Remarks in Cambridge, Ohio

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 9, 2004

July 31, 2004

The President. Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming out today. Thanks for inviting me to Cambridge. It's an honor to be here. I always feel comfortable being in the middle of a ball diamond. I appreciate so many taking time out of your Saturday to come by and say hello and to welcome us on what we call the Heart and Soul of America tour.

There seems to be a difference of opinion about the heart and soul--I'm running against a fellow who thinks you can find the heart and soul in Hollywood.

Audience members. Boo-o-o!

The President. No, I know where you find the heart and soul of America, right here in places like Cambridge, Ohio.

Thanks for coming out. I'm here to ask for the vote. I'm ready to lead for 4 more years, and I want your help.

Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

The President. I'm glad to be amongst my fellow Republicans, discerning Democrats, and wise independents. I'd like to ask yon to volunteer to register voters. See, we have a duty in this country to vote. We have a duty in a land of free to exercise our individual choices in the ballot box. So please register your neighbors to vote. Make sure you tell them after they register to vote, and when you get them heading toward the polls, why don't you nudge them our way?

Thanks for coming. My regret is that Laura isn't with me today.

Audience members. Aw-w-w!

The President. I know. That's usually the reaction. I'm really proud of her. She's a great lady. Today I'm going to give you some reasons why I think you need to put me back into office, but perhaps the most important reason of all is so that Laura can be First Lady for 4 more years.

I'm running with a really good man. I know he's not the prettiest face on the ticket. [Laughter] But I didn't pick him for that reason. I picked him because he's solid. I picked him because he's got good advice and great experience. I picked him because he's a good man. I'm proud to be running with Dick Cheney.

I'm proud to be traveling on this bus with Governor Bob Taft. Thank you for coming, Governor. Senator Mike DeWine and his wife, Fran. By the way, Voinovich was with me a little earlier. You need to put him back into office; he's a great United States Senator. He's a good man--he's a good man. I appreciate Congressman Bob Ney being with us today. Congressman, I'm proud you're here.

Mr. Mayor--I appreciate the mayor coming; Mayor Sam is with us today. I'm honored you're here, Mayor. Thank you, Mayor. I was walking by; he said, "You get a chance, put in a good word for me." He said he's going to fill the potholes. I said, "All right."

I want to thank all the other State and local officials. I appreciate the chairman of the party, Bob Bennett. I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. Those are the people who are putting up the signs and manning the phones and getting your neighbors to show up to the polls on election day. And I want to thank you for your hard work; I really do. My job is to set the vision; your job is to get the people to the polls. And together, we're going to win Ohio and win the Nation.

Everybody running for office, every incumbent who asks for the vote has got to answer the question, why--why are you running again? Why should the American people give me the high privilege, the great privilege of serving as your President for 4 more years? Let me tell you something. We've been through a lot together, and we have done a lot. We've accomplished a great deal. But there's only one reason to look backward at the record, and that is to determine who best to lead the Nation forward.

I'm asking for your vote because there's a lot at stake, and there's more to do to move our country forward. I want to be your President, and I'll work hard to be your President and to keep your confidence to make this country safer, to make the economy stronger, and to make our future brighter and better for every single citizen. I'm ready to lead the country for 4 more years.

Audience members. Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!

The President. Listen, we've got more to do. We've got more work to do to make sure our public schools are the center of excellence so no child is left behind in America. When we came to office 3 1/2 years ago, too many of the children were being just shuffled through, grade to grade, year after year, without learning the basics. So we confronted the status quo. We're challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations. We're raising the bar. We expect better results. We're insisting on accountability. We're empowering parents. And we're making sure that local folks are in charge of the public schools. And today, children across America are showing real progress when it comes to learning to read and math. When it comes to improving our schools, we're turning the corner, and we're not turning back.

There's more to do; this world of ours is changing. The jobs of the future will require greater knowledge and a higher level of skill, and so we must reform our high schools to make sure a high school diploma means something. We will expand math and education so our youngsters can compete in a high-tech world. We will expand the use of the Internet to bring high-level training to classrooms all across America with 4 years--with 4 more years. We will help raise a generation of young Americans to have confidence and the skills necessary to realize the American promise.