Bush acceptance

Governor George W. Bush - Acceptance Speech

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, August 3, 2000

Mr. Chairman, delegates, and my fellow citizens ... I accept your

nomination. Thank you for this honor. Together, we will renew America's

purpose.

Our founders first defined that purpose here in Philadelphia ... Ben

Franklin was here. Thomas Jefferson. And, of course, George Washington --

or, as his friends called him, "George W."

I am proud to have Dick Cheney at my side. He is a man of integrity and

sound judgment, who has proven that public service can be noble service.

America will be proud to have a leader of such character to succeed Al Gore

as Vice President of the United States.

I am grateful for John McCain and the other candidates who sought this

nomination. Their convictions strengthen our party.

I am especially grateful tonight to my family.

No matter what else I do in life, asking Laura to marry me was the best

decision I ever made.

To our daughters, Barbara and Jenna, we love you, we're proud of you, and as

you head off to college this fall ... ... Don't stay out too late, and

e-mail your old dad once in a while, will you?

And mother, everyone loves you and so do I.

Growing up, she gave me love and lots of advice. I gave her white hair. And

I want to thank my father -- the most decent man I have ever known. All my

life I have been amazed that a gentle soul could be so strong. And Dad, I

want you to know how proud I am to be your son.

My father was the last president of a great generation. A generation of

Americans who stormed beaches, liberated concentration camps and delivered

us from evil.

Some never came home.

Those who did put their medals in drawers, went to work, and built on a

heroic scale ... highways and universities, suburbs and factories, great

cities and grand alliances -- the strong foundations of an American Century.

Now the question comes to the sons and daughters of this achievement...

What is asked of us?

This is a remarkable moment in the life of our nation. Never has the promise

of prosperity been so vivid. But times of plenty, like times of crisis, are

tests of American character.

Prosperity can be a tool in our hands -- used to build and better our

country. Or it can be a drug in our system -- dulling our sense of urgency,

of empathy, of duty.

Our opportunities are too great, our lives too short, to waste this moment.

So tonight we vow to our nation ...

We will seize this moment of American promise.

We will use these good times for great goals.

We will confront the hard issues -- threats to our national security,

threats to our health and retirement security -- before the challenges of

our time become crises for our children.

And we will extend the promise of prosperity to every forgotten corner of

this country.

To every man and woman, a chance to succeed. To every child, a chance to

learn. To every family, a chance to live with dignity and hope.

For eight years, the Clinton/Gore administration has coasted through

prosperity.

And the path of least resistance is always downhill.

But America's way is the rising road.

This nation is daring and decent and ready for change.

Our current president embodied the potential of a generation. So many

talents. So much charm. Such great skill. But, in the end, to what end? So

much promise, to no great purpose.

Little more than a decade ago, the Cold War thawed and, with the leadership

of Presidents Reagan and Bush, that wall came down.

But instead of seizing this moment, the Clinton/Gore administration has

squandered it. We have seen a steady erosion of American power and an

unsteady exercise of American influence.

Our military is low on parts, pay and morale.

If called on by the commander-in-chief today, two entire divisions of the

Army would have to report ... Not ready for duty, sir.

This administration had its moment.

They had their chance. They have not led. We will.

This generation was given the gift of the best education in American

history. Yet we do not share that gift with everyone. Seven of ten

fourth-graders in our highest poverty schools cannot read a simple

children's book.

And still this administration continues on the same old path with the same

old programs -- while millions are trapped in schools where violence is

common and learning is rare.

This administration had its chance. They have not led. We will.

America has a strong economy and a surplus. We have the public resources and

the public will -- even the bipartisan opportunities -- to strengthen Social

Security and repair Medicare.

But this administration -- during eight years of increasing need -- did

nothing.

They had their moment. They have not led. We will.

Our generation has a chance to reclaim some essential values -- to show we

have grown up before we grow old.

But when the moment for leadership came, this administration did not teach

our children, it disillusioned them.

They had their chance. They have not led. We will.

And now they come asking for another chance, another shot.

Our answer?

Not this time.

Not this year.

This is not a time for third chances, it is a time for new beginnings. The

rising generations of this country have our own appointment with greatness.

It does not rise or fall with the stock market. It cannot be bought with our

wealth.

Greatness is found when American character and American courage overcome

American challenges.

When Lewis Morris of New York was about to sign the Declaration of

Independence, his brother advised against it, warning he would lose all his

property.

Morris, a plain-spoken Founder, responded ... "Damn the consequences, give

me the pen." That is the eloquence of American action.

We heard it during World War II, when General Eisenhower told paratroopers

on D-Day morning not to worry -- and one replied, "We're not worried,

General ... It's Hitler's turn to worry now."

We heard it in the civil rights movement, when brave men and women did not

say ... "We shall cope," or "We shall see." They said ... "We shall

overcome."

An American president must call upon that character.

Tonight, in this hall, we resolve to be, not the party of repose, but the

party of reform.

We will write, not footnotes, but chapters in the American story.

We will add the work of our hands to the inheritance of our fathers and

mothers -- and leave this nation greater than we found it.

We know the tests of leadership. The issues are joined.

We will strengthen Social Security and Medicare for the greatest generation,

and for generations to come.

Medicare does more than meet the needs of our elderly, it reflects the

values of our society.

We will set it on firm financial ground, and make prescription drugs

available and affordable for every senior who needs them.

Social Security has been called the "third rail of American politics" -- the

one you're not supposed to touch because it shocks you.

But, if you don't touch it, you can't fix it. And I intend to fix it.

To seniors in this country ... You earned your benefits, you made your

plans, and President George W. Bush will keep the promise of Social Security

... no changes, no reductions, no way.

Our opponents will say otherwise. This is their last, parting ploy, and

don't believe a word of it.

Now is the time for Republicans and Democrats to end the politics of fear

and save Social Security, together.

For younger workers, we will give you the option -- your choice -- to put a

part of your payroll taxes into sound, responsible investments.

This will mean a higher return on your money, and, over 30 or 40 years, a

nest egg to help your retirement, or pass along to your children.

When this money is in your name, in your account, it's not just a program,

it's your property.

Now is the time to give American workers security and independence that no

politician can ever take away.

On education ... Too many American children are segregated into schools

without standards, shuffled from grade-to-grade because of their age,

regardless of their knowledge.

This is discrimination, pure and simple -- the soft bigotry of low

expectations.

And our nation should treat it like other forms of discrimination ... We

should end it.

One size does not fit all when it comes to educating our children, so local

people should control local schools.

And those who spend your tax dollars must be held accountable.

When a school district receives federal funds to teach poor children, we

expect them to learn. And if they don't, parents should get the money to

make a different choice.

Now is the time to make Head Start an early learning program, teach all our

children to read, and renew the promise of America's public schools. Another

test of leadership is tax relief.

The last time taxes were this high as a percentage of our economy, there was

a good reason ... We were fighting World War II.

Today, our high taxes fund a surplus. Some say that growing federal surplus

means Washington has more money to spend.

But they've got it backwards.

The surplus is not the government's money. The surplus is the people's

money.

I will use this moment of opportunity to bring common sense and fairness to

the tax code.

And I will act on principle.

On principle ... every family, every farmer and small businessperson, should

be free to pass on their life's work to those they love.

So we will abolish the death tax.

On principle ... no one in America should have to pay more than a third of

their income to the federal government.

So we will reduce tax rates for everyone, in every bracket.

On principle ... those in the greatest need should receive the greatest

help.

So we will lower the bottom rate from 15 percent to 10 percent and double

the child tax credit.

Now is the time to reform the tax code and share some of the surplus with

the people who pay the bills.

The world needs America's strength and leadership, and America's armed

forces need better equipment, better training, and better pay.

We will give our military the means to keep the peace, and we will give it

one thing more ... a commander-in-chief who respects our men and women in

uniform, and a commander-in-chief who earns their respect.

A generation shaped by Vietnam must remember the lessons of Vietnam.

When America uses force in the world, the cause must be just, the goal must

be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming.

I will work to reduce nuclear weapons and nuclear tension in the world -- to

turn these years of influence into decades of peace.

And, at the earliest possible date, my administration will deploy missile

defenses to guard against attack and blackmail.

Now is the time, not to defend outdated treaties, but to defend the American

people.

A time of prosperity is a test of vision. And our nation today needs vision.

That is a fact ... or as my opponent might call it, a "risky truth scheme."

Every one of the proposals I've talked about tonight, he has called a "risky

scheme," over and over again.

It is the sum of his message -- the politics of the roadblock, the

philosophy of the stop sign.

If my opponent had been there at the moon launch, it would have been a

"risky rocket scheme."

If he'd been there when Edison was testing the light bulb, it would have

been a "risky anti-candle scheme."

And if he'd been there when the Internet was invented well ... I understand

he actually was there for that.

He now leads the party of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. But the only thing he

has to offer is fear itself.

That outlook is typical of many in Washington -- always seeing the tunnel at

the end of the light.

But I come from a different place, and it has made me a different leader. In

Midland, Texas, where I grew up, the town motto was "the sky is the limit"

... and we believed it.

There was a restless energy, a basic conviction that, with hard work,

anybody could succeed, and everybody deserved a chance.

Our sense of community was just as strong as that sense of promise.

Neighbors helped each other. There were dry wells and sandstorms to keep you

humble, and lifelong friends to take your side, and churches to remind us

that every soul is equal in value and equal in need.

This background leaves more than an accent, it leaves an outlook.

Optimistic. Impatient with pretense. Confident that people can chart their

own course.

That background may lack the polish of Washington. Then again, I don't have

a lot of things that come with Washington.

I don't have enemies to fight. And I have no stake in the bitter arguments

of the last few years. I want to change the tone of Washington to one of

civility and respect.

The largest lesson I learned in Midland still guides me as governor ...

Everyone, from immigrant to entrepreneur, has an equal claim on this

country's promise.

So we improved our schools, dramatically, for children of every accent, of

every background.

We moved people from welfare to work.

We strengthened our juvenile justice laws.

Our budgets have been balanced, with surpluses, and we cut taxes not only

once, but twice.

We accomplished a lot.

I don't deserve all the credit, and don't attempt to take it. I worked with

Republicans and Democrats to get things done.

A bittersweet part of tonight is that someone is missing, the late Lt.

Governor of Texas Bob Bullock.

Bob was a Democrat, a crusty veteran of Texas politics, and my great friend.

He worked by my side, endorsed my re-election, and I know he is with me in

spirit in saying to those who would malign our state for political gain...

Don't mess with Texas.

As governor, I've made difficult decisions, and stood by them under

pressure. I've been where the buck stops -- in business and in government.

I've been a chief executive who sets an agenda, sets big goals, and rallies

people to believe and achieve them.

I am proud of this record, and I'm prepared for the work ahead.

If you give me your trust, I will honor it ... Grant me a mandate, and I

will use it... Give me the opportunity to lead this nation, and I will lead

...

And we need a leader to seize the opportunities of this new century -- the

new cures of medicine, the amazing technologies that will drive our economy

and keep the peace.

But our new economy must never forget the old, unfinished struggle for human

dignity.

And here we face a challenge to the very heart and founding premise of our

nation.

A couple of years ago, I visited a juvenile jail in Marlin, Texas, and

talked with a group of young inmates. They were angry, wary kids. All had

committed grownup crimes.

Yet when I looked in their eyes, I realized some of them were still little

boys.

Toward the end of conversation, one young man, about 15, raised his hand and

asked a haunting question... "What do you think of me?"

He seemed to be asking, like many Americans who struggle ... "Is there hope

for me? Do I have a chance?" And, frankly ... "Do you, a white man in a

suit, really care what happens to me?"

A small voice, but it speaks for so many. Single moms struggling to feed the

kids and pay the rent. Immigrants starting a hard life in a new world.

Children without fathers in neighborhoods where gangs seem like friendship,

where drugs promise peace, and where sex, sadly, seems like the closest

thing to belonging. We are their country, too.

And each of us must share in its promise, or that promise is diminished for

all.

If that boy in Marlin believes he is trapped and worthless and hopeless --

if he believes his life has no value, then other lives have no value to him

-- and we are ALL diminished.

When these problems aren't confronted, it builds a wall within our nation.

On one side are wealth and technology, education and ambition.

On the other side of the wall are poverty and prison, addiction and despair.

And, my fellow Americans, we must tear down that wall.

Big government is not the answer. But the alternative to bureaucracy is not

indifference.

It is to put conservative values and conservative ideas into the thick of

the fight for justice and opportunity.

This is what I mean by compassionate conservatism. And on this ground we

will govern our nation.

We will give low-income Americans tax credits to buy the private health

insurance they need and deserve.

We will transform today's housing rental program to help hundreds of

thousands of low-income families find stability and dignity in a home of

their own.

And, in the next bold step of welfare reform, we will support the heroic

work of homeless shelters and hospices, food pantries and crisis pregnancy

centers -- people reclaiming their communities block-by-block and

heart-by-heart.

I think of Mary Jo Copeland, whose ministry called "Sharing and Caring

Hands" serves 1,000 meals a week in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Each day, Mary

Jo washes the feet of the homeless, then sends them off with new socks and

shoes.

"Look after your feet," she tells them ...... "They must carry you a long

way in this world, and then all the way to God."

Government cannot do this work. It can feed the body, but it cannot reach

the soul. Yet government can take the side of these groups, helping the

helper, encouraging the inspired.

My administration will give taxpayers new incentives to donate to charity,

encourage after-school programs that build character, and support mentoring

groups that shape and save young lives.

We must give our children a spirit of moral courage, because their character

is our destiny.

We must tell them, with clarity and confidence, that drugs and alcohol can

destroy you, and bigotry disfigures the heart.

Our schools must support the ideals of parents, elevating character and

abstinence from afterthoughts to urgent goals.

We must help protect our children, in our schools and streets, by finally

and strictly enforcing our nation's gun laws.

Most of all, we must teach our children the values that defeat violence. I

will lead our nation toward a culture that values life -- the life of the

elderly and the sick, the life of the young, and the life of the unborn. I

know good people disagree on this issue, but surely we can agree on ways to

value life by promoting adoption and parental notification, and when

Congress sends me a bill against partial-birth abortion, I will sign it into

law.

Behind every goal I have talked about tonight is a great hope for our

country.

A hundred years from now, this must not be remembered as an age rich in

possessions and poor in ideals.

Instead, we must usher in an era of responsibility.

My generation tested limits -- and our country, in some ways, is better for

it.

Women are now treated more equally. Racial progress has been steady, if

still too slow. We are learning to protect the natural world around us. We

will continue this progress, and we will not turn back.

At times, we lost our way. But we are coming home.

So many of us held our first child, and saw a better self reflected in her

eyes.

And in that family love, many have found the sign and symbol of an even

greater love, and have been touched by faith.

We have discovered that who we are is more important than what we have. And

we know we must renew our values to restore our country.

This is the vision of America's founders.

They never saw our nation's greatness in rising wealth or advancing armies,

but in small, unnumbered acts of caring and courage and self-denial.

Their highest hope, as Robert Frost described it, was "to occupy the land

with character."

And that, 13 generations later, is still our goal ... to occupy the land

with character.

In a responsibility era, each of us has important tasks -- work that only we

can do.

Each of us is responsible ... to love and guide our children, and help a

neighbor in need.

Synagogues, churches and mosques are responsible ... not only to worship but

to serve.

Corporations are responsible ... to treat their workers fairly, and leave

the air and waters clean.

Our nation's leaders are responsible ... to confront problems, not pass them

on to others.

And to lead this nation to a responsibility era, a president himself must be

responsible.

And so, when I put my hand on the Bible, I will swear to not only uphold the

laws of our land, I will swear to uphold the honor and dignity of the office

to which I have been elected, so help me God.

I believe the presidency -- the final point of decision in the American

government -- was made for great purposes.

It is the office of Lincoln's conscience and Teddy Roosevelt's energy and

Harry Truman's integrity and Ronald Reagan's optimism.

For me, gaining this office is not the ambition of a lifetime, but it IS the

opportunity of a lifetime.

And I will make the most of it. I believe great decisions are made with

care, made with conviction, not made with polls.

I do not need to take your pulse before I know my own mind. I do not

reinvent myself at every turn. I am not running in borrowed clothes. When I

act, you will know my reasons ...When I speak, you will know my heart.

I believe in tolerance, not in spite of my faith, but because of it.

I believe in a God who calls us, not to judge our neighbors, but to love

them.

I believe in grace, because I have seen it ... In peace, because I have felt

it ... In forgiveness, because I have needed it.

I believe true leadership is a process of addition, not an act of division.

I will not attack a part of this country, because I want to lead the whole

of it.

And I believe this will be a tough race, down to the wire.

Their war room is up and running ... but we are ready. Their attacks will be

relentless ... but they will be answered. We are facing something familiar,

but they are facing something new.

We are now the party of ideas and innovation ... The party of idealism and

inclusion.

The party of a simple and powerful hope ...

My fellow citizens, we can begin again. After all of the shouting, and all

of the scandal. After all of the bitterness and broken faith. We can begin

again.

The wait has been long, but it won't be long now.

A prosperous nation is ready to renew its purpose and unite behind great

goals ... and it won't be long now.

Our nation must renew the hopes of that boy I talked with in jail, and so

many like him... and it won't be long now.

Our country is ready for high standards and new leaders ... and it won't be

long now.

An era of tarnished ideals is giving way to a responsibility era ... and it

won't be long now.

I know how serious the task is before me.

I know the presidency is an office that turns pride into prayer.

But I am eager to start on the work ahead.

And I believe America is ready for a new beginning.

My friend, the artist Tom Lea of El Paso, captured the way I feel about our

great land.

He and his wife, he said, "live on the east side of the mountain ...

It is the sunrise side, not the sunset side.

It is the side to see the day that is coming ... not the side to see the day

that is gone."

Americans live on the sunrise side of mountain.

The night is passing.

And we are ready for the day to come.

Thank you. And God bless you.

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