Remarks in Pensacola, Florida

I might say, those are two four letter words you can teach your kids too!

[applause]

Well, let me first thank everybody for being here on a Thursday morning. And let me also thank all the talent we have behind me here.

Isn't Heather an inspiration to everybody in America?

[applause]

And Chi Chi Rodriquez, we'll play a couple of rounds if you have time afterwards.

[applause]

And Lee Greenwood's going to sing for us when I finish...

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I know Joe Scarborough, he wasn't very excited today; he's kind of quiet.

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But he said he's tired. He's getting fed up with all this stuff. The media will not decide the winner of this election. You'll decide who wins this election.

[applause]

CROWD: Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp!

DOLE: And I want to thank my good friend Connie Mack, who's done an outstanding job for Florida. And, of course, it was this part of Florida — you know, when he thought it was all over and he was 15,000 behind, they hadn't counted all the votes up here yet.

And you did it for him; you're going to do it for me. Thank you very much.

[applause]

I said yesterday, if I had a dollar for every time Clinton leveled with the American people, I would keep one and give one to Elizabeth.

[laughter]

But I can't think of those two times.

[laughter]

But I want to welcome you to the Bill Clinton retirement party, right here today.

[applause]

CROWD: Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp!

DOLE: We've only got a dozen days left. Twelve more days, twelve more days. And you've got to think about it. I know you've got friends in other states. And maybe some are here from other states. We appreciate that very much.

Where are you from?

AUDIENCE MEMBERS: ALABAMA!

DOLE: Alabama, we're headed there next.

And we are going to sweep the South. I'm not certain about Arkansas, but I hope everything else.

[laughter]

[applause]

Let me just say for a few moments, this is a very important election. And I know everybody gets frustrated. I even get frustrated. And I'm the most optimistic man in America. I wonder sometimes what people are thinking about; or if people are thinking at all.

DOLE: If they'd really watch this administration, watch what's happened in the White House, watch what's happened in some of their policies, watch what happened when the president tells you one thing and does precisely the other — time after time after time.

Something's wrong in America.

[applause]

Now we know the liberal media's not going to report on all these things because they want him re-elected. They like it the way it is.

But the country does not belong to the liberal media, nor does it belong to Bill Clinton. It belongs to the people of the United States.

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And I happen to believe, as many in this audience have already demonstrated, that America is worth fighting for, and I'm fighting for it again — fighting for it again today.

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And this time, we're fighting to build a better America for our children and for our grandchildren and their future. Think about it. Who do you want — who do you want in the White House? Who do you want out there speaking for your children?

CROWD: Dole.

DOLE: Do you want somebody that has gone on MTV and told — maybe next time I will inhale. No. You don't want that for your children.

CROWD: No.

DOLE: We need to wake America up. It's 12 days away. Wake up, America. You're about to do yourselves an injustice if you vote for Bill Clinton.

Look at what he tried in the first four years — a health care system with 17 new taxes, 50 new bureaucracies, price controls costing $1.5 trillion. And he may try it again. He may try it again.

And look at the tax cut he promised all of you. Has anybody gotten that tax cut? No.

CROWD: No.

DOLE: Instead, you got the biggest tax increase in the history of America. Don't forget what he came into office promising you — a liberal agenda, and you're going to get it again and we don't want it.

Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, we want a good, common-sense, conservative agenda for America.

[applause]

And it's time for a president who understands that the federal government is too big and spends too much of your money — your money.

[cheers]

[applause]

And I know in this audience, there are probably two parents working — one just to take care of the family, and the other just to pay the taxes because taxes now are about 40 percent of what you make — more than food, clothing, and shelter combined.

So you work harder and harder and harder just to make ends meet.

We're having the slowest economic recovery in a century. Don't be fooled by what the president says about the economy. We've got more personal bankruptcies, more credit card debt. Wages are stagnant. In fact, wages for women have gone down about 2 percent.

And he likes to brag about all these news jobs he's — he hasn't created — government doesn't create jobs.

The private sector creates jobs.

But I met a guy the other day...

[applause]

But he says in the debates — I've created 11 million jobs.

DOLE: Yes, I met a guy the other who's got three of them.

[laughter]

You know, you've got to have three of them just to pay the bills. And in about of 20 percent of households, the wife has gone back to work — She wants to work that's fine — but had to go back to work, just to pay the bills and to pay the taxes.

If you want to work, that's fine. But if you don't want to work, it's time we started going in a different direction. And we've got what we call a "tax cut." And I keep my word. There's going to be a tax cut.

[applause]

Fifteen percent across the board. And let me say, with full disclosure, a lot of this work on this tax cut was done by Connie Mack. He's done an outstanding job, been a lot of help to us.

[applause]

Fifteen percent across the board, $500-per-child tax credit for every child under 18. And there's some in this audience, I know.

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Plus we're going to cut the capital gains, going to cut the capital gains rate in half; 50-percent reduction of capital gains rate.

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We're told that there's $7 trillion in assets locked up in America that people can't dispose of because the capital gains rate at 28 percent is too high. We will cut it in half. And we will create jobs and opportunities all across America in the private sector, in the private sector.

[applause]

But the bottom line is that it's your money. It's not my money; it's not Clinton's money. It's your money. And you shouldn't have to apologize for wanting to keep more of what you earn. The government ought to apologize for taking too much of it in the first place.

[applause]

Now, the president — well, we can't afford a tax cut. I need all this money for some other things I have in mind. Well, when he raised your taxes, did he come to Florida or Alabama or anywhere else and say, can you afford this tax increase.

No, he didn't do that.

CROWD: No!

DOLE: I think it's time for the government to start pinching pennies and not the American people. And we can make it happen!

[applause]

A family making $30,000, a family of four, the tax cut's $1,261. That's enough for four or five months child care, mortgage payments, payment on a car, or maybe even take a vacation. It's your money. It's your money. It's your money.

[applause]

It's better you take a vacation than Hazel O'Leary who flies all over the world in the Energy Department.

[applause]

So, this is a family tax cut. It's not a Wall Street tax cut. It's for working families in America. And we're going to make it happen. And that's just Phase I.

Phase II is to have a fairer, flatter system and end the IRS as we know it; end the IRS as we know it.

[applause]

And we'll protect — I want to say to seniors — I haven't seen any seniors in the audience, but one will show up.

Those aren't seniors. Those aren't seniors over there, no.

But I don't want you to be frightened. You know, it's still a long time until Halloween. But the Democrats and the labor bosses have spent about $91 billion trying to frighten senior citizens and veterans and students and everybody else saying, they're going to push off Medicare.

DOLE: They're going to take away your Medicare. Under our plan, Medicare is going to grow 39 percent, social security 34 percent. We're not going to touch Medicare and we're not going to cut Medicare.

In fact, Mrs. Clinton testified she thought we ought to have zero growth in Medicare. We have 7 percent per year growth — twice the rate of inflation.

So if you know of any senior citizens — tell them not to be frightened with all these terrible nasty ads being run by the Democrats and the labor bosses.

[applause]

And don't forget — if you're a senior — don't forget who raised taxes on your social security benefits in 1993. Not a single Republican voted for that, and Bill Clinton wants you to forget that tax increase.

He said it first — if you make $25,000, and you're a senior, you're rich. You ought to have 85 percent of your benefits taxed.

Yes.

CROWD: Boo.

DOLE: That's the Bill Clinton — that's the Bill Clinton who's trying to frighten people now. What we want is a balanced budget. We want to increase Medicare spending. We want to save Medicare.

One thing we want to veto is Bill Clinton on November 5, 1996.

[applause]

[cheers]

We also want a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution — a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.

I am for it. He's opposed to it.

I also support a constitutional amendment to protect the flag of the United States of America.

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I'm for it. He's against it.

I also believe that it's permissible to have voluntary prayer in school, and I support an amendment to do that.

[cheers]

I'm for it. He's against it.

I also say — whether you're pro-life or pro-choice — and I know this is a very sensitive issue — but if they send me a partial birth abortion bill, I will sign it. I will not veto it. I will sign it.

[applause]

[cheers]

And whatever you feel about abortion — if you understood this procedure, when Dr. Koop says it's never, never, never necessary. It's never necessary. He vetoed it. He vetoed it — but again tried to have it both ways as he always does.

We've had enough of doubletalk from the White House. We've had enough doubletalk from Clinton.

[cheers]

We also believe in a regulatory reform, which costs the average family in America $6,000 to $,7,000 a year. We believe in common sense. We're going to protect the air, and the water, and the environment and the Everglades and all the things we eat.

But we also know we can have a little common sense and reduce that cost to the average family.

And litigation reform. Clinton gets millions of dollars — Clinton gets millions of dollars from trial lawyers.

DOLE: So, everything they want, they get in the Congress of the United States. We've got to stop some of the frivolous lawsuits that are putting small businessmen and women out of business.

[applause]

[off-mike]

That's right — campaign reform from foreign countries. I was about to forget that. Yes. I must say, I've been around awhile and they kept saying why doesn't somebody give us foreign aid. We're always giving everybody else foreign aid. Foreign aid is finally come to America from Indonesia. Indonesia.

[applause]

And some guy who claims he's related to Ghandi over in India. He gave the president a phony plaque. The president met him in the Oval Office, shook hands, and then they got $300,000 out of the guy. And he owes $10,000 in back taxes.

He didn't have $300,000. Where did the money from? Why doesn't this John Huang tell the American people how much he shook down foreign people, leaders all across the world, to put into this campaign? It's a disgrace. It's a disgrace and it's going to end in our administration.

[applause]

And you probably heard about the drug dealer in Miami who got invited to the White House. Yes. We will not have drug dealers eating at the White House in a Dole administration.

[applause]

This is a disgrace. This is a disgrace. I doubt if you even read it in the New York Times they probably put it in the want ads. They don't put any anti-Clinton stories in the New York Times, only Dole — anti-Dole — stories in the New York Times.

They should not decide this election.

[applause]

We need to get serious. We need the media to tell the American people the truth. And the truth is that Bill Clinton ought to voted out of office in a landslide.

[applause]

The truth is he does not reflect the values of the American people. To him, this is all a power game. It's a game. It's a game. It's a game. Look around the world. We've lost respect all around the world. All around the world. Nobody respects America anymore.

We're not feared by our enemies. We're not respected by our allies or by our friends. Something has to change and if you want to see this country go down hill the next four years, then you vote for Bill Clinton.

We need strong leadership.

[applause]

And I will lead an administration that has respect for the men and women who wear the uniform of the United States of America.

And should the time ever come to send American troops abroad to protect our interests, I will make that decision not Boutrous Boutrous-Ghali of the United Nations.

[applause]

So, we've got 12 days left.

DOLE: They're very exciting days. One my chief advisers is Yogi Bera. You know what he said, it ain't over till it's over.

And it ain't over.

[applause]

Twelve days, keep in mind, very simple difference between my liberal opponent and myself. He believes in giving more and more and more power to the federal government. I believe in giving more and more power back to the states and back to the people.

[applause]

It's all right here in the 10th Amendment of the Constitution, been around over 200 years. It says, in effect, unless the Constitution gives the power to the federal government or denies it to the states, it belongs to the states and to the people — to the people right here.

[applause]

And that amendment was included because our founding fathers were concerned about an all powerful central government that could take away your property though taxation or confiscation, take away your privacy.

We have enough of Big Brother. We have enough government. We need to downsize the government and send the power back to the states and back to the people.

[applause]

So we're excited. We are going to win this election. The American people are going to get a wake-up call.

And when that alarm goes off and when they fully understand what four more years — you think you ought to be frightened about Halloween, what about four more years of this outfit — Clinton and Gore?

That really ought to frighten the American people. You want higher taxes? You want to lose your health care? You want to lose the right to go to your own doctor? No.

You want to keep that right.

And they tried to take it away from you. Don't believe what you read. Believe what you feel. And when you feel about America, you want strong, strong patriotic leadership. Somebody who understands what sacrifice is all about.

[applause]

And I think Elizabeth would be a great first lady, too.

[applause]

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

[laughter]

So it's all up to you. It's not up to anybody else. It's not up to the poll takers. As Jack Kemp says, don't watch the scoreboard. Don't watch the scoreboard. Stay in the game. Stay in the game.

It's about the fourth quarter. Oh, we're a little behind but we're gaining every day. We're gaining every day. And we're gaining every day. And we're going to make it.

[applause]

So I want to thank everybody inside and the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds outside. I understand they're able to hear out of doors. We appreciate very much your coming.

What we want is a big, big, big majority in this area so we can roll through Florida with a big, big, big majority.

[applause]

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

DOLE: Thank you very much. God bless America.

God bless everybody here. Thanks for coming. We're going to do it. We're going to do it.

Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp! Dole-Kemp! All right.

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