Norfolk, Virginia Remarks at a Campaign Rally for Democratic Candidates for State Office.

THE PRESIDENT. Thank you, Henry Howell. Thank you very much, everybody.

BYSTANDER. That's northern Virginia over there.

THE PRESIDENT. Hi, northern Virginia. [Laughter] Thank you, everybody. Let me get started.

After I got the nomination for the highest office in the world, my first day I came to this spot from Warm Springs, and a brief stop in between and then right here. And the friendship that you showed to me here in Henry Howell country, is something that I'll never forget.

And of course, I watched with a great deal of interest your recent primary campaign, and I'm very proud of the choices that you did make for attorney general, Lieutenant Governor, and for Governor. You formed a rainbow team that can't be beat, a rainbow team that will not let you down, and I'm here to speak for them.

One of my staff members asked me if I knew what a rainbow team meant. I told him that when I ran for Governor of Georgia and was elected, my Lieutenant Governor was Lester Maddox. [Laughter] And I had to say that at the end of the campaign, it was not any way that the Georgia people could tell which end of the rainbow I was on. I ran as an individual and, as has always been the case with Democrats, provided they are close to the people, any sort of definition about conservative, liberal, moderate, liberal-moderate, moderate-liberal, moderate-conservative has very little meaning.

When I ran for President, one of the first questions I would always get from the newcomers to' the news ranks was, "Are you a liberal or a conservative?" My answer has always been, "I vote on each issue as it arises. I make my judgments on the basis of merit. I remember who put me in office. And I try to represent you."

You've got a team on my right that can represent you well. Ed Lane, as a very young man, went to the House of Delegates. He's a man who has the backing and the trust of Virginians of all kinds. His record is a good one--sound conservative management, active in the appropriations committee, understands zero-based budgeting, committed to fairness and equality for all people--a man who is eager to see the office of the attorney general be made more open to serve you. You couldn't find a better platform. And my judgment is that he's strong enough, courageous enough, knowledgeable enough, experienced enough, close enough to you, so when he is elected, he'll carry out his platform. You can't ask for any more, and I believe you can depend on that.

Quite different is Chuck Robb, a relative newcomer to politics running for Lieutenant Governor; ran an extraordinary campaign, nobody thought he had a chance; married into a great family; wanting to represent a great State; eager to see the office of Lieutenant Governor become directly responsible for bringing in new industry, new jobs; being a spokesman for Virginia throughout the world; and at the same time, looking at county and city officials and problems with a special eye to how the State government can be more responsive to local needs.

And you've already seen welded together Chuck Robb and Henry Howell, so you won't ever have to worry about the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor disagreeing on major issues that affect you. An integral part of the team, and a proven vote-getter, who has great political prospects for the future--even greater, perhaps, than Lieutenant Governor of Virginia--I have great confidence in him, and I'm very proud that Chuck Robb is my friend and I can be here to speak for him.

And before I forget, I'd like to say a word about Henry Howell.

It's always good in politics to have longtime friends whom you know, whom you understand, in whose house you've visited, whose family you know, whom you observed over several years in trying times--in office and during a campaign, his campaign and my campaign.

In 1973 1 was the Governor of Georgia; I had no responsibility to Virginia. But I heard about a man who stands on his own feet. I heard about a man who wanted to "keep the big boys honest" and has proven he knows how to do it. I heard about a man who puts his complete faith not in powerful bigshot financiers, bankers, utility company magnates, or even powerful political people, but puts his faith in the average Virginia voter, the working family, the elderly, the struggling, and the proud, who know that our own system of government is best when the people's voice is a voice of a Governor. And when Henry Howell is Governor, your voice will be his voice. That's why I'm proud to be his friend and proud that I came in 1973 to help him in his campaign then.

Unfortunately, he lost by just a few votes, because the rest of Virginia didn't have as good judgment as the Tidewater area. But I think the rest of Virginia has now learned. But if just a few more people here in his home area had gone to vote, he'd have been elected then.

And it would be a serious mistake, when the election comes along this year, for you to take anything for granted. It's very important that his home people who know him best and whom he knows best works hard throughout the State with your kinfolks and relatives and friends, to say, "I know Henry Howell; he'll fight for us. Give him your time and your support and your vote."

I came in on a Wednesday afternoon and campaigned for him in '73. I came back later on, because I liked him so well, and campaigned for him on a Saturday afternoon in farmers' markets, tractor dealerships, up and down the street. And I was disappointed that he lost.

But I've seen him grow even since then, and I believe he has a much sounder judgement now of your needs and the challenges of the Governorship even than he did have then. It won't hurt that he's got a friend in the White House when he becomes Governor of Virginia.

There's no doubt that I'll treat Virginia fair no matter how the campaign comes out. But there won't be any problem in constant communication between Henry Howell and me in the years ahead because he's promised me that if there's ever a need for Virginia people to have the services of a President, that he will not keep me waiting outside the door of the Governor's office in Virginia.

There are some basic changes that need to be made in your State. I started my married life here in Norfolk--1009 Buckingham-as a ,young Navy ensign. And the greatness of our military forces, the greatness of your shipyard capabilities, the constant expansion of job opportunities, the closeness between your unique community and our Central Government in Washington are all a very, precious possession that you have. It would be hard to hope to see a major improvement.

But I think that if Virginia has one failing, it's that the interests of consumers have not been given adequate attention in the years gone by. Now, I believe that every family has got to have the services of a good telephone system and a good power distribution system. But in your State and mine, too, I don't want to see an uncontrolled monopoly.

Henry Howell understands this. And when the price of energy goes up, in most States increases in your power rates have to be approved by a regulatory agency answering to you. But in Virginia the charges are passed on to you automatically. That ought to be changed. And I believe Henry Howell can change it.

I understand that one year the rates went up 15 percent--decided only by the power company. I think that if there was a constraint on them that reasonable cost increases could be passed along. But they'd be a lot more careful not to waste money, and they would begin to realize that it's their money they were wasting instead of your money that they were wasting. This is important to you and to all of us.

We have the same problem in Washington about powerful companies having too much influence. I put forward to the Congress a comprehensive energy package. Part of it calls for deregulation, over a period of time, of natural gas. And it has, in the proposal, enough incentive to encourage increased exploration and a shifting of natural gas into the interstate pipelines so it comes to States like your own and to Georgia, away from the States where the gas is produced. I'm in favor of that.

But the gas companies--very powerful in Washington, as you well know--want to deregulate immediately and add tremendous cost to the American public, not only for new gas to be discovered in the future but for gas that already has been discovered and that will be coming to you in any case.

This latest proposal in the Senate would add about $20 billion to the price of natural gas already discovered in Alaska alone and scheduled to be brought down here. I hate to veto a bill that a Democratic Congress passes, but you can depend upon it: I'll protect your interests when the bill comes to my desk.

So, I've come here in a spirit of friendship, appreciation to you for your confidence in me as President, to ask you for your help now and in the future on behalf of a longtime personal friend in whom I have complete confidence, and to ask your strong, active, dedicated, sacrificial support in these next few weeks for a Democratic ticket that will serve you well.

And it'll make a lot of difference to you who is elected attorney general, who is elected Lieutenant Governor, and who is elected Governor--Ed Lane, Chuck Robb, Henry Howell are a good team. And I believe you and our country will be served well if they are elected. I trust the judgment of Virginia people. And that's why I predict that you and they are going to be very happy when the election night comes.

Thank you very much. I'm glad to be with you.