Complete Transcript of Speech to
the Democratic National
Convention
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
[Standing ovation and sustained applause from thousands of Democrats...]
Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you
so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin.
You make us all proud.
On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation,
Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest 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 to the British.
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, that shone
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 my grandfather signed
up for duty; joined Patton’s army, 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 G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A.,
and later moved west all the way to Hawaii 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. And yet, I know that, on this night, they look
down on me with great pride.
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that
my parents’ dreams live on in my two 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 simple dreams,, an insistence
on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children at night and know that
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. That we can
participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that
our votes will be counted at least, most of the time.
This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our
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 work to do for the workers I met
in Galesburg, Ill., 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 that I met who
was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500
a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that 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.
Now 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 by the Pentagon.
Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government
alone can’t teach our kids to learn — they know that parents have
to teach, 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. They know those things.
People don’t expect government to solve all their problems. But they
sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight 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. And that man is John Kerry.
John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because
they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his
years as a 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 offers 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 sometimes,
but it should never be the first option.
You know, a while back, I met a young man named Seamus in a V.F.W. Hall in
East Moline, Ill.. He was a good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed,
with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines, and was heading
to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d
enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion
to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might
hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well
as he is serving us?
I thought of the 900 men and women — sons and daughters, husbands and
wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns.
I thought of the families I’ve 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 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. 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 that 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’re all connected
as one people.
If there is 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 their prescription drugs, and has to choose
between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s
not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded
up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.
It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental belief, I am my brother’s
keeper, I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s
what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together
as one American family.
E pluribus unum. Out of many, one.
Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the
spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything
goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative
America — there is the United States of America. There is not a Black
America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s
the United States of America.
The pundits, 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 in our libraries in the
Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve
got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the
war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq.
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
do we participate in 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 think about it,
or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s
not what I’m talking about. 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.
Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity
of hope! In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of
this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days
ahead.
I believe that 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 we have a righteous wind at our backs and 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 that I do, if you feel the same
urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion I do, if you feel the same
hopefulness that I do — if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts
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 very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.
