George H.W. Bush: “Please point out I did not invent that expression. [Laughter] Governor Clinton says he's a candidate of change. Let's…”

“Please point out I did not invent that expression. [Laughter] Governor Clinton says he's a candidate of change. Let's take a close look, a little look, at what he's talking about. Under him, every day is going to be Halloween: fright and terror. He dreams of--he talks about Government investing. The answer is not to have Government investing by taking more of your taxes. The answer is for us to stimulate small business by tax relief, less regulation, and less lawsuits that finish off a lot of these small businesses. The last time we had his kind of change, remember what it was like? He loves to point out--he goes, ``Let's go back to Herbert Hoover.'' Let's not. Let's go back to Jimmy Carter, when you had a Democrat in the White House and that spendthrift Congress, led by those liberal Democrats. And what did you have? Maybe some of the young ones don't remember. Interest rates 21.5 percent; inflation 15 percent; the ``misery index'' that they invented twice as much as it is now. And you want that kind of change? Change is all you'll have left in your pocket if you put this guy into office. No, a lot of families are hurting, but the economy is moving. And the worst news in the world--you could see the tears coming down the face of the Governor and the Ozone Man--you could see it when the tears trickled down their face because it came out that our economy grew for the sixth straight quarter, and grew at 2.7 percent. We're going to move. Now let's keep it going, but don't do it by raising taxes and increasing Government spending. Our plan does just--here's what it does. It controls the growth of spending. It holds the line on taxes. And then I'm saying to the American people, give me these four things: Give us a balanced budget amendment. Republicans want it. Conservative Democrats want it. Discipline the Congress and the executive branch by a balanced budget amendment. Give us a check-off. Give you all a check-off, so if you feel strongly about the deficit you check a little box on your tax return, up to 10 percent of your tax, and that must go, under the law, to reducing the Federal deficit. If Congress can't do it, let the people have a say and try to get it done. Then the next thing--43 Governors have it--give us a line-item veto, and let's stomp out some of the waste out of the spending. And the fourth one, let's have the Congress, like the Presidency, let's have some term limits on the United States Congress. You know, small business creates two-thirds of the new jobs. All we hear from Governor Clinton is let's get Government to invest. Government never invested productively a dime in anything. So we want to free up that small business sector, by giving them relief and letting them lead the way to new heights, new recovery, and new opportunity for these kids here today. I mentioned litigation. We are suing each other too much and caring for each other too little in this country. It is a crying shame when a doctor is afraid to deliver a baby because of a malpractice suit; when a Little League coach is afraid to coach because somebody might bring a nutty lawsuit against them; or when you're driving along the highway, you see somebody hurt, you want to stop but you're afraid to for fear somebody will say, ``Oh, they moved the body just wrong,'' and slap you with one of these ridiculous lawsuits. Let's put a cap on these lawsuits that are finishing off--[applause]--a lot of goodwill and finishing off a lot of small businesses. Health care: We've got a good plan. Make insurance available to the poorest of the poor; pool insurance so you bring the prices down; and do something about malpractice that costs $20 billion to $25 billion a year. But do not let the Government ration health care or control prices, because we'll fail here like many others who have tried it failed abroad. Education, education: Wisconsin's in the lead. We've got a good record, and we've got a good program. It says it's not good enough to do it the way the subcommittee chairmen in Washington say. Give the power not to the teachers union but to the teachers. God bless our teachers who are doing so much for our kids. And give parents--Milwaukee has led in this, Milwaukee has led--give parents the choice of public, private, or religious schools. Help them, and that will make all schools better. Welfare reform: We've got bold new programs. Let me just salute your Governor for leading the Nation with Learnfare and Workfare and trying to break the cycle of welfare. That is a compassionate approach, the strong approach. I salute Tommy Thompson, and I want to see this happen for the entire country. Crime: we've got a very positive record. Our spending to support our law enforcement officers is way up. The Arkansas record is sorry. The other day, who came to see me in the Oval Office? Eight officers. They were from the Little Rock Fraternal Order of Police. And they endorsed me for President of the United States. And the point I'm going to make right down to the election is that character counts. You cannot make the White House into the waffle house. You cannot flip-flop on all these issues. Whether it's right to work, whether it's term limits, whether it's free trade, whatever it is, Governor Clinton can be on one side and then heroically on the other side. I am telling you that Harry Truman was right; the buck does stop on that Oval Office desk. It is a question of character if you keep trying to waffle and be on all sides. Let me give you one key example. I had to mobilize probably the most historic world coalition we've ever seen in order to stand up against aggression in the Middle East. And I had to go against all these talking-head pundits; I had to go against demonstrations; I had to go against a determined Democrat majority in the House until we won them over. And where was Governor Clinton the day I made that fateful decision? He said, ``Well, I agree with the arguments of the minority, but I guess I would have voted with the majority.'' What kind of leadership is that? That is a waffle. There is a pattern of deception here, and we cannot have that in the Oval Office. You cannot lead by misleading. Finally, let me wrap it up by saying, first place, I'm elated that there's only 3 days more to go. Barbara and I can hardly believe it. I've given you some positive reasons, whether it's crime or education or welfare reform, to vote for me for President. But I'll give you another one. I think we've got the best First Lady we possibly could have. But let me tell you why I believe that character---- Audience members. Barbara! Barbara! Barbara!”