Remarks at a dinner for gubernatorial candidate Matt Salmon in Phoenix, Arizona

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Oct 7, 2002

September 27, 2002

Thanks for that kind introduction, "Governor." First, I want to thank the host of the dinner for organizing an early dinner. [Laughter] It's good for Colangelo's ballpark. [Laughter] I guess tonight's the night for the D-backs.

I know this for certain, that this will be the only candidate I ever campaigned for who rides a Harley, speaks fluent Mandarin Chinese, and fronts an Elvis cover band. [Laughter] He's the candidate I'm campaigning for who's going to win. Matt's a breath of fresh air. See, he told the voters of his congressional district he'd only serve three terms. And when the third term finished, he didn't run again. He's the kind of person who does in office what he says he is going to do, which is vital for the statehouse and Arizona.

The State faces real challenges, but with him you're going to get a straightforward fellow, somebody who will tell you the truth, somebody who will give it his all to make Arizona the best State for everybody who lives here. It's my honor to be here. I'm proud to support him, and I thank you all for coming as well.

I had the privilege of meeting Nancy. Both of us married above ourselves. [Laughter] Nancy and Matt are the proud parents of our kids, and they place their family above all else. And it gives me great comfort to know I'm working for somebody who has got his priorities straight.

And I appreciate you mentioning Laura, Matt. She sends her best. She sends her best to our friends who are here. She sends her best to you and Nancy. She's over there in Crawford, waiting for me. One of the good things about coming out West is, I get to spend the night in Crawford and remember there are values other than Washington values that count in the Nation. It's good to come out West where the spirit of individualism still remains strong, to come out West where you can see a long way, to come out West where people understand helping neighbors is an important part of building a good State. So thanks for having me. I'm sorry Laura's not here. She's doing great. And by the way, I'm really, really proud of the job she's doing as our First Lady.

We went up to Flagstaff where we were working on the drought relief program. It was raining. [Laughter] But I was up there to help a fellow named Rick Renzi, who is going to be the next Congressman from northern Arizona. I want to thank Rick for putting his bat in the ring, and I want to thank you all for helping him.

I'm also honored to be with two great United States Senators, a great patriot, a man who is speaking clearly about the need to defend America and defend our freedoms, and that's John McCain. And by the way, he married above himself too. [Laughter] And today I was traveling with Jon Kyl.

One of the jobs of the President is to pick good judges, is to put people of sound judgment and great talent on our Federal benches. And the United States Senate has been, in some cases, not treating my nominees fairly. I named a great lady named Priscilla Owen to the bench. She'd run statewide in our State, had overwhelming votes, one of the top graduates of her law school. The lawyer group rated her one of the best, the highest ratings they could give. And yet the Senate distorted her record because she wouldn't be willing to legislate from the bench. Jon Kyl has remained strong on the Judiciary Committee to make sure my nominees get a fair hearing. We need to change the United States Senate so we can change the United States course.

I want to thank Congressman Hayworth--he's not here, but I'm going to thank him anyway--and Shadegg and Flake and Kolbe for their support. Arizona has got a fine congressional delegation, and I'm proud to be able to work with these Members. I want to thank your Governor for coming today, my friend Jane Dee Hull. I want to thank the mayor of Phoenix for being here, Mayor Rimsza. And I also want to appreciate those of you who helped organize this dinner. I want to thank Chairman Fannin.

But most of all, I want to thank the grassroot activists who are here, the people who put the signs in the yards, the people who do the phone calling, the people who do the mailers, those tireless souls who never get thanked. I want to thank you for what you have done, and as importantly, I thank you for what you're going to do, which is to turn out a big vote come November the 5th.

I appreciate your next Governor's agenda. It starts with making sure that the State doesn't raise the taxes on the working people. I appreciate that promise. He's a man who keeps his word. It's one of these issues that will distinguish him from his opponent. If he says he's not going to raise your taxes, he means he's not going to raise your taxes. And that will be good for the economy of Arizona.

He's focused on jobs. He briefed me on his WorkFair 2010 program. See, he and I understand the role of Government is not to create wealth but to create an environment in which the entrepreneur can flourish, in which small businesses can grow to be big businesses. I appreciate his vision for job creation.