Remarks at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tennessee

Really number one is because Elizabeth will be first lady, that's number one.

[applause]

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

[laughter]

Well, let me say it's a great honor to be here, be here with Ed. Ed's going to carry me right through here in his district. Thanks a lot, Ed. And Carol's going to carry me through in her district.

[applause]

And I want to thank the governor, governor — Don's done a great job. This was his district, as everybody knows. He did a great job starting back in 1982 in this congressional district.

And my good friend and my mentor who taught me most everything I know, Howard Baker will be an important voice in a Dole administration.

[applause]

I see a Kappa Sig back there, too. Hi, fellas.

[applause]

All right. Sal, I want to thank you for letting us come, and General Gilbert — where's General Gilbert? I don't get to see too many generals. I was a second lieutenant. But they're sure exciting to see, a general.

[laughter]

And I'm honored to be near Fort Campbell. It's one of the great forts in America, outstanding men and women there. We're proud of it.

[applause]

I was stationed in Camp Breckinridge, Breckinridge, a long time ago, and I've known about Fort Campbell for a long, long time. And I want to say, as the governor said, I particularly take my hat — well, I don't have a hat, but if I had one I'd take it off...

[laughter]

... to all the veterans here today, all those men and women and families of veterans and relatives of veterans who have made America what it is today — free, free, free, free.

[applause]

And as we left Washington, D.C. today, I told Elizabeth, let's drive by the Lincoln Memorial.

DOLE: I need a little inspiration. I need to reflect about America and about the Republican Party and maybe have a word or two of silent prayer.

And so we did.

We are going to win this election, Mr. Lincoln.

[applause]

We are the party of Lincoln and I'm proud of it.

I've read a lot about Lincoln, and I know the good times, the bad times, the doubtful times. But he never lost his focus.

And he did what he set out to do, and that's to save the Union, keep us together.

That's what I, in a different sense, am trying to do — keep America together. Honor the public trust in America. Honor the public trust in America.

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Understanding when you're elected president of the United States, you have a special obligation to all the people to keep your word. Keep your word.

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Regardless of your party, regardless of your philosophy, nobody has a higher obligation than the president of the United States.

And I must say, as I read about all the things happening just in the last week — not just in the last four years — I've got to believe the American people, I've got to believe there are a lot of Democrats and independents who are saying — what's going on in this White House?

Every day — every day, there's some new revelation — every day.

Happening in the White House.

Elizabeth mentioned the White House security. Nobody knows who hired Craig Livingstone.

But he's down there...

[laughter]

Oh.

Well, I guess you got the word first. I didn't know it was...

[laughter]

But in any event, what this election's about in this last few days, there's plenty of time — you are the polls. You're the polls. You're the polls right here.

[applause]

Here are the polls.

And I'm sorry the president could not be here today because he's missing his own retirement party, right here in Clarksville.

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There are a lot of differences between Bob Dole and Bill Clinton, and one is I'm getting ready to move in and he's getting ready to move out of the White House.

And I think I speak for people of Tennessee and people of Kentucky and people all over America who believe it's time to restore strong principled, trust-worthy leadership in the White House.

DOLE: That's what I think is happening across America.

[applause]

We cannot afford four more years of scandal and weak leadership. We can't afford it.

We've been that way before. I must say it happened on our watch. And the liberals have had their chance. And on November 5, the American voter's going to say it's time for you to go. It's time for you to go.

[applause]

So, I view the campaign as being a campaign about telling the truth. And the truth is that the federal government is too big and spends too much of your money, too much of your money, your money, your money.

[applause]

And I wouldn't say a thing to offend the media.

[laughter]

No. But I want to stress something because a lot of people in the media who don't understand the economy very well report on it. And they've been reporting all these past — oh, this is a great economy. It's tough for Bob Dole because the economy's so good.

Well, let me tell you, today, I'm afraid, the truth about the Clinton economy is getting easier to see and easier to understand. Because let me tell you what happened. This morning we learned that our economy is slow and getting slower and slower and slower because third quarter growth has fallen to a paltry 2.2 percent; 2.2 percent.

It has dropped in half since the second quarter. Now, this is a real economic slowdown. And I might say it's disastrous news for American workers and businesses and even worse news for low-and middle-income Americans who have been squeezed and squeezed and squeezed by lower wages and higher taxes in this administration.

But I'm afraid the bad news doesn't end there. Evidence of a week, limping economy is everywhere, everywhere. Sales growth is now the worst it's been in four years. Exports grew by a tiny, in the third quarter,.6 percent. They are completely stalled.

In the last quarter of 1992 when Candidate Clinton was talking about the Bush economy, exports were growing at 6 percent — 6 percent; now it's.6 percent.

Now, that was the strong economy that Bill Clinton inherited. And yesterday we learned that consumer confidence has dropped for the second month in a row. Yesterday we also learned from the Labor Department that workers pay is not keeping up with inflation. And these are the worst numbers we've seen in 20 years.

Now, what does that mean? It means that personal bankruptcies are up to a new record, over a million.

DOLE: Credit card debts have never been higher. All these things have been mounting and mounting and mounting.

At the same time, the economy is driving down wages, at a time when families need to be keeping and saving more.

So all this falls to empty talk about the so-called Clinton recovery comes to an end. It ended today with today's announcement. Take off the mask. It's not Halloween. But take off the mask.

The economy is not good. If the economy were growing at 3.5 percent, which it will grow under our plan, there'd be more jobs in the private sector, higher wages. In fact, wages for women have gone down 3 percent in this administration. Women's wages down 3 percent. Wages for men just about the same. Just about the same.

So today, in America, the economy is barely afloat. Today, the White House should finally wake up and admit that its policy of higher taxes and bigger government has been dragging down our economy.

You can't raise taxes and make the economy grow. Somebody pays. You know who paid in that big, big tax increase of $265 billion?

Seventy percent of it was paid by small businessmen and small businesswomen in Kentucky and Tennessee and all across America. Thirty-two billion was paid in higher gas taxes. And then the seniors chipped in, too, because they increased taxes on your benefits. And not a single Republican voted for that tax increase, and I'm proud of the Republicans in Congress who stood up and said, no, no, no.

[applause]

It's hardly news to American families who've spent the last three years working harder and saving less. And it's hardly new to the American families, after this historic tax increase, that now you pay 38.2 percent, almost 40 percent, the highest ever in taxes.

So a lot of families — and probably some represented here — in a lot of families it's fine if both parents want to work, that's fine.

But a lot of families, the second parent is forced to work, one for the family, and the other just to pay the taxes, because of this faltering economy. And the president said in the debate we had — it really wasn't a debate, we both showed up, and that was about the end of it. But in any event...

[laughter]

He didn't want to debate. He thought he was sitting on a lead. He's going to be surprised next Wednesday morning. In any event, so...

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He said in that debate in Hartford, he said, I have created 11 million jobs. Well, I thought the governors had something to do with that. Lowering taxes, like Don Sundquist, a lot of things created jobs. The private sector created jobs.

But I met a guy the other day that got three of those jobs from President Clinton.

[laughter]

He had to have three of them just to pay his bills.

He had his regular job and two other jobs. And that's what's happening in America.

DOLE: People are working more, more jobs.

So what's a president's prescription for the falling economy? A federal government that grows and grows and targeted tax cuts that are written in vanishing ink, because everything they propose is tied up with a million conditions and all the fine print.

Take their child care credit he talks about whenever he goes around the country. You get it when your child is under 13, but you lose it when your child turns 14.

You get another tax advantage when your child becomes 18, but you lose it when your child turns 20.

And you've got to go to college, and you've got to keep your room neat, and all those other things, or you lose it.

And we think Craig Livingstone, this White House guy, is going to be in charge of room cleaning and all that stuff. So, he'll have another job.

[laughter]

It is one catch, one catch after another. But hidden in the fine print is the biggest catch of all.

Most of the president's targeted tax cuts expire December 31 in the year 2000, but all these tax increases to pay for it go on and on and on and on forever. That's the old liberal's dream, tell them you're going to get a little tax cut, raise taxes to get the tax cut, and then keep the tax cut, let them expire in a couple of year, but keep the tax increases forever.

In other words, it's going to be paid for with a massive, delayed action tax increase that has yet to whisper a word, he hasn't told anybody about it. But he will.

It doesn't take a team of economists to tell you what happens when you mix slow growth with increased taxes. That's a recipe for economic collapse. And for three years we've seen this so-called Clinton recovery.

Now, if other presidents had known all you had to do to make the economy grow is to raise taxes, don't you think somebody would have discovered it before. President Kennedy said we've got to cut taxes. Ronald Reagan said we have to cut taxes.

Governors — Republican governors say you have to cut taxes. It's your money. Give people more of their money back and let them decide how to spend it, let them decide how to spend it.

[applause]

So, if this is a recovery, I can hardly wait for the recession, if this is a recovery.

Now, my economic plan is designed to steer the economic ship the other way. Let families keep more of what they earn, and cut taxes to boost the economy and make us the most productive, competitive nation on the face of the Earth.

Now, how are we going to do this, because you're at a real disadvantage. I just read about a study yesterday where 81 percent of the networks report on our plan [audio gap] the United States to understand our plan [audio gap] the anchor [audio gap] or anchorwoman have made up their minds. They want you to think it's not a good idea, so they tell you it's not a good idea. I [audio gap] that was their job.

I thought they were supposed to report the plan, report the plan, report the plan.

[applause]

Why can't...

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Why can't we trust the voters to make up their minds?

DOLE: And I do trust the voters. I trust the people — President Clinton trusts the government.

So let me just tell you very quickly about our plan, because you probably haven't gotten a good picture of it you've watched television.

So, it's a 15 percent across the board tax cut, 15 percent. A $500 tax credit for every child under 18. And we're going to make the economy grow faster by cutting the capital gains rate in half, 50 percent reduction.

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Now, in Tennessee or Kentucky a family of four making $30,000, that's a tax cut of $1,261, it's a reduction of last year's taxes by 86 percent.

Now, $1,261 to some may not be a lot of money, but it is if you're making $30,000 a year.

And what can you do with it? Maybe child care, maybe mortgage payments. You know, maybe even take a vacation with your family, that's not illegal, take — you ought to take a vacation instead of Hazel O'Leary flying around the world at your expense.

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And you should not have to apologize for wanting to keep more of what you earn. The government ought to apologize for taking so much of it in the first place. That's where it ought to happen.

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And this is just phase one. In phase two, we'll have a flatter, fairer, simpler system, and we're going to end the IRS as we know it.

[applause]

That's it.

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Now, President Clinton and Vice President Gore, who visits Tennessee from time to time, have called our fiscal plan a risky $550 billion scheme. Now, those are their words, risky scheme. You heard it in the debates all the time. You've heard it over and over and over.

Now, let me tell you what's really risky. That would be re-electing Bill Clinton and Al Gore. That is risky, that is real risky.

[applause]

DOLE: Not next year, or not next month, but before Election Day. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe the next day.

How much longer will America have to wait for the answers? Americans want a president who will not hide the truth from them.

Somebody who will tell them the truth. Look them in eye — look them in the eye — and say this is what I intend to do. And this is what I will do. And then keep your word.

Remember in 1992 when they came to Tennessee and said, we're going to give you this tax cut?

Anybody gotten it yet? No.

It's not going to happen.

And then he had the big tax increase. Then he gave you the big medical care plan that president — I mean that Elizabeth — President Dole — Elizabeth Dole talked about. She thought I'll be the next president.

[laughter]

But in any event. That's the way it works.

I want to thank you all for being here today. And I would just say finally, first, I want to ask you for your vote.

In Kansas if you don't ask for their vote, you don't get it. So I want to make certain I don't make that mistake. I want to ask you for your vote. And I want you to think about it.

I want to think about it. It's serious business.

[applause]

Your vote is very precious thing.

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Your vote is...

CROWD: Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp!

DOLE: Thank you. Let me just take 30 seconds. I'll just take 30 seconds. Your vote is very precious thing.

I remember when I cast my first vote for Dwight Eisenhower. I was proud of it then and I'm proud of it now. I want you to be proud of the vote you cast on November 5. And I want you to be proud of it a year from now — or 10 years. I want your children to be proud of it.

This is about America. And as I see the veterans around here, I want to say especially to you. You know, we all fought for America once. We're fighting for the heart and soul of America again. Make no mistake about it.

We've lost respect around the world. Our enemies don't fear us. Our friends don't respect us. It's time for strong leadership.

And I will provide leadership for a better America as we go into the next century.

Thank you very much. And God bless America.

[applause]