U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith, R-Ore., spoke Tuesday night in support of President Bush’s re-election at the annual Lane County Republican’s Lincoln Day Dinner.
Smith told an audience of about 300 people that although every election is important, this year’s presidential election is critical.
“I can’t think of one that is more critical than the one that’s coming up and why it’s so important for you to turn Lane County into Bush country,” he told the crowd.
“George Bush understands what creates opportunity in America,” he said. “It’s entrepreneurs, it’s free men and women investing their capital and employing people, our fellow citizens,” he said.
He also spoke of Bush’s determination to preserve “American leadership” on an international level.
“This is a better world because of the United States of America,” he said. “George Bush understands that American leadership allows democracy to spread in this earth.”
Smith said that Bush also understands the dynamics of rural areas such as Lane County and he shows this through plans such as the Healthy Forest Initiatives.
“People in this county understand something of the land,” he said. “They understand that you can use the land without abusing the land.”
Smith also examined Sen. John Kerry’s, D-Mass., campaign, who he said is Bush’s “likely opponent” for presidency.
“John Kerry is a man of two faces,” he said, adding that he would not go as far as to call him “two-faced.”
“Time and again John Kerry has one story and one vote on the Senate floor and a different one on the campaign trail,” he said.
Smith said it is important for a president to remain on the same track.
“We need a president who says what he believes, pursues it with courage and conviction, and I tell you that that person for America, for another term, is George W. Bush,” he said.
Oregon Republican Party Chairman Kevin Mannix also attended the event. He said before the speech that, although “the door is open” for him to consider running for governor once again, right now he is focusing on this year’s presidential election.
“I think that we will have a strong campaign,” he said, adding that he thinks Bush will receive the majority of Oregon’s votes.
After Smith’s speech, University junior and College Republicans member Dean Scrutton said Smith addressed issues many conservatives have been nervous about, such as Kerry’s campaign and how it has been portrayed in the media.
“It was good to kind of hear that they’ve got a game plan, got things going,” he said.
College Republicans member and University graduate student Scott Austin said it was important for the College Republicans to attend the event.
“It just shows our presence,” he said. “It’s a way for the community to know we’re here.”