 States, and Mrs. Reagan. Thank you all very much. And it's a pleasure for Nancy and me to welcome you Eagles once again to Washington and to the White House. You know, whenever anybody mentions the Eagles, I can't help but think of all those old movies with the cavalry coming to the rescue. When you got started back in 1975, that's just what you were, the rescue team. Watergate, the 1974 midterm elections. I don't need to remind this group how bleak a time that was for our party and our cause. Many of the party's most faithful supporters felt discouraged and disillusioned and decided to stay at home. And those who were left just circled the wagons and waited for the next attack. And then over the ridge and to the rescue came the Eagles. You started as just 85 contributors, but your support helped our party in a few short years. You helped us come roaring back. You played a vital role in victory in 1980. Thanks to the Eagles, the Republican Party had the financial strength not only to recapture the White House, but to win the Senate as well. And that's the first time we've done that in 28 years. In 1974, if anyone had predicted where we would be just a few years later and bet on it, a lot of people would have said he was dreaming. Kind of like a story. I hope I haven't told it to you before. And, you see, the story of the fellow that was going to the races and for the three nights before he went to the races, he dreamed of the number five. So when he got to the racetrack, of course, he got a hold of the program and he went right down to the fifth race and then down to the fifth horse in the fifth race and the horse was named Mr. Five by Five. And he bet the bundle on him. And the horse came in fifth. Well, thanks to you, the American people had a chance to bet on our party in 1980 and have had several other chances since then and the winner has been America itself. Now those of you who are new to the Eagles, I don't want you to think I'm forgetting you. Oh, here, we've accomplished a great deal in the last six and a half years. We've cut the top tax rate from 70% to well below half that. We've slowed the growth of federal spending. We're a little more than one month away from marking the longest period of economic growth in peacetime on record. We've rebuilt America's defenses and we're about to achieve the first agreement to eliminate an entire class of nuclear weapons in the history of the world. And everywhere, once again, our men and women in uniform are greeted with respect and pride. But in the political battle for our ideals, we've only established a beachhead in these last six and a half years. The next election, 1988, will determine whether we move out from that beachhead or are beaten back. If we win next time, history will, I believe, record that this administration, our administration, began the reclaiming of the American dream at home and the dream of freedom all over the world. If we lose, it'll show that all we've heard from the other side these last six and a half years has been true. That is that this administration has been just a bit of driftwood that a passing wind blew out against history's liberal tide. I'm determined to win. I want you to know that I'm not going to sit in the sidelines. I'm committed to working as hard as I can to elect another Republican to the presidency. And let us all keep in mind, too, and be vocal with our candidates in coming elections with what the federated Republican women just voted a resolution that we will obey the 11th commandment. No, none of our candidates should say any ill, speak any ill of another Republican candidate. But I remember what happened in California after my two terms as governor. My successor attempted to overturn many of the changes that I was able to sign into law and did overturn them and I don't want to see that happen again. I'll campaign hard for the nominee of our party. And let me ask you now, I know this is silly, but can I count on you to help? I thought that might be your answer. Besides keeping the White House at the top of our list is getting back the Senate. And I know we've got a lot of people here today who will help lead the charge. I don't need to tell any of you about the odds against us in the House. I'm told that to win a majority of the House seats, we would have to win almost 60% of the voter's cast or the votes cast. And in 1984, we won a majority of the votes cast for the contested House seats to show you what can happen and what Gary Mandarin has done. We walked away with only 42% less than half of the actual seats. We had a half a million more Republican votes for congressional representatives than the other side did. That's what they've done because for a half a century now, they have been in charge of the reapportionment of the districts every one of those 10th years and 1990 is the next time for reapportionment. That's how bad, as I say, Gary Mandarin can be. I know in 1970, when I was governor of California, it came up and they had the legislature in their pocket and the only district they left for us was south of the border. But next time, we must have a greater role in drawing the lines. To a large extent, state legislative elections this year and next will determine if that happens. Now many of those elected to state legislatures, these next couple of years will still be in office when redistricting rolls around. Many of those state races will be pivotal to redistricting. A change of just 67 state legislative seats, 67 seats around the nation would give us control of 18 more chambers in state legislatures. To my mind, it comes down to this. America needs a house of representatives that is truly representative and we'd better make sure that we get it. I've said my piece about voting yet to come. I'd like to say a few words about voting present. I'm talking about voting in the Senate for the confirmation of Judge Bork to the United States Supreme Court. During the hearings, one of Judge Bork's critics said that among the functions of the court was reinterpreting the Constitution so that it would not remain in his words frozen into ancient error because it is so hard to amend. That's the issue, plain and simple. The other side believes that the courts should save the country from the Constitution. Judge Bork and I believe it's time to save the Constitution from the courts. The principal errors I've seen in recent years had nothing to do with the intent of the framers who finished their work 200 years ago this month. They've had to do with judges who, for example, have made law enforcement a game where clever lawyers try to find ways to trip up the police on the rules. Let me give you an example. Just several years ago, there was a particularly heinous murder not far from here in Baltimore. A man threw his girlfriend's 10-month-old son down the trash chute of her 11-story apartment building. He was arrested, tried, and convicted. But the conviction was thrown out on appeals. The appeals court decided that the man had been denied equal justice under the law because he was not taken before a court commissioner within 24 hours of arrest. No, he was taken before the commissioner 24 hours and 12 minutes after his arrest. So he's free out in society. Well, we've had too many cases like that. It's time the court stopped confusing the criminals with the victims. It'll take the leadership of the Supreme Court to change the attitudes of the courts in our land. The fraternal order of police shared the view of many law enforcement organizations when it said that, quote, it is in the best interests of the citizens of the United States and all law enforcement officers that Judge Bork be confirmed to the Supreme Court. Now, if you do nothing else while you're here in Washington, I hope you'll make it crystal clear to your senators where you stand on Judge Bork's confirmation. And let me close again by saying how important you are to the future of all that we've been fighting for in these last six and a half years. And there aren't enough words to express how I feel and the thanks of all of us here for what you're doing. So just thank you from the bottom of my heart and God bless all of you and enjoy yourselves. Thank you.