Bush ended news conferences in Sept.; Gore now accessible

The Bush campaign’s strategy shifted after Sept. 12, when reporters refused to play along with the campaign’s “theme of the day” and instead launched a barrage of questions about reports that suggested Bush suffered from dyslexia and that the campaign had subliminally slipped the word “rats” into a television ad. That was the end of all-access-all-the-time.

Bush aides insist that the cutback in news conferences reflects a setting of priorities in increasingly jam-packed days. “The press was trying to write about rats instead of the issues,” an aide said.

Promised 4 reforms in Texas; delivered all 4

BUSH: [When I ran for Gvoernor of Texas] I said I’d do four things: tort reform, education reform, welfare reform and juvenile justice reform. And I won and I had the will of the people in my state behind me, and then I brought folks together to get it done. And that’s what we need, I think, in this election. To me, that’s what it’s all about. I know, [people say] “These guys will say anything to get elected.” But there’s a record. That’s what other people look at.

And one of my promises is going to be Social Security reform, and you bet we need to take a trillion dollars out of that $2.4 trillion surplus. But it’s going to require people to bring both Republicans and Democrats together to get it done. That’s what it requires. There’s a chance to get this done. There’s a bipartisan approach, but it’s been rejected. I’m going to bring them together.

Not running for president on father’s name

“RATS” TV ad not an intentional subliminal message

Promises that there will be debates

Gore’s call for debates is about semantics, not sincerity

Bush hopes Lieberman will civilize Gore campaign

Love and compassion are from God, not government

No regrets for spontaneous personality

Picked Cheney as a valuable partner and fully capable

Early this morning I called and asked him to join me in renewing America’s purpose together. So I’m proud to announce that Dick Cheney, a man of great integrity, sound judgment and experience, is my choice to be the next vice president of the United States.

I have to admit something. I didn’t pick Dick Cheney because of Wyoming’s three electoral votes, although we’re going to work hard to earn them. I picked him because he is without a doubt fully capable of being the president of the United States. And I picked him because he will be a valuable partner in a Bush administration.

McCain didn’t change Bush’s opinions at all

McCain rings the “iron triangle” like a dinner bell

BUSH: The people staying with me, these are my friends, John. These are my relatives, [yet you] somehow question my integrity. You talk a lot about the “iron triangle” and you’re ringing it like a dinner bell with all those fund-raisers.

McCAIN: George, if I’m ringing it like the dinner bell, you’ve got both feet in the trough because you’ve raised five times the amount of money in Washington [that I have].

KEYES: This whole campaign finance reform thing is just another example of the hypocrisy of these politicians. They’ve shoveled the money in their mouth, then profess to be shocked at the discovery that it’s there. Then they say we should give up our right to give money to support the causes we believe in because they don’t have the integrity to do their job. We shouldn’t give up our rights. They should give up their offices.

Endorsements are based on leadership, not insider status

Pledges to return honor to office of the Presidency

Conservative values: Tax cuts; school choice; workfare

BUSH: I fought for and signed the two largest tax cuts in my state’s history. I fought for charter schools and public school choice. I reformed welfare by insisting upon work. I fought for tort reform. I’ve got a record of accomplishment.

BAUER: Governor, you left off every values issue at stake, the sanctity of life, maintaining marriage as being between a man and a woman, preserving religious liberty so we can hang up the Ten Commandments again.

BUSH: I’m against same-sex marriage. I signed a parental notification law. Republicans need to elect somebody who has gotten results, tangible results that people can see, that people can put their arms around and say this man’s a leader.

Focus on human problems, not just economy

Keys to American prosperity

• We’ll be prosperous if we reduce taxes.
• We’ll be prosperous if we reduce the regulations that strangle enterprise. I will fight for meaningful, real tort reform.
• We’ll be prosperous if we embrace free trade.
• We must be prosperous to keep the peace.

I trust the people, and Al Gore trusts Washington

In the most striking example of attempted political pick-pocketing, Bush is arguing that the last eight years of prosperity have nothing to do with the Clinton-Gore administration. “Our economy is strong today not because of Al Gore,” he says. “Our economy is strong today because we’re a land of dreamers and doers.”

Bush is, in effect, taking President Reagan’s classic reelection argument, “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?” and standing it on its side. He is acknowledging that the average American is better off today than four or eight years ago, and offering in its place his populist-tinged theme of trust. The polls show the public doesn’t want a tax cut, he says, but he believes it’s the right thing to do - that the surplus is the people’s money, and he’s going to give some of it back to the people.

Calling everything “Risky Scheme” is politics of roadblocks

If my opponent had been there at the moon launch, it would have been a “risky rocket scheme.” If he’d been there when Edison was testing the light bulb, it would have been a “risky anti-candle scheme.” And if he’d been there when the Internet was invented, well..

Compassionate conservatism is the new politics

Texas re-election based on “compassionate conservatism”

Philosophy of governing

Oil-town upbringing bred ‘compassionate conservatism’

Our guiding philosophy: Individual rights & responsibilties

De-emphasize economics; focus on compassion

Presidency of whole nation is his charge to keep

I was not elected to serve one party, but to serve one nation.

The president of the United States is the president of every single American, of every race and every background.

Whether you voted for me or not, I will do my best to serve your interests and I will work to earn your respect.

I will be guided by President Jefferson’s sense of purpose, to stand for principle, to be reasonable in manner, and above all, to do great good for the cause of freedom and harmony.

The presidency is more than an honor. It is more than an office. It is a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.

Together, we can unite and accomplish goals

• Together, guided by a spirit of common sense, common courtesy and common goals, we can unite and inspire the American citizens.
• Together, we will work to make all our public schools excellent, so that no child is left behind.
• Together we will save Social Security and renew its promise of a secure retirement for generations to come.
• Together we will strengthen Medicare and offer prescription drug coverage to all of our seniors.
• Together we will give Americans the broad, fair and fiscally responsible tax relief they deserve.
• Together we’ll have a bipartisan foreign policy true to our values & true to our friends, and we will have a military equal to every challenge & superior to every adversary.
• Together we will address some of society’s deepest problems one person at a time, by encouraging and empowering the good hearts and good works of the American people.
• This is the essence of compassionate conservatism and it will be a foundation of my administration.

With 50-50 Senate, challenge is to rise above partisanship

A: We’ll wait and see what they say at the Supreme Court and in all these different courts. Dick and I felt like we’ve won the first election three times, and we’re confident that when it’s all said and done that he and I will be honored to be the president and V.P. That’s why we’re in the process of preparing to assume the offices to which we feel like we’ve been elected.

Q: With a 50-50 Senate, how do you see getting an agenda forward, should you become president?

A: Part of our job is to make it clear that our agenda is good for America. This isn’t a Republican agenda; it’s not a Democrat agenda; it’s an agenda that addresses the problems that we now face. This election and the fact that it is so close and drawn out [means we] require a group of citizens that rise above partisanship to do what’s right for the country, more so than ever in recent modern history. And I look forward to the challenge.

Declares victory; names transition team

All of us in this election fought for our views. Now we must live up to our principles. We must show our commitment to the common good, which is bigger than any person or any party. We cannot change yesterday, but we share a responsibility for tomorrow.

Time runs short, and we have a lot of work to do. So tonight I’m naming Dick Cheney to chair our transition effort. I’ve asked him to work with President Clinton’s administration to open a transition office in Washington. And we look forward to a constructive working relationship throughout this transition.

The end of an election is the beginning of a new day. Together we can make this a positive day of hope and opportunity for all of us who are blessed to be Americans.

Election principles: be fair, accurate, & conclusive

As we work to conclude this election, we should be guided by three principles: This process must be fair; this process must be accurate; and this process must be final.
• First, the election must be fair to voters throughout America, fair to voters in Florida and fair to voters in different counties in Florida. I honor and respect the value of every single vote. Those votes have been recounted. In some counties, they have been counted a third and even fourth time.
• And that brings us to the second principle: accuracy. Individuals making subjective decisions about voter intent, introduces human error and politics into the vote-counting process. Each time these voting cards are handled, the potential for errors multiplies.
• Third, this process must have a point of conclusion, a moment when America and the world know who is the next president. This is precisely why the laws of the State of Florida have deadlines for certification of the election vote. One of them came last night.

Bush campaign opposes multiple recounts

Voting machines are neither Republican nor Democrat

American elections are based on ‘one person, one vote’

Gore should accept that the people elected Bush in Florida

End irresponsibility like ‘No controlling legal authority’

BUSH: I think the thing that discouraged me about the vice president was uttering those famous words, “no controlling legal authority.” I felt like that there needed to be a better sense of responsibility of what was going on in the White House.

It’s time for a fresh start after a season of cynicism. And so, I don’t know the man well, but I’ve been disappointed about how and his administration has conducted the fund-raising affairs. You know, going to a Buddhist temple and then claiming it wasn’t a fund-raiser is just not my view of responsibility. We need to say that each of us need to be responsible for what we do. And people in the highest office of the land must be responsible for decisions they make in life. That’s the way I’ve conducted myself as governor of Texas. And that’s the way I’ll conduct myself as president of the United States.

Good advisers better than knowing everything

He did it again on Friday. In response to a question from a Saudi Arabian journalist about international affairs, Bush did not claim to be well read on the subject or well along the road to erudition (although, in fact, he has slogged through thick tomes on Russia and the Balkans in recent months). Instead, Bush suggested that raw knowledge was overrated.

“I don’t think you can expect any president to know all things about all subjects,” he said, adding that one of the roles of a leader was “to surround himself with excellent folks” and “to be able to listen and to be able to delegate.”

Most critical: trust his judgement; not the status quo

What’s critical to my election is a lot of things:
1. that people trust my judgment.
2. that people hear the call for reform.
3. that people know that I can renew what I call the spirit of America.
4. that people are comfortable with the types of people that I’ll bring into my administration.
5. whether people are happy or not with the status quo.

Children looking at White House should feel proud

Pres. should uphold honor & dignity; act independently

“Bully Pulpit” should spur societal change

Bush cultivates a religious language acceptable to most

Bush came through for Religious right in Texas

Talk at Bob Jones was a missed opportunity to speak out

Regrets not criticizing Bob Jones U.’s racial divisiveness

Government should not block faith-based programs

A fan of Bork despite not slouching toward Gomorrah

No Gomorrah in America; no disdain of government

Church-based charity assures nobody is left behind

“The great promise of America exists in churches like this,” Bush said. “Government can hand out money. But what it cannot do is put hope in our hearts and a sense of purpose in our lives.”

A “call to conscience” for personal responsibility

Support faith which nurtures our values.

Only faith and God can overcome social ills.