Remarks by the Vice President at a Reception for the Republican Party of Virginia Commonwealth Gala

Business Wire, May 30, 2008

RICHMOND, Va. -- Greater Richmond Convention Center

5:49 P.M. EDT

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. A reception like that almost makes me want to run for office again. (Laughter.) Almost, almost. (Laughter.) But thanks for that welcome.

I want to thank all of our state party officials here, and of course, especially our chairman, John Hager -- or as all America knows him, the father of the groom. (Laughter and applause.) And I bring greetings to one and all from the father of the bride, President George W. Bush. (Laughter and applause.)

I also want to thank John's wife, Maggie, as well as our highest-ranking Republicans in the state office -- Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, here with his wife Jean Ann, and of course Attorney General Bob McDonnell and his wife Maureen. Bob McDonnell. (Applause.)

And I appreciate the hard work of everybody who put this event together. I have the greatest respect of all of you who have come to Richmond for the Republican State Convention. You're the heart and soul of the party. And with your support, we'll build a strong foundation for Republican victories come November.

It's an honor, as well, to be joined by several members of the Virginia delegation -- Thelma Drake, Rob Wittman, Randy Forbes, Eric Cantor. (Applause.)

As some of you may know, I served in the House for more than a decade, representing Wyoming. Wyoming only has one congressman. (Laughter.) It's a small delegation. (Laughter.) But it was quality. (Laughter.) After being elected five times I assumed I was pretty well known throughout the state, but that wasn't necessarily the case. During my last campaign for Congress -- I always remember campaigning in a little farming community at Torrington down along the Wyoming-Nebraska border. I walked to one old cowboy leaning with his back up against a tree and cowboy hat pulled down over his eyes. I reached out and grabbed him by the hand and said, "Hi, I'm Dick Cheney. I'm running for Congress, and I'd like your vote." He said, "You got it. That fool we got in there now is no damn good." (Laughter.) I'm confident that's not going to happen to any member of the Virginia delegation. (Laughter.)

And also, of course, this November, Virginia will be electing a successor to an outstanding public servant, a colleague and friend of mine, John Warner. Senator Warner is one of the great Americans -- a World War Two veteran, Secretary of the Navy, legendary chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. He's been a superb U.S. senator -- and the only proper way to replace him is with a new Republican from his state of Virginia. (Applause.)

And, of course, looking to the fall campaign, I'll be there with all of you to make sure that we elect John McCain the 44th President of the United States. (Applause.)

President Bush and I look forward to helping our candidates, up and down the ticket, throughout this very important election year. And the stakes are high. Whether the issue is the economy, or energy, or the federal courts, or national security, the right answers are coming not from the Democrats, but from the Republicans.

Right now, with the economy going through a rough patch, some in Washington view it as an excuse to expand the size and scope of the federal government. Republicans believe that when Americans are facing tough times, the first thing we should do is let them keep more of their own money. (Applause.) That is why the President proposed and signed a stimulus package with immediate, direct relief to the American taxpayer.

Both parties came together on the stimulus package. And as a result, families are going to find it a little easier to pay their bills. Yet as we look down the road, there's still a lot more work to be done on taxes. Without action by Congress, most of the Bush tax relief of the last seven years will be taken away. If that happens, the death tax, which is being phased out right now, would suddenly return, at rates that top out at more than 50 percent. Taxes would go up on capital gains and dividends. The tax rate for every single income tax bracket would be increased. For taxpayers in the lowest bracket, the rate would increase by 50 percent. And the child tax credit would drop from $1,000 to $500 per child. The overall effect would be average increases of $1,800 a year in the tax bills of some 116 million Americans.

This is going to be one of the major dividing lines between the two parties in this election year -- and we need to make sure that every voter in the country knows about the difference. Remind your friends that whenever they hear Democratic politicians pledging to get rid of the Bush tax cuts, what they're promising is a major tax hike for working families. And they wouldn't have to move a muscle to do it, because under the law the tax cuts will simply expire a few years from now. That means it's all the more critical to elect a Republican Congress to make the tax cuts permanent -- and a Republican President to sign them into law. (Applause.)

Americans are legitimately concerned about energy as well, because everyone's paying higher prices at the pump. Our administration has worked with the Congress and the private sector to try to increase the efficiency of cars and trucks, to promote alternative fuels. But that's not enough to meet the needs of the country; we also have to produce more oil and gas inside the United States. (Applause.)