Remarks in Grand Rapids, Michigan

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 9, 2004

July 30, 2004

The President. Thank you all. I appreciate you coming. Sit down if you've got a chair. I'm proud you're here. Thanks for inviting me. You can't come to Grand Rapids and not think about a great President, Gerald Ford. What a decent man. What an honorable citizen. And what a great example for Presidents.

I appreciate you coming out for our Heart and Soul of America tour. This is going to be a great campaign. I'm looking forward to it. And there's going to be big differences. We'll have differences over taxes, how to keep the peace. And there seems to be a difference over the heart and soul of America. My opponents think you can find it in Hollywood. I think you find it right here in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

I'm excited about traveling the country. I was in Springfield, Missouri, earlier. I'm going to Cleveland, Ohio; Canton, Ohio; on to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, tomorrow. I like traveling. I like being with people. The crowds are big. The enthusiasm is high. And with your help, Dick Cheney and I will serve this Nation for 4 more years.

Speaking about my friend Dick Cheney, I admit, he's not the prettiest face in the race. [Laughter] But I picked him because he's steady and strong and reliable. He's got good judgment. Dick Cheney is a great Vice President.

And speaking about really fine people, I am sorry that Laura is not here.

Audience members. Aw-w-w!

The President. I know it. [Laughter] Most people feel that way. They wish she were speaking and I stayed at home. [Laughter] But I'm really proud of her. She is a great lady, a fantastic First Lady. I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you need to put me back in office, but perhaps the most important reason of all is so that Laura will be First Lady for 4 more years.

I want to thank Juan Olivarez for his leadership of this very important institution. I appreciate a fellow Tejano serving the community of Grand Rapids--that means a fellow Texan. [Laughter] I appreciate his warm words of introduction. Gracias, amigo.

I appreciate Hoekstra--Peter Hoekstra for his service in the United States Congress. I'm proud to call him friend. And I appreciate my friend Vern Ehlers" service to the people of Michigan in the United States Congress as well.

I'm honored that Terri Lynn Land and Mike Cox and Ken Sikkema are with us today. I've gotten to know these good souls during my trips here in Michigan. And they represent the State well. I appreciate Speaker Rick Johnson joining us as well; State Senator Bill Hardiman. I'm honored that these good citizens have decided to serve the people of the communities in the great State of Michigan. I thank them for the hard work they have done and are going to do to make sure we carry the State of Michigan this time.

I want to thank my friend Betsy DeVos and Chuck Yob and Holly Hughes and the ambassador, Peter Secchia. I want to--does it strike anybody funny, "Ambassador" Secchia? No? [Laughter] We love him in our family.

I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. I appreciate your willingness to work in the political process. I encourage you to get people to register to vote. Make sure people go to vote on election day. We have a duty in our society--in our democratic system, we have a duty to participate. And I want to thank you for getting people to participate. And when you get them headed into the polls, give them a little nudge our way. [Laughter]

Every incumbent who asks for the vote has got to answer one central question, and that's why--why should the American people give me the privilege, the high privilege, of serving as your President for 4 more years? In the past few years, we've been through a lot together, and we have accomplished a great deal. But there's only one reason to look backward at the record, and that is to determine who will lead the Nation forward, who can do the job for the American people. I'm asking for your vote because so much is at stake. We have much more to do to move this country forward.

I want to be your President for 4 more years to make our country" safer, to make our economy stronger, to make the future better and brighter for every single citizen who lives in this country. From creating jobs to improving schools, from fighting terror to protecting our homeland, we've made much progress, and I'm here to tell you, we have got more to do.

We have more to do to make America's public schools the centers of excellence we know they can be so that no child is left behind in this country. When we came to office 3 1/2 years ago, too many children were being shuffled from grade to grade, year after year, without learning the basics. So we've challenged the soft bigotry of low expectations. We're setting high standards. We're focusing on results. We're insisting on accountability. We're empowering parents. And we're making sure local folks are in charge of their own public schools. And today, children across America are showing real progress in reading and math. When it comes to improving America's public schools, we are turning the corner, and we are not turning back.