and walks right over the facts — every day, every day, every day.

[applause]

There's another difference. He's about to leave the White House, and I'm about to move in.

[applause]

And I said earlier today — if I had a dollar for every time — if I had a dollar for every time Clinton leveled with the American people, I would keep one and give the other one to Elizabeth.

[laughter]

And I can't remember those two times either.

This is serious business.

What about the war on drugs? Alabama can't escape drugs more than my state of Kansas.

Since he's been president of the United States, drug use ages 12 to 17 have doubled. He's been AWOL. He's been AWOL before, but now he's been AWOL in the war on drugs.

[applause]

And in our administration, we will cut drug use 50 percent in the first four years.

[applause]

And maybe you've read — maybe not, depending on what paper you take — that drug dealer who gave $20,000 bucks and went to the White House for dinner. He's not coming to dinner in my White House.

[applause]

And I know how much you are crazy about foreign aid down here in Alabama.

I've been waiting all these years for foreign aid to come to America and just last week, we learned about it. It's coming from Indonesia.

It's coming from India — all over the world, money's coming into America, right into the president's coffers, right into his campaign coffers.

Let me give you an example. This one guy said — I'm related to Mahatma Gandhi over in India. He gave the president a phony plaque. He was in the White House. The president shook hands. Then he gave $300,000. He owes $10,000 in back taxes. Where did he get the $300,000? You guess.

You guess.

And then Vice President Gore goes out to the Buddhist temple in LA, where most everybody takes a vow of poverty, and he raised $122,000 — not bad.

Next I predict they'll be going to homeless shelters with fund raisers and somebody will be there to launder the money for them.

Is there no honor in this administration or in this White House?

CROWD: No.

DOLE: When will the American people have had enough? When will the American people wake up?

CROWD: Now.

DOLE: The election is 12 days away and I'm sending out a wake-up call all across America. Don't inflict this on America for four more years.

We can't take it.

[applause]

CROWD CHANT: We want Dole! We want Dole! We want Dole!

DOLE: What you want is honesty and integrity and truth in government and someone who'll look you in the eye and say I'm going to do this and then he or she does it. That's what you want. That's what the American people want. That's what the American people will get with Bob Dole in the White House.

[applause]

DOLE: Now, don't pay any attention to all those polls. I'm like Jack Kemp. Don't watch the score board. You might fumble. Don't watch the score board. Keep your eye on the game. And the game is winning on November 5, winning in Alabama. OK?

[applause]

And then we'll have a great first lady in the White House with Elizabeth.

[applause]

She is so talented, Eleanor Roosevelt's trying to reach her. That's how talented she is.

[laughter]

[applause]

And we will build that bridge to the future with a foundation, a foundation of honesty and honor and duty and country and all the basic values you learn in Alabama and Tennessee or wherever you're from, or Kansas; things you've fought for.

I view this as another fight for America. I fought for America once. I'm fighting for America again. This is not about me; it's about you. It's about your family.

[applause]

Name one thing this president has done that you can be proud of. Write it down. It'll take you a while to think of anything. Name one thing, one thing. He's everything to everybody. That's not what's good for America.

We need strong leadership. We've lost respect around the world. We're not feared by our enemies or respected by our friends. Ask John McCain, ask Jerry Denton, ask anybody else who understands what it's all about.

This is serious business. And I need your help between now and November 5. Can I have your help?

[applause]

As Lee said, proud to be an American. But I have one more thing I want you to be proud of. I remember how proud I was when I voted for Dwight Eisenhower for president of the United States. I want you to be proud of your vote, proud of your vote; not just on the fifth, but a year from now, or two years from now or 10 years from now; the impact it's had on your family and on your business.

Then you'll look back and say, I made the right decision. I made the right decision when I voted for Bob Dole and Jack Kemp and America's better for it. And we go into the next century stronger, respected, drug use down, taxes lower, more jobs in the private sector, a better country all the way around for everybody in America.

Everybody in America will benefit in our administration. It's going to be different. We are going to win.

I want to thank you all very much for being here today.

[applause]

Thank you very much on the left. And thank you very much on the right. And thank you very much in the middle.

This election is about you. Stop and think about it. Think about what's the most important to you; probably your family, your children. And think about drugs and think about this administration. And think how they've done nothing, or virtually nothing, to stop the flow of drugs.

I will use the National Guard, if necessary, to stop the flow of drugs at the border.

DOLE: We are going to stop the flow of drugs into America.

So we're ready to go to work. And I'm the most optimistic man in America. And on November 6th, Clinton's going to be the most surprised man in America.

[applause]

And if he will leave his change of address card, we'll send him his tax cut next year, too.

Thank you very much and God bless America.

Thank you.

Robert Dole, Remarks in Montgomery, Alabama Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/285470

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