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Speeches to the 2004 Democratic National Convention
Kommentar der LT-Redaktion:
Die Rede von Barack Obama ein bemerkenswertes
Dokument der Zeitgeschichte, mit zahllosen Argumenten, die Liberale ohne zu
zögern bringen können.
Obama wird als “Linker” bezeichnet, das kann
sein, von der LT-Redaktion, am 2. August 2004. nicht überprüfbar. Zwei Satzteile
im vorletzten Absatz, (“I believe we (LT: ?) can provide (LT: !) jobs to the jobless,
homes to the homeless, ...”) sind ein Hinweis - aus liberaler Sicht (zumndest
„so“) nicht aussprechbar. Jedenfalls gibt es andere Passagen der Rede, die
den „Verdacht“ zumindest ein Stück ausräumen. Sicherlich sind einige
Formulierungen überhöht, politisch nicht umsetzbar. Klar wird auch, dass der
11. September“ so wie die Handhabung und Gestaltung der Schock-Wirkung durch
die Bush-Administration auch in dieser Rede Furchen gezogen haben.
Beurteilen Sie Text/Video-stream/Audio-stream
der Rede dennoch ohne sonstigen Kontext: Nur ein Urteil ist dann möglich: Bemerkenswert.
Barack Obama's Keynote
Address
On behalf of the great
state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my
deep gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. Tonight is a
particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is
pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small
village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof
shack. His father, my grandfather, was a cook, a domestic servant. But my grandfather had
larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a
scholarship to study in a magical place; America which stood as a beacon of
freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. While studying here,
my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the
world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the
Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor he signed up for duty, joined Patton’s
army and marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby
and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on
the GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of
opportunity. And they, too, had big
dreams for their daughter, a common dream, born of two continents. My parents
shared not only an improbable love; they shared an abiding faith in the
possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or
“blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to
success. They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though
they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to
achieve your potential. They are both passed away now. Yet, I know that, on
this night, they look down on me with pride. I stand here today,
grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live
on in my precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of
the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before
me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.
Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation, not because of the
height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our
economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a
declaration made over two hundred years ago, “We hold these truths to be
self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they are endowed by their
Creator with certain inalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty
and the pursuit of happiness.” That is the true genius
of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on
small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know they are
fed and clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think, write what
we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door. That we can have an
idea and start our own business without paying a bribe or hiring somebody’s
son. That we can participate in the political process without fear of
retribution, and that our votes will be counted—or at least, most of the
time. This year, in this
election, we are called to reaffirm our values and commitments, to hold them
against a hard reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of our
forbearers, and the promise of future generations. And fellow
Americans—Democrats, Republicans, Independents—I say to you tonight: we have
more work to do. More to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who
are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and
now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven
bucks an hour. More to do for the father I met who was losing his job and
choking back tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs
his son needs without the health benefits he counted on. More to do for the
young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the
grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to
college. Don’t get me wrong. The
people I meet in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks, they
don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to
work hard to get ahead and they want to. Go into the collar counties around
Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted by a
welfare agency or the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and
folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They
know that parents have to parent, that children can’t achieve unless we raise
their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander
that says a black youth with a book is acting white. No, people don’t expect
government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones,
that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in
America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain
open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice. In this election, we
offer that choice. Our party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the
best this country has to offer. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry
understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because they’ve
defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years as
prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States
Senate, he has devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen
him make tough choices when easier ones were available. His values and his
record affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in
an America where hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to
companies shipping jobs overseas, he’ll offer them to companies creating jobs
here at home. John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can
afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for
themselves. John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held
hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil
fields. John Kerry believes in the constitutional freedoms that have made our
country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties
nor use faith as a wedge to divide us. And John Kerry believes that in a
dangerous world, war must be an option, but it should never be the first
option. A while back, I met a
young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a
good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He
told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week.
As I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, his absolute faith in our
country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this
young man was all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked
myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more
than 900 service men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives,
friends and neighbors, who will not be returning to their hometowns. I
thought of families I had met who were struggling to get by without a loved
one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or
with nerves shattered, but who still lacked long-term health benefits because
they were reservists. When we send our young men and women into harm’s way,
we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about
why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to
the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough
troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world. Now let me be clear. We
have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be
pursued and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as
Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who
served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to
use our military might to keep America safe and secure. John Kerry believes
in America. And he knows it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper. For
alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the
American saga. A belief that we are
connected as one people. If there’s a child on the south side of Chicago who
can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a
senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose
between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my
grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without
benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.
It’s that fundamental belief—I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’
keeper—that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our
individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. “E
pluribus unum.” Out of many, one. Yet even as we speak,
there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative
ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them
tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America—there’s the
United States of America. There’s not a black America and white America and
Latino America and Asian America; there’s the United States of America. The
pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States;
Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for
them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like
federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little
League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are
patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are
one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us
defending the United States of America. In the end, that’s what
this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or a
politics of hope? John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to
hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism here—the almost willful ignorance
that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t talk about it, or the
health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, I’m talking
about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a
fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant
shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong
Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of
a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him,
too. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is
God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things
not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe we can give
our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to
opportunity. I believe we can provide jobs to the
jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young
people in cities across America from violence and despair. I believe that as
we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and
meet the challenges that face us. America! Tonight, if you feel
the same energy I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same
hopefulness I do—if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all
across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the
people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as
president, and John Edwards will be sworn in as vice president, and this
country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a
brighter day will come. Thank you and God bless you. Remarks of John Kerry
Boston, MA - We are here tonight because we love
our country. We are proud of what America
is and what it can become. My fellow Americans: we
are here tonight united in one simple purpose: to make America stronger at
home and respected in the world. A great American
novelist wrote that you can't go home again. He could not have imagined
this evening. Tonight, I am home. Home where my public life began and
those who made it possible live. Home where our nation's history was
written in blood, idealism, and hope. Home where my parents showed me
the values of family, faith, and country. Thank you, all of you,
for a welcome home I will never forget. I wish my parents could
share this moment. They went to their rest in the last few years, but
their example, their inspiration, their gift of open eyes, open mind, and
endless world are bigger and more lasting than any words. I was born in Colorado,
in Fitzsimmons Army Hospital, when my dad was a pilot in World War II.
Now, I'm not one to read into things, but guess which wing of the hospital
the maternity ward was in? I'm not making this up. I was born in
the West Wing! My mother was the rock
of our family as so many mothers are. She stayed up late to help me do my
homework. She sat by my bed when I was sick, and she answered the questions
of a child who, like all children, found the world full of wonders and
mysteries. She was my den mother
when I was a Cub Scout and she was so proud of her fifty year pin as a Girl
Scout leader. She gave me her passion for the environment. She taught
me to see trees as the cathedrals of nature. And by the power of her example,
she showed me that we can and must finish the march toward full equality for
all women in our country. My dad did the things
that a boy remembers. He gave me my first model airplane, my first
baseball mitt and my first bicycle. He also taught me that we are here
for something bigger than ourselves; he lived out the responsibilities and
sacrifices of the greatest generation to whom we owe so much. When I was a young man,
he was in the State Department, stationed in Berlin when it and the world
were divided between democracy and communism. I have unforgettable memories
of being a kid mesmerized by the British, French, and American troops, each
of them guarding their own part of the city, and Russians standing guard on
the stark line separating East from West. On one occasion, I rode my bike
into Soviet East Berlin. And when I proudly told my dad, he promptly grounded
me. But what I learned has
stayed with me for a lifetime. I saw how different life was on different
sides of the same city. I saw the fear in the eyes of people who were not
free. I saw the gratitude of people toward the United States for all
that we had done. I felt goose bumps as I got off a military train and heard
the Army band strike up "Stars and Stripes Forever." I
learned what it meant to be America at our best. I learned the pride of our
freedom. And I am determined now to restore that pride to all who look
to America. Mine were greatest
generation parents. And as I thank them, we all join together to thank that
whole generation for making America strong, for winning World War II, winning
the Cold War, and for the great gift of service which brought America fifty
years of peace and prosperity. My parents inspired me
to serve, and when I was a junior in high school, John Kennedy called my
generation to service. It was the beginning of a great journey – a time
to march for civil rights, for voting rights, for the environment, for women,
and for peace. We believed we could change the world. And you know what? We
did. But we're not finished.
The journey isn't complete. The march isn't over. The promise
isn't perfected. Tonight, we're setting out again. And
together, we're going to write the next great chapter of America's story. We have it in our power
to change the world again. But only if we're true to our ideals – and
that starts by telling the truth to the American people. That is my first
pledge to you tonight. As President, I will restore trust and
credibility to the White House. I ask you to judge me
by my record: As a young prosecutor, I fought for victim's rights and
made prosecuting violence against women a priority. When I came to the
Senate, I broke with many in my own party to vote for a balanced budget,
because I thought it was the right thing to do. I fought to put a
100,000 cops on the street. And then I reached
across the aisle to work with John McCain, to find the truth about our POW's
and missing in action, and to finally make peace with Vietnam. I will be a commander
in chief who will never mislead us into war. I will have a Vice
President who will not conduct secret meetings with polluters to rewrite our
environmental laws. I will have a Secretary of Defense who will listen
to the best advice of our military leaders. And I will appoint an
Attorney General who actually upholds the Constitution of the United States. My fellow Americans,
this is the most important election of our lifetime. The stakes are high. We
are a nation at war – a global war on terror against an enemy unlike any we
have ever known before. And here at home, wages are falling, health care
costs are rising, and our great middle class is shrinking. People are working
weekends; they're working two jobs, three jobs, and they're still not getting
ahead. We're told that
outsourcing jobs is good for America. We're told that new jobs that pay
$9,000 less than the jobs that have been lost is the best we can do.
They say this is the best economy we've ever had. And they say that
anyone who thinks otherwise is a pessimist. Well, here is our
answer: There is nothing more pessimistic than saying America can't do
better. We can do better and we
will. We're the optimists. For us, this is a country of the future.
We're the can do people. And let's not forget what we did in the 1990s.
We balanced the budget. We paid down the debt. We created 23 million
new jobs. We lifted millions out of poverty and we lifted the standard of
living for the middle class. We just need to believe in ourselves – and we
can do it again. So tonight, in the city
where America's freedom began, only a few blocks from where the sons and
daughters of liberty gave birth to our nation – here tonight, on behalf of a
new birth of freedom – on behalf of the middle class who deserve a champion,
and those struggling to join it who deserve a fair shot – for the brave men
and women in uniform who risk their lives every day and the families who pray
for their return – for all those who believe our best days are ahead of us –
for all of you – with great faith in the American people, I accept your
nomination for President of the United States. I am proud that at my
side will be a running mate whose life is the story of the American dream and
who's worked every day to make that dream real for all Americans – Senator
John Edwards of North Carolina. And his wonderful wife Elizabeth and their
family. This son of a mill worker is ready to lead – and next January,
Americans will be proud to have a fighter for the middle class to succeed
Dick Cheney as Vice President of the United States. And what can I say
about Teresa? She has the strongest moral compass of anyone I know.
She's down to earth, nurturing, courageous, wise and smart. She speaks
her mind and she speaks the truth, and I love her for that, too. And that's
why America will embrace her as the next First Lady of the United States. For Teresa and me, no
matter what the future holds or the past has given us, nothing will ever mean
as much as our children. We love them not just for who they are and what they've
become, but for being themselves, making us laugh, holding our feet to the
fire, and never letting me get away with anything. Thank you, Andre,
Alex, Chris, Vanessa, and John. And in this journey, I
am accompanied by an extraordinary band of brothers led by that American
hero, a patriot named Max Cleland. Our band of brothers doesn't march
together because of who we are as veterans, but because of what we learned as
soldiers. We fought for this nation because we loved it and we came back with
the deep belief that every day is extra. We may be a little older now,
we may be a little grayer, but we still know how to fight for our country. And standing with us in
that fight are those who shared with me the long season of the primary
campaign: Carol Moseley Braun, General Wesley Clark, Howard Dean, Dick
Gephardt, Bob Graham, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman and Al Sharpton. To all of you, I say
thank you for teaching me and testing me – but mostly, we say thank you for
standing up for our country and giving us the unity to move America forward. My fellow Americans,
the world tonight is very different from the world of four years ago. But I
believe the American people are more than equal to the challenge. Remember the hours
after September 11th, when we came together as one to answer the attack
against our homeland. We drew strength when our firefighters ran up the
stairs and risked their lives, so that others might live. When rescuers
rushed into smoke and fire at the Pentagon. When the men and women of
Flight 93 sacrificed themselves to save our nation's Capitol. When flags were
hanging from front porches all across America, and strangers became friends.
It was the worst day we have ever seen, but it brought out the best in all of
us. I am proud that after
September 11th all our people rallied to President Bush's call for unity to
meet the danger. There were no Democrats. There were no Republicans.
There were only Americans. How we wish it had stayed that way. Now I know there are
those who criticize me for seeing complexities – and I do – because some
issues just aren't all that simple. Saying there are weapons of mass
destruction in Iraq doesn't make it so. Saying we can fight a war on
the cheap doesn’t make it so. And proclaiming mission accomplished certainly
doesn't make it so. As President, I will
ask hard questions and demand hard evidence. I will immediately reform
the intelligence system – so policy is guided by facts, and facts are never
distorted by politics. And as President, I will bring back this
nation's time-honored tradition: the United States of America never goes to
war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to. I know what kids go
through when they are carrying an M-16 in a dangerous place and they can't
tell friend from foe. I know what they go through when they're out on
patrol at night and they don't know what's coming around the next bend. I
know what it's like to write letters home telling your family that
everything's all right when you're not sure that's true. As President, I will
wage this war with the lessons I learned in war. Before you go to
battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say:
"I tried everything possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into
harm's way. But we had no choice. We had to protect the American people,
fundamental American values from a threat that was real and
imminent." So lesson one, this is the only justification for going
to war. And on my first day in
office, I will send a message to every man and woman in our armed forces: You
will never be asked to fight a war without a plan to win the peace. I know what we have to
do in Iraq. We need a President who has the credibility to bring our
allies to our side and share the burden, reduce the cost to American
taxpayers, and reduce the risk to American soldiers. That's the right
way to get the job done and bring our troops home. Here is the reality:
that won't happen until we have a president who restores America's respect
and leadership -- so we don't have to go it alone in the world. And we need to rebuild
our alliances, so we can get the terrorists before they get us. I defended this country
as a young man and I will defend it as President. Let there be no
mistake: I will never hesitate to use force when it is required.
Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response. I will never give
any nation or international institution a veto over our national
security. And I will build a stronger American military. We will add 40,000
active duty troops – not in Iraq, but to strengthen American forces that are
now overstretched, overextended, and under pressure. We will double our
special forces to conduct anti-terrorist operations. We will provide our
troops with the newest weapons and technology to save their lives – and win
the battle. And we will end the backdoor draft of National Guard and
reservists. To all who serve in our
armed forces today, I say, help is on the way. As President, I will
fight a smarter, more effective war on terror. We will deploy every tool in
our arsenal: our economic as well as our military might; our principles as
well as our firepower. In these dangerous days
there is a right way and a wrong way to be strong. Strength is more than
tough words. After decades of experience in national security, I know the
reach of our power and I know the power of our ideals. We need to make America
once again a beacon in the world. We need to be looked up to and not just
feared. We need to lead a
global effort against nuclear proliferation – to keep the most dangerous
weapons in the world out of the most dangerous hands in the
world. We need a strong
military and we need to lead strong alliances. And then, with
confidence and determination, we will be able to tell the terrorists: You
will lose and we will win. The future doesn't belong to fear; it
belongs to freedom. And the front lines of
this battle are not just far away – they're right here on our shores, at our
airports, and potentially in any town or city. Today, our national security
begins with homeland security. The 9-11 Commission has given us a path to
follow, endorsed by Democrats, Republicans, and the 9-11 families. As
President, I will not evade or equivocate; I will immediately implement the
recommendations of that commission. We shouldn't be letting ninety-five
percent of container ships come into our ports without ever being physically
inspected. We shouldn't be leaving our nuclear and chemical plants
without enough protection. And we shouldn't be opening firehouses in
Baghdad and closing them down in the United States of America. And tonight, we have an
important message for those who question the patriotism of Americans who
offer a better direction for our country. Before wrapping themselves in
the flag and shutting their eyes and ears to the truth, they should remember
what America is really all about. They should remember the great idea of
freedom for which so many have given their lives. Our purpose now is to
reclaim democracy itself. We are here to affirm that when Americans stand up
and speak their minds and say America can do better, that is not a challenge
to patriotism; it is the heart and soul of patriotism. You see that flag up
there. We call her Old Glory. The stars and stripes forever. I fought
under that flag, as did so many of you here and all across our country. That
flag flew from the gun turret right behind my head. It was shot through and
through and tattered, but it never ceased to wave in the wind. It draped the
caskets of men I served with and friends I grew up with. For us, that
flag is the most powerful symbol of who we are and what we believe in. Our
strength. Our diversity. Our love of country. All that makes America both
great and good. That flag doesn't
belong to any president. It doesn't belong to any ideology and it doesn't
belong to any political party. It belongs to all the American people. My fellow citizens,
elections are about choices. And choices are about values. In the end,
it's not just policies and programs that matter; the president who sits at
that desk must be guided by principle. For four years, we've
heard a lot of talk about values. But values spoken without actions taken are
just slogans. Values are not just words. They're what we live by.
They're about the causes we champion and the people we fight for. And it is
time for those who talk about family values to start valuing families. You don't value
families by kicking kids out of after school programs and taking cops off our
streets, so that Enron can get another tax break. We believe in the
family value of caring for our children and protecting the neighborhoods
where they walk and play. And that is the choice
in this election. You don't value
families by denying real prescription drug coverage to seniors, so big drug
companies can get another windfall. We believe in the
family value expressed in one of the oldest Commandments: "Honor thy
father and thy mother." As President, I will not privatize Social
Security. I will not cut benefits. And together, we will make sure that
senior citizens never have to cut their pills in half because they can't
afford life-saving medicine. And that is the choice
in this election. You don't value
families if you force them to take up a collection to buy body armor for a
son or daughter in the service, if you deny veterans health care, or if you
tell middle class families to wait for a tax cut, so that the wealthiest
among us can get even more. We believe in the value
of doing what's right for everyone in the American family. And that is the choice
in this election. We believe that what
matters most is not narrow appeals masquerading as values, but the shared
values that show the true face of America. Not narrow appeals that
divide us, but shared values that unite us. Family and faith.
Hard work and responsibility. Opportunity for all – so that every child,
every parent, every worker has an equal shot at living up to their God-given
potential. What does it mean in
America today when Dave McCune, a steel worker I met in Canton, Ohio, saw his
job sent overseas and the equipment in his factory literally unbolted, crated
up, and shipped thousands of miles away along with that job? What does
it mean when workers I've met had to train their foreign replacements? America can do
better. So tonight we say: help is on the way. What does it mean when
Mary Ann Knowles, a woman with breast cancer I met in New Hampshire, had to
keep working day after day right through her chemotherapy, no matter how sick
she felt, because she was terrified of losing her family's health insurance. America can do
better. And help is on the way. What does it mean when
Deborah Kromins from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania works and saves all her life
only to find out that her pension has disappeared into thin air – and the
executive who looted it has bailed out on a golden parachute? America can do
better. And help is on the way. What does it mean when
twenty five percent of the children in Harlem have asthma because of air pollution? America can do
better. And help is on the way. What does it mean when
people are huddled in blankets in the cold, sleeping in Lafayette Park on the
doorstep of the White House itself – and the number of families living in
poverty has risen by three million in the last four years? America can do
better. And help is on the way. And so we come here
tonight to ask: Where is the conscience of our country? I'll tell you where it
is: it's in rural and small town America; it's in urban neighborhoods and
suburban main streets; it's alive in the people I've met in every part of
this land. It's bursting in the hearts of Americans who are determined to
give our country back its values and its truth. We value jobs that pay
you more not less than you earned before. We value jobs where, when you
put in a week's work, you can actually pay your bills, provide for your
children, and lift up the quality of your life. We value an America
where the middle class is not being squeezed, but doing better. So here is our economic
plan to build a stronger America: First, new incentives
to revitalize manufacturing. Second, investment in
technology and innovation that will create the good-paying jobs of the
future. Third, close the tax
loopholes that reward companies for shipping our jobs overseas.
Instead, we will reward companies that create and keep good paying jobs where
they belong – in the good old U.S.A. We value an America
that exports products, not jobs – and we believe American workers should
never have to subsidize the loss of their own job. Next, we will trade and
compete in the world. But our plan calls for a fair playing field –
because if you give the American worker a fair playing field, there's nobody
in the world the American worker can't compete against. And we're going to
return to fiscal responsibility because it is the foundation of our economic
strength. Our plan will cut the deficit in half in four years by ending
tax giveaways that are nothing more than corporate welfare – and will make
government live by the rule that every family has to follow: pay as you
go. And let me tell you
what we won't do: we won't raise taxes on the middle class. You've heard a
lot of false charges about this in recent months. So let me say straight out what
I will do as President: I will cut middle class taxes. I will reduce
the tax burden on small business. And I will roll back the tax cuts for the
wealthiest individuals who make over $200,000 a year, so we can invest in job
creation, health care and education. Our education plan for
a stronger America sets high standards and demands accountability from
parents, teachers, and schools. It provides for smaller class sizes and
treats teachers like the professionals they are. And it gives a tax credit to
families for each and every year of college. When I was a
prosecutor, I met young kids who were in trouble, abandoned by adults.
And as President, I am determined that we stop being a nation content to
spend $50,000 a year to keep a young person in prison for the rest of their
life – when we could invest $10,000 to give them Head Start, Early Start,
Smart Start, the best possible start in life. And we value health
care that's affordable and accessible for all Americans. Since 2000, four
million people have lost their health insurance. Millions more are struggling
to afford it. You know what's
happening. Your premiums, your co-payments, your deductibles have all gone
through the roof. Our health care plan
for a stronger America cracks down on the waste, greed, and abuse in our
health care system and will save families up to $1,000 a year on their
premiums. You'll get to pick your own doctor – and patients and
doctors, not insurance company bureaucrats, will make medical
decisions. Under our plan, Medicare will negotiate lower drug prices
for seniors. And all Americans will be able to buy less expensive
prescription drugs from countries like Canada. The story of people
struggling for health care is the story of so many Americans. But you know
what, it's not the story of senators and members of Congress. Because
we give ourselves great health care and you get the bill. Well, I'm here to
say, your family's health care is just as important as any politician's in
Washington, D.C. And when I'm President,
America will stop being the only advanced nation in the world which fails to
understand that health care is not a privilege for the wealthy, the
connected, and the elected – it is a right for all Americans. We value an America
that controls its own destiny because it's finally and forever independent of
Mideast oil. What does it mean for our economy and our national
security when we only have three percent of the world's oil reserves, yet we
rely on foreign countries for fifty-three percent of what we consume? I want an America that
relies on its own ingenuity and innovation – not the Saudi royal family. And our energy plan for
a stronger America will invest in new technologies and alternative fuels and
the cars of the future -- so that no young American in uniform will ever be
held hostage to our dependence on oil from the Middle East. I've told you about our
plans for the economy, for education, for health care, for energy
independence. I want you to know more about them. So now I'm
going to say something that Franklin Roosevelt could never have said in his
acceptance speech: go to johnkerry.com. I want to address these
next words directly to President George W. Bush: In the weeks ahead, let's be
optimists, not just opponents. Let's build unity in the American family, not
angry division. Let's honor this nation's diversity; let's respect one
another; and let's never misuse for political purposes the most precious
document in American history, the Constitution of the United States. My friends, the high
road may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And that's why
Republicans and Democrats must make this election a contest of big ideas, not
small-minded attacks. This is our time to reject the kind of politics
calculated to divide race from race, group from group, region from region.
Maybe some just see us divided into red states and blue states, but I see us
as one America – red, white, and blue. And when I am President, the
government I lead will enlist people of talent, Republicans as well as Democrats,
to find the common ground – so that no one who has something to contribute
will be left on the sidelines. And let me say it
plainly: in that cause, and in this campaign, we welcome people of faith.
America is not us and them. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a
few weeks ago, and I want to say this to you tonight: I don't wear my own
faith on my sleeve. But faith has given me values and hope to live by, from
Vietnam to this day, from Sunday to Sunday. I don't want to claim that God is
on our side. As Abraham Lincoln told us, I want to pray humbly that we are on
God's side. And whatever our faith, one belief should bind us all: The
measure of our character is our willingness to give of ourselves for others
and for our country. These aren't Democratic
values. These aren't Republican values. They're American values. We
believe in them. They're who we are. And if we honor them, if we believe in
ourselves, we can build an America that's stronger at home and respected in
the world. So much promise
stretches before us. Americans have always reached for the impossible, looked
to the next horizon, and asked: What if? Two young bicycle
mechanics from Dayton asked what if this airplane could take off at Kitty
Hawk? It did that and changed the world forever. A young
president asked what if we could go to the moon in ten years? And now
we're exploring the solar system and the stars themselves. A young
generation of entrepreneurs asked, what if we could take all the information
in a library and put it on a little chip the size of a fingernail? We
did and that too changed the world forever. And now it's our time
to ask: What if? What if we find a
breakthrough to cure Parkinson's, diabetes, Alzheimer's and AIDS? What
if we have a president who believes in science, so we can unleash the wonders
of discovery like stem cell research to treat illness and save millions of
lives? What if we do what
adults should do – and make sure all our children are safe in the afternoons
after school? And what if we have a leadership that's as good as the
American dream – so that bigotry and hatred never again steal the hope and
future of any American? I learned a lot about
these values on that gunboat patrolling the Mekong Delta with young Americans
who came from places as different as Iowa and Oregon, Arkansas, Florida and
California. No one cared where we went to school. No one cared
about our race or our backgrounds. We were literally all in the same boat. We
looked out, one for the other – and we still do. That is the kind of
America I will lead as President – an America where we are all in the same
boat. Never has there been a
more urgent moment for Americans to step up and define ourselves. I will work
my heart out. But, my fellow citizens, the outcome is in your hands
more than mine. It is time to reach for
the next dream. It is time to look to the next horizon. For
America, the hope is there. The sun is rising. Our best days are
still to come. Goodnight, God bless
you, and God bless America. |