Colin Powell's Speech at the Republican Convention in 2000

Originally published by ABC NEWS July 31, 2000, Monday
Copyright 2000 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.  
ABC NEWS

SHOW: ABC 2000: THE REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION (10:00 PM ET)

PETER JENNINGS, anchor:

Welcome back to our prime time convention coverage of the Republican convention here in Philadelphia. Down, honest Democratic city, for the most part. If you'd been around here earlier today, you'd have seen all the engineers and the unions with T-shirts on saying they were Republicans for a week. But there is a real enthusiasm and an unusual sense of inclusion, at least on the floor of this Republican convention so far as we take another look at it. In just a moment, the party's going to hear from Colin Powell, who is, as I said, the highest ranking African-American in the party. Just a short while ago, we took note again that Kweisi Mfume, the head of the NAACP, wanted to speak at the Republican convention here and he was turned down so they could come here and be seen, they'd be very welcome to that, but not necessarily heard. And they wanted us to say tonight, as they want everybody to understand tonight, that they had been officially insulted.

But now George W. Bush, out on the campaign trail, to interview Colin Powell--introduce Colin Powell.

Governor GEORGE W. BUSH: The crowds have been big and the enthusiasm even bigger. Now I'm in Westerville, Ohio and I cannot wait to stand before you on Thursday night and tell America how I want to use these good times for great purposes. Tonight, you heard from the best speaker in our family, my wife Laura. Watching her speak tonight, seeing her grace and strength, reminded me just how much I love her. It also reminded me of a true story. When I asked Laura to marry me, not on our first date, by the way, but pretty shortly thereafter, she was a public school librarian, as you just learned. She knew I was getting ready to run for the United States Congress and she said she would marry me so long as she never had to give a speech. I know you're as glad as I am that she didn't hold me to that promise. Laura's been a fabulous first lady of Texas. One of the very best reasons I can think of to vote for me for president is to have Laura Bush as first lady of the United States of America.

We've welcomed many distinguished guests to our home in Austin, Texas, during the last few years, including our next speaker, one of the most respected and admired men in America. General Colin Powell is working to open the door--General Powell is working to open the door of opportunity to every child in America as chairman of America's Promise. He's rallying a new set of troops, the caring citizens of our country, and encouraging them to become mentors and role models for our young people. General Powell served as Ronald Reagan's national security advisor and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under President George Bush. And I hope his greatest service to America might still lie ahead. Please join me in welcoming General Colin Powell.

JENNINGS: This is the second time that General Powell has been given this very prominent position to talk to a Republican convention. As Michel Martin, our correspondent on the floor, pointed out a little earlier, there are a great many more African Americans, black Americans here, many more minorities here than there were four years ago. Question for many people here is whether or not the Republican Party does, in some way, use General Powell to send a message of inclusiveness that he may or may not wholeheartedly agree with, which is one of the things you will want to listen to and for this evening.

General COLIN POWELL (Retired, Former Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff): Thank you, thank you. Thank you. All right, thank you. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Oh, thank you for that very, very warm, warm welcome. It's a great pleasure to be with you all this evening. Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Republicans, it's a wonderful evening here tonight. And President and Mrs. Bush, a special, special good evening to you, sir. Good to be with you again. And I'm very pleased to be here with my old boss, Dick Cheney, and Lynn Cheney. I used to call him Mr. Secretary, and soon I'll be calling him Mr. Vice President. I like that.

I want to thank Governor Bush for that very, very kind introduction and I am deeply honored again to have the privilege of addressing a Republican National Convention. In San Diego in 1996, I followed former first lady Nancy Reagan to the lectern after her moving tribute to President Reagan. I am delighted this time to follow Laura Bush, a lady of passion, dedication and grace. She will be a great first lady. Do you agree with me or not? She'll be great.

During the almost seven years since I retired from the Army, I've traveled all across America. I've seen people hard at work providing for their families, giving of themselves, taking care of each other. I've seen them creating wealth for the nation, I've seen an economy transforming itself, to seize the promise of the information revolution. I've met so many of our fellow citizens who believe in America to the depths of their heart and who are doing everything they can in their communities to make our nation that more perfect union spoken of in our Constitution. I've been moved yet again to stand in awe of the American dream, which was given birth in this city over 200 years ago, a dream that I have been privileged to live. I've met so many young people who believe in a dream. They're on a road to success, they're being raised in strong families, going to good schools, going to the finest universities, graduating and then going on to find their place and fortune in this blessed land of ours. Even the youngest of them, still in elementary school, are getting ready for the future, using computers, logging on to the Internet, while still enjoying the magic of childhood by curling up with a Harry Potter book.

There is so much that is so good and right in America tonight, my friends, that we ought to be very, very proud of this wonderful country of ours. And yet--and yet I cannot ignore and we cannot ignore other things I've seen in my travels. I've seen poverty, I've seen failing communities, I've seen people who've lost hope. Tragically, I've seen too many young Americans who are overwhelmed by the daily struggle just to survive. I've seen kids destroying themselves with drugs, kids who see violence and crime as their answer to hopelessness, kids who no longer believe in themselves and who don't see a reason to believe in America. I've seen kids in utter despair. I've visited kids in jail doing adult time for the crimes they've committed. They are part of a growing population of over two million Americans behind bars. Two million convicts, not consumers. Two million Americans who are paying for their crimes, are not paying taxes, are not there for their children and are not raising families. Most of them are men and the majority of those men are minorities. The issue of race still casts a shadow over our society. Despite the impressive progress we have made over the last 40 years to overcome this legacy of our troubled past, it is still with us. So, with all the success we've enjoyed, and with all the wealth we've created, we have much more work to do and a long way to go to bring the promise of America to every single American.

And with all we have to do on our national agenda, I am convinced that to deliver on that promise, we must begin with our children. So many of the problems we worry about go back to how we raised our children. The problem is as simple and as direct as this. We either get back to the task of building our children the way we know how or we're going to keep building jails in America, and it's time to stop building jails in America and get back to the task of building our children! Listen. Listen. And listen, listen, listen very carefully. Our children are not the problem. They are our future. They are America's promise. The problem is us, if we fail to give them what they need to be successful in life, the burden is on us, not on our children. That mission--that mission of providing for our children has become the passion of my life because what I've seen over the last several years convinces me of the following truths: one, that if you want to solve our drug problem, you won't do it by trying to cut off supply and arresting pushers on the street corners alone. It will only be solved when we place into the heart of every child growing up in America the moral strength never to fall for the destructive lure of drugs. The strength only--we will only solve and cure this plague of drugs is when we have given to each and every one of our children the strength to just say, and you've heard it before, just say no, not me, I won't do it. I've got too much to live for, I'll never do drugs. And that's what we owe our children, to give them that strength to fight against the the scourge of drugs.

I believe--I believe that if you want to solve the problem of violence and crime in our streets, it begins with us, teaching children to value life, their own and others, and to have respect for themselves and to have respect for others. If you want young people to become contributing citizens and not convicts, then early in life, we must give them the character and the confidence they need to succeed in this exciting new world that we are laying out before them. And it begins in the home. It begins with caring, loving parents and family members who pass on the virtues of past generations, who live good lives which serve as models for their children. Children learn from watching the adults in their family in their lives.

Graphics:

Colin Powell

Born in Harlem, New York Raised in the South Bronx, New York Degree in Geology from CCNY MBA George Washington University Served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam Awarded: 2 Purple Hearts, Bronze Star, Soldiers Medal and the Legion of Merit 1972 awarded White House fellowship

Gen. POWELL: And where the family is broken or where the family is not up to the task, the rest of us must step in to help as mentors, tutors, foster parents, friends to kids who desperately need responsible adults to show them the way. Tens of thousands of our neighbors have already stepped forward. Tens of thousands who realize that our children are a gift from God, not only to their parents, but to all of us. They belong to us all. We are all responsible for them.

We need to provide a safe place for those kids to learn and to grow. More clubs and after-school programs to protect them from the dangers that exist in our society and on our streets. We need to surround them with more adults in these clubs who will keep them in play. We are obliged to make sure that every child gets a healthy start in life. With all of our wealth and capacity, we just can't stand by idly. We must make sure that every child in America has access to quality health care. We owe them nothing less. It has to be done. It is our responsibility to do that for our children.

As we are giving these necessities and other necessities to our children, let's ask them to also give something back to the community of which they're a part. Early in life, help them learn of the joy that comes from giving to others. Help them learn that through service to others, service to community, they will put virtues in their heart that will make them absolutely beautiful adults when they grow up and that what's important in life is giving to others, not whether you're sneakers cost more than someone else's sneakers. That's the kind of value and virtue we have to put into the heart of our children. Let our children be part of the solution. With character in their hearts, with nurturing adults in their lives, our youngsters will be ready for the schooling that will give them the education needed to win those jobs of the future.

There's work for all of us here to do, parents, aunts, uncles, teachers, the government at all levels, the private sector, our great non-profits, our houses of worship, all joining in the crusade to point kids in the right direction of life. And tonight, we focus on education, the keystone to it all. Governor Bush has rightly made children and education the centerpiece of his campaign for president. You heard him say it earlier. We can't leave any child behind! Every child--every child deserves and must receive a quality education because when you give a quality education to a child who believes in himself or herself, then even with the bleakest beginning in life, that child can make it. And once that child makes it and gets out into the workplace and is earning a decent living, you have broken the cycle of poverty and failure for that family forever. Education is the key to breaking that cycle of poverty and failure.

So many--so many, many of our public schools are doing a fine job preparing our youngsters. I have been given no greater honor than to have had four public schools named after me, an honor that is greater than any medals I have received. In those four schools and so many others that I've visited, you've never seen better facilities, you've never seen more dedicated teachers, you've never seen more involved parents. It makes your heart pound with pride to see those great schools that we have in America. But I've also seen too many schools that are failing. They are trapped in fossilized bureaucracies, bureaucracies that have low expectations for children and consequently set low standards for them. These schools are failing our children and they must be fixed and they must be fixed now!

You know, if we truly believe, if we truly believe they're all our children, that all of us must be willing to spend more to repair our schools and spend more to pay our teachers better, then we must also be open to new ideas. Let's not be afraid of standardized testing for students. Let's not be free--afraid of testing teachers' qualifications. Let's not be afraid of charter schools. Let's not be afraid of using private scholarship money to give poor parents a choice that wealthy parents have. Let's not be afraid of home schooling. Let's experiment prudently with school voucher programs to see if they help. What are we afraid of? Let's use innovation and competition, good old American innovation, good old American competition, to help give our children the best education possible. Why? You know, we invite skilled workers to come to America from all over the world to fill the good jobs that are waiting here. I think that's great. Immigration is part of our life's blood, it's part of the essence of who we are as Americans. I am the son of immigrants. But I also want our kids here educated and trained for those jobs. We owe it to them and we've got to get on with the task right now.

Governor Bush has shown in Texas, in just a few short years, what can be done for education. As governor, he ended social promotions for kids. He increased state funding by $ 8 billion. He put next textbooks in every school in the state of Texas. He strengthened standardized testing in all Texas public schools. He insisted on teacher competency and he expanded the charter school movement. Seventeen thousand Texas kids are now in charter school. Seventy-eight percent of those kids are minorities. Their parents had a choice and they decided what was best for their children. And the results, the results in Texas have been dramatic. The number of students in Texas passing all parts of the standardized tests since 1994 when Governor Bush came into the office, the number has increased by 51 percent. Even--even more exciting, even more exciting, the number of minority students passing the tests has increased by 89 percent. That's what we can do for our children. He hasn't stopped there. He hasn't stopped there. To insure diverse college population with the loss of Affirmative Action, Governor Bush has guaranteed acceptance at public universities to the top 10 percent of every high school graduating class in the state. And above all, above all, he has insisted on accountability for results. That will tell us whether we're getting our money's worth.

You see, Governor Bush--Governor Bush has shown us that it works. It all comes together. Governor Bush doesn't just talk about reform, he reforms and he has done it in Texas with education. Governor Bush now offers the leadership that he has demonstrated in Texas to the nation. In pursuing educational reform as well as in all other parts of his agenda for Texas, Governor Bush has reached out to all Texans, white, black, Latino, Asian, Native American. He has been successful in bringing more and more minorities into the tent by responding to their deepest needs. Some call it compassionate conservativism. To me, it's just caring about people. I believe he can do the same thing as president. I'm convinced he'll bring to the White House that same passion for inclusion. I know that he can help bridge our racial divides. I know that.

Recently--recently, Governor Bush addressed the annual meeting of the NAACP. He spoke to the delegates about his plans for housing and health and educational programs to help all Americans. He also spoke the truth to the delegates when he said that the party of Lincoln has not always carried the mantle of Lincoln. I talked with him again today and I know that with all his heart, Governor Bush welcomes the challenge. He wants the Republican Party to wear that mantle again. But he knows, and I know, and all of you must know that it's going to take hard work. He knows that that mantle will not simply be handed over, that it will have to be earned. The party must follow the governor's lead in reaching out to minority communities and particularly the African-American community, and not just during an election year campaign. My friends, if we're serious about this, it has to be a sustained effort. It must be every day and it must be for real. The party must listen to and speak with all leaders of the black community, regardless of political affiliation or philosophy. We must understand, my friends, we must understand that there's a problem for us out there. We must understand the cynicism that exists in the black community. The kind of cynicism that has created, when, for example, some in our party miss no opportunity to roundly and loudly condemn Affirmative Action that helped a few thousand black kids get an education, but you hardly hear a whimper when it's Affirmative Action for lobbyists who load our federal tax code with preferences for special interest. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. You can't make that case. Overcoming the cynicism and mistrust that exists and raising up that mantle of Lincoln's about more--it's much more about than just winning votes. It is about giving all minorities a competitive choice. They deserve that choice. And if we give them that choice, it will be good for our party, but above all, it will be good for America, and we need to work to give them that choice.

Good for America. That must be the measure for all that we do. I believe that's the measure that Governor Bush will use to guide his actions as president. Whether it's economic policy or military strategy or seeing what we can do to make our American family more inclusive, he will always try to do that which is good and right for America.

JENNINGS: Colin Powell, coming here to speak on behalf of Governor Bush, certainly hitting lots of Mr. Bush's campaign themes, including the promise of America to every American and taking an opportunity there to make the point that he made at the convention four years ago. He doesn't want to hear the whining and the complaining and the booings he heard four years ago when he talks about issues that are dear to his heart but not necessarily a part of the Republican Party platform.