Remarks at the New York Delegation Breakfast at the Republican National Convention in San Diego

I don't know what you had for breakfast, but Al must have overeaten. But in any event...

Thank you.

AUDIENCE: Dole-Kemp, Dole-Kemp, Dole-Kemp...

DOLE: Four letter words. Thank you very much. Thank you.

Remember, I attended Brooklyn College. You got Brooklyn and Buffalo here, not bad. A New York ticket. But I want to come by and just say hello and I'm pleased that Jack and Joanne are here. Elizabeth's off somewhere else. But New York's a very important state. We're going to fight for every state in the nation, don't make any mistake about it, and I don't think we're going to surrender New York.

We're going to carry New York on November 5, 1996.

[applause]

The only thing we're going to write off is Bill Clinton and Al Gore. They're gone.

Well, I must say, as we came into San Diego a couple of days ago I turned to Elizabeth — "I'm getting excited," and she said, "Well, it's about time."

[applause]

I don't get excited too easily. But it is exciting.

Have you ever, can you ever remember a better night than a first night we had last night? We were fantastic all across the board.

[applause]

This party is unified from top to bottom, and that's important, and I want to thank all of you for it because we have different views on different issues, but we understand we are the party of reform, we are the party of fundamental change, and we're concerned about America, we're concerned about the future, we're concerned about families and children as we go into the next century, and we have the agenda and we have the ideas. This election is about ideas and about the agenda for America.

DOLE: And starting with the economic package which Jack may have touched on.

I have credibility — something that President Clinton lacks from time to time. But in any event...

[applause]

In fact, I was just thinking on the way over, Elizabeth is so talented, Eleanor Roosevelt's trying to reach her. But in any event...

[applause]

But we're serious, is the point I want to make, about the economic package. I didn't surround myself with people like Secretary Shultz — Henry knows Secretary Shultz is not going to go out on a limb unless it's a sound program — Gary Becker, a Nobel Prize-winning economist from Chicago; John Taylor, a member of the CEA under President Bush; and half a dozen other sound, good economists.

And we sat down and for 90 days. We worked and we worked, and we ran all the numbers, and ran the numbers and ran the numbers, and we determined in the final analysis that the government takes too much of your money. That may come as a surprise to you, but they take too much of your money. And we're going to give it back to the working people in New York...

[applause]

... and all across America.

[applause]

And we're going to cut the capital gains rate in half — in half.

[applause]

And if you have five children under 18, you're busy. But if you have five...

[laughter]

You're also going to get a $2,500 tax credit. Just take it off your taxes — $2,500, right there.

[applause]

We are the party of change. We are the party of families. We are the party concerned about children.

And also part of our economic package is regulatory reform, lawsuit reform, opportunity scholarships. Let me just take one minute.

We're going to have a demonstration program in about 15 states, spend $12 to $15 billion. We're not going to take it out of your — we're going to find the money somewhere — reduce spending.

We're going to go to low income parents and lower-middle income parents in New York and across America and say that your kids are entitled to a good education in America.

If we want to stop crime and stop drugs, and stop out-of-wedlock births, we give kids a good education. Yes. Children of low income Americans get a good education, and we're going to do that.

Bill Clinton can't because he's hamstrung by the National Education Association. All he can recommend are curfews. And he's against truancy.

DOLE: So, but we're going to have fundamental change. We're going to give people a chance in America at the bottom of the ladder to climb the ladder. And that's part of the Republican program.

[applause]

And I like people around me of ideas. That's why I picked Jack Kemp for my running mate. Jack has ideas. And I like ideas.

[applause]

I also like Joanne. But, that's...

[laughter]

And Jack and Joanne spent a week in Russell one night.

[laughter]

You know, we were there last week. We had a great time. It's home. Wherever our home is, that's where it starts. That's where we're influenced. That's where we decide right from wrong and a lot of other things that mold our character as we grow older. But it's a great place to be.

As I told Jack, it's a long way from that basement apartment where I grew up to San Diego. But, again, it's an indication that, in America, you work hard and you get a few breaks in your life, you can make it. Only in America could someone like Bob Dole be standing up before this New York Delegation and saying, I'm your nominee for president. Only in America could that happen. That's the beauty of America everywhere you go.

[applause]

Well, I want to — I know you have to go to the convention. But I want to thank the governor and my good friend, Al, and everybody else up here. Al, we're going to give you more seats in the Senate. We're going to pick up Senate seats to give you, give me a bigger majority to work with. And I think that's going to be good news.

[applause]

So, my one hope as we go into the last three days of this convention, just if they could all be as good as yesterday, every day would be a little bitter, a little better and then Thursday night, this is all going to end and then we can go to the people back in our home states. And Jack and I start traveling across the country and one of our first stops will be in New York.

[applause]

I got a feeling it's going to be somewhere near Buffalo, but, in any event...

[laughter]

[applause]

Thank you very much. God bless America.

Thank you.

[applause]