PHILADELPHIA -- As a rollicking crowd hooted, hollered and danced in excitement, Texas Gov. George W. Bush officially accepted the Republican Party's nomination for president last night, promising a new beginning for the nation and criticizing the current administration for not taking advantage of opportunities.
"Together, we will renew America's purpose," Bush said, outlining several reforms he said he will achieve if elected.
Echoing the themes that had been addressed by speakers throughout the week, Bush promised education reform, tax reform, a revamping of the Social Security system and more spending on the military.
"We will confront the hard issues ... before the challenges of our time become crises for our children," he said.
Bush lambasted the Clinton-Gore administration in his speech, criticizing it for not taking advantage of the situation offered by a booming economy. "Our current president embodied the potential of a generation ... but in the end ... so much promise came to no great purpose," he said. "Instead of seizing this moment, the Clinton-Gore administration has squandered it."
Bush also stressed the importance of bipartisan cooperation on issues such as Social Security reform.
"Now is the time for Republicans and Democrats to end the politics of fear and save Social Security together," he said.
Bush's plan includes giving younger workers the option to invest the money taken from them for Social Security, allowing them to receive returns on those investments when they retire. Bush also promised tax reform, saying he would cut income taxes for the poorest Americans from 15 to 10 percent, eliminate the marriage penalty and abolish the death tax, as well as increasing the current $500 per-child tax credit.
"Today our high taxes fund a surplus," he said. "The surplus is not the government's money. The surplus is the people's money."
Following up on previous negative comments about the Clinton administration's approach to the military, Bush said he would be "a commander-in-chief who respects our men and women in uniform" and promised better training, equipment and pay for members of the armed forces.
Bush stressed the importance of education for all children, and said he hoped to bring the success he had with public schools in Texas to children around the country.
"One size does not fit all when it comes to educating our children," he said, calling for local control of schools and school choice for parents.
Bush blasted Gore for being overly cautious in attempting new proposals. "Every one of the proposals I've talked about, he's called a risky scheme,"
Bush said. "If my oppoenent had been at the moon launch, it would have been a risky rocket scheme."
Bush stressed his belief that he would bring a sense of honor and integrity to the Oval Office, as well as a spirit of cooperation.
"Behind every goal I've talked about tonight is a great hope for our country," he said. "We discover that who we are is more important than what we have, and we renew our values to restore our country."
Rioutous applause greeted Bush when he came onstage, and frequently interrupted his remarks, as the delegates reacted with fervor to many of Bush's statements. After the speech, a cascade of red, white and blue balloons and confetti and an indoor fireworks show capped off the festivities.
Larry J. Sabato, a political analyst and professor of government and foreign affairs at the University, said the speech was the best Bush ever has given, and was a good starting point for the campaign. Sabato said the speech was better than the one President George Bush gave when he accepted his nomination in 1988. He said it is likely that Bush's speech will be the only thing most people will remember from the Convention.
Sabato also remarked that Bush's comments about Clinton and Gore were not unusal or overly negative.
"You have to do that," he said. "Most of [the remarks] were needling, and the others were very subtle"
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