Moving Toward Consensus

[Two Americas]

I am a strong and passionate supporter of the candidacy of John Edwards. This does not mean that I find him perfect, nor that I see him as a hero, let alone a savior or the answer to all of pur prayers. Nor does it mean that I find fault with the other candidates or their supporters. Many here are passionate for Biden, for Dodd and for Richardson, and Kucinich and his supporters will always have a place in my heart and hearts of millions of others for his courage over the years in fighting for the principles and ideals that attracted us all to the Democratic party. I support all of you. I stand with all of you. I admire and I respect all of you.

I propose that we begin reaching out to each other and to begin building a solid community, determined and courageous and standing shoulder to shoulder for the fight to come — the greatest fight of our lifetimes. Let’s look at the visions we share, let’s fond the common ground. There is no need to compromise. We should never gain compromise on the principles and ideals we share and the great cause to which we have dedicated our lives.

There is not need to “run to the right,” no need to find the mushy middle nor to woo swing voters. Let’s start running to the heart - the heart of what it means to be a Democrat, the commitment to fighting for the well-being of all of the people in the country, the fight for fairness, for justice and for equal opportunity.

No one need lose. We can all win, and so can millions of people across the country. Fight for your candidate, yes, but first and always fight for the principles that we stand for and let’s not ever let our loyalty for a candidate overshadow our loyalty to each other, our loyalty to the people — especially to those who are suffering so much — and our loyalty to the cause of justice.

There have been many mistakes made in the past, by each of the candidates, and by each of us as well. There have been many bitter disappointments. There are many disagreements among us, but all of those pale in significance when compared to the greater battle to which we are all being called.

Let's look first at what we have in common, at which things are most important. Let's seek out and emphasize the good in each candidate and in each supporter of that candidate. Let's be slow to find fault in those who support other candidates. Let's go the extra mile to see things through the other person's eyes.

I am not asking anyone to put on a happy face, nor to become Dale Carnegie converts, nor to whistle past the graveyard. The crisis is too severe to expect that a happy chipper attitude will suffice to banish the very real threat we face, but the oppportunity is too great to squander in petty feuding over relatively minor issues, and the stakes are too high to let anything get in the way of pulling together and building a strong united front.

Read the words of the candidates. Notice the common themes. Be mindful of all that we have in common, and of the enormous task we have ahead of us. It is going to take all of us, working together and fighting as we have never fought before.

Our national strength is our people, and we must do whatever it takes to protect that resource.

First of all, let me say that I will be a friend to working Americans ‘till the day I die. One of my first acts as Governor was to reinstate collective bargaining for public employees in New Mexico. We then dramatically increased health benefits and salaries. We raised our teacher's salaries from 46th to 29th in the nation. I fought hard to raise the minimum wage in my state, and I have improved worker safety. As President, my Secretary of Labor will be a union member. As President, I will protect the right to collective bargaining and the right to form unions. I will strongly support the Employee Free Choice Act. How can we as a nation ask American workers to help protect our future, if we don't allow them to protect theirs? When I am President, we will improve all workers' safety. President Bush has spent the past six years eroding safety regulations and endangering our workforce. How do we expect our economy to grow if its workers aren't safe? And, I will index the minimum wage to inflation. The minimum wage is not just some number; it is a reality for many American families. I believe a fair day's work deserves a fair day's pay, period. How can we even begin to build responsibility, fairness, and a new American dream if we are not strong enough to honor this basic principle? We also need to help families with the rising cost of living. Expenses for health care, child care, and a college education are rising faster than wages and our next President must focus on making these more affordable.

Bill Richardson

Why not now?

We may have traveled a crooked road over these past six years. But it’s not too late to make America and this world right again . . . to become a nation of high ideals and great goals – if we are wise enough to recognize our opportunities, and bold enough to seize them. Together, let us ask the question that Henry Brewster asked 140 years tomorrow: why not now? Why not use our power to create, not just a future of peace and security, but a future of prosperity and opportunity, of learning and understanding? Why not use our wealth to create, not just a world where some profit at the expense of many, but where many can profit to the advantage of all? Why not use our leadership to create, not a nation of red states and blue states, but a world where people of every race, creed, color and religion come together to solve problems? Why not use our talent, not as partisans, but as Americans: To raise the minimum wage; To rebuild our manufacturing base and stop jobs fleeing our nation; To make sure you can go to college without going bankrupt; To make sure small businesses and entrepreneurs can exercise their talent to the fullest extent possible; To make sure that all Americans have affordable health care coverage; To build an economy where well-paying jobs are available to every American; And to build relationships around the world based on mutual respect, where a strong and smart America listens as well as it leads. And why not, as Robert Kennedy once said; To judge our success not just by the size of our gross national product; But by the health of our children; The quality of their education; The joy of their play; And the integrity of our public officials? Why not now?

Chris Dodd

We have forgotten how to speak to their hearts

Every night, as I fly across the country, I look down at those pinpoints of light. I wonder what they’re talking about at the kitchen table after they put the kids to bed. I believe that, like millions of other Americans they’re asking questions as profound as they are ordinary. Should mom move in with us? Is it safe to let our kids use the internet? What about the company cutting health care? Can we afford to fill up the tank? The people who ask these questions used to vote Democratic. Too many of them don’t anymore, because we’ve forgotten how to speak to their hearts as well as their heads.

Joe Biden

We are one

We, Democrats, in convention united. We who built this country with the sweat of our brow, we, the steelworkers, autoworkers, the miners, the aircraft workers, communication workers, the laborers, the people who teach the children, who farm the land, who drive the trucks, who clean the streets; we who hunger for justice, who nurse the sick, who represent the oppressed, who serve the meals, who stand at check out counters, who build the bridges, who sleep under the bridges, who hunger for food; we, who put out the fires, who police the streets; who protect this nation and the freedoms we celebrate tonight: the soldiers, the sailors, marines and airforce. We Democrats assemble united for John Kerry, united to recreate our nation with the power of the ballot, to transform it with the power of the human heart and the power of the human spirit. Out of many, we Democrats are one.

Dennis Kucinich

Courage, America

In our National Anthem, when Francis Scott Key asked "does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave, o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?" he connected freedom and bravery, democracy and courage. Courage, America! Courage to replace an administration which has dishonored our constitution and attacked our Bill of Rights. Courage to reject doctrines which separate us from the world. Courage to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, biological and chemical weapons, land mines and small arms. Courage to work with the International Criminal Court, to reduce global warming and face seriously the challenge of climate change. Courage, America! Courage to take principles of nonviolence and make them part of the everyday life of our nation, to work with the nations of the world to put an end to war. Courage, America--to create a nation where our government achieves legitimacy not from the money it spends on arms, but from the resources it channels into education, health care, job creation, housing, environmental protection and new sustainable energy policies. Courage to give John Kerry the chance to restart the 21st century. Courage, America! Courage to shake off the administration's deceptions, their attacks, and their fear-mongering. Courage, America!

Dennis Kucinich

The Moral Test of Our Generation

I am not perfect -- far from it -- but I do understand that this is not a political issue -- it is the moral test of our generation. Our nation's founders knew that this moment would come -- that at some point the power of greed and its influence over officials in our government might strain and threaten the very America they hoped would last as an ideal in the minds of all people, and as a beacon of hope for all time. That is why they made the people sovereign. And this is why it is your responsibility to redeem the promise of America for our children and their future. It will not be easy -- sacrifice will be required of us -- but it was never easy for our ancestors, and their sacrifices were far greater than any that will fall on our shoulders. Yet, the responsibility is ours. We, you and I, are the guardians of what America is and what it will be. The choice is ours.
Down one path, we trade corporate Democrats for corporate Republicans; our cronies for their cronies; one political dynasty for another dynasty; and all we are left with is a Democratic version of the Republican corruption machine. It is the easier path. It is the path of the status quo. But, it is a path that perpetuates a corrupt system that has not only failed to deliver the change the American people demand, but has divided America into two -- one America for the very greedy, and one America for everybody else. And it is that divided America -- the direct result of this corrupt system -- which may very well lead to the suicide Lincoln warned us of -- the poison that continues to seep into our system while none notice. Or we can choose a different path. The path that generations of Americans command us to take. And be the guardians that kept the faith.

John Edwards