From: rnlee@sdcc3.ucsd.edu (Profess'nal Agitator)
Newsgroups: alt.rush-limbaugh
Subject: Reagan's full speech
Keywords: Reagan Republican Convention speech
Date: 19 Aug 92 20:44:30 GMT
Organization: MAWL - Mudd Alums Without Lives

Thanx to Emil Chuck for posting excerpts earlier, thereby saving me a
large deal of transcription work.

There is a rumor going on that the Lincoln quote was not by Lincoln.
Anyone confirm/refute this?

Agitator
  #->

--cut here--
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%  Speech by Ronald Reagan to the 1992 Republican Convention,
%   Astrodome, Houston, 17 August 1992

%  Typeset by Roderick N. Lee, 19 August 1992


``Over the years I've addressed this convention as a private citizen,
as a governor, as a presidential candidate, as a President, and now,
once again tonight, as private citizen Ronald Reagan.

``Tonight is a very special night for me. Of course, at my age, every
night's a special night.  After all, I was born in 1911.  Indeed,
according to the experts, I have exceeded my life expectancy by quite
a few years.  Now, this is a source of great annoyance to some,
especially those in the Democratic party. \aside{cheers} But, here's
the remarkable thing about being born in 1911.  In my life's journey
over these past eight decades, I have seen the human race through a
period of unparalleled tumult and triumph. I have seen the birth of
communism and the death of communism. \aside{cheers} I have witnessed
the bloody futility of two World Wars and Korea, Viet Nam, and the
Persian Gulf.  I have seen Germany united, divided, and united again.
I have seen television grow from a parlor novelty to become the most
powerful vehicle of communication in history.  As a boy, I saw streets
filled with Model-T's; as a man, I have met men who walked on the
moon.  I have not only seen, but lived the marvels of what historians
have called `The American Century'. \aside{cheers}

``Yet tonight is not a time to look backward, for while I take
inspiration from the past, like most Americans, I live for the future.
\aside{cheers} So, this evening, for just a few minutes, I hope you
will let me talk about a country that is forever young.

``There was a time when empires were defined by land mass, subjugated
peoples and military might.  But the United States is unique because
we are an empire of ideals. \aside{cheers} For 200 years, we have been
set apart by our faith in the ideals of democracy, of free men and
free markets, and of the extraordinary possibilities that lie within
seemingly ordinary men and women.  We believe that no power of
government is as formidable a force for good as the creativity and
entrepreneurial drive of the American people. \aside{cheers}

``Those are the ideals that invented revolutionary technologies and a
culture envied by people everywhere.  This powerful sense of energy
has made America synonymous for opportunity the world over.  And after
generations of struggle, America is the moral force that defeated
communism \aside{cheers: Thank You Ron!} and all those who would put
the human soul itself into bondage.

``Within a few short years, we Americans have experienced the most
sweeping changes of this century:  the fall of the Soviet Union and the
rise of the global economy.  No transition is without its problems,
but as uncomfortable as it may feel at the moment, the changes of the
1990's will leave America more dynamic and less in danger than at any
time in my life. \aside{cheers}

``A fellow named James Allen once wrote in his diary, `Many thinking
people believe America has seen its best days.'  He wrote that July
26, 1775.  There are still those who believe America is weakening,
that our glory was the brief flash of time called the Twentieth
Century, that ours was a burst of greatness too bright and brilliant
to sustain, that America's purpose is past.  My friends, I utterly
reject those views. \aside{cheers} That's not the America we know.

``We are meant to be masters of destiny, not victims of fate.  Who
among us would trade America's future for that of any other in the
world?  And who could possibly have so little faith in our American
people that they would trade our tomorrow for our yesterday?

``I'll give you a hint:  they put on quite a production in New York a
few weeks ago. \aside{cheers} You might even call it slick.
\aside{cheers} A stone's throw from Broadway, and how appropriate.
Over and over they told us they are not the party they were.  They
kept telling us with a straight face that they're for family values,
they're for a strong America.  They're for less intrusive government.
And they call me an actor. \aside{cheers}

``To hear them talk you'd never know that the nightmare of nuclear
annihilation has been lifted from our sleep.  You'd never know that
our standard of living remains the highest in the world.  You'd never
know that our air is cleaner than it was twenty years ago.  You'd
never know that we remain the one nation the rest of the world looks
to for leadership. \aside{Thank You Ron!}

``It wasn't always this way.  We mustn't forget---even if they would
like to---the very different America that existed just twelve years
ago; an America with 21\% interest rates and back-to-back years of
double digit inflation; an America where mortgage payments doubled,
paychecks plunged and motorists sat in gas lines; an America whose
leaders told us it was out fault, that ours was a future of scarcity
and sacrifice and that what we really needed was another good dose of
government control and higher taxes. \aside{boos}

``It wasn't so long ago that the world was a far more dangerous place
as well.  It was a world where aggressive Soviet communism was on the
rise and American strength was in decline. It was a world where our
children came of age under the threat of nuclear holocaust.  It was a
world where our leaders told us that standing up to aggressors was
dangerous---that American might and determination were somehow
obstacles to peace.  But we stood tall and proclaimed that communism
was destined for the ash heap of history. \aside{cheers}

``We never heard so much ridicule from our liberal friends. The only
thing that got them more upset was two simple words:  `Evil Empire'.
\aside{cheers}

``But we knew then what the liberal Democrat leaders just couldn't
figure out:  The sky would not fall if America restored her strength
and resolve. The sky would not fall if an American President spoke the
truth. The only thing that would fall was the Berlin Wall.
\aside{Thank You Ron!}

``I heard those speakers at that other convention saying, `We won the
Cold War,' and I couldn't help wondering, just who exactly do they
mean by `we'?  And to top it off, they even tried to portray
themselves as sharing the same fundamental values of our party.
\aside{boos}

``But, they truly don't understand the principles so eloquently stated
by Abraham Lincoln:  `You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the
strong.' \aside{cheers} `You cannot help the wage earner by pulling
down the wage payer.  You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and
should do for themselves.' \aside{cheers} If we ever hear the
Democrats quoting that passage by Lincoln and acting like they really
mean it, then, my friends, we will know that the opposition has really
changed.

``Until then, when we see all that rhetorical smoke billowing out from
the Democrats, ladies and gentlemen, I'd follow the example of their
nominee:  Don't inhale.

``All right.  Listen to me.  This fellow they've nominated claims he's
the new Thomas Jefferson.  Well, let me tell you something.  I knew
Thomas Jefferson. \aside{cheers} He was a friend of mine.  And,
Governor, you're no Thomas Jefferson. \aside{cheers}

``All right.  All right.  Now, let's not dismiss our current troubles.
But where they see only problems, I see possibilities---as vast and
diverse as the American family itself.  Even as we meet, the rest of
the world is astounded by the pundits and finger-pointers who are so
down on us as a nation.

``Well, I've said it before and I'll say it again.  America's best
days are yet to come. \aside{cheers} Our proudest moments are yet to
be.  Our most glorious achievements are just ahead.  America remains
what Emerson called her 150 years ago:  `The Country of Tomorrow'.
What a wonderful description and how true.  And yet tomorrow might
never have happened had we lacked the courage in the 1980's to chart a
course of strength and honor. \aside{Thank You Ron!}

``All the more reason no one should underestimate the importance of
this campaign and what the outcome will mean.  The stakes are high.
The Presidency is serious business.  We cannot afford to take a
chance.  We need a man of serious purpose, unmatched experience,
knowledge and ability.  A man who understands government, who
understands our country and who understands the world.  A man who has
been at the table with Gorbachev and Yeltsin.  A man whose performance
as commander-in-chief of the bravest and most effective fighting force
in history left the world in awe and the people of Kuwait free of
foreign tyranny. \aside{4 More Years!} Yes, four more years.  What we
need is a man who has devoted more than half of his life to serving
his country, a man of decency, integrity, and honor.

``And tonight I come to tell you that I---warmly, genuinely,
wholeheartedly---support the re-election of George Bush as President
of the United States. \aside{Bush-Quayle '92!}

``We know President Bush. By his own admission, he is a quiet man, not
a showman.  He is a trustworthy and level-headed leader who is
respected around the world.  His is a steady hand on the tiller
through the choppy waters of the '90's, which is exactly what we need.

``We need George Bush. \aside{We need George!}

``Yes, we need Bush.  We also need another real fighter, a man who
happens to be with us this evening, someone who has repeatedly stood
up for his deepest convictions.  We need our Vice President, Dan
Quayle. \aside{cheers}

``Now it's true:  A lot of liberal Democrats are saying it's time for a
change, and they're right.  The only trouble is, they're pointing to
the wrong end of Pennsylvania Avenue. \aside{cheers} What we should
change is a Democratic Congress that wastes precious time on partisan
matters of absolutely no relevance to the needs of the average
American. \aside{cheers} So to all the entrenched interests along the
Potomac---the gavel-wielding chairmen, the bloated staffs, the taxers
and takers and congressional rule-makers---we have a simple slogan for
November 1992:  Clean House! \aside{Clean the House!}

``For you see, my fellow Republicans, we are the change.  For 50 of
the last 60 years, the Democrats have controlled the Senate.  And
they've had the House of Representatives for 56 of the last 60 years.
\aside{boos}

``It's time to clean house, to clean out the privileges and perks.
Clean out the arrogance and the big egos.  Clean out the scandals, the
corner-cutting, and the foot-dragging.

``What kind of job do you think they've done during all those years
they've been running the Congress? \aside{boos} You're absolutely
right.

``You know, I used to say to some of those Democrats who chair every
committee in the House, `You need to balance the government's
checkbook the same way you balance your own.' \aside{cheers} Then I
learned how they ran the House Bank, and I realized that was exactly
what they had been doing. \aside{cheers}

``Now just imagine what they would do if they controlled the executive
branch too. \aside{boos}

``This is the 21\st Presidential election in my lifetime, the 16\th in
which I will cast a ballot.  Each of those elections had its shifting
moods of the moment, its headlines of one day that were forgotten the
next.  There have been a few more twists and turns this year than in
the others, a little more shouting about who was up or down, in or
out, as we went about selecting our candidates.  But, now, we have
arrived, as we always do, at the moment of truth, the serious business
of selecting a President.  Now is the time for choosing.

``As we did twelve years ago, and as we have seen many times in
history, our country now stands at a crossroads.  There is widespread
doubt about our public institutions and profound concern, not merely
about the economy but about the overall direction of this great
country.

``And as they did then, the American people are clamoring for change
and sweeping reform.  The kind of question we had to ask twelve years
ago is the question we ask today:  What kind of change can we
Republicans offer the American people?

``Some might believe that the things we've talked about tonight are
irrelevant to the choice.  These new isolationists claim that the
American people don't care about how or why we prevailed in the great
defining struggle of our age---the victory of liberty over our
adversaries.  They insist that our triumph is yesterday's news, part
of a past that holds no lessons for the future.

``Well, nothing could be more tragic, after having come all this way
on the journey of renewal we began twelve years ago, than if America
herself forgot the lessons of individual liberty that she has taught
to a grateful world.

``Emerson was right.  We are `The Country of Tomorrow'.  Our
Revolution did not end at Yorktown.  More than two centuries later,
America remains on a Voyage of Discovery, a land that has never
become, but is always in the act of becoming.

``But just as we have led the crusade for Democracy beyond our shores,
we have a great task to do together in our own home.  Now I would
appeal to you to invigorate Democracy in your own neighborhoods.
Whether we come from poverty or wealth, whether we are Afro-American
or Irish-American, Christian or Jewish, from big cities or small
towns, we are all equal in the eyes of God \aside{cheers} But, as
Americans that is not enough.  We must be equal in the eyes of each
other. \aside{cheers} We can no longer judge each other on the basis
of what we are, but must, instead, start finding out who we are.  In
America our origins matter less than our destinations, and that's what
Democracy is all about. \aside{cheers}

``A decade after we summoned America to a new beginning, we are
beginning still.  Every day brings fresh challenges and opportunities
to match.  With each sunrise we are reminded that millions of our
citizens have yet to share in the abundance of American prosperity.
Many languish in neighborhoods riddled with drugs and bereft of hope.
Still others hesitate to venture out on the streets for fear of
criminal violence.  Let us pledge ourselves to a new beginning for
them.

``Let us apply our ingenuity and remarkable spirit to revolutionize
education in America so that everyone among us will have the mental
tools to build a better life.  And while we do so, let's remember that
the most profound education begins in the home.

``And let us harness the competitive energy that built America into
rebuilding our inner cities so that real jobs can be created for those
who live there and real hope can rise out of despair.

``Let us strengthen our health care system so that Americans of all
ages can be secure in their futures without the fear of financial
ruin.  And my friends, once and for all, let us get control of the
federal deficit through a budget balanced amendment and a line-item
veto for the President. \aside{cheers}

``And let us all renew our commitment, renew our pledge, day by day,
person by person, to make our country and the world a better place to
live.  Then when the nations of the world turn to us and say,
`America, you are the model of freedom and prosperity,' we can turn to
them and say, `You ain't seen nothin' yet!' \aside{cheers}

``For me, tonight is the latest chapter in a story that began a
quarter of a century ago when the people of California entrusted me
with the stewardship of their dreams. \aside{cheers from California
delegation} My fellow citizens, those of you here in this hall, and
those of you at home, I want you to know that I have always had the
highest respect for you, for your common sense and intelligence, and
for your decency.  I have always believed in you and in what you could
accomplish for yourselves and for others.  And whatever else history
may say about me when I'm gone, I hope it will record that I appealed
to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather
than your doubts.

``My dream is that you will travel the road ahead, with Liberty's lamp
guiding your steps, and Opportunity's arm steadying your way.  My
fondest hope, for each one of you, and especially for the young people
here \aside{cheers from the youth: Reagan!} is that you will love your
country not for her power or wealth, but for the selflessness and
idealism.  May each of you have the heart to conceive, the
understanding to direct, and the hand to execute works that will make
the world a little better for your having been here.  May all of you
as Americans never forget your heroic origins, never fail to seek
divine guidance, and never lose your natural God-given optimism.

``My fellow Americans, may every dawn be a great new beginning for
America and every evening bring us closer to that shining city upon a
hill.

``Before I go, I would like to ask the person who has made my life's
journey so meaningful, someone I have been so very proud of over the
years to join me, Nancy \aside{cheers as Nancy joins him}

``My fellow Americans, and on behalf of both of us, Goodbye and God
bless each and every one of you, and God bless this country we love.''

\bigskip

\by {President Ronald Reagan}{Houston, 17 August 1992}

\bye

--cut here--

"A political deadend."                  Bruce Herschensohn for U.S. Senate!!!
    --Gore on the Vice Presidency when    Not the ten-year       //  The REAL
      asked about a Dukakis-Gore ticket   Congress insider      //   outsider
--------------- R E M E M B E R   B E I J I N G ------------\\ //------------
IBM PC - Who wants a politically correct computer?           \X/  Only AMIGA!
========================================== Bring Back the Caltech Cannon!! ==
Roderick Lee, HMC '91      "The Professional Agitator"      agitator@ucsd.edu
Newsgroups: alt.rush-limbaugh,alt.activism.d,alt.news-media