Remarks in Buffalo, New York

Come on, Elizabeth. Get Elizabeth next to me here. All right. Right here.

[applause]

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

DOLE: How do you feel? All right. Thank you very much.

[applause]

There are more people here than there are in my hometown.

[laughter]

[applause]

In fact, there are 3,000 people coming in now that couldn't get in earlier. So now, they're coming in, and we're very excited about.

[applause]

Do you think I made the right choice in picking Jack Kemp as a running mate?

[applause]

I had the opportunity last night and the pleasure of meeting members of the Bills who played with Jack, and they were all praising his ability — most of them. And...

[laughter]

Now, Jack was never in a Super Bowl. But we're going to be in a Super Bowl on November 5, 1996, and we're going to win the Super Bowl.

[applause]

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

DOLE: Sounds good to me. All right.

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

DOLE: Let me say I'm very proud of my wife, Elizabeth. She did a great job at the convention.

[applause]

ELIZABETH DOLE: Thank you.

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

[laughter]

Well, I feel good about the convention. Don't you think we did a pretty good job out in San Diego?

[applause]

It was so — we were so unified. We came together as a party. We came together as people. We reached out to independents and Democrats. It was so unexciting for some of the media, they left early.

[laughter]

Because we were so unified, and we're going to be unified, and that's how we're going to win on November 5, 1996.

[applause]

So thank you very much, Gencoya . And I must say I'm honored to be here on Pavosky Day. This is a great city.

DOLE: It reminds me a lot of what American is all about. And so...

[applause]

I'm pleased to be the man that Jack Kemp brought with him today.

[laughter]

Jack Kemp told me he had a career that left him battered, bruised, down on the ground, and out of breath. And I said, Jack, enough about politics.

[laughter]

Let's talk about football.

[applause]

So when we go to the Super Bowl, it's going to be very important — and I want to repeat what both Senator D'Amato and the governor had to say — and I would say this to Democrats and Republicans and Independents.

This election is not about personalities. I consider President Clinton to be my opponent, certainly not my enemy. This election is about the future of America. This election is about ideas and about our agenda.

As far as I'm concerned, it's about opening up this party of ours. We are an inclusive party. Everybody's welcome. There are no litmus tests in the Republican Party.

[applause]

And it's about reaching out to Independents and Democrats. I want to carry the great state of New York, and I believe we can carry the great state of New York.

[applause]

And if we can carry western New York, the rest is going to be easy...

[applause]

... because I attended Brooklyn College a long time ago, and I know I'll be solid right in that area. Yes.

[laughter]

I'm glad to see Jim Kelly here today. Jim?

[applause]

Has it changed a lot since Jack left? No, nothing changed?

JIM KELLY: Artificial turf.

DOLE: I told the people I wanted a number 10 for vice president, and I got a number 15.

[applause]

And we've been adding up all — that was Jack's number, as you remember. He also has 11 grandchildren and four kids, that's 15. He was nominated on the 15th of August.

[applause]

You add up 96 — nine and six — that's 15.

[applause]

Any more, Jack?

[laughter]

He's lost 15 pounds. That's 15.

[applause]

And we have a 15 percent tax cut. That's the big one.

[applause]

Fifteen percent — 15 percent, and we'll do it, we'll do it, we'll do it.

And I've even added up what it's going to mean to former President Clinton. He's going to get a break, too. He'll get a 15 percent tax cut, whether he wants it or not.

[applause]

Because we're going to change the game plan for the next four years.

DOLE: It's going to be back to the American people. I trust the people in this audience. I trust the American people. President Clinton trusts the government.

Let's stick with the people. Let's stick with the people all across America.

[applause]

And don't let the pundits or the experts, and all the talking heads you see around saying you can't do it — we can balance the budget and put more money in your paycheck at the same time, including a $500 per child tax credit.

[applause]

If you have one child, that's $500. If you have two, that's $1,000. If you have 10, you're probably too busy to fill out your taxes, but that's $5,000.

[laughter]

$5,000 you take right off the top.

So we're also going to cut the capital gains rate in half so you can go out and provide more opportunities and more jobs for more people in this part of New York.

[applause]

We've had enough plant closings in Buffalo. It's time to get people back to work and create jobs and opportunities everywhere.

[applause]

And we're going to take the field next January. And one of the first things we're going to do — we're going to send the IRS to the showers. We're going to end the IRS as we know it.

[applause]

And it's my honor today to introduce my running mate. Well, let me first say how proud I am of Joanne Kemp. She's done an outstanding job — a great lady.

[applause]

I think Jack will tell you she married a quarterback and has two in the family, so that's not bad. But I'm going to be the quarterback for about 80 days, and then I'll turn it over to Jack. But in any event, we're excited. We're excited.

Throughout Jack's career, he stood up for the worker, the family, the entrepreneur, the people who work hard, the people who save their money and invest and sacrifice for their families and sacrifice for the communities to make their communities or their state or their nation a better place in which to live.

He was the foremost champion of Ronald Reagan's tax cut — remember the Kemp-Roth tax cut, the biggest tax cut in the history of America?

[applause]

And it spurred the longest economic expansion in the history of America. The longest economic expansion in peacetime in the history of America. And helping pass that tax cut was one of my proudest achievements. I was chairman of the Finance Committee, and I had that great honor.

And Jack has always stood on the principle that all Americans should have the opportunity to move forward together, with no one left behind. No one's going to be left behind in our administration starting next year.

[applause]

Jack has been a champion of a growing economy that can make a better future for everybody, for all of us, and that's what this campaign is all about. I want to say one thing — don't be frightened.

You know, President Clinton's got a lot of money to spend on television. He ran against Lyndon LaRouche, who was in jail at the time, but that qualified as an opponent.

DOLE: So he got $15 million from the government to go out and attack Bob Dole and Jack Kemp. And they're going to be doing a lot of it. They've got four different attack ads on the television right now. They can't make up their mind what to do.

Well, I've got news for them. Go back to Arkansas and Tennessee. That's one thing you can do that would help a lot of people.

[applause]

And I wish President Clinton would study our tax cut. I think he's going to unveil one at their convention. And he'll say this is just what the people need.

Remember, there are probably people in this audience who voted for Bill Clinton in 1992 — I'm not going to ask for a show of hands, because we all make mistakes.

[laughter]

But when he came to Buffalo and came to New York in 1992, what did he promise you? He promised you a tax cut. It was going to be the centerpiece of his first four years.

He gave us the biggest tax increase in the history of America. The biggest tax increase in the history of the world. That's what you got in return.

[boos]

He vetoed a balanced budget. He vetoed tax credits for families with children. He won't let us pass regulatory reform that costs the average family about $6,000 per year. He's put people on the bench who are more concerned about criminals than they are the rights of victims.

And all that's going to change in a Dole-Kemp administration.

[applause]

So I agree with the governor.

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

DOLE: Thank you.

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

DOLE: Thank you very much.

Just let me conclude by saying this. I can't believe the size of the crowd.

[applause]

And I know there are a lot of worried priests and ministers this morning about the collection.

[laughter]

And Jack will make it up, don't worry about it.

But our mission — and I say this with all the sincerity that I can muster — I'm not very complicated. I'm just sort of a plain person. I like people. If I didn't like people, I wouldn't have gotten into politics. If I didn't trust people, I wouldn't have gotten into politics.

And I'm proud to work with Bill Paxon and Jack Quinn and Al D'Amato in the Congress, United States.

[applause]

And let me remind you, in case you've forgotten, you've got one of the outstanding governors in America in George Pataki.

[applause]

And Dennis Vacco's going to pull us all through in this part of the state.

[applause]

But our mission is to restore the American Dream. Now that sort of sounds kind of, well, that's nice. That's kind of fuzzy.

What does it really mean? It means dusting off the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. It's only 28 words long. It's Article 10 of the Bill of Rights.

DOLE: And this is what it says. Unless the power — the Constitution gives the power to the federal government or denies it to the states, it belongs to the states and to the people.

You're the people.

[applause]

It belongs to the states and to the people.

[applause]

CROWD: We love you, Bob!

DOLE: Thank you.

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

DOLE: But let me also say that I hope by 1998 when I am president, Poland and the Czech Republic and Hungary will become part of NATO. We've waited long enough, Mr. President. It's time to expand NATO now.

[applause]

So let me introduce — I played a little football. Not much. I played a little — well, I've played a little.

[applause]

I've also played a little football. But in any event...

[laughter]

I'm a very competitive person. And I want a very competitive person on the ticket.

Jack and I will try to shake every hand here today. We probably won't get it done, but I always reach out to this person who may be the deciding vote. You may be the deciding vote. You're going to make a difference.

And all I ask you is this. Take a look at us. Take a look at our records. Take a look at our programs. And the bottom line is, we're going to trust you. We're going to trust the American people.

We're going to give it back to the states, back to the governors and the legislatures, and the American people. That's the difference between the Dole-Kemp ticket and the Clinton-Gore ticket.

And there's one more thing. Dole-Kemp are two four-letter words you can teach your children — Dole-Kemp.

Jack Kemp, come onboard.