Share

IowaPolitics.com: Nine GOP contenders in Des Moines for Lincoln Day Dinner
4/14/2007

Scroll down on this page for coverage of Saturday's GOP Lincoln Day Dinner in Des Moines, featuring speeches from nine leading Republican presidential candidates.

Listen to audio of the Lincoln Day Dinner speeches

Click the links below to listen to audio of each candidate's speech. 8 p.m.: McCain Reiterates Support for Iraq War in Last Speech of the Night

The senator from Arizona was the last to take the stage, but was relaxed, leaning on the podium and working the stage more like a stand-up comedian than a politician.

In this vein, he started off with a joke about being the ninth of nine candidates to give his speech: "I feel like Zsa Zsa Gabor's fifth husband on his honeymoon," he said. "I know what I need to do. I just don't know how to make it interesting."

He quickly turned serious and with a tone that remained conversational and casual, he focused nearly his entire speech on the war in Iraq and the importance of continuing the war.

"I know what it's like to live without rights and I advocate for those rights wherever they are denied, whether in Basra, Sudan or in America if we fail to protect the rights of those both born and unborn."

The country is, McCain said, engaged in a fight against evil.

"We will be fighting them in many places in the world. We will never surrender. They will. This force of evil will surrender."

The crowd responded enthusiastically when McCain reaffirmed his support for President Bush.

"There is only one commander-in-chief of the United States and that's George W. Bush and I support him."

Though a steadfast supporter of the war, the senator acknowledged that it has been "mismanaged very badly" and suggested that a new approach needs to take place to ensure success.

"Things are tough, but we can and will prevail in Iraq. If we leave, they will follow us home. The Democrats want to withdraw, but there is no way that we can prevail if we set a date to withdraw."

-- By Tim Schmitt

7:45 p.m.: Thompson Says GOP Needs 'Big Ideas'

Bringing ideas to the table is important for Republicans to be successful in 2008, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson said.

"I am a person who believes in ideas," he said. "We need to get back to big ideas."

Thompson, whose 22-minute speech was the longest and one of the most well-received of the night, said it is those ideas that helped him surprise many people when he was first elected governor. He was a Republican elected in a Democratic state and beat a Democratic incumbent in his first run.

He compared that initial run to his presidential candidacy -- stating he was optimistic about the future.

"I have always been the underdog," he said. "I have always outworked and outorganized (my opponents)."

Thompson has visited Iowa every week this year and plans to continue that practice. He has been such a frequent visitor that someone joked that he could start paying taxes in Iowa.

"Not with this governor I won't," he said.

Thompson also talked about his stance on abortion and touted his "pro-life" credentials with a story about his newest granddaughter.

Thompson's youngest daughter Tommi was diagnosed with breast cancer more than two years ago. Before undergoing treatment, his daughter had an egg fertilized and frozen. Nearly two and a half years later, with Tommi's sister Kelli serving as a surrogate mother -- Thompson's granddaughter was born Jan. 5.

"I held that baby, looked at that baby," Thompson said. "Here I was holding life. That makes me a believer."

Thompson addressed the need for a 15 percent flat tax. He also touched on the importance of distributing Iraq's oil revenues to every man, woman and child in the country - much like what is done in Alaska - to help resolve conflict and restore order in the war-torn region.

-- By Chris Dorsey

7:20 p.m.: Brownback Focuses On 'Faith, Family And Freedom'

Holding up a piece of carpet made from corn, Kansas Senator Sam Brownback spoke directly to the hearts of the Iowans gathered here tonight.

"We need to do things like this to make us more dependent on the Midwest rather than the Middle East," he proclaimed, drawing an exuberant round of applause.

His other prop for the evening was a copy of the federal tax code, which he rolled on to the stage before proclaiming that it "should be taken behind the barn and killed with a dull axe."

The heart of Brownback's speech, the shortest of the evening, was a return to the principles of "faith, family and freedom," values he says he learned while growing up as the son of a farmer in Kansas.

"I grew up surrounded by these principles and didn't know those were particularly Republican principles," he said. "I just thought that's how people lived, and it is. We should celebrate these things and not run from them."

Faith, Brownback told the crowd, is something that should be embraced, not shunned. "We should be able to say 'one nation under God' and not worry about a lawsuit," he said. Brownback named Mother Theresa, who he met on Capitol Hill, as most impressive person he has met.

"She was powered by faith," he said. "She told me about her faith in three words: 'All for Jesus.' It was faith that powered her and faith is a good thing."

Regarding his second principle, family, he said, "family is essential and should be encouraged, not taxed or defined out of existence. Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman."

On freedom, Brownback spoke of the necessity to continue fighting in Iraq.

"We are fighting a war against Islamic fascists who are seeking our demise and that of Israel and that of moderate Islamic states in the region. For the sake of our grandchildren I beseech you not to lose the will to fight and win this war. If we do lose the will to fight, our children and grandchildren will lose, and we will lose the possibility for freedom in the Middle East"

To this point in the evening, Brownback drew the most vocal approval for his ideals, though he was less specific in his plans than other candidates and spoke in general terms of returning to civility and manners and courtesy.

Some examples of his messages on civility:

-- "What Don Imus said is wrong. But let's stop having billion-dollar record companies target the same language to teenagers through their music. I call on EMI and other record companies to pull all their music that uses the same language that Don Imus uses."

-- "We need a culture that uplifts and encourages goodness. We need to commit to rebuilding our culture with less coarseness."

-- By Tim Schmitt

7:10 p.m.: Gilmore Takes On Other Candidates' Conservatism

When he kicked off tonight's dinner speeches, Rudy Giuliani discussed Ronald Reagan's "11th Commandent" -- never speak ill of other Republicans. Former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore was the first of the 10 candidates to break that commandment -- taking a shot at Giuliani, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

Gilmore, in his first visit to Iowa this year, explained to the crowd in excess of 1,000 people that he is a conservative and his record supports that claim. He urged Iowa Republicans to look at candidates' records -- not just their campaign talking points.

"'Rudy McRomney' is not a conservative and he knows he is not a conservative," Gilmore said as the large crowd made a unified sound of surprise at his remarks.

Gilmore also took a shot at Fred Thompson, a Republican said to be considering a presidential run. The former governor said he has actually worked as a prosecutor -- instead of just playing one on TV, as Thompson has.

But Gilmore didn't limit his criticism to Republicans -- he also took jabs at Democratic presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards.

Tax cuts are vital, Gilmore said, and something he championed as governor of Virginia.

"I kept my word and delivered tax cuts to the people of Virginia," he said. "That is what we should do for the people of the United States."

Despite being told the GOP faces challenges, Gilmore said he is confident in Republicans winning the 2008 election.

"We can win and will win if we stick to our Republican principles," he said.

Gilmore said it is important to support the troops in Iraq, reduce U.S. dependency on foreign oil, strengthen the borders and not provide amnesty for illegal immigrants.

"We simply cannot have an amnesty program," he said. "We cannot be a sovereign nation unless we secure our borders"

Gilmore said he is running for president, and would be favorable to voters because he was a "consistent conservative" and a man of his word.

"If Jim Gilmore says he is going to do something, he does it or dies trying," he said.

-- By Chris Dorsey

6:50 p.m.: Tancredo Says He Has Strongest Illegal Immigration Stance

Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo chided his fellow GOP candidates at the Lincoln Day dinner for what he suggested was a late and tepid conversion on an immigration problem he said has broken the "great American melting pot.''

"We have many good men in this race,” Tancredo said. “Many have even recently converted to our cause. They are welcome of course, but I’m concerned they’ve seen the light not on the road to Damascus, but on the road to Des Moines.”

Yet, he claimed they are on the wrong side of the immigration debate. “If you doubt me,” he said, “ask them, ‘As president, what will you do about the 20 million or so illegal immigrants living here today?' They couch their answers, but I can assure you, their answer is always amnesty. This is an outrageous public policy that is a slap in the face to every single person who has done it the right way or is trying to do the right way. Why should they bother if they can sneak in to the country and eventually get all the benefits as if they’d done it the right way?”

Tancredo also blamed corporate America for contributing to influx of 22 million illegal immigrants that he says are now in the United States. Corporations seeking cheap labor give illegal immigrants jobs to the detriment of the United States and its culture, he said.

“They are overcrowding our schools, our prisons and driving our hospitals out of business,” he said. “Even greater is the risk to our culture, America, and indeed western civilization. America is the last great hope for that civilization.”

Tancredo said the solution to the immigration problem is simple: enforce the law. “If we enforce the laws on our borders, and we can, we just choose not to. And if we go after employers who create the magnet (that pulls) people into this country, if you enforce the law, the people go home.

"If the job is not here, if they can’t get Social Security they go home. And if they don’t you must deport them,'' he said. "As president, I promise you I will enforce the law, I will fight to make English the official language and I will not grant amnesty for any illegal immigrants. ...I will appoint pro-life and strict constructionists to the court, and I will apologize for none of the above.''

Added Tancredo: “I will uphold the Judeo Christian principles that made us great. ... This is our culture; fight for it. This is our flag; pick it up. This is our country; take it back.”

-- By Tim Schmitt

6 p.m.: Dinner Break/Hunter Unable to Attend

There is currently a break in the speeches so attendees can eat dinner.

California Congressman Duncan Hunter, who had been scheduled to speak tonight, was unable to attend due to travel problems.

5:50 p.m.: Huckabee Says His Conservative Stances Make Him Ideal Candidate

If you closed your eyes and listened to the beginning of Republican Mike Huckabee's speech, it almost sounded like a different Arkansas governor had taken the stage.

Huckabee invited Paul Shanklin, who impersonates Democrat Bill Clinton for Rush Limbaugh's radio show, to deliver a short performance.

"Mike's done a great job," Shanklin said in Clinton's voice. "It took him 10 years, but he cleaned up that mess in Arkansas. And I should know, because Hillary made it."

Huckabee said Shanklin would be performing in his suite after the dinner, and added that "Capitol Offense," Huckabee's band, would be playing as well.

Huckabee, who has formed an exploratory committee but has not officially declared his candidacy, acknowledged he was late getting into the presidential mix. However, he said he isn't too late in developing his conservative ideals, which he said would bere crucial to winning the Republican nomination.

"I'm not late in declaring that I believe life begins at conception," he said. "I'm not late in believing that marriage is still between a man and a woman, and it's not anything else."

He also said he had been a consistent supporter of President Bush's tax cuts and of the Second Amendment.

When he was eight years old, Huckabee recalled his father taking him to meet Arkansas' governor. His dad said it may be the only time in his life he might get to meet a governor. The young man from Hope, Arkansas later become governor and met the leaders from all 50 states as chairman of the National Governor's Association.

"That's why I love this country." he said. "And I want every little kid growing up in America to have the same capacity to reach for the next rung on the ladder and know that it's possible to get there."

Huckabee used his humor to draw in the audience and build up steam and then turned to a more serious note. He said he wanted to be a president to "speak for all those people who can't speak for themselves any more," people like a young girl who died in Louisiana of a heart ailment after Hurricane Katrina, the foreman who died in the Sago mine in West Virginia and an Iraq War veteran who committed suicide after being turned away from a VA hospital.

"I am probably not going to be the pick of Wall Street," Huckabee said. "I am doubtful I'm going to be the pick the of lobbyists on K Street. What I'd like to be is the voice and the choice of the folks who live on Main Street."

-- By Chris Dorsey

5:30 p.m.: Cox Ready To Tackle Tax Reform If Elected

Illinois businessman John Cox opened his speech by bragging about having visited each of Iowa’s 99 counties and stressed that it made him appreciate the smaller size of New Hampshire when he returns there.

Coming from Illinois, he joked about Democratic politics in his state's biggest city: “In Chicago, Democrats don’t shake hands when they get together anymore, they just pat each other down.”

Many of the most ridiculous fairy tales, Cox said, start with the words: “If elected, I promise…”

“That why I’m standing here today,” he said. “I believe in what the Republican Party stands for. Unfortunately a lot of the people we elected and sent to Washington didn’t abide by those rules and expanded government.”

If elected, he said drastic tax reform would be his first order of business.

“The first thing I’m going to do is introduce a bill for the fair tax. Let’s get rid of the IRS once and for all. We can’t all work for casinos and prisons, we need to produce things in this country and the tax code needs to be changed.”

Cox also jabbed at a candidate scheduled to speak later in the night.

“The next thing I would do after the fair tax will be to get rid of McCain-Feingold and its limits on free speech,” he said, which drew a hearty response from the audience waiting to still hear from Arizona Sen. John McCain.

He suggested that his status as a husband, businessman, and descendent of legal immigrants makes him a candidate comparable to Ronald Reagan.

“I believe in the shining city on the hill that Ronald Reagan promised us,” he stated. “So I’m asking you to join my effort, we want principles back in our government, we want smaller, more efficient government in Washington, D.C.”

Cox also discussed his vision for the military and the future of Iraq.

“We want the most efficient, best-equipped military we can have and we want victory in Iraq,” he said. “But I am a fiscal conservative and Iraq is sitting on oil. I want the Iraqis to start pumping their oil and I want them to pay for their own security. Let's get that oil in the hands of Iraqis and get them away form the influence of Al Qaeda.”

The suggestion drew only polite applause from the crowd, which grew more exuberant as he began shifting the focus of his speech toward domestic issues such as abortion, school choice and immigration.

Some examples of his domestic positions:

-- “If abortion were legal in 1955, I wouldn’t be here today. I am proud to be pro-life without exception. Every child is worthy and every life should be valued from conception and the Republican Party needs to stand for that at every turn.”

-- “We need to secure our borders and enforce the immigration laws in our country. As a small businessman I know it’s not a free market when a company sets up across the street and uses illegal immigrants to work for half the cost. We have the most vibrant economy in the world but we need to stay ahead of the rest of the world and we can’t do it with one hand tied behind our back.”

-- “The institution of marriage should be preserved as between one man and one woman and we should not back down from that principle.”

-- By Tim Schmitt

5:10 p.m.: Paulsen Says House GOP Ready for Fair Share Fight

Introducing businessman John Cox, state Rep. Kraig Paulsen detoured briefly to discuss House business, saying that House Republicans were ready and willing to fight any challenge to Iowa's right to work law.

"House Republicans are fully prepared, and we will defend this hill to the death," Paulsen said. "We've prepared and we're ready to fight and we're ready to win."

5:05 p.m.: Romney Says D.C. Needs Private Sector Mentality

Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney attributes his success -- both in the private sector and in politics -- to his ability to make changes and recognize the need for improvement.

That's something he said Washington, D.C. must also do in order to exhibit growth and remain a global economic power.

"If ever there is a need for change in Washington, D.C. It is now," Romney said. "In the private sector, talk is worthless. We have to raise the bar in this country if we want to stay ahead forever."

However, Romney does not believe in growing government to improve the country -- he said he wants to build on the nation's greatest resource, it's people.

"We have a great government, but that's not what makes America strong," Romney said. "What makes America strong is the American people ... It's what will always make us the greatest nation on Earth."

Romney continued to stress the need to take the fight to "jihadists" who want to cause harm to America.

He also criticized U.S. immigration policies, calling for an "employment verification system" to allow employers to check on the immigration status of potential employees.

Romney introduced his wife Ann and son Josh as he took the stage.

"They are the reason I am in this thing," said Romney, adding that he wants to ensure every child has a prosperous future available to them.

-- By Chris Dorsey

4:45 p.m.: Giuliani Focuses on Terrorism

Rudy Giuliani is still running for president based on his actions on 9-11 and the respect he earned across political parties for his work that day. His speech -- the first one of the night -- focused largely on terrorism and the apparent unwillingness of Democrats to remain on the offensive against terrorism.

“Retreating, surrendering, cutting back on Patriot Act [and] electronic eavesdropping are acts of defense,” he said, and doing so makes no sense after Sept 11. “Never again are we going to be on the defense against terrorists.”

Besides remaining on the offensive against terrorism, Giuliani focused his short speech on the importance of energy independence and the importance of ethanol in that effort, stressing the importance Iowa can, and should, play in that role. He compared the effort to achieve energy independence to that shared by Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon to win the space race – a goal that transcends party boundaries.

“We are the party of energy independence.” We need to be energy independent he stressed, but we should have realized it earlier.

Giuliani talked briefly about his own battle with prostate cancer and his ability to choose his own health care provider as an example of the effectiveness of private health care. If Democrats are elected to White House, he stressed, they will socialize health care much like France and England.

"If (Republicans) don't get elected, we're going to have socialized medicine in this country," he said.

“I would like to be your president and I hope you select me. Please,” he stated. But he added quick support for the other GOP candidates in the room: “Every single one is better than Hillary, Sen. Obama, John Edwards. I hope you pick me (as president), but if you don’t, pick one of them.”

-- By Tim Schmitt

4:30 p.m.: Speeches Broadcast Live on C-SPAN

C-SPAN is carrying tonight's dinner speeches live.

Watch live online: http://www.c-span.org/

4 p.m.: Ten Candidates Scheduled to Speak

Ten of the major candidates seeking the Republican presidential nomination are scheduled to speak at the Republican Party of Iowa’s Lincoln Day Dinner, held at the Polk County Convention Center on Saturday. Nearly 80 members of the media have been credentialed for an event where all 10 candidates will be sharing the stage at the same time.

This year's edition is considerably more star-studded than last year's, which featured Newt Gingrich (who wouldn't commit then and still has yet to officially address an '08 run) and radio talker Sean Hannity. Gingrich has visited Iowa twice since then.

Each candidate will have 10 minutes to address the crowd. Those attending are: former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Arizona Sen. John McCain, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, California Congressman Duncan Hunter, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore and businessman John Cox.
IowaPolitics.com: Full Audio of Lincoln Day Dinner Speeches


Printer-friendly version      Send this article to a friend      Share