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President Bush offers few specifics on boosting tourism in Florida. But he says a bailout isn't the answer.
By ADAM C. SMITH
© St. Petersburg Times, published December 5, 2001
ORLANDO -- President Bush swooped into to the heart of Florida's beleaguered tourism industry Tuesday like a motivational speaker bent on rallying spirits.
He meandered the Orange County Convention Center stage, microphone in hand, saluting America's resilient spirit, kissing a middle school girl, joking about his mom's lousy cooking and promising victory over "The Evil."
His main message: The president feels the pain of people struggling in this economy.
"There's nothing that hurts me more than to know as we head for the holiday season that some of our citizens and some of their families hurt because they've been laid off as a result" of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America, he said in front of a huge "Fighting for America's Workers" banner.
It was the president's first visit to Florida since he learned of the attacks at a Sarasota school, and he recounted what went through his mind that day.
After seeing the first plane strike the World Trade Center, "I said, 'Now there's a terrible pilot. It must have been an accident.' "
Then the full scope of the attack emerged. "I started thinking forward in that very brief period of time about what it meant to be under attack. I knew when I got all the facts that we were under attack that there there would be hell to pay for attacking America," he said to thunderous cheers.
The town hall-style meeting was a sharp contrast to the mostly somber settings Bush has experienced since September, and the president looked like he was in his element among the friendly crowd of 7,000. His plain-spoken remarks included a bellicose promise to hunt terrorists "no matter where they run and where they hide." But the president also offered amiable banter.
"How are you doing?" Mr. President, someone asked.
"Pretty darn good," he declared.
When two small business owners spoke of their difficulties getting government help, Bush dispatched an aide to get their names and find out what the problem was at the Small Business Administration.
"It's good to get out of Washington and get the real story," he said.
The visit was aimed at raising his profile on the domestic economy, and it didn't hurt his brother, Gov. Jeb Bush, either.
The governor, who joined the president in Orlando, is running for re-election and is under attack by Democrats accusing him of mismanaging the state. Florida's economic troubles have prompted state lawmakers to cut $1-billion from the current budget, much of it from education and social services.
Orlando has been particularly hard hit by economic decline. Roughly 70,000 workers in the area have been laid off or seen salaries or hours reduced since September. When the Gaylord Palms Resort in Kissimmee recently started looking to hire 1,400 workers, some 14,000 applicants turned up.
As Bush spoke Tuesday, traffic on International Drive outside the convention center was sparse. Parking spaces were plentiful at the various attractions and restaurants.
"I'm really happy to visit Florida," Bush said at the outset of his remarks.
"The weather's beautiful. There's lots of interesting things to do. I recommend people from outside of Florida come and take a look at Florida."
But to the disappointment of some of the crowd, the president offered few specific promises to bolster the tourism industry. He said he didn't see a need for a bailout package like the one given the airline industry, for instance, and a proposal to give tax incentives for travel "hasn't made it to my radar screen."
Victor Tejada, a timeshare salesman, gave the president high marks on style but hoped to hear more.
"There's a lot of money put toward airlines, but not enough for other areas that are hit hard, especially tourism," Tejada said. "There wasn't much said where you can say, 'Great, this is what he's going to do.' "
William Peeper, president of the Orlando-Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau, also hoped for more specifics. He wished the president had advocated a national travel office to better promote tourism.
Instead, Bush mainly focused on making airlines safer and the need for Congress to pass an economic stimulus package. Bush wants a blend of corporate tax cuts, accelerated personal income tax reduction and aid to workers.
The U.S. House has passed a $100-million stimulus bill, but the package is still in negotiation in the Senate. Democrats want guaranteed health insurance for the unemployed and complain that speeding up future income tax cuts will create bigger deficits and do little for lower income Americans.
"I urge the United States Congress to stop talking and get an economic stimulus bill to my desk," President Bush told the Orlando crowd.
His speech followed a visit to an Orlando job center where he met with unemployed workers.
On other topics:
Bush offered an unsolicited defense of the decision to form military tribunals that can try non-citizen terrorists in secret. The tribunals have drawn strong criticism from civil libertarians, but the president said America needs to keep its sensitive intelligence information out of open court, where "there are all kinds of questions that might compromise our ability to gather incredibly important intelligence to prevent the next attack."
He called on Congress to pass his energy plan, which calls for more domestic oil production. Though he didn't mention drilling in the Gulf of Mexico -- a politically sticky issue in Florida -- he said the Arctic National Refuge in Alaska would not be damaged by drilling. Despite lower energy prices recently, Bush said America needs to be less dependent on foreign oil.