Remarks in Santa Barbara, California

I want to welcome everybody to this retirement party for Bill Clinton.

[cheers]

I'm very honored to have Elizabeth with me today. Didn't she make a great speech at the convention?

[applause]

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

[laughter]

[applause]

I'm honored to have John Harrington here, our great chairman, and Fess Parker. Brooks , we saw each other this morning. You're doing a great job. And Andrea, you've done a great job in Congress. You ought to be elected by a landslide and I hope you are elected by a landslide.

[applause]

I will need your help.

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE ANDREA SEASTRAND (R-CA): You've got it.

DOLE: January 20, 1997. Not very long, not very long.

It's good to be back in the state where I was nominated for president just a week ago. It's kind of exciting. And we're excited — or two weeks ago — and we're excited about it.

We're going to carry the state of California. You can bet the farm on it.

[applause]

You think I made a good choice in picking Jack Kemp for a running mate?

[applause]

I keep telling Jack, "Jack, you need more enthusiasm. You're not enthusiastic enough."

[laughter]

He's about as enthusiastic as you can get.

I see my friend Bob over here, too. Bob, how're you doing?

Bob Lagomarsino. Come on up here.

[applause]

Come on, Bob, get up here.

[applause]

You can have my chair.

ELIZABETH DOLE: We have a chair over here. How are you doing? Great to see you.

DOLE: One of the outstanding congressmen of all time, right here.

[applause]

Well, our convention is over and now the Democrats have their turn.

[boos]

And the Windy City of Chicago — the Windy City of Chicago's going to be a lot windier before the week's out.

[laughter]

Oh, they're talking up a storm. They're telling people they never had it so good. How bad it's going to be. They're trying to frighten senior citizens, frighten veterans and frighten people who are concerned about the environment as you should be in the great state of California.

But with all that talk, there are a few things they won't mention.

DOLE: They won't mention how they inherited a fast-growing economy and turned it into a slow-growing economy.

[applause]

They won't mention they gave you the largest tax increase in the history of America.

[boos]

I said that one day on the Senate floor when I was still in the Senate, and my good friend Pat Moynihan, a Democrat of New York, said, "No, not in the history of America. The history of the world!"

[laughter]

The largest tax increase in the history of the world. They won't talk about that because they came to California in 1992 and promised you a middle-class tax cut. Have you enjoyed it?

CROWD: No!

DOLE: And if you're a senior citizen, they raised taxes on your Social Security. And we're going to repeal those taxes on your Social Security. The Clinton tax increase on Social Security, will be repealed in a Dole-Kemp administration. Four million seniors were affected.

[applause]

And you won't hear much about a lot of parts of their record. He's going to ride into town on a train. It's called the status quo express.

[laughter]

There it goes now.

[laughter]

They're off track as they've been right along. They're in the wrong place.

[laughter]

They're never in the right place at the right time.

Jack Kemp and I say the status quo is not good enough for California or America, and we're going to change the status quo.

[applause]

We say America deserves to do better — better than three or almost four years of slow growth, better than stagnant wages and falling family income, better than raising taxes or squeezing families all across America.

And our philosophy is different from our opponent's. Let me make it clear. They are our opponents. They're not our enemies. They're not bad people. They'll be all right when they're retired.

[laughter]

They're our opponents. But we have a big, big difference in the way we think America should be traveling as we go into the next century. We want to go forward, and they don't want to go anywhere. They want to stand still or raise your taxes or more regulations, take more of your money.

They trust the government, and I trust the people of the United States of America. That's the difference.

[applause]

They believe that what belongs to the government is the government's and what belongs to you is negotiable. That's where they come from.

We believe you can spend your money more wisely than any government bureaucracy ever can or ever will spend your money.

[applause]

That's why we're going to do what the naysayers think cannot be done. We're going to balance the budget and cut taxes at the same time, and it can be done.

[applause]

There are at least three good reasons to cut taxes.

Number one, today in a lot of two-earner families — and I'm certain there are some here — one parent works full-time to take care of the family, the other works full-time for the government to pay the taxes.

DOLE: And that shouldn't happen in America. If the husband and wife want to work, that's fine. But they ought to make the choice, and not be forced to work just to pay the taxes, just to pay the taxes.

[applause]

And another reason, if you cut taxes and cut the capital gains rate in half, it's going to be good for the economy. It's going to create more jobs and more opportunities.

[applause]

And this has already been demonstrated by one of the greatest presidents in history, President Ronald Reagan from the state of California.

[applause]

He gave us the largest tax cut in history, and Jack Kemp and I worked with him to get the job done. And the Reagan tax cut was like a supercharger for the American economy — fast growth, millions of new jobs, and prosperity the likes the world has never seen.

Only one thing wrong. The Democrats in the House, they controlled the House, would not cut spending. Now that we have a Republican Congress, we'll cut spending, we'll balance the budget, and cut taxes at the same time without touching Medicare or Social Security. Don't let them scare you on those issues.

[applause]

And a third reason is, we haven't had a tax cut for 10 years. And we think it's time. And we know it's time.

Somebody said it's going to be 15 percent across the board, 15 percent across the board, and a $500-per-child tax credit for children under 18. Now that's two children, that's $1,000. Four, it's $2,000. Ten — ten, you'd be too busy to fill out your tax return, but...

[laughter]

... that would be $5,000. This is significant tax reduction because we believe you shouldn't have the government — or you shouldn't have to apologize for not sending enough to Washington, D.C. We ought to apologize or taking too much from you in the first place. That's what we believe.

[applause]

And one way to create jobs and opportunity is to reduce the capital gains rate, we're going to cut it in half. Cut it in half.

[applause]

And our economic package is backed up by Nobel-prize winners, economic professors, the likes of Secretary George Shultz, Marty Anderson , John Taylor, Gary Becker, a Nobel-prize winner, Professor Buchanan , Nobel-prize winner. All across America, mainstream economists are saying this can be done. It should be done for the three reasons I stated. And we're going to get it done.

If you have the will, you can do it. And I have the will, and we're going to get it done, working with a Republican Congress.

[applause]

We're also going to have a little estate tax relief. It may — I'm certain it's occurred to many in this audience, people work a lifetime. They work six or seven days a week.

And something happens to the breadwinner, they end up selling off the assets or half of the farm or whatever it is, or half of the business to pay the estate taxes. That should not happen in America, and we're going to provide estate tax relief.

[applause]

DOLE: Now, our opponents will say that if you favor a tax cut, you're just being greedy. But again, they've forgotten something. It is your money, the last time I checked. And President Clinton is quoted saying they're going to blow a big hole in my deficit.

What we've done with good sound economic policy is blow a big hole in his lead and that's what really worries him, it's not the deficit. We're worried about the deficit.

[applause]

So, there is no real secret. As I said, we've got a pro-growth Republican Congress. It is a matter of presidential will, if you have it you can do it, and we happen to have it. And we're not going to stop there. That's only phase one.

What we want to do with the entire code is to change it. Make it flatter and fairer and simpler and end the IRS as we know it, end the IRS as we know it.

[applause]

There seem to be more people on my right than on my left in this crowd. I don't know what...

[laughter]

As General Colin Powell said in San Diego a couple of weeks ago, he said we live in an era of slick salesmanship. And it's time for some plain talk to lead America into the next century. And it's time for action that match words.

Last week, figures were released showing that illegal drug use among Americans has more than doubled in the last four years. Those are Clinton years, the last four years.

Remember when Nancy Reagan used to say, just say no? Drug use went down, but they made fun of Nancy Reagan. Oh that doesn't mean anything, just saying no doesn't mean anything. It does when it comes from the top. The parents repeat it to their children. It was repeated in churches and civic clubs all across America and drug use went down because we had strong, moral leadership in the White House.

[applause]

And so Bill Clinton took "Just say no," and turned it into just say nothing. And he hasn't said a thing. And that's another failure they won't be talking about in Chicago this week.

But it's serious, let me just be very, very honest about this. It's probably the most difficult problem we have to face, to deal with. It probably means more to the next generation than anything I can think, and a problem have to deal with.

When I am president of the United States, we're going to make the drug war a national priority once again, as it was in the Reagan years, the Bush years.

[applause]

And that means — and that includes being ready to use the capabilities of our armed forces to help stop illegal drugs before they could even make it into this country.

[applause]

DOLE: We're going to designate certain Guard units to be there to help local law enforcement.

We understand active duty military have never been involved in domestic problems, but this is beginning to be an international problem. These drugs are coming overseas.

If a missile were headed for Santa Barbara, you'd all be concerned, and we have people all around the world sending missiles and missiles every day right into the arms of our young children — your children and your grandchildren. And we have to stop it and we're going to stop it in America and we're going to make it happen because you're going to help us make it happen.

And working together, we can get it done. We can get it done working together.

[applause]

We want one clear message that echoes across America from the schoolhouse to the White House, and that is that drug use or drug abuse is wrong. And we're going to add to that in our administration. The judges we will appoint will be tough on crime. They're going to worry about the victims instead of the criminals.

[applause]

No more liberal judges, ignoring the Constitution and legislating from the bench. If they want to be legislators, let them run for the assembly or run for Congress or run for cover. Let them run for something.

[laughter]

They're not going to be on the bench in my administration.

[applause]

And as I said in San Diego — and I don't — I respect teachers, don't misunderstand me. I'm on the side of teachers and parents and children. But in some parts of America, if you're low income or low-middle income and you have children, you don't have any choice for your kids to go to school. It might not even be a safe school. It may not be a good school.

I would have a choice. You would have a choice. The president sent his daughter to private school and I applaud that. He wants his daughter to have the best education possible.

But what about children of low income Americans? And low-middle income Americans?

So we're going to have opportunity scholarships in a Dole administration. We're going to make it possible for you to have a choice, for people you know in your neighborhood to have a choice who don't have the money.

The best way to start cutting out crime and teen pregnancy and drugs is to give that child a good education — give that child a good education.

[applause]

And President Clinton can't do that.

[applause]

He says he's opposed to truancy and so am I. He wants a curfew that applies across America including the White House and so am I.

[laughter]

He says school uniforms are a good idea. They probably are a good idea. But the thing the president can't do is reform the educational system because it is controlled by the National Education Association and they will not let him do anything.

[applause]

They will not let him do anything.

[applause]

[boos]

So again, it's who do you trust? Trusting the American people will be on the top of the agenda every day of our administration.

DOLE: And if there should ever be a crisis, the president of the United States would be called on to make some decision to send young men or young women halfway around the world to protect our liberty and our freedom, Bob Dole, the president of the United States, will make that decision, and not Boutros Boutros-Ghali at the United Nations.

[applause]

It's time to choose leadership you can trust and leadership you can count on every day of the week and every hour of the day; leadership that has unlimited confidence, confidence in your wisdom, the wisdom of the people and the future of our country.

Because America is a land without limits, we are the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, and I know the best days are still ahead. And I carry around this little copy of what I call the 10th Amendment.

It is the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. It's only 28 words long. Jack Kemp and I didn't dream it up, it's been around over 200 years. It's the 10th Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights. It's 28 words long and it says this: unless the federal Constitution gives the power to the federal government or denies it to a state — a state like California — then, according to this amendment, it belongs to the states and belongs to the people. And we want to send power back to the states and back to the people where you can make the decisions.

[applause]

And why was this in the Constitution? Because over 200 years ago, our Founding Fathers were concerned about an all-dominant central government, an all powerful central government. They understood what would happen if the government got so big and so intrusive and so undemocratic that it could literally take away your rights — property rights, whatever, or confiscate all your property through taxation. And that's why they wrote in this declaratory amendment.

And we're going to try to give states more power, give people more power. We trust the people. President Clinton — I don't disagree with President Clinton personally, but on philosophy and the way he wants to take America, he believes in the government, more government programs. He believes the government has the solution for problems that haven't even been invented yet. They've already got solutions. Ted Kennedy is working overtime on solutions to problems we don't have yet.

[boos]

And I recall one day I was on the Senate floor and I was saying, "Now, gentlemen, let me tax your memories." I was just making a little speech.

[laughter]

And Ted Kennedy jumped up and said, "Why haven't we thought of that before?"

[laughter]

So, California is a very important state. And if we carry California — President Clinton cannot be reelected without carrying California, so we want to make certain that happens. And we're going to do all we can, we're going to work day and night, up and down this great state, and there are millions and millions of people here.

We're going to reach out to Independents and Democrats and people who have never really looked at the Republican Party. This is an open party. There are no litmus tests in the Republican Party.

We are the reform party in America. We are the party of change. They're the party of the status quo. We want less regulation, less taxes, less government. This is what the future of America is all about, and we're going to make it happen with your help.

Thank you and God bless America.