Remarks in Kettering, Ohio

Well, I'm very honored to be here. I'm very honored to have some special guests. They were announced, but again, I want to repeat their names because they're an example for young people and I want to make certain you understand that they're up here, they're supporting us.

Brod Houser was an Oakland Raider's former star. Brod, happy to have you here today.

[applause]

And Robin Cole, the former star with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Robin happy to have you here.

[applause]

John Keller played on the Olympic Handball Team. Didn't get any medal, but it's the best team we've had for a long time.

[applause]

Matt Gefarin, this great big wrestler back here — he got a silver medal.

[applause]

And we're very proud to have them with us. They've been with us part of the day and we're very proud of that.

And I want to say to all of them we appreciate your taking the day off and helping us out.

It's good to be at this big retirement party for Bill Clinton.

[applause]

I like it.

[applause]

And I want to say right up front, I want to thank Mike DeWine and thank all those who helped put this event together. You know, people just don't show up on the way home. Somebody probably told you something was going on.

[laughter]

Or maybe — maybe you arrived late for the Clinton visit yesterday. I don't know for certain.

[laughter]

[boos]

DOLE: And he's going to get [audio gap] change of address card when he leaves the White House, we'll send it to him next year.

[applause]

I'm sorry my wife Elizabeth cannot be here. She's in Savannah, Georgia. About now, she's probably leaving Savannah, Georgia. But she would be a great first lady.

She's been in Ohio many, many times.

[applause]

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

[applause]

And let me just make a little Ohio claim here. I know not everybody here was born in Ohio, but I have visited Montpelier, Ohio, recently where my grandfather was born and I visited the grave of my great, great grandfather Michael Dole.

So this makes Ohio one of my home states, and I hope you're going to help a home state candidate.

[applause]

That's what this is all about.

[applause]

And I am sort of happy I'm not here tomorrow when the Buckeyes are playing. Nobody would be here tomorrow, but I'm happy to be here today.

[applause]

I remember years ago, a long time ago, we had a tragic airplane crash which took most of the Wichita State football team.

And Richard Nixon was president at that time and he asked me to attend the funeral on his behalf, and he asked me to stop and pick up Woody Hayes to be a representative. And I knew Woody Hayes, and he was a very colorful person. Now and then, he said things like we do in politics, but he had a great career, and he was a great football coach and a great tradition in the state of Ohio.

[applause]

Now I've only got five Buckeyes for good luck.

DOLE: I've got a lot of good luck coming. I want to take just a few minutes to tell you why we believe we're going to win this election.

I said earlier there are really few words I think I want to focus on in the last few days. One is the word fear.

And as you watch all these commercials, particularly if you're a senior citizen or a veteran, and you've been listening to all these commercials — watch these commercials from the Democratic National Committee and from labor leaders who put $35 million into the pot, they all sort of tell you one thing: that Bob Dole's going to cut your Medicaid. Bob Dole's going to take away your student loan. Bob Dole's going to cut your veteran's benefits. There isn't anybody left. There isn't anybody left.

And don't believe one word of it. It's not going to happen in the Dole-Kemp administration.

[applause]

When you don't have any idea, when you don't have an agenda, when you don't have a single bit of evidence on what's going to happen the next four years, not a single good idea, not a single notion, you try to frighten America.

You try to get re-elected by frightening Americans, particularly vulnerable Americans, senior citizens.

I mete a lady in Florida about a month ago. Somebody was wheeling her in a wheelchair. And she wasn't very well at all and said, Senator, don't take my Medicare.

And the lady wheeling her said all she hears and watches all day long are these TV ads, one afternoon. They spent $45 million since April and probably another $10 million since September 1st.

But $45 million from April to September 1st trying to frighten the American people. And it's not even Halloween yet. It's still two weeks until Halloween.

Now the other word is trust.

[applause]

I don't trust people who try to frighten people. I think we ought to tell the American people the truth and let them make up their minds. And I have confidence in the American people, regardless of their party — Republican, Democrat, or independent — they will make the right choice if you give them the facts.

And we will give you the facts. And you will make that decision.

[applause]

So on this trip and other trips around America, I've seen mothers and fathers who are struggling to raise their children the right way.

They want better schools. And they want safer schools. And they want more opportunities for their families.

And I've seen a lot of small businessmen and businesswomen who are working to pay some of the highest taxes — in fact, the highest taxes in our history — 38.2 percent.

[boos]

One spouse works for the family, the other spouse works to pay the taxes. And I've seen senior citizens who are worried about their Medicare, as I said, and their Social Security. And they want to know if they can count on us to keep our promise to them.

DOLE: And I can tell you flat out, and I'll take my oath on it, I'll stake my life on it, we're going to keep our promise. I always keep my promises. My word is good.

[applause]

And most of all, you see the young people. The people over here. Some of the people behind me.

[applause]

And some of the people in front of me who deserve the best possible future we can give them, and that's why I'm running for president of the United States. And that's why I intend to win this election.

[applause]

And Jack Kemp and I have one message for America: we believe the federal government is too big and spends too much of your money. It's too big, spends too much of your money.

[applause]

Now, if both parents want to work, that's fine.

But, it ought to be their choice. They shouldn't be forced to do it to pay the taxes. And let me tell you about our — it's really an economic package, it's not just a tax cut.

Let me give you the six points. Point number one is a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

[applause]

We lost by one vote in the Senate when I was still in the Senate because President Clinton twisted the arms of six Democrats who had previously been for it and they voted against it.

When I'm President of the United States, we will send a balanced budget amendment to the states. It'll be ratified. It'll be part of the Constitution. That's number one.

[applause]

Number two, we are going to balance the budget by the year 2002. We've already started down that path. Number three, there will be a 15 percent across the board tax cut.

[applause]

There will be a $500 per child, child credit.

[applause]

And I know there are a lot of little child credits right out here today.

[applause]

If you're under 18, you're a child credit. If you have two children that's $1,000. If you have five that's $2,500. If you have ten, you're probably too busy to worry about your taxes, but that's $5,000. And that's $5,000 or $2,000 or $1,000 you can spend better than any bureaucrat I've ever met in Washington, D.C.

[applause]

In fact, I said in the debate in Hartford, I said former presidents are going to be eligible for tax cuts, too. And Clinton, who must be worried, said, well I can use it.

[laughter]

Now, if he's making $200,000 and can use it. I bet a lot of people making 25 and 30 and 35 in this audience can use a tax cut.

[applause]

And if you make $30,000, a family of four, you get a $1,261 tax cut.

This is a main street tax cut. It's not a Wall Street tax cut. It's for families with children and it's going to happen.

DOLE: And you're going to be better off. We're going to get the economy to grow, and we're going to balance the budget and cut taxes and cut the capital gains rate in half by 50 percent.

[applause]

And we're going to eliminate the capital gains tax for most homeowners in America...

[applause]

... and repeal Bill Clinton's tax on senior citizens. He talks about Medicare and Medicaid. He's the one who raised taxes on eight million senior citizens' Social Security and we're gong to repeal it.

[applause]

And what about estate tax relief? Some of you probably haven't thought about it, but if you work all your life, the husband works, the wife works, the kids work. You work six and seven days a week.

You get a little property, a little nest egg. Somebody passes on, you've got to sell half the property to pay the estate tax. We're going to start providing estate tax relief so you can keep the farm, keep the business...

[applause]

... keep people employed.

[applause]

And to low-income parents and the low-middle-income parents, we have a program called opportunity scholarships. We believe, regardless of your income in America, your children should have the same opportunities as everybody else to go to the best school possible.

[applause]

It's called school choice.

[applause]

It's called competition.

[applause]

And Governor Voinovich now has a program, an experimental program, in Cleveland.

Low-income parents — I say to low-income parents in Ohio and across America and low-middle-income parents — you know, the presidents sends his daughter to private school. I don't fault that. I applaud that. He wants his daughter to have the best education.

But what about somebody with no power and no prestige and no money in America? They should have the same rights. You shouldn't have to send your child to a bad school in America.

[applause]

It shouldn't happen.

[applause]

And I love teachers, and I love public teachers and I went to public schools and most public schools are good.

But when 25 percent of our high school seniors are functionally illiterate, we've got a problem. And SAT scores are lower, and dropouts are up, and a lot of students who graduate from high school have to take remedial reading in college to pass — to get into college anymore.

We need to change the system. President Clinton can't change the system because the NEA and union leaders in Washington, D.C. have a hammerlock on President Clinton. They won't let him do it.

Education reform will come from Bob Dole and Jack Kemp.

[applause]

Now he'll tell you, like he did in Hartford — oh, I'm for — I'm for school choice. But he won't tell you where.

He'll tell you he's opposed — you know, he's against truancy, which I think takes a lot of courage to be against truancy.

[laughter]

He'll tell you he's for a curfew, but he's also for midnight basketball. How can you have both?

Now, he also says — and I don't dislike President Clinton.

DOLE: Actually, we visit from time to time — haven't visited lately.

But I'll tell you, spending 90 minutes with him is a long time.

[laughter]

[applause]

But he is a good talker. He's a good talker. He's a great talker. He'll talk your socks right off you sometimes.

And now he's at it — and I'll tell you how good he is. He came out here in 1992 and he romanced a lot of people in Ohio and he carried this state.

Because he said, you know what I'm going to do when I get elected? I'm going to cut your taxes.

Now, everybody who got a tax cut raise your right hand or raise your both hands, raise anything. I don't care what you raise. Nobody got a tax cut.

You got the biggest tax increase in the history of America. That's what you got with Bill Clinton.

[boos]

I said that one day on the Senate floor and Senator Moynihan, a Democrat, said, no, not the history of America, in the history of the world, he said.

Then he told you, don't worry about it. I'm going to fix health care. You remember how he tried to fix health care? He wanted to take it all over and turn it over to the government.

That's the last thing we want to do with health care.

He had 17 new taxes. He had price controls. He had 50 new bureaucracies. He wanted to spend $1.5 trillion on all these health alliances. That's what he wanted to do.

But fortunately we were able to stop him in his tracks.

[applause]

Now remember he hasn't changed. He hasn't changed. The only thing that changed is the votes got smart in '94 and elected a Republican Congress. That's what did it.

[applause]

And now Bill Clinton's out there saying, me, too. Me, too. I'm for that. I'm for that. I'm for everything. Everything in America, I'm for.

When he took that train to Chicago to go to their convention, it cost the taxpayers $12 million a mile. Every time the train slowed down, he dropped off another billion here and a billion there.

And as the late Senator Dirksen said, a billion there and a billion there soon adds up to real money.

It cost you a lot of money to get him to Chicago. And it'll cost you a lot more to get him out. And he's going to spend a lot of your money in the next 20-some days trying to get re-elected.

But I believe the American people understand. They want leadership.

They want the facts. Give you the facts and you will make the right decision.

[applause]

There's only one...

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

DOLE: I carry around in my pocket — I know you can't see this, but it's a copy of the 10th Amendment of the Constitution.

DOLE: It's only 28 words long. It's been around a couple hundred years. It wasn't dreamed up by me and Newt Gingrich. It's been around over 200 years.

[laughter]

And what it says in effect is this — because our founding fathers were worried about an all-powerful central government that could literally confiscate your property through taxes or invade your privacy or do whatever.

So they put this in the Constitution. It's Article X. It's part of the Bill of Rights.

And what does it say? It says, in effect, unless the federal Constitution gives the power to the federal government or denies it to the states, it belongs to the states and to the people — and we're going to give it back to the states and to the people.

[applause]

And let me say, finally, this. I know abortion's an issue some people don't want to even talk about. And whether you're pro-choice or pro-life, there's a procedure called the partial birth abortion that ought to be stopped...

[boos]

... that ought to be banned...

[boos]

... that ought to be banned.

[boos]

It's a very gruesome procedure, if you've ever seen it. Nobody would support it. A lot of my pro-choice friends — Senator Moynihan, again, says it borders on infanticide.

We passed the bill. I put an amendment in to protect the life of the mother.

President Clinton vetoed it. When I am president of the United States, I will stop it. I will sign that bill...

[applause]

... and stop it.

[applause]

What we need in America — what we need in America is a bridge to the truth, not another toll bridge, not another toll bridge by a liberal Democratic president who wants to spend more and more of your money.

He's already got $400 billion in new ideas to spend money in the next four years. Where does it come from? It comes from you.

Remember, it's your money. It's your money. It's your money. It's not his money.

[applause]

And I want to give some of it back to you.

[applause]

And finally, I would say to the young people here if you haven't touched drugs, don't start. And if you've started, stop. It's going to ruin your body.

It's going to ruin your future. You're not going to have any opportunity. When Nancy Reagan used to say, "Just say no," people made fun of her. But you know, a strange thing happened. Drug use was cut in half in the Bush — Reagan and Bush years.

Since President Bush left office, drug use has doubled in America because President Clinton has been AWOL. He's been on the sidelines. He hasn't provided leadership.

[boos]

And in a Dole-Kemp administration, if necessary, we'll specially train and use the National Guard to stop drugs from coming into America in the first place.

[applause]

They don't do you any good. They're not good for you.

Now President Clinton said a lot — smoking's not good for you — make that very clear.

He discovered all these issues in 1996. He hadn't said a word about smoking. He hadn't said a word about drugs. He hadn't said a word about anything until about election time, and suddenly discovered all these things he ought to talk about.

Three million young people started smoking while he sat there. We passed the bill in 1992. It took his administration three and a half years of his administration to implement it.

DOLE: And they say 20,000 or 1,000 kids start smoking a year, millions of young people have started smoking. It's time we take an account of what's happened. It's time we add of the assets and the liabilities of this administration.

If you've got anything to fear, what you ought to fear is four more years of the Clinton/Gore administration.

[applause]

That's what you have to fear. And I know he loves being president. But that's not the issue. The issue is not what he likes. It's what you ought to have in America.

He's talking about power. I want to be your servant. I'm talking about service to the American people. Service to the American people. Telling the American people the truth. Give the American people the facts.

Give us back a foreign policy instead of public relations policy. Give us back the prestige we had in the world that we've lost the last three years. Give us back leadership. Give us back America. Give America back to the people. That's what our campaign is all about.

[applause]

So, I want to thank you all for coming. You're all invited to Mike DeWine's house for dinner.

[applause]

It'll be a few minutes while they get it ready. Right? Yeah. He'll babysit with any of your kids, too. All right. So, that's...

But, I want to thank you to the Oakridge Boys. Great music.

[applause]

Thanks to the man over there. Great music.

[applause]

Keep one thing in mind. I need your help. I want to ask for your help.

Ohio, I can't get there without Ohio. The White House runs through Ohio. The road to the White House runs through Ohio.

[applause]

And we are going to win.

CROWD: Dole-Kemp, Dole-Kemp...

DOLE: We are going to win. Thank you very much. And God bless America.

[applause]