2008 Presidential Campaign Blog

Statement By The President On The Passing Of Gerald R. Ford

STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT

"Laura and I are greatly saddened by the passing of former President Gerald R. Ford.

President Ford was a great American who gave many years of dedicated service to our country. On August 9, 1974, after a long career in the House of Representatives and service as Vice President, he assumed the Presidency in an hour of national turmoil and division. With his quiet integrity, common sense, and kind instincts, President Ford helped heal our land and restore public confidence in the Presidency.

The American people will always admire Gerald Ford's devotion to duty, his personal character, and the honorable conduct of his administration. We mourn the loss of such a leader, and our 38th President will always have a special place in our Nation's memory. On behalf of all Americans, Laura and I offer our deepest sympathies to Betty Ford and all of President Ford's family. Our thoughts and prayers will be with them in the hours and days ahead."

Jimmy Carter 1976 Announcement

Address by Jimmy Carter Announcing his Candidacy for the 1976 Democratic Presidential Nomination to the National Press Club on December 12, 1974.

"We Americans are a great and diverse people. We take full advantage of our right to develop wide-ranging interests and responsibilities. For instance, I am a farmer, an engineer, a businessman, a planner, a scientist, a governor and a Christian. Each of you is an individual and different from all the others.

Yet we Americans have shared one thing in common: a belief in the greatness of our Country.

Now it is time for this chasm between people and government to be bridged, and for American citizens to join in shaping our Nation's future.

It is now time to stop and to ask ourselves the question which my last commanding officer, Admiral Hyman Rickover, asked me and every other young naval officer who serves or has served in an atomic submarine.

For our Nation - for all of us - that question is: "Why not the best?

Full Speech Text

Pat Buchanan 1992 Announcement

Pat Buchanan 1992 Announcement at the New Hampshire State Legislative Office Building, December 10, 1991

"My friends, we come to New Hampshire at a crossroads in our country's history.

So we are taking this campaign not just to Republicans, and not just to conservatives. Every American is invited to join, the middle-class of both parties, and of no party. For the establishment that has dominated Congress for four decades is as ossified and out-of-touch with America as the establishment that resides in the White House.

So, to take my party back and take our country back, I am today declaring my candidacy for the Republican nomination for the President of the United States."

Full Speech Text

Eugene McCarthy 1968 Announcement

Press Conference of Senator Eugene J. McCarthy in the Senate Caucus Room, Washington, D.C. on November 30, 1967.

"I am hopeful that this challenge which I am making--which I hope will be supported by other members of the Senate and other politicians--may alleviate at least in some degree of this sense of political helplessness and restore to many people a belief in the processes of American politics and of American government; that on the college campuses especially and also among adult, thoughtful Americans, it may come to the growing sense of alienation from politics which I think is currently reflected in a tendency to withdraw from political action, to talk of non-participation, to become cynical and to make threats of support for third parties or fourth parties or other irregular political movements. 

Let me say that-as I am sure I shall be charge-am not for peace at any price, but for an honorable, rational and political solution to this war; a solution which I believe will enhance our world position, encourage the respect of our Allies and our potential adversaries, which will permit us to get the necessary attention to other commitments--both at home and abroad, militarily and did not militarily--and leave us with resources and moral energy to deal effectively with a pressing domestic problems of the United States itself.  In this total effort, I believe we can restore to this nation a clear sense of purpose and of dedication to the achievement of our traditional purposes as a great nation in the twentieth century."

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George Romney 1968 Announcement

Governor George Romney of Michigan announced his candidacy for President of the United States at the Veteran's Memorial Building in Detroit on November 18, 1967.

"I decided to fight for and win the Republican nomination and election as President of the United States.  I have made my decision with a great earnestness. 

The Republican Party has the faith in the individual, and voluntary cooperation, private competitive enterprise, free collective bargaining, and state and local government needed to apply these principles at home. A Republican President can work for a just peace in Vietnam unshackled by mistakes of the past. A Republican President can restore truth to government and regain the confidence of the people.

Because I believe that, working together, we can build a New America, I will work toward this goal with all my heart, mind, and new spirit. I pledge energy and honesty to the task."

Full Speech Text

Ronald Reagan 1980 Announcement

Ronald Reagan delivered this speech to the nation, announcing his candidacy for President of the United States at the New York Hilton, New York, NY on November 13, 1979

"Good evening. I am here tonight to announce my intention to seek the Republican nomination for President of the United States.

I'm sure that each of us has seen our country from a number of viewpoints depending on where we've lived and what we've done. For me it has been as a boy growing up in several small towns in Illinois. As a young man in Iowa trying to get a start in the years of the Great Depression and later in California for most of my adult life.

I've seen America from the stadium press box as a sportscaster, as an actor, officer of my labor union, soldier, officeholder and as both a Democrat and Republican. I've lived in America where those who often had too little to eat outnumbered those who had enough. There have been four wars in my lifetime and I've seen our country face financial ruin in the Depression. I have also seen the great strength of this nation as it pulled itself up from that ruin to become the dominant force in the world.

A troubled and afflicted mankind looks to us, pleading for us to keep our rendezvous with destiny; that we will uphold the principles of self-reliance, self-discipline, morality, and--above all--responsible liberty for every individual that we will become that shining city on a hill.

I believe that you and I together can keep this rendezvous with destiny."

Full Speech Text

Bob Dole 1988 Announcement

Announcement Speech of Senator Bob Dole in Russell, Kansas on November 9, 1987.

"I know many of you have come a good distance, and I'm thankful for that. I also recall a time in 1976 when President Gerald Ford joined me here, and that was another great day for Russell. I enjoy showing Russell off, although it doesn't take a whole lot longer now than it did when I was a boy.

The goodness of the people of Russell over the years has been the source of my inspiration and my strength. The people who settled this community, like so many others across America, were immigrants and frontiersmen and homesteaders who knew that grit and endurance and reliance on one's neighbors were needed to build a better life for their children. They were optimists and builders; they harnessed invention and hard work to carve a life out of the wilderness. I have carried the spirit of this place with me throughout my life.

That is why I have come back home today to announce before family and friends, that I am a candidate for my party's nomination to the office of President of the United States."

Full Speech Text

Howard Baker 1980 Announcement

Presidential Announcement Statement by Honorable Howard H. Baker. Jr.

"I am a candidate for President of the United States.

The greatness of America has always been written in the confidence of her people as they summon the will to shape their future. Throughout our history, days of trouble have turned to years of pride through a renaissance of the American spirit. Once again America knows days of trouble. Once again we will recover in pride. But only if we are honest enough to admit our peril.

I don't honestly know whether I can beat both Jimmy Carter and Teddy Kennedy on this treaty this November. It is very close. But I guarantee you that I'll beat either Jimmy Carter or Teddy Kennedy in the voting booth next November.

Watch me. Judge me. Then come with me. Let's reach for the future and make it ours."

Full Speech Text

Jerry Brown 1992 Announcement

Edmund G. Brown Jr.'s Announcement Speech at Independence Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 21, 1991.

"We gather today at the most sacred site of American democracy. It was right here two centuries ago that our forebearers forged the miracle of America, and they called it "A New Order of the Ages."

I have come here today because I care about my country and its future, and I care about the future of this earth on which we all depend.

I love being an American and I love the freedom and the creativity it makes possible.

I love the things which our democracy stands for--the ideals and truths which were worked out just a few feet away. These ideas have power and they are stirring the human imagination in Eastern Europe and Burma and the furthest reaches of Asia.

In that spirit, I am here in Philadelphia to stand as a candidate for President of the United States in 1992."

Full Speech Text

Governor George W. Bush 2000 Website Redesign

The George W. Bush Website was redesigned on this day in 1999.

Governor Bush Unveils Innovative New Website
AUSTIN, TX "Governor George W. Bush today launched an innovative new design for his presidential campaign website, www.georgewbush.com, that includes personalization, a Hispanic site, a special section for children and 50 individual state websites.
"The internet is an efficient and innovative way to reach people directly with information and issue positions," said Gov. Bush. "This new design allows individuals to personalize the website to their interests and to get the latest news about the campaign in both Spanish and English. I hope it will be a useful tool for people who are interested in learning more about my presidential campaign."
The redesigned site allows people to create a personalized page with news and information in which they are interested. For example, a voter from Virginia who is most interested in education and economic issues can create a home page that always contains the latest news on those issues, information about the campaign in Virginia and photos and details about the Governor's travel to Virginia. After the individual site is created, it comes up on the screen each time the person logs in.
The new website also includes a comprehensive Hispanic site. This site provides information in Spanish including campaign speeches, positions on issues, news releases, and video testimonials of Hispanic supporters.
The Youth Zone portion of the website is designed to teach children more about the presidential election by using America's game, baseball, as a kid-friendly reference point. Children can learn about the election process and see the differences and similarities between politics and baseball in a fun and appealing way.
The newly redesigned website also offers the following information and options:
Campaign activities in each of the 50 states;
Photos and details of Gov. Bush's travel across the country to meet with voters;
Text of Gov. Bush's speeches, including a video link to view a speech;
A photo journal of Gov. Bush's life from his childhood in Midland, to the birth of his twin daughters to his work as the managing general partner of the Texas Rangers;
The opportunity to sign up for volunteer activities;
Information about Gov. Bush policy proposals.