 The President of the United States accompanied by Senator and Mrs. Gorton all across the country and the second is how much of his time and his effort he has put in to supporting and to building up his political party and Republican candidates and we thank you for both Mr. President to experience the charm and the persuasiveness of this president of the United States and let me tell you it's no accident that he's the most popular and most successful president six years after he was first elected in this century. This president has confidence in himself because he has confidence in his country and in people like you from one coast to the other. He has made it more prosperous, he has made it more confident and he has made it more secure and now that he thought was a bad bargain and that he could better gracious and our courageous leader ladies and gentlemen the president of the United States. Thank you, thank you all very much, thank you all very much and thank you Slade for that most kind and generous introduction and the our master and and I love all of you our master of ceremonies Joel Pritchard former congressman and I'm sorry that the schedule didn't call for me here getting here in time so that I had to miss the Yakima Indian dance and before I begin let me say thanks to some great bands the Washington State University band the Central Valley High School band the Eastern Washington University Collegians and the percussion aughts and let me also mention three members of Washington State's A team in Washington DC Senator Dan Evans and Representative Sid Morrison and Rod Chandler and of course the state chairman of the GOP Dunn Jennifer and of those here who might have crossed the line from Idaho I just want to say that you have a tremendous United States senator Steve Sims and I hope you'll re-elect him all right now I can't help but see the young people here in this audience I have a special message for you from my roommate she said when it comes to drugs please for yourselves for your families for your future and your country just say no well it's wonderful to be here in the other Washington and you know as I often say to my staff when we're taking off in Air Force One it's get to great great to get out of Washington DC and to get back where the real people are as Slade said you probably know that I couldn't do this much traveling when Congress was in session a Slade Gorton will tell you that's because some of those folks back there need watching now I'm not assailing the institution of the Congress I respected mightily but there are some there that in their approach to business remind me of the three fellas that came out of a building one day and found they'd locked themselves out of their car and one of them said get me a wire coat hanger I'll straighten it out and I can fix it so I can trip the latch and we'll get in and the second one says you can't do that someone will see us and think we're stealing the car and the third one said well we better think of something pretty quick because it's starting to rain and the top's down but that that story says so much about how the tax and tax spend and spend policies left our country just a few years ago negative growth double digit inflation the highest rate since and get ready the highest interest rate since the Civil War and so as part of the 1980 cleanup crew for the worst economic mess since the Great Depression Slade Gorton and I headed for Washington well we cut government growth we slashed regulations cut income taxes almost 25% and today we're enjoying one of the longest economic expansions in history the the prime interest rate has fallen by two-thirds mortgage and auto loan rates are down inflation has plummeted from more than 12% to 1.8% and and we've created in these just a little less than four years over 11.5 million new jobs that's more new jobs than Western Europe and Japan combined put together in the last 10 years you know when we started that economic program that led to all of this there were a lot of critics and some of them were pretty hostile and some of were making fun of us and all of that I really realized that our plan though was working when they stopped calling it Reaganomics just days ago we learned that the figure that represents the country's economic growth GNP the growth national product and some other indicators show our economy gathering momentum for even more growth higher take-home pay and more new jobs and more recently we learned that the trade deficit in September declined for the second month in a row and is now 30% lower than its peak this is particularly good news for our manufacturing industries and we also learned the September sales of single family homes were up over 10% and just this morning we learned that the nation's leading economic indicators were up four-tenths of 1% in September now there are three more indications that we're headed for more prosperity and I'm determined to see that those who still are not sharing fully in our nation's prosperity do so and I give you my pledge neither Sladen or I will be satisfied until this expansion reaches every sector of our economy and every home in America and until every American who wants a job has a job to broaden our expansion I signed into law last week the most sweeping reform of the tax code in our nation's history for more than 80% of Americans it means a top rate of 15% or less but wouldn't you know it even before this fair share tax plan reached my desk the Democratic leadership in Congress was saying they wanted to break faith with the American people and turn the tax reform into a tax increase you know the truth is those folks never met a tax they didn't like and when it comes to spending your hard-earned money they act like they've got your credit card in their pocket and believe me they never leave home without it but you the American people know the truth we don't have a deficit because we're taxed too little we have a deficit because the Congress spends too much isn't it about time the Congress started protecting the family budget instead of fattening the federal budget you know when I see what's been happening there back in our nation's capital it reminds me of a story you'll find out that when you get to my age a lot of things remind you of stories this happened to be a Democratic fundraiser at a downtown hotel and when the people came out of the hotel there was a kid selling puppies he had puppies and he was saying buy a Democrat puppy buy a Democrat puppy two weeks later the Republicans held a fundraiser in the same place when they were coming out there was the kid with the puppies saying buy a Republican puppy buy a Republican puppy and a newsman remembered him from two weeks before and he said hey kid you were here two weeks ago selling those pups as Democrat pups now you're back here selling them as Republican pups how come kids says now their eyes are open but ladies and gentlemen we've come now to an issue that transcends in importance even all the other crucial matters that I've mentioned my most solemn duty as president the safety of the American people and the security of these United States and and here too because of the support of a senator like Slade Gordon we've been able to restore America's strength there is nothing I'm prouder of in this job than the two million young men and women who are in our military forces you know the arguments that rage and how many people on the other side politically back in Washington are always trying to whittle down the defense budget well let me tell you about those young people in the uniform if we must ever ask them to put their lives on the line for the United States of America then they deserve to have the finest weapons and equipment that we can produce and we're going to see they get by the way all of you here in the Spokane area have a special reason for pride just two days ago airmen from Fairchild Air Force Base walked away with the trophy at the strategic air command competition so as commander in chief I'd like to give them a special salute you know you find out some things about my job I got to Washington and I found those and men those Marines for example at the helicopter and everything would always salute and I was an officer in World War two and civilian clothes I know I'm not supposed to salute so I'd try to nod and say hello and hope they drop their hand but they wouldn't they kept it up there one night over at the Marine headquarters I said to General Kelly the commandant of the Marines I told him about this and I said there ought to be a regulation that even though if I'm the commander in chief even though I'm in civilian clothes that I can return a salute he taught me something he said I think if you did it no one would say anything so I salute every time I see a uniform well because of our young men and women in uniform things have really changed around the world you know America used to wear a kick me sign around its neck but we threw that away and now it reads don't tread on me today today every nickel and dime dictator around the world knows that if he tangles with the United States of America he'll have a price to pay one other thing I'm especially proud of if it for six years of this administration not one square inch of territory in the world has been lost to communism and one small country Grenada has been set free finally there's another special issue we remain committed to our decision to move ahead with our strategic defense initiative against ballistic missiles sdi today we're dealing with the Soviet Union from a position of strength and it was sdi that brought the Soviet Union to the bargaining table let me pledge to you our goal is to keep America strong to save the West from mutual nuclear terror to make ballistic missiles obsolete and ultimately to eliminate them from the face of the earth and incidentally in doing that so there's no confusion while sdi is not a protection against anything other than the ballistic missiles I mean to include ridding all nuclear weapons from the face of the earth sdi is America's insurance policy to protect us from accidents or some madman who might come along as Hitler did or a Gaddafi or just in case the Soviets don't keep their side of a bargain the record on Soviet treaty violations is clear we can either bet on American technology to keep us safe or on Soviet promises and each has its own track record I'll bet on American technology any day now I knew there were those who had their doubts but flying back from Iceland a few weeks ago I knew the American people would support firmness with the Soviet Union so I couldn't come here today without thanking you each of you for that support now in a crowd like this I know there must be a number of Democrats and yes now wait a minute wait wait going across this country I've seen the millions of fine patriotic Democrats who have come to realize that their leadership is totally out of step with their beliefs and since we're outnumbered in the House of House of Representatives if it hadn't been for the support of some of those Democrats like those who might be here today we couldn't have achieved what we've achieved in these programs now as you may know I used to be a Democrat myself until I learned that the liberal leadership of that party had become completely out of step with the hard-working and patriotic men and women who make up the Democratic Party I all these bands here that I recognized I have to tell you a little personal story because it kind of fits in right here I was the drum major of the Dixon Illinois Boys Band and we were invited to a neighboring town to lead their Memorial Day parade well we didn't exactly lead it because in front of us was the parade leader on a big white horse we're going down the street and the band is playing and I'm pumping the baton and he turned and rode back down the line a parade to make sure everything was coming along all right pretty soon I began to think the music was sounding faint and I glanced over my shoulder he had come back up and caught up just in time to turn the band to the right down an intersection I was walking up the street all by myself and that's what happened to the Democratic Party the party has turned to the right the leadership is still walking to the left you know in this thing of changing parties though I know how tough it can be to break with tradition but remember there's a great example set for us the great statesman Winston Churchill is a member of parliament Winston Churchill changed parties and he was criticized for it but he gave an answer that says it all he said very simply some men change principle for party others change party for principle that's what the election here in Washington state is all about this year principle Slade Gordon is a man of principle and integrity a man who was devoted to his state and the people he represents one of the nation's most respected and effective senators you know every time Slade walks into the Oval Office I can't help thinking of another great senator from your state Washington scoop Jackson and like scoop when Slade sits across a table from you he has the courage and honesty to tell you what he believes whether he agrees with you or not I've seen him in action making a reality of scooped long-time dream of a home port for the Navy at Everett believe me he's about the most effective fighter any state has on Capitol Hill perfect example a perfect example is the issue of selecting potential sites for a nuclear waste repository Slade has told me about his deep concern for the health and safety of Washingtonians particularly as it relates to this issue on this point Slade has gotten the ears of everyone back in the nation's Capitol now as you know there were plans to begin work at Hanford this fiscal year but Slade working with Dan Evans and Mark Hatfield persuaded the Congress to adopt a provision that stops the drilling of an exploratory shaft for 12 months and and Slade has alerted me that some people have suggested that this administration might intentionally circumvent the law well that's the kind of thing that touches my temperature control and let me tell you that I will see to it that the law on this issue is followed to the letter and let no one tell you differently the most liberal elements in the Congress in opposing our strategic defense against nuclear ballistic missiles even after I returned from Iceland he's he said he was in his words dead against SDI well we're dead set against a weaker America we're going to keep our insurance policy for peace with Slade Gorton and Senate we're going to negotiate for peace from a position of strength and the choice here in Washington state couldn't be clearer Slade Gorton was a leader on the team that brought America back Slade's opponent was an all-star player on the team that got us in the mess in the first place and he hasn't changed his uniform yet so please on election day keep our team on the field go to the polls get everyone you know to go there too and send Slade Gorton back to the Senate if before I leave all this subject of strength and everything let me just explain if I could for some who might not understand and I've come across many people who don't understand SDI and what the whole proposal was about we don't believe that the world should go on with a policy of mutual assured destruction in which our only defense against nuclear missiles is to have so many on each side that both sides are afraid to start the fight we believe that if there is a defensive shield that can make those weapons obsolete we should put that in place but not put it in place while we have our great arsenal of nuclear offensive weapons in Iceland and since then my proposal of the Soviet Union was that when we come to the point that we have developed and know we have this defensive shield then they in the United States come together we agree to eliminate all offensive nuclear weapons and we in return give them the same shield we have so that we can live together with no suspicion that each other might be cheating now ladies and gentlemen the eyes of America are on you and your great state will you choose the Democratic leaders who in 1980 weakened our nation and nearly brought our economy to its knees who raised your taxes and announced their plans to pursue it well well or will you give us a chance to send the cleanup team of 1980 back to finish now you've you've gotten ahead of me a little bit here because I thought I'd conduct an informal poll and you would speak up loudly and let all America hear for example do you want to go back to the days of big spending high taxes and runaway inflation do you want to return to policies that gave us a weak and vacillating America that's good to hear now would you rather have low taxes low inflation and low interest rates would you rather have an America that is strong and proud and free do you want Slade Gordon as your senator from the great state of Washington you you just made my day and you didn't make Slade a bit unhappy either well but important as this election will be to me it'll be even more important to you and especially to you young people for this will shape our nation's future every poll shows that the age group from 18 to 24 has the highest percentage of any age group in being supportive of what we're doing now but now I have another poll return also so when you go out of here I'm going to send you on a mission that is also the age group that shows the lowest turnout for voting at the polls so go out of here not only determine to vote yourselves but buttonhole every friend in your age group that you can and tell them the only way to be a good citizen is to get to those polls and vote exercise your sacred right as an American participate in shaping history itself by going to the polls you know at the beginning of World War II General George C. Marshall was the chief of staff of the United States Army someone asked him as we went into that terrible war if we had a secret weapon and if so what it might be and General Marshall said very simply yes we have a secret weapon it's just the best blankety-blank kids in the world now I've been seeing your generation on campuses all across the country in high schools that I visited those young people in the military and all and I can assure you George Marshall we're here today he would say your generation you're the best blankety-blank kids in the world I had to say blankety-blank and not what he said but generals are different than presidents and what they can say well it's time to go now but before leaving I gotta go over and visit Steve Sims in Idaho but before leaving I would just like to say that people my age deeply believe that it's our duty to turn over to you young Americans the same freedom and opportunity that our parents and grandparents turned over to us when it was our turn to take charge and speaking for other generations those between my generation and yours all of us feel that same way now there have been times just a few years ago was one of them when we have been careless and things have slipped for America but we've always gotten back on track as we are now and so I pledge to you that that's what we want to do and we're going to turn over to you that kind of a free and opera opportune offering society here in America when we look at you and see your openness and your enthusiasm for America and for life itself believe me it gives us heart so when you go to the polls win one for Slade Gorton win win one for your future and win one for America's future and I can't resist saying it win one for the Gipper thank you all and God bless you thank you Mr. President we want you to have about something very special and quite unique to remember the real Washington by now there's some of us who weren't fortunate enough but to go to either of our great state universities and we have to walk a very careful line you fall into that category too so we're going to present you with this sweatshirt