VP Cheney visits NJ

Vice-President Cheney spoke at a campaign rally in Medford, NJ, this morning. Some highlights:

We face an enemy today every bit as intent on destroying us as were the Axis powers in World War II. This is not an enemy we can reason with or negotiate with or appease. This is, to put it simply, an enemy that we must destroy. And with George Bush as Commander-in-Chief, that is exactly what we will do. (Applause.)

Under President Bush's leadership, we are confronting the terrorists with our military, so we do not have to fight them with armies of firefighters, police and medical personnel on the streets of our own cities.

Since the attacks of September 11th, President Bush has led a clear, steady, and consistent effort to protect the American people. We are going after the terrorists wherever they train and hide. We are confronting regimes that sponsor terrorists or give them safe haven. And in the broader Middle East, we're aiding the rise of democracy, because free nations will not become breeding grounds for terror.

We're making progress. We have ended the Taliban regime. And Saddam Hussein is in jail. (Applause.) We have broken up terror cells around the world, and captured or killed thousands of al Qaeda terrorists. We're training security forces in both Afghanistan and Iraq and rebuilding schools and hospitals to improve lives. And we are helping the people of Afghanistan and Iraq to build representative governments. Afghanistan, where almost half of the 10 million registered voters are women, held its first democratic election in history yesterday. (Applause.) Iraq will have free elections in January. (Applause.)

President Bush does not deal in empty threats and half-way measures, and his determination has sent a very clear message. Just five days after Saddam was captured, the government of Libya agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons program and turn the materials over to the United States. (Applause.) Today, the centrifuges, the plans for nuclear weapons, and the uranium that once were hidden in Libya are locked up and stored away, never again to be a danger to anyone. [...]

My friends, the differences between the President and his opponent are as sharp as they can possibly be, and the consequences for the country are enormous. On vital matters of national security, Senator Kerry offers a record of weakness and a strategy of retreat. President Bush offers a record of steady purpose and resolute action, and a strategy for victory. Senator Kerry is a tax-and-spend liberal; President Bush is a compassionate conservative. Senator Kerry wants to empower government; President Bush will use government to empower people. (Applause.) John Kerry seems to think that all the wisdom is found in Washington, D.C.; George Bush trusts the wisdom of the American people. (Applause.)

On issue after issue, President Bush has a clear vision for the future of our nation. America has come to know him, and I have come to admire him very much. I watch him at work every day. He's a person of loyalty and kindness, a man who speaks plainly and means what he says. I have seen him face some of the hardest decisions that can come to the occupant of the Oval Office -? and make those decisions with the wisdom and humility Americans expect in their President.

Under President Bush's leadership, we will use America's great power to serve great purposes, to protect our homeland by turning back and defeating the forces of terror, and to spread hope and freedom around the world. Here at home, we will continue building a prosperity that reaches every corner of the land so that every child in America has a chance to learn, to succeed, and to rise in the world. (Applause.)

Geoff Mulvihill's AP story notes the political dynamics:

Cheney repeated many of the criticisms of Kerry that he has used in campaign speeches and at the Republican National Convention in New York City. This time, though, the vice president was speaking in a state that hasn't voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1988 - when it backed Bush's father - and that Democrat Al Gore won handily in 2000.

With polls showing Kerry with a single-digit advantage in New Jersey, Republicans have campaigned as if the Garden State and its 15 electoral votes are up for grabs, dispatching first lady Laura Bush and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani to press for support.

Joined by his wife, Cheney told supporters inside a high school gymnasium, "As Election Day draws nearer, one thing that's been very clear in this state is New Jersey's moving toward a Bush-Cheney victory."

Polls have shown Bush's handling of the war on terror has boosted his standing in the state, which lost 674 residents when terrorists struck the World Trade Center Towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

John Murphy, a Morris County Republican campaigning for the 2005 gubernatorial nomination, said he was excited about the possibility that his vote could make a difference Nov. 2. "Until September, we were happy to write checks for the president," Murphy said.

Democratic vice presidential candidate John Edwards campaigned in the state last Thursday, his second visit in 10 days.

The southern portion of the state is saturated with Bush and Kerry ads airing on Philadelphia stations because Pennsylvania is a first-tier battleground state.

Outside Monday's event, some 200 protesters gathered, including one who acknowledged the GOP strength in the state.

"It's a little disturbing that a strong Democratic enclave like New Jersey was so easily influenced by the Republican convention," said Ann Barzda, a volunteer field director for the Kerry campaign in Burlington County.

On a related note, Blogs for Bush passes the word that...

Four years ago, you may never have guessed it, but New Jersey is now in play this election. Kerry's lead is only by a few points in New Jersey.

Security Moms 4 Bush, Women In Support of the President (WISP), Democrats 4 Bush and Vets4Bush, have joined their efforts to help swing New Jersey to President Bush by hosting a rally in Cedar Grove, New Jersey on October 16th, 2004. [...]

Time and Location
1:30 pm ~ October 16, 2004
VFW Post 6255
970 Pompton Ave
Cedar Grove, NJ 07009 - (Near Montclair, NJ)
RSVP is required for admittance.

ATTENTION: There are rallies all over America on October 16th you can go to as well.

Besides New Jersey, there are rallies planned for Northern Virginia, North Carolina/South Carolina Border, California, Connecticut, New York - Staten Island.

Go Team!