Town Hall with Presidential Candidate Bob Dole

Ladies and gentlemen welcome to this town hall and the kickoff to victory for the next president the United States Senator Bob Dole. Please welcome the newest member of the Dole for president team councilor Bernard Streeter former U.S. Senator Warren Rudman second district Congressman Doyle for state co-chairman Congressman Charlie Bass and Lisa bass. Welcome please executive Councillor Peter Spaulding first district congressman in New Hampshire chairman Congressman Bill ZOA New England chairman in our United States senator. Senator Judd Gregg.

Ladies and gentlemen the governor of the great state of New Hampshire and general chairman Bob Dole's campaign. Governor Steele. And now America's next first lady Mrs. Elizabeth Dole. Ladies and gentlemen the moment we've all been waiting for a man of Truth a man of character a man of courage. The next president of the United States Bob. Oh you don't know how proud I am to be here tonight to join these great Dole

supporters and most of all to join you. Great Dole's supporters. I was raised not far from here in New Hampshire seacoast. And then I went through the University of New Hampshire and worked my way through. And then I went in the military. Bob Dole was raised in America's heartland in Russell Kansas. He went in the military and then he came out and worked his way through college. So to that extent our life experiences are somewhat the same. But there's one major difference. When I came out of the military I had a greater belief in our nation and in our future and in our greatness as a people. When Bob Dole came out he believed all that but Bob Dole came out of the military a genuine American hero. Bob Dole and only Bob Dole has the courage and the

commitment to change America. Ladies and gentlemen Bob Dole and I give this for excitement and I've had word Margaret Margarets down there somewhere. Margaret thanks very much. Right here. You did a great job Bernie did a great job you all did a great job and a great job you all did a great job. Are we going to win tomorrow. Are we going to win big tomorrow. I'll settle for one vote.

I don't mind but a rooster I'm doing good. I've been here so often. I know most people by first name. And nicknames. I'm very proud to be here tonight. I'm very proud of New Hampshire the first in the nation primary by tradition and we did the right thing by sticking with New Hampshire and nobody fought harder than this candidate. Helping the governor helping just drag helping Bob's Mid-Chart at best and my good friend Bill Zelic. So we're very proud is our last official event. We'll have something tomorrow that won't be official. But there will be immense. This is our last official event. I don't know how many hundred people are out there but somebody did an outstanding job and I want to thank all those who participated. People just don't show up at events like this. It takes a lot of work. And so I would just say thank you but I also say thank you to all the voters in New Hampshire particularly those who are going to vote for us. But in

addition to all the other voters in New Hampshire because this is an important process and this is serious business to make no mistake about it let me just take about two or three minutes. I know you've been standing and I know you've got other things you need to do and I want to be sure you get a good night's rest. So you feel good tomorrow. Because I know you feel good you're going to vote for Bob Dole. As I said this is very serious business. Choosing our nominee is serious business. And there are a lot of good candidates. I know every one of them. I know some better than others but I know each one of them. I was very proud of Phil Gramm when he came here yesterday and gave me his support. It's an indication that he believes as I believe that one candidate and only one candidate can bring our party together and beat Bill Clinton in November and that's Bob Dole.

We had a great party. We had a great opportunity. And I'm convinced all those things bring us together as a party. All the individuals in this room. And all the people across America. Yes and many independents and many Democrats who will join us in November 1996 are concerned about several things. First of all they're concerned about the character of our nation and their concern about values like honesty and decency and self-responsibility and self-reliance and integrity. Yes they want strong moral leadership in the White House. They're also concerned about their jobs and their concern about taxes. They're concerned about their children. They're concerned about the direction America is going. And let me tell you why I believe it would be better.

I think our country's reach a defining moment. I've said this many many times and I believe a new America is within our reach. We are just one election away November one election away from a balanced budget and that means a lot to you and your families and me about a 2 percent interest drop on a car loan student loan whatever it may be. That's real savings. That's something. Put your hands around something. Put your pencil to. We're also one election away for tax cuts for families with children. Children under 18. Five hundred dollars per child. You have three or four children that's $2000 and you can better spend for your children than any bureaucrat I know in Washington D.C. And that's what. I. All like. And I can't wait I can't wait to enter this new America. I feel like I've been in preparation all my life. For this very moment. And I believe the people of New Hampshire when they make that choice

are going to ask themselves which one of all these candidates is prepared yes prepared and has the experience and because of the experience can make the judgments the judgments of my children for my family for my business for my state or for my nation. And tomorrow we're going to start that's going to start right here. It started last week in Iowa. We could go tonight. We carried on. And tomorrow night we're going to win New Hampshire there are going to North Dakota South. I want you to take a good look I know you'd rather look at Elizabeth but just look at me for a minute. And let me say she'll not be in charge of health care don't worry about. I've already worked that out. You probably have a blood bank in the White House the way you handle that all right.

I want you to know who I am and what I'll do because I think it's very very important. We're talking about electing someone who is the most important office in the free world. And you hear all the ads and some are negative and some are not so good whatever. And a lot of people are frustrated and they're concerned every day and not know who we are. Who is this person running for the United States. Who is this person who says he can run America. He can direct American leaders to a better time and a better generation. And what's he all about. Well it's not very complicated and I'm not very complicated. Like everybody else in this room I was born. And I was born in Russell Kansas. A little town out in the middle of the plains of Kansas a very nice small town and I grew up there as my family.

My mother and father my mother sold sewing machines all over western Kansas. My father worries overalls to work every day for 42 years was proud of it. We grew up living in a basement apartment rented out the upstairs to make a little money to make ends meet. And like anybody for everybody else at that age I was. In high school and then I got to be the only one who got to go to college. And then the war came along and I joined up with a lot of people from New England in the 10th Mountain Division to ship this over the air. They were already in and they shipped me over as a second lieutenant replacement coming from the plains of Kansas. I've never understood. Why I wound up in his division but I did. And I met a lot of good people. A lot of good people from New England. And I learned a lot. And like a lot of others well I was lucky. On April 14 1942 45 I was severely wounded. A lot of others never came back at all. So I'm not saying that any other purpose that

I learned a lot more. While I was recuperating for thirty nine months in hospitals I learned to be more sensitive about people with disabilities. I learned about it was I'd have to have somebody else help me with this and help me with that. Now use a buttonhook it doesn't take long at all. So you learn a lot. You learn a lot about other people. You learn to care you're sensitive about other people and people in America do have problems. Let's face it there's probably somebody in this audience dies with a real real problem and we need to reach out to those people. So I got to that exercise and I got to law school that I got elected to the state legislature. I didn't know whether I was a Democrat or Republican I'm going down to the courthouse and found out there were more Republicans in our county and I became a committed Republican. And I ran for the legislature and got elected and then I ran for county attorney and I served eight years and ran against every attorney in town when I left they had to draft somebody to take the job.

I never figured out what was going on at the courthouse. Something had to be going on. Then I went to Congress United States and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven. Here's a small town boy from western Kansas and the House of Representatives like Charlie and I in fact I served Jarney Bass's father Perkins bass. So my life has been in government. I never entered government to make money. I like public service I like people. I've never gotten Potomac fever. I think I still don't my in fact I know where my roots are there Russell Kansas where I go home to the people I listen to the people I respond to the people to look me and I'd say Bob you're doing this wrong. You ought to think about this. You ought to think about that. And so I've been very fortunate. I've been the Republican leader for 11 years in the Senate Judd Gregg involves me and it would have for me time after time to be the Republican leader.

Now that's very important to me personally but I want to say what it means. It means they trust me. It means I'm honest means I have integrity. It means I listen to people. I don't have all the answers and I reach out to people and it means I try to hold our Republican side together. And I seriously say this. I want to bring our party together. I want to bring the American people together. We're not a young America or an old America. We're not urban and suburban. We're not rich and we're not poor we're not black and we're not white. And you go on and on and on and on. We are one America we are the greatest nation on the face of the earth where a lot of my I feel this group you want someone in the White House who knows what makes America great in the first place.

If you want someone in the White House who has made a little sacrifice for America and appreciates all the things that people go through in their lifetime. Yes those at the bottom and those in the middle and those at the top if you want someone looking after your children and your family and your business and your state and your nation. Somebody who will listen. Somebody who wants to make America better for the right reason people rely on us. We are as I said the greatest nation on the face of the earth and people all over the world come to America and 500 million people were liberated because of the efforts of President Bush and primarily President Reagan. Five hundred million people in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union now have a little taste of freedom and they come to visit us and they're young and they're older men and the women and their leaders are the party leaders of their country. And what were they telling us three or four years ago and they left our office.

They didn't want foreign aid they knew it didn't have any you know what they were telling us with tears streaming down her cheeks they were saying to me and others we want to be like America we want to be like America. That's the message. Everybody in the world looks to us for leadership. Everybody looks to us because they know we have the edge in technology edge and medicine edge and almost everywhere every place they look to us for leadership. They also look to the White House for leadership and I would try to say as uncritically as I can There hasn't been much leadership the past three years. There hasn't been much leadership the past three years and I want to restore the prestige of America around the world because we are the leader of the free world. Like it or not we are the leader of the free world and who else would you have do it. Richard Nixon ask in his last book called Beyond Peace. Chinese no Japanese no Germans and always comes back to us and you pay a price

for it. But we also have liberty and we have freedom. And so I would just conclude with this one thought. You think about it tonight and tomorrow. When you call your friends or take your friends to the polls you know we all are saying all we can do is we can do that. I'm the greatest whatever. I've never said that I'm not perfect but I believe I'm a sensitive caring individual that cares about America cares about you cares about people who didn't make it up the ladder. And we have an obligation when they happen to reach back and help them up as people help me in my home town. When they raised $8400 years and years ago so I could go to Chicago and see an orthopedic specialist. And that's what America is all about. That's what America is all about making life better making a difference better than our parents had it better than their parents had it. There are a lot of young. People here tonight

five years old seven years old 10 years old and it's all about them. It's not about Bob Dole or Bill Clinton. It's not even about Republicans or Democrats. It's about the future of our children. I tell the young people it's about your parents and about your grandparents. We're in this together as I said we're one America we're one America. We're the greatest nation on the face of the earth. Make no mistake about it and don't forget it. We are the greatest nation on the face of the earth. And I want to provide leadership as we go into the next century. And if you're looking for steady tested proven leadership then I want you to vote for Bob Dole. I will bring him back. Thank you very much. God bless the man. If. You.

Just. Can't. Very much I just want to make sure we're going to focus on getting somebody on what is the priority. We have a real aggressive get out the vote program we will have volunteers at polling places. We will have people on phone banks turning out the people that we've identified as Dole's supporters. We will be offering rides to the polls. So we are leaving no stone unturned in our effort to get the votes out for Bob Dole tomorrow. Who is it that you have targeted as is most likely supporters. So we've been very active up here. Our organization has been really working hard and all across the state and all the counties and we've spent a lot of time all the trips to Senator and Mrs. Dole have made to the to the state phone banks and mailings we've done over the last year. And so we have a statewide effort. And so it's been this is the culmination of many

many months of work. We could see targeting particularly. Well there's obviously Republicans and independents are eligible to vote and we have reached out to all eligible voters in this state or were eligible to vote in the primary. And so there's a broad cross-section of people we haven't targeted one specific group over another. We've gone out with a very broad net. And that's why we think we're going to have the votes to deliver a victory tomorrow. Great. Last question. Scared the brute. Can anybody. Here committee vote. We are we are focused on our job before us and we feel strongly that if we do the job that we've got to do we'll come out on top. Hey Jim can I just get you first the title senior adviser to the campaign Jim Murphy thank you very very much. I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Sir. OK. Yeah I know. Adam thanks a bunch for helping me out. I was getting frustrated with Chris. All right. OK. I'm just here. That's right. That's

right. Thank. You. We're going to bring. You Some. Good news. Are you. Tired. Of. Party at the Rock the Vote Grapel like Simon gas prices rise the presidency ninety six. I any problems. I could talk to people when the president. Have identified Barton who have been identified by her I I imagine he would come to camp aid if we actually have enough

votes sure why don't. You tell me about your attire. Well I'm vermin Supreme. I'm a candidate for the Republican nomination. I'm a friendly fascist I'm a tyrant. You can trust many people to ask what the boot is on my head for the rubber glauca. And the answer is of course if the shoe fits wear it. And. You know let let me run your life I know what's best for you. That's pretty much my camp. Right. And I do stand on a platform for mandatory toothbrushing. That's what I think that's what the truth is all about to toothbrushing. It's the law and we care. How you do it. I'm vervet supreme candidate coming out today to show your support. It's an impressive resume. Well yes I'm also working with the committee to resurrect the dead American president. Elvis is still around. And I think it's a great ticket. Finally a real safe to vote for Nixon. So we're going to. Go. Ahead. And what is the real purpose of your presence here besides comic relief.

Well I'm actually seeking votes. A real life bona fide genuine candidate dyed in the wool republican. Did you pay $1000. No I did not. But I did send $100 to Bob Dole's state of Kansas. And once they received it they promptly canceled their primary. Conspiracy connection probably. For the Unabomber. Which is not. No no I'm not. It if elected OK voted for the Unabomber. I. Should be writing for the farmer who's writing for the Unabomber. So I'm holding her sign where she's helping somebody else to keep fighting for the welfare. This lady here as well. OK. Help. Me. Please. I don't want to be video. Tape. Here taping. May I take you right. Back. That. So.

Whatever works for you as a general protest against candidates we're all the same you advocate continuing the status quo to crystallize dissent and to vote for nobody actively. If all you saying is. That says. Don't waste your vote writing press. Or if elected he will not serve vote against your public threats against the election process. Vote against corporate debt and ocracy. All you have to lose is the political Luzhin. Are you ready for the rapture. And you to pack. Th S.K.. You told me if there is a genuinely serious baby besides you like under the guise of words that are totally serious. No candidate running addresses any fundamental issues at all. I feel the whole process is propaganda that. I. Talk about sex they talk about violence on TV and about disguised tax breaks for the rich. That's it. They're all the same they offer exactly exactly the. Opposite direction. Take it

away from. Me. My name is. And. I'm from Boston. And this is. Like. Agit. Prop. Now. We're. Really writing. A real effort to organize them. Such as writing you about Auburn. It's going to be serious again it's a joke the same time but I'm really writing it for him and I would like to. I would like to. Even in Boston if we can get a national. Tragedy tomorrow I'm going to get people postcards that they'll send back to me. I for you I'll try to keep track of people we don't get to do. Like Ralph Nader's campaign in 92. Step. Symbolizes really really fundamental opposition to what's going on. And there's no other way I can express that no action certainly not with any of the candidates running. Country. What's going. On. Here.

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