Remarks at a Republican Reception in Sioux City, Iowa

Thank you very much. Somehow it seems like I just left. But thank you. I am delighted to be back in the Hawkeye State and in Sioux City, this all-American city whose citizens had planned this marvelous emergency response, a city that was ready for the worst kind of a challenge, a city that opened its hearts to the survivors of a tragedy, a city that inspired the world. Thank you for all you've done.

And I'm delighted to be standing here with a United States Senator who does support me, and, I say, support you, the people of Iowa, for our common objectives. An old friend -- and I'm talking about Chuck Grassley who is making such an outstanding record in the United States Senate.

Let me say a word about his former spokeswoman, who is now so outspoken on behalf of her husband. What a fantastic campaigner -- she is fantastic. Barbara sends her love. I'm talking about Bev Tauke. She's marvelous.

I see some other party leaders, all of whom have been introduced, and I want to thank them. I want to single out the Congressman from the Fifth District, an early and longtime supporter and friend, Congressman Jim Lightfoot, over here. And of course, your very own, from the Sixth District, Fred Grandy. What a job he's doing for his country. And let me also salute Joy Corning -- your next Lieutenant Governor -- and the rest of the Iowa ticket.

That brings me to the main course: two great Iowans, a great present Congressman, a great future Senator, Tom Tauke, and a great Governor, Terry Branstad. Oh, how we need them both reelected and elected.

You know, as I looked across the national scene, I can't think of any Governor who faced a stronger challenge than Terry did in his first two terms. But he prevailed because he believed in the ethic that Tom was talking about. He believed in controlling spending and promoting enterprise. And as the Omaha World Herald put it, Branstad gave the State of Iowa sensible leadership through the hard times of the past few years and guided the State into its current recovery. Terry is more than a Governor who withstood the test of hard times. He's fought for one of the best State educational systems in the entire country. He's more than a Governor; he's a leader. And he's leading Iowa into an even greater future. Send this man back to the statehouse.

I might add that it's little surprise that at the Charlottesville education summit, this first national summit on education with the President and all Governors, Terry and I worked closely to reform American education, just as he's worked for better schools right here in Iowa. And in short, he has been good for Iowa. He's won your support the old-fashioned way: He earned it. And he was also instrumental in formulating these national educational goals for the entire country. And I need him now reelected to be sure those goals are met for the entire Nation.

And now a word about another old friend, a man I've known for many years. We're here on behalf of him. He's also earned the right to represent Iowa. He's a tireless fighter for the family, for the taxpayer, and for the farmer and the working people of the Second District and all of Iowa. And I'm, of course, talking about your next United States Senator, Tom Tauke.

You may not know the whole story of why he decided to run for the Senate. Let me tell you about it. It turns out he was walking right through a field one day, almost lost between towering stalks of corn when he heard a voice -- [laughter] -- and the voice said, "If you run, you will win." [Laughter] So, "Field of Dreams" aside, I share your dream that he be elected to the United States Senate on Tuesday. We need him bad.

We need him. We need him. And it is not my habit to speak against anyone's opponent. I haven't done that, and I'm not going to start now. I'm here to be for Tom Tauke. But I want to just say that I would like to have somebody in the United States Senate that supports me and my objectives a little bit more and not less than Ted Kennedy. [Laughter] So, you figure it out. What he told you about his opponent's support for the President is true. It's written in the Congressional Quarterly. I urge you to look it up.

You know, ours is a party with a vision. We are the party with new ideas -- a vision, a change, a sweep of new thinking that can only come with more Republicans. And we're also a party that's committed to a growing economy, that job-creating engine that every family in America counts on.

And I know in recent months nationally -- delighted the Iowa economy is doing well -- but nationally, we've seen some uncertainty and concern about slower economic growth. And that's why, as President, I had to make a tough decision on this deficit deal. After difficult negotiations, we finally reached that agreement with the party that controls Congress -- both Houses controlled by the liberal elements of the Democratic Party. And the Democrats wanted to raise taxes, including income taxes on working Americans. And they called it -- and Tom stood up and knocked this down -- they called it soak the rich. But here's the fact: Their proposed surtax on the rich to raise -- I think it would have raised $4 billion, was in the very same bill. They were yelling about that. And the liberal Democrats in that same legislation rammed through taxes on the working man and woman of $40 billion -- $4 billion to soak the rich and $40 billion to hit the working man and woman of Iowa. We need Tom Tauke, not more of these liberal spenders, in Washington, DC.

And I agree with Tom. I agree if we had more like him and Fred Grandy and Jim and Chuck Grassley we could get the job done by more cuts in spending and less taxes out of your pocket, because it is our theory that we don't tax you too little, Washington and the Democrats spend too much.

You know, Terry Branstad can give us all a good, sound lecture on cutting waste. Forty-three Governors, like him, already use the line-item veto. I believe he told me he's used it 120 times, working for the taxpayers of this State. And this is an example not lost on Tom Tauke, who has sponsored and fought for the line-item veto where it is needed most of all: in Washington, DC. And if we put Tom and more like him in the Senate, we can make that line-item veto the law of the land. And if Congress can't do it, give the President a chance to cut that spending.

I'd also like to ask you to compare the records on our crime legislation, legislation to try to curtail crime at the Federal level. Shortly after I took office, I stood before the United States Capitol and called on the Congress to pass tough new laws to help America take back the streets. And instead, in the final hours of this Congress, Democratic liberals completely gutted our package to fight against violent crime.

Now, let me just tell you what Tom Tauke and I want. We want habeas corpus reform because convicted criminals should not be able to endlessly delay justice. We want to reform the exclusionary rule so this judge-made law won't let the guilty go free. And because we believe in backing up our law enforcement officials, we want something else: We want a Federal death penalty for drug kingpins, for terrorists, and those who wipe out Federal law enforcement officials. Republicans are the ones who have more sympathy for the victims and a little bit less for the criminals. That's the kind of vote we need in the Senate.

I believe we're beginning to win this war against drugs. Our national strategy is beginning to work. And there's some heartening information about this -- heartening evidence and statistical evidence. So, I don't want to be here with a message of gloom and doom. I believe the Nation is waking up to the idea that we can no longer tolerate the drug culture. But I would say this: We need people like Tom Tauke in the Senate so justice can be done. I happen to believe that a strong offense against the narcotic traffickers is what we need, not this coddling by the law that the Democrats have put up with.

And there are many, many other reforms. We've also, frankly, achieved a lot. I don't want to be just on the negative side; we've achieved a lot recently -- remarkable, considering that we're a minority in the House and a minority in the United States Senate. We fought for a responsible clean air bill. And we asked Congress to cut acid rain, to cut smog by harnessing new technology with the power of the marketplace. We fought for this, and we won it. And one of the ways we can clean the skies of America is, as you know in this State so well, with alternative fuels. So, we can cut our dependence on foreign and give our business to the American farmer.

Another good thing that Tom and his fellow Iowans in the Senate and House Republicans have fought for was a responsible child-care law, one that rejects that old liberal Democrat idea of warehousing children, one that would put choice in the hands of American families. Republicans want to empower parents, not the Government, to choose those who will take care of their children. And we won that battle, thanks to Tom and others.

So, I guess what it boils down to is our vision, a vision based on good, old-fashioned family values. In education, in child care, in protecting the environment, Republicans are the ones that are determined to bring hope and opportunity to millions taken for granted by the Democrats. And if ever you despair about our political process, think that it's not working, remember this is your country. It belongs to those who work in the fields and the factories, and it belongs to those who teach the children of Iowa so well -- and God bless our teachers for the job they're doing with our young people.

America belongs to the people, and America's leaders should reflect that simple fact. And so, let's make election day an opportunity day. Let's return, of course, Jim Lightfoot and Fred Grandy to the Congress. That's off to a good start right there. And let's send our great Governor back to Des Moines: Terry Branstad. And then let's take a look at that Senate and send me some people that I can work with for the values that you believe in, someone to help Chuck Grassley, not just cancel out his vote on every issue. And I'm, of course, talking about Barbara and my friend Tom Tauke. Elect him on Tuesday. Work your heart out. We need him. He can make a difference for Iowa and for the United States of America.

Thank you, and God bless the United States.