Remarks at an Open Forum Sponsored by the Aiken County Republican Women's Club

Well, I'm very honored to be here. I was walking around out there and some of these people say, "How do you stay so young?" I said, "I just eat what Strom throws away."

[laughter]

Any people here tonight from Georgia?

[applause]

All right. We'll see you on Tuesday. Anybody here from South Carolina?

[applause]

We'll see you on Saturday. Let me say, first of all, I'm very honored to be on this platform with all these outstanding guests. I know they were all introduced, but I want to thank Senator Beasley...

[laughter]

...or Senator Thurmond, Governor Beasley, Governor Campbell. I made Strom a little nervous there for a minute.

[laughter]

I want to thank them for their help, helping my campaign. June, I want to thank you. Henry, I want to thank you for being neutral, and...

[laughter]

This is a great event. I was here in 1988. I don't remember seeing this many people, but I was here. And I want to apologize now to the students of Meade High School. We were supposed to be earlier this year. We got fogged out, and we had to do it by telephones, so please accept my apologies. I'm sorry we didn't make it, but we'll try to make it back after I'm elected. We'll see how that works. So...

[applause]

I'm very proud to be a Republican. My parents were Democrats, like a lot of the parents — probably like a lot of you. And they were the greatest people I ever knew. They were my parents. And we were raised in a little town in Russell, Kansas.

My dad wore his overalls to work every day for 42 years and was proud of it. We grew up living in a basement apartment — six of us. We didn't have any money. We had a good time. We had values in our family. We knew what honesty meant, decency meant, integrity meant, loving your God and loving your church and loving your family.

Those are basic values that we need to return to in America as a matter of national policy when we talk about values in America.

[applause]

Now, that's why I'm so proud to be here tonight, as a candidate for the Republican nomination.

DOLE: We had a debate today — at least that's what they called it. I showed up. I'm sort of the local punching bag since I'm the front-runner, but it was kind of fun for a while.

[laughter]

They mention your name a lot.

But let me say very honestly, this is very serious business we're about choosing a nominee. And I want to ask all of you — I know you can't all do that because I saw some stickers on a few of you with other stickers. We have some extra if you like to have a few more.

[laughter]

This is very serious business. I'm standing here tonight in Aiken, South Carolina and knowing that what happens on Saturday may well determine who will be the next president of the United States. That's how serious this is, that's how serious this rally is, and I want to thank you all for coming because you're participating in what I believe could be a history-making year.

President Clinton vetoed, as somebody said earlier today, vetoed welfare, he vetoed tax cuts, he vetoed the first balanced budget in a generation. And come November we're going to veto Bill Clinton, he's going back to Little Rock.

[applause]

That's part of our relocation program.

[laughter]

Two weeks pay, (OFF-MIKE), and a one-way ticket.

[laughter]

But what we're fighting for tonight and now is the heart and soul of the Republican Party. I've always been one, as Senator Thurmond has, who want to bring people together. In fact, he brought most of them together in his office. I bet everybody here's been an intern. How many interns in here?

[laughter]

Half the crowd.

But we need to bring America together. I've said in the past this is not a young America versus an old America, not black versus white, not urban versus suburban or rural. We live in one America, we're the greatest country on the face of the Earth, and we never should forget it. And I know you don't forget it in this area.

And we need to make certain — in fact, I've said all the time I've been in the United States Congress, if I'm going to make a mistake on defense, if it's spending too little or too much, I'm going to spend too much, because if we spend too little we're going to lose our liberty and freedom in the process. And we've got to be prepared in America.

[applause]

And because of Senator Thurmond's leadership, we added about what, six billion to defense spending this year. After President Clinton or candidate Clinton campaigned in 1992, said he was going to cut 60 billion out of defense, he cut 127 billion out of defense. And the last time I looked, there were a lot of problems around the world, and we're not looking for trouble, but we do have certain responsibilities and we want to be prepared.

I'll tell you something else: when I'm elected president we're going to find a mission for the Savannah River site, which is very important to this area.

[applause]

And I'll work with Senator Thurmond, as I've worked with Governor Beasley and Governor Campbell.

[applause]

DOLE: But we're going to get it done, cause it's important. We've talked a lot about, how do we bring people together? How do we attract people to our Party? There are good independents out there and good Democrats who ought to be Republicans. And we waited 40 years, and I see a few in this audience who are probably World War II vintage. My hero, military hero is Dwight Eisenhower, Ike Eisenhower. The last time we had a Republican Congress Ike Eisenhower was President of the United States, and we waited 40 years, until 1994, when we elected a Republican Speaker of the House named Newt Gingrich and he's doing an outstanding job, I'll tell all the people from Georgia.

[applause]

And Newt and I met yesterday morning to talk about what we're going to do the next couple of months. And in case you hadn't thought about it we've never had a Speaker before named Newt.

[laughter]

But the bottom line is we've never had a president named Bob, and I think it's about time we had a president named Bob.

[applause]

Now if you want someone with a little common sense, somebody who is supported by 25 Republican governors in America, including these governors from the South, these new governors from the South, then take a look at my record. I'm a mainstream conservative, a common sense conservative. I believe in lower taxes. I shepherded through the Congress the 1981 tax cut by President Reagan, the largest tax cut in the history of America. And we did it. We also didn't get a, Clinton didn't get a single Republican vote for the biggest tax increase in history in 1992 — not one Senator voted for it. We fought against it. But you got it anyway. And Clinton says it only applies to the rich. That's unless you get social security, unless you drive a car, or unless you're in business. Then it applies to you too.

Now if you want someone with experience, and I'd say very proudly I think my experience will match that of any other candidate. I'm the only candidate up here who put on a uniform, went off to war, and came back, after 39 months in a hospital, and said let's go forward, let's get something done. And that's happened to a lot of people in this audience. I don't mean I deserve anything, but I've had some experience.

I learned what sacrifice for America was all about. Just as John McCain who was introduced earlier knows what sacrifice is all about. Right here, five and a half years he spent in a little cage about half, a third of the size of this platform as a POW in Vietnam. He understands what sacrifice is about for America. And you better have somebody in the White House who understands what sacrifice is all about. What it means when you send somebody off somewhere.

[applause]

We don't seek any territory. We don't want anything but peace, liberty, and freedom in the world.

DOLE: And we're not the world's policeman. And I'll tell you one more thing, when Bob Dole is president of the United States, if we're going to commit anybody from South Carolina and this is one of the most patriotic areas I know: Georgia, South Carolina, the South, — then I'll make that decision. It won't be made by Boutros Boutros Ghali at the United Nations. I will make that decision.

[applause]

And if you want a lesson on how the amateur hour works at the White House take a look at the latest Cuban incident. Four American citizens were shot down. They were murdered in little tiny airplanes. Shot down by MiGs. We should have tightened the screws on Castro a long time ago but Clinton went the other way. He made it easier for Castro. He cozied up to Castro and this is what we get for it.

We spent $2.5 billion invading Haiti. Believe it or not, we spent $2.5 billion to try to set up Aristide, perpetuate Aristide. What was the last thing he did before he left office, Aristide? He recognized Fidel Castro and Cuba. We wasted $2.5 billion of your tax money. Now if we had somebody with experience in the White House, that wouldn't have happened in the first place. Our target in November is Bill Clinton.

Our target today is Bill Clinton. We want to balance the budget. We sent him the first balanced budget in a generation. What did he do? He vetoed it. We sent him a bill to provide tax cuts for families with children. He vetoed it. We sent him a welfare bill and said people ought to work. If they work — they ought to work in America and he vetoed it even though it passed by a vote of 87 to 12.

[applause]

Did I tie him up?

UNKNOWN: Yes, sir.

DOLE: I know Strom has a record for speaking, 24 hours and 18 minutes so...

[laughter]

He's going to be the last speaker this evening. But in any event...

[laughter]

We've got to trade in America, too. We've got to reach out. We can't build a wall around South Carolina. We can't build a wall around Georgia. There's 78,000 jobs in South Carolina that depend on exports. And that's just the direct jobs. There are thousands and thousands more of indirect jobs. Six billion dollars in exports from South Carolina all around the world in 1994. You're gross domestic product is 3.2 percent and growing. Sixteen thousands jobs probably created in this state in 1995 and we've got to make it better. We've got to reduce the capital gains rate to create more opportunities for more people. We've got to have a simpler, flatter, fairer tax system to make certain that we can eliminate much of the IRS as we know it. They spend $7 billion of your tax money.

[applause]

Before you buy off on the flat tax, remember your home interest deduction. We're going to keep that under my plan. We're going to keep your charitable deduction in case you want to, say contribute to the Red Cross or something like that, whatever.

[laughter]

And the last thing that's going to happen in the Dole administration, we're not going to shift the tax burden from the rich to the middle class, the people in this audience. You already pay enough in taxes. You're already over taxed. Your taxes ought to be cut.

[applause]

And finally let me say two things. When I'm the president of the United States, we're going to appoint conservative, conservative judges. If they want to run for Congress, let them run for Congress.

[applause]

No offense to Lamar, but we're going to eliminate the Department of Education too and send the money back to the states.

DOLE: We don't need it in the first place. I didn't vote for it in 1979, and it's a waste of your tax money.

[applause]

Let me conclude — what does that mean? Oh, I get it. Let me conclude this is all about the future. It's all about your kids. It's all about your grandkids. You've got to ask yourself one important question — who do I want representing me, standing in the White House making a decision that might affect my life, or my business, or my farm, or my children, or someone I love in uniform?

Who do I want making that decision? I think if you look at all of our records, I've been tested. I've made tough decisions, and I'm ready to do that in the White House.

I'm prepared. I think experience gives you judgment, and that's what this is all about. This is serious business, and what you do on Saturday, in my view, is going to determine who occupies the White House in 1997.

Along with Bob Dole, you get Elizabeth. That's the best part of all of it.

Thanks very much.

[applause]