For Immediate Release
Office of the First Lady
September 10, 2004
Remarks by First Lady Laura Bush at Bush-Cheney '04 W Stands for Women Rally
Franco-American Heritage Center Lewiston, Maine
11:36 A.M. EDT
MRS. BUSH: MRS. BUSH: Thank you, Jenna, for that very sweet
introduction. One of the great things about having the girls on the
campaign trail with us now is getting to hear them talk about how much
they love us -- (laughter) -- and in public, no less.
Thank you all. Thanks everyone here very, very much for your very
warm welcome. And thank you for the privilege you've given my husband
and me of serving this great country. (Applause.) I'm so happy to be
surrounded by strong women who are working so hard to make a difference
in their communities and in our country. And two such women are also
two of Maine's highest leaders. Special thanks to my friends Senator
Olympia Snowe and Senator Susan Collins. (Applause.) Thanks also to
Congressional candidate Brian Hamel for joining us -- (applause). And
to Carolyn Cianchette and her husband, Peter for leading the campaign's
efforts here in Maine. (Applause.)
President Bush and I also appreciate the hard work of Kathy Watson
and Karen Raye -? (applause) -- and the many volunteers who are getting
out the word about the President's accomplishments. Thank you very,
very much. (Applause.)
I'm so happy to have this chance to be in Maine to talk about why
it's so important to reelect President Bush. Maine is a beautiful
state. It's one with its own distinct character -? and the people who
live here are unique characters as well. (Applause.) I know; I happen
to be related to a few of them. (Laughter and applause.
As all of you know, the Bush family has made Maine -- neighboring
Kennebunkport -- their home for generations. And our daughters,
Barbara and Jenna, have spent every summer of their life here in the
state of Maine. (Applause.)
We're all kids again in Maine. Two summers ago, we visited
George's parents here to celebrate the 4th of July. George woke up at
6:00 a.m. as usual and padded downstairs for a cup of coffee. Then he
went into his parents' bedroom and sat down on the sofa and put his
feet up. And all of a sudden, Barbara Bush hollered, "Put your feet
down." (Laughter.) George's dad said, "For Goodness sake, Barbara,
he's the President of the United States." (Laughter.) And Bar
replied, "I don't care, I don't want his feet on my coffee table."
(Laughter and applause.) So you see -- even Presidents have to listen
to their mothers. (Laughter.)
But President Bush doesn't just listen to his mother. My husband
knows that empowered women are vital to a democracy and to our
country's economic security. (Applause.) As we look around the world,
we can see how important women are to building a democracy and how
fortunate we are in the United States that women are empowered.
(Applause.)
I'm proud that in my husband's administration, there are more women
in senior positions than in any other presidential administration in
history. (Applause.) Dr. Condoleezza Rice advises the President on
foreign policy and Margaret Spellings is in charge of domestic policy.
That means in the White House, women are in charge of everything abroad
and everything at home. And that sounds just about right to me.
(Applause.)
And it's not just that way in the White House. Across America,
millions of women are raising families, working full time, going to
college, starting their own businesses, and caring for their parents.
And some women are doing all of these things at the same time. Women's
roles have changed dramatically from just a few decades ago. There are
more single moms doing double duty. There are more women in college
and more women entrepreneurs. More single women live independently.
Women are also living longer and we have more opportunity than ever
before.
My husband wants to extend this opportunity to every corner of
America, so that all Americans have a chance to participate in the
ownership society. Last week in New York, President Bush outlined his
agenda for a new term. Helping women and families face the challenges
of our changing world is at the heart of the President's plan.
And all of you know, all of us know, that all opportunity starts
with education -- and all women deserve to go to college if they
choose, and to learn good job skills so that they can work in our
evolving workforce. Many full-time moms find that after the last child
leaves the nest, they want to start a new career. And for some women,
this means going back to school to learn new skills. The President
wants to work with community colleges to make career training more
accessible for all Americans. And Maine has an excellent community
college system. (Applause.)
And because higher education is a lifelong dream for so many, the
President wants more Pell grants available so that more Americans can
get their college diploma. And when these graduates enter the
workforce, many of them will go to work for a woman. Ten million women
own their own business in America, and this sisterhood just keeps
growing. Women are opening businesses at twice the rate of men, and
they employ more than 19 million employees.
Last month, I met a business owner, Nancy Garberson, of Cedar
Rapids. Several years ago, Nancy left a fast-paced marketing agency in
Chicago to be a full-time mom. She enjoyed taking her children to
school and tucking her daughters into bed. But she still missed
working. So with her husband's support, she started an advertising
business in the spare bedroom of their house. Today, she manages an
agency with a full-service public relations department and 15
employees. And Nancy credits our growing economy for enabling her to
open a new office.
Small business owners like Nancy are some of the hardest working
people in America, and my husband wants to enable all women to share in
their success. This starts with keeping taxes low. (Applause.) Many
may not realize that single proprietors and S corps, which is what a
lot of small businesses are, are taxed just like regular income tax, so
that tax relief really helps small businesses. In fact, small business
owners have each saved an average of $3,000 this year alone.
(Applause.)
Women are investing this extra money, they're expanding their
operations, and they're inspiring other women who want to own their own
business. My husband also wants to help working moms and dads keep
something they never have enough of, and that's time -- time to play
with their kids or time to take care of their parents. Working mothers
shouldn't have to use vacation time to take their children to the
doctor. President Bush will work with Congress to make flex time and
comp time available so that more Americans can better manage the
demands of work and family. (Applause.)
Another important issue for women is affordable and accessible
health care. It's estimated that women make up to 70 percent of their
families' financial and health care decisions. And it can be tough to
make those decisions when you're not in control of your health
coverage, or when you can't choose your own doctor. The President is
making health care more accessible with ideas like health savings
accounts. (Applause.) These plans enable people to save tax-free for
routine medical expenses like eyeglasses or routine doctor visits.
Women can take these accounts with them if they start a new job or if
they leave work to have a child. This is health care that we own and
we manage and we keep.
Another growing crisis that is of particular concern to women is
medical liability reform. When I traveled to Philadelphia a few weeks
ago, I met Erin Zezzo, who learned about junk lawsuits the hard way.
Erin had a trusting relationship with her OB-GYN, who had delivered her
first two children.
Shortly into her third pregnancy, Erin's doctor had to stop
delivering babies because he couldn't afford his medical liability
insurance. Erin was forced to find a new doctor while she was six
months pregnant.
Frivolous lawsuits raise the costs of health care and drive good
doctors out of practice. To help doctors and women like Erin,
President Bush will work to reform the medical liability system and
reduce junk lawsuits. (Applause.)
Women are also living longer today, and it's more important than
ever that we can own and manage our own retirement plans. President
Bush wants to enable younger workers to create personal retirement
accounts -- their choice -- in Social Security that they can manage and
then they can pass along to their spouse or children. (Applause.)
All of these issues are important to women, to our families, and to
the strength of our nation. But as we grieve for the families in
Russia, and as we approach the third anniversary of September 11th, I
believe what's most important is my husband's work to protect our
country and to defeat terror around the world. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: The terrible acts of September 11th showed us the
threat we face, but they also called us to the great work of promoting
freedom in far corners of the world. President Bush and I want all of
our men and women in uniform and their families to know how much all
Americans appreciate their service. (Applause.)
We appreciate the dedication of courageous Americans like Army
Reserve Sergeant Tim Martin, who is serving in Iraq. (Applause.) His
wife Krystie is here with us today. (Applause.)
Krystie, your husband and all of our troops and their families are
in our prayers. Please email him and tell him, thank you very much for
his service. (Applause.)
Sergeant Martin can be proud that as we do the hard work of
confronting terror, 50 million more men, women and children live in
freedom thanks to the United States of America and our allies.
(Applause.)
After years of being treated as virtual prisoners in their homes by
the Taliban, the women of Afghanistan are now able to leave their
houses without a male escort. And after being denied an education,
even the chance to learn to read, the little girls in Afghanistan are
now in school. (Applause.) More than 10 million Afghan citizens have
registered to vote in this fall's presidential election, and more than
40 percent of that number are women. (Applause.)
Because we acted, the people of Iraq are now free from the tyranny
of a brutal dictator. The Iraqi interim government is preparing for
national elections in January. And we have pledged to stand with the
Iraqi people during this historic and hopeful time for their nation.
We know there are many, many challenges that we'll still face, but we
know that to help building a democracy is right. We remember in our
own history that building a democracy takes time. Think of how long it
took us in our country, even though we were given a perfect document by
our founders. (Applause.)
It took almost 100 years after our founders declared that all men
are created equal to abolish slavery in the United States -- and not
until 84 years ago did American women get the right to vote.
(Applause.)
Our nation has not always lived up to its ideals, yet those ideals
have never ceased to guide us. We are the beneficiaries of the works
of the generations before us, and it's our responsibility to continue
that work. My husband believes that there's more to do to make our
country safer, stronger, and more hopeful. And he will continue the
great and privileged work of leading America forward while holding true
to our timeless ideals. (Applause.)
I want to encourage each of you to talk to your neighbors and your
friends about the President's accomplishments and his plans for the
future. Reach out to Democrats and Independents who appreciate strong
and optimistic leadership. Everything you do to reach voters and to
get them to the polls will be a huge help for the President's
campaign.
These are times of change for our nation -- and these are also
years of promise. We have great confidence in our ability to overcome
challenges. We've gained a new appreciation for the many blessings of
America, and we've been reminded of our responsibilities to the country
we love.
George and I grew up in the same small town, in Midland, Texas,
where the sky seems endless and so do the possibilities. Little did I
know when I was growing up there that I would literally marry the boy
next door. (Laughter.) But after 27 years of marriage, I can tell you
that my husband brings that optimism, that sense of purpose, that
certainty that a better day is before us, to his job every day. And
with your help, he'll do it for four more years. (Applause.)
AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! Four more years!
MRS. BUSH: Thank you all, may God bless you and may God bless
America. (Applause.)
END 11:55 A.M. EDT
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