Wichita, Kansas GOP Rally” of the President’S Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R
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The original documents are located in Box 3, folder “11/1/74 - Wichita, Kansas GOP Rally” of the President’s Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Copyright Notice The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Digitized from Box 3 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library WI CHI TA, KANSAS GOP RALLY SATU RDAY, I\JOVEMBER I, 1974 .~. ~,r. •• • ~- ... - I "'-'", THAI\J~U, BOB DOLE, FOR THAT KI ND I NTRODUCTI ON. I AM HONORED, I AM PRI VI LEGED, I AM GRATEFUL FOR THI S OPPORTUI\JI TY TO VI SI T THE STATE THAT HAS BEEN THE HOME OF ONE OF THE FINEST PRESI DENTS THIS NATION HAS EVER KNOWN -- THAT GREAT STATESMAN FROM ABILENE -- DWI GHT D. EI SENHOWER!.. I KE SET A STANDARD OF I NTEGRITY AND ACHIEVEMENT THAT I S AN EVERLASTI NG TR I BUTE TO THE- MAN.. AI\JD TO HIS STATE. I PLEDGE TO YOU THAT I WI LL DO MY BEST TO FOLLOW I N THE PATH OF HI S VERY • LONG FOOTSTEPS! - - 2 I HAVE ANOTHER REASON WHY I ENJOY COMING TO KANSAS. THE CAMPAI GNS HERE ALWAYS SEEM TO HAVE A LITTLE MORE FUI\J THAN IN ¢ OTHER STATES. TAKE THE RAGE FOR GOVERNOR. SOMEBODY JUST TOLD <' ME THE LATEST REPU BLI CAN SLOGAN. I T GOES: "LET'S PUT BOB BENNETT , - IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT -- AND KEEP VERN MILLER IN THE TRUNK!" ------------------~,- • - 3 YOU HAVE A GREAT CANDI DATE I N BOB BENNETT. p HE HAS HONES.!Y.~ELlABILITY. ~GRITY -- THE ONLY THING THAT BOB BEI~NETT HAS EVER COVERE~ UP I S HI S CHI N! t) -r ITIS A REAL PLEASURE FOR ME TO BE HERE I N WI CHI TA TH IS EVENI NG TO PAY TR I BUTE TO A GREAT STATE, KANSAS, AND A GREAT SLATE, --------~# p = • THE KANSAS REPUBLI CAN TI CKET • • - 4 BUT I AM NOT JUST HERE BECAUSE OF PARTY LABELS. THERE IS SOMETH ING MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN THAT. ITIS MY PERSONAL AFFECTION AND RESPECT FOR A GROUP OF MEN I KNOW TO BE GOOD FR IENDS AND GREAT AMERI CANS • • - 5 TAKE BOB DOLE, FOR EXAMPLE. I GOT TO KNOW BOB VERY WELL WHEN WE WORKED TOGETHER FOR 8 YEARS I N THE HOUSE OF REPRESEf\lTATI VES. I SAW THE SAME QUALI TI ES IN HIM THEN THAT HAVE SI NCE MADE HI M SUCH AN OUTSTANDI NG SENATOR... • • - 6 BOB I S SMART, HE IS HARD-WORKI NG AND HE I S INDEPENDENT. WHEN HE DISAGREES WI TH YOU, HE REALLY LETS YOU KNOW -- AND BEll EVE ME, I'M SREAKI NG FROM PERSONAL EXPERI ENCE WHEN I SAY THAT. • - 7 BOB KNOWS HI S STATE AND HE KNOWS AGRI CULTURE. HE KNOWS HOW TO GUARD THE INTERESTS OF THE PEOPLE HE REPRESENTS. AND I N THE 94th CONGRESS HE WH.L BE THE RANKI NG REPU BLI CAN ON THE SENATE AGRICULTURE COMMIT~E. THAT I S NOT JUST GOOD NEWS FOR KANSAS FARMERS. IT I S GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE ELSE I N THE STATE WHERE AGRI CULTURE I S THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE ECONOMY AND THE BIGGEST SINGLE I NOU STRY • • - 8 BUT THERE I S ANOTHER REASON WHY BOB DOLE I S SO IMPORTANT -- NOT JUST TO KANSAS, BUT TO THE WHOLE COUNTRY. AI\JD THAT I S WH~T BOB HAS DONE AS THE ONLY FI RST -TERM REPU BLI CAN, ON THE SENATE BUDGET COMMI TTEE AND AS AN IMPORTANT MEMBER OF THE SENATE FI NANCE COMMI TTEE. - 9 BOB I S A FI GHTER, A TOUGH, HOI\JEST, UPRI.. GHT MAN WHO HAS SERVED HI S COUNTRY WITH HONOR I N BOTH WAR AND PEACE. AND HE IS 11\1 A TOUGH FI GHT RI GHT NOW -- PERHAPS THE TOUGHEST OF HI SLIFE. BUT I KNOW HE CAN DO IT, I F ALL OF US DO OUR SHARE TOO. AND I KNOW HE DESERVES OUR SUPPORT. LET'S MAKE SURE HE GETS IT, SO THAT KANSAS AND AMERI CA GET THE BEST MAN AVAI LABLE FOR THE JOB -- SENATOR BOB DOLE • • - 10 I REMEMBER A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT LAST NOVEMBER AT THE HEI GHT OF THE ENERGY CRI SI S, WHEN BOB WORKED TOGETHER WI TH ANOTHER GREAT KANSAS ~AWMAKER, MY OLD FRI END REPRESENTATI VE GARNER SHR IVER, DEAN OF THE KANSAS HOU SE DELEGATION. THE GOVERNMENT HAD DEC I DED TO SEVERE LY REDUCE FUEL FOR GENERAL AVI ATI ON -- A DECI SI ON THAT COULD HAVE COST THOUSANDS OF JOBS HERE I N WI CHITA AND THROUGHOUT KANSAS • • - II BUT BOB DOLE AND GARNER SHRI VER WERE ON THE JOB. THEY WORKED LI TERALL Y DAY AND NI GHT TO HELP REVERSE THAT DECI SI ON. THEY WENT TO THE WHITE HOUSE AND TO THE CABII\lET AND THEY STATED THE CASE FOR ~ANS!.S -- AND FOR THE IMPORTANCE OF GENERAL AVIATIO~. AND THEY SUCCEEDED. THEI RACTIONS WERE RES PONS I BLE FOR GETTI NG THOSE FUEL ALLOCATIONS I NCREASED AND SAVI NG THE JOBS OF A LOT OF KANSANS. - 12 LET'S JUST MAKE SURE WE KEEP BOB AND GARI\JER 01\J THE JOB SO THEY'LL BE THERE TO HELP THE NEXT TI ME THEY'RE NEEDED. I HAVE THREE OTMER GOOD FRI ENDS ON THE KANSAS DELEGATIOI\J -- JOE SKUBITZ, LARRY WII\JN AI\JD KEITH SEBELI US a" • WHO DESERVE TO BE RETURNED TO CONGRESS. - 13 I HAVE KNOWN JOE SKUBITZ- SI NCE HE CAME TO THE COI\JGRESS IN 1963. I KNEW HI M AS A HARD WORKER, AS A FI GHTER FOR HI S DI STRI CT. JOE HAS BUI LT UP VALUABLE SENIORITY FOR KANSAS AND FOR HIS CONSTI TUENTS. - 14 LARRY WI NN AND I HAVE WORKED TOGETHER EVER SI NeE THE 90TH CONGRESS, MORE THAN 7 YEARS AGO. HE I S THE KI ND OF GUY YOU CAN COUNT ON. 'THE KI ND OF GUY YOU CAN TRUST TO GI VE HIS HONEST OP I f\l1 01\J, WHETHER HE AGREES WI TH YOU OR I\JOT. HE HAS DONE A GREAT JOB FOR KANSAS AND FOR THE COUNTRY. , - 15 KEI TH SEBELI US IS LI KE THAT, TOO. TI ME AND AGAII\J, HE HAS VOTED TO HOLD THE LI NE ON WASTEFUL SPEND ING. HE HAS FOUGHT THE BI GSPENDERS AND 'HE HAS FOUGHT INFLATI ON. I AM COUNTI NG ON HI M TO BE BACK AGAI N I\JEXT YEAR. - 16 WE NEED -- YOU NEED I N KANSAS -- THI S GREAT REPU BLI CAN TEAM BACK I N CONGRESS. WE NEED THEM BECAUSE THERE ARE BI G PROBLEMS FACII\JG US -- PROBLEMS THAT HAVE BEEN BUILDING LIKE STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON FOR A VERY LONG TIME - AND WE MU ST HAVE RES PONS I BLE AND RES PONS IVE LEADERSH I PIN THE CONGRESS. - 17 THERE ARE BIG CHALLENGES -- CHALLENGES TO OU R ECOI~OMY, OUR II~STI TUTI ONS AND, MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL, CHALLENGES TO OUR FAI TH IN OURSfLVES. , - 18 BI G PROBLEMS MEAN TOUGH DECI SIONS. AND WHENEVER YOU HAVE TO MAKE A TOUGH DEC I SION, SOMEONE IS GOI NG TO DISAGREE, SOMEONE IS GOI NG TO BE UNHAPPy'• • - 19 BUT THE BEST I CAN DO, OR ANYONE CAN DO WHO I S CALLED ON TO LEAD I N A DI FFI CULT TI ME, I S OUR HONEST BEST. AND THE BEST ANYONE CAN ASK FOR I S THE HELP AND ADVI CE OF HONEST, ABLE MEN LI KE BOB DOLE, GARNER SHRIVER, JOE SKUBITZ, LARRY WINN AND ------~. KEITH SEBELI US. - 20 WITH THEIR HELP WE CAN MAKE IT. WE CAN LEAVE BEHIND aJ A BETTER AMERI CA THAN THE ONE WE FOUND. I REALLY BEll EVE THI S BECAUSE, WHEN IT COMES TO OUR COUNTRY, I AM AN UNASHAMED OPTIMI ST. , - 21 ONE REASON I AM AN OPTI MI ST I S BECAUSE I HAVE GREAT FAITH IN YOUNG AMERICANS. AND IF YOU HAVE BEEI~ FOLLOW I NG THE RACE I N YOUR ?nd CONGRESSIONAL DI STRI CT, WHERE JOHN PETERSON I S DOII~G SUCH A FI NE JOB, YOU WI LL KNOW WHY. ALTHOUGH JOHN I S ONLY 26 YEARS OLD, HE HAS ALREADY BU ILT UP A RECORD OF PU BLI C SERVI CE AI~D PROFESS I ONAL - ACHI EVEMENT THAT WOULD DO CREDIT TO SOMEONE TWI CE HI SAGE. , - 22 THE ELKS ClU B KNEW WHAT I T WAS DOl NG WHEN I T PRESENTED JOHI\J WI TH r- THE "OUTSTAND II\JG YOUNG lEADER OF KANSAS" AWARD, AND I TH INK HE P" f$ ALSO GOI NG TO PROVE HI MSElF AN OUTSTAND I NG YOUNG lEADER ON THE NATIONAL SCENE. , - 23 STATE-WI DE OR NATION-WI DE, I T TAKES THE SAME QUALITI ES AT BOTH LEVELS, WHI CH I S WHY I AM ALSO OPTI MI STI C ABOUT BOB BENNETT.