George W. Bush in Republican Debate in Manchester, NH
On Budget & Economy:
Use presidential power to get money away from Congress
McCAIN [to Bush]: You seem to depict the role of the president as a hapless bystander. [Clinton] is threatening to shut down the government and vetoing bills to force the congress to
spend more money. An active president, i.e. me, will veto bills and threaten to shut down the government to make them spend less money. Bush: It’s the president’s job to make sure Congress
doesn’t have the money to spend in the first place. It is the president’s job to stand up to express the will of the people, advocate and
fight for a meaningful real tax cut. And that’s what I’m going to do.
Source: (X-ref from McCain) GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Budget & Economy:
10-year surplus: $2T Social Security; $1T debt; $1T tax cut
I believe we’ve got $4 trillion [in surpluses available] over 10 years; $2 trillion of which will go to save Social Security and pay down debt; $1 trillion available for
debt repayment and other programs and $1 trillion, over a 10-year period, for a meaningful, substantial, real tax cut to the people.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Education:
Texas school record is improving, with many minorities
FORBES [to Bush] On education you’ve dumbed down the standards to the point where in Texas your SAT ranking has gone from 40th in the nation to 46th. What can you tell the people of America that you won’t do in Washington what you’ve done in Texas?
BUSH: Because we have set high standards, abolished social promotion, got a vibrant charter school movement, got a public school choice movement. -we’re making the best progress in the nation for improvement amongst minority students.
FORBES: On
SAT’s, Texas is one of the few states where minority scores have gone down-not up. Eighth-grade science tests in Texas shows a picture of four insects and says, pick out the fly.
BUSH: The test scores in my state. show dramatic improvement. Our SAT
scores have improved since I’ve been the governor.
FORBES. Your ranking went down.
BUSH: Unlike many states, we make sure as many kids can take the SAT as possible. We include all kinds of children. We want our children in Texas to take the SAT.
Source: (X-ref from Forbes) GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Energy & Oil:
No withdrawals from strategic oil reserve needed
Q: The Energy Secretary said he would not tap US strategic petroleum reserves in order to drive down prices saying those reserves are for emergencies. But given the shortages that exist, do
you consider this an appropriate time to tap those reserves? A: No, I don’t. I agree with the energy secretary that the strategic petroleum reserve is meant for a national wartime emergency. What I think the
president ought to do is get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC
has gotten its supply act together and it’s driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price. And if in fact there is collusion amongst big oil, he ought to intercede there as well.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Energy & Oil:
Explore ANWR; explore for gas; reduce foreign dependence
Our country better become less dependent on foreign crude, that’s why I’m for the exploration of ANWR, that’s why I’m for the exploration of natural gas, which is hemispheric. It’s not subject to price. In the
meantime, I support the congressional attempt to fund LIHEAP, which is that low-income heating assistance program.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Government Reform:
Pay for tax cuts with cash, not corporate loopholes
McCAIN [to Bush]: Last November there was an incredible bill passed full of earmarked pork barrel spending. They spent the then $14 billion surplus that was supposed to be there for this year. And you said you supported that bill. I voted against it;
said as president I would veto it and saw it as one of the most egregious practices. Tell me, what corporate loopholes would you close and what spending cuts would you make? BUSH: If I’m the president and you’re a Senator, you can come in my
office and you can outline all the different corporate loopholes you think are wrong. And we can pick and choose. But what I’m doing, John, is I’m selling my tax cut plan without claiming I’m going to close some kind of corporate loophole. Your plan uses
so-called corporate loopholes to pay for it. I used cash to pay for it. And if the money stays in Washington -- my problem with your plan is that it’s going to be spent on bigger government.
Source: (X-ref from McCain) GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Homeland Security:
Top-down review to decide which programs to cancel
McCAIN [to Bush]: We don’t have unlimited funds. Is there any military programs that you would reduce spending on? BUSH: What’s needed to happen is the top down review of the military so that there’s a strategic plan to make sure that we
spend properly. I’ll give you an example of the Crusader Howitzer program, looks like it’s too heavy. It’s not lethal enough. There’s going to be a lot of programs that aren’t going to fit into the strategic plan for a long-term change of our military.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Tax Reform:
Use prosperous times to get money out of Washington
I believe that cutting the taxes will encourage economic growth. I believe cutting all marginal rates will keep the economy growing. I believe we ought to get rid of the death tax. I believe we ought to get rid of the earnings test on Social Security.
I believe we ought to mitigate the marriage penalty. I believe we ought to use this time of prosperity to get money out of Washington and into the pockets of the taxpayers.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On Technology:
Technology programs are obsolete before they start
Q: Should we spend government funds to address the “digital divide?”
A: Our technology is changing so quickly that government programs are often obsolete as the marketplace changes. And I think about my rural Texas, where we’re going to have two-way
satellite technologies, broad-width technologies that will enable us to beam information from big cities to rural Texas and I worry about government funding and government programs that are haphazard and will be obsolete before they’re even funded.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
On War & Peace:
Pressure Saudis to keep oil prices low
Q: What pressures should be brought on OPEC nations to lift oil production? A: It’s important for the president to explain in clear terms what high energy prices will not only do to our economy, but what high energy prices will
do to the world economy. It is in the Saudis’ best interests for the price of oil to mellow out. It’s not only in our country’s best interest; It needs to be explained to them it’s in their best interests. And I will do so.
Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH
Jan 26, 2000
Page last updated: Apr 16, 2013