On the recordSeptember 27, 1996
Well, let me just say, those aren't decisions, believe it or not, that I'm personally reviewing here every day. So I can't answer that specifically. But we plan to make a major effort here. And I hope it will be helpful to the others who are running, because I think the more we get the message out, the more we get the record out, the more we get the contrast out, the more likely we are to do well here. You look at a place like Longview and all these places all through east Texas, it's pretty much like the economy of Arkansas, which also has a 15- or 20-year low in unemployment rates. And I'm doing well there because they know me and I was their Governor and they trust me. But we haven't done as well here because the Republicans have had a big leg up and they did a pretty good job of kind of characterizing me in a way that would not be acceptable to a lot of Texas voters. And I've been trying to climb out of that for 3 or 4 years, and I think the sheer weight of the evidence is finally beginning to be felt. And I think people are fundamentally fairminded. And I have a certain affinity for this State. I spent a lot of time here--ever since the last nearly 40 years, I've been coming to Texas in one way or another. And so I just think I ought to make an effort here, and I intend to do it. I also think it's a mistake for anybody who wants to lead the country to not make an effort in the second biggest State in America. The future of the United States is in no small part going to be the future of the State of Texas. The attitudes of the people here about immigration, about trade, about education, about health care policy, about economic policy, about what's the best way to reduce crime and welfare, all this--what happens here will have a big impact on how the rest of the country goes. And I just think it's not responsible for any President just to not be engaged in it. Immigration Legislation
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