Remarks in Saginaw, Michigan

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 9, 2004

August 5, 2004

The President. Thank you all. Thanks for coming. Thanks for coming. Thanks for having me here. I'm here to ask for the vote, and I'm here to ask for your help. It's been a great turnout. Thanks for coming.

It's going to be an interesting campaign. We have big differences of opinion. For example, we have a difference of opinion over the heart and soul of America. See, my opponents believe you can find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood. I think you can find it right here in Saginaw, Michigan.

Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

The President. That's not the only thing my opponent seems a little confused about. The other day in Ohio, he said that there's nothing better than Buckeye football, period. Audience members. Boo-o-o!

The President. Then he came to Michigan. First he told the crowd, "I go for the Buckeye football. That's where I'm coming from." No, I know, that's not what the Michigan folks were expecting to hear. [Laughter] Then he remembered where he was and he called all audible. [Laughter] He said that the University of Michigan was a powerhouse of a team. You see, my opponent is a Washington politician who's taken both sides of just about every issue, including Big Ten football.

Listen, I want to thank you for welcoming Vice President Cheney here a couple of months ago. I admit it, he's not the prettiest face on the ticket. [Laughter] That's not why I picked him. I picked him because of his judgment, his experience, his ability to do the job. Everywhere I go, the crowds are big, the enthusiasm is high, the signs are good. With your help, Dick Cheney and I will win 4 more years.

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

The President. I am--my only regret is that Laura is not traveling with me. She is a great wife, a wonderful mother, and a excellent First Lady for our country. I'm really proud of her. I'm really proud of her. I'm going to give you some reasons why to put me back into office, but perhaps the most important one of all is so that Laura will be First Lady for 4 more years.

I want to thank my friend Dave Camp, Congressman Camp. I appreciate you being here. Congresswoman Candice Miller, my good friend, is with us today. Thank you. Terri Lynn Land--I appreciate the secretary of state joining us. I wish Myrah Kirkwood all the best in her run for the United States Congress.

You invited the Gatlin Brothers. [Applause] I know. They grew up in Odessa, which is Ector County; I grew up in Midland County, which is right around the corner from here--just a different State. [Laughter] I appreciate my friends being here. They're good friends, and they're good guys who care a lot about our country.

I want to thank all the grassroots activists who are here. That means you're the people who put up the signs, make the phone calls; you're the people who are going to help register our fellow citizens. See, everybody needs to participate in elections. I believe we have a duty; I know you believe we have a duty to vote on election day. And so when you're out registering voters, please don't overlook discerning Democrats and wise independents because, like you, they want a safer and stronger and better America.

Every incumbent who asks for the vote has to answer a central question, why--why should the American people give me the great privilege of serving as your President for 4 more years? In the past few years, Americans have 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 best to lead our Nation forward.

I'm here asking for the vote because there's so much at stake. We have much more to do to move our country forward. I want to be your President for 4 more years to create more jobs, improve our schools, to spread the peace. We have made much progress; there is still more to do.

We have more to do to make our public schools the centers of excellence we all know they can be so that no child in our country is left behind. When we came to office 3 1/2 years ago, too many of our children were being shuffled from grade to grade, year after year, without learning the basics. So we challenged what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations. We raised the bar. We believe in setting high standards. We believe in accountability. We believe in local control of schools. We believe in empowering the parents of America. Today, children across America are showing real progress in reading and math. When it comes to improving America's public schools, we're turning the corner and we're not turning back.

We have more to do. The jobs of the future will require greater knowledge and higher level skills. We're going to reform our high schools to make sure a high school diploma means something. We'll expand math and science education so our young people can compete in the high-tech world. We will expand the use of the Internet to bring high-level training in the classrooms. With 4 more years, we'll help a rising generation gain the skills and competence they need to realize the great promise of our country.