Democratic National Convention speeches: on Principles & Values
Nancy Pelosi:
Priorities: prosperity, opportunity and security
- Republicans have sent our troops into battle in Iraq without a plan and have cut veterans' benefits without remorse.
- Democrats have it right: Protect our troops and honor our veterans.
- Democrats have put forth a positive agenda to grow
the economy, create millions of good jobs here at home and promote small businesses. Republicans offer tax loopholes to outsource American jobs.
- Democrats have it right: Invest in America and in our people.
- Democrats will keep our promise to our
children for safe, fully funded schools, with well-paid teachers. And we will provide every child the opportunity to go to college without going deeply into debt. Republicans have broken their promises on education from pre- school to college.
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Democrats have it right: Every student deserves a world class education.
My fellow Americans, you are the people we work for. These are the values we stand for. These are the priorities we fight for: prosperity, opportunity and security.
Source: Speech to the Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama:
Offer real hope-not blind optimism-to the American people
I'm not talking about blind optimism-the willful ignorance that thinks unemployment or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. 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 mill worker'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. That's 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. We can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity. We can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair.
Source: Keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama:
I'm living my parents' dreams and the American dream
My parents shared an improbable love and an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed," believing in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined me going to the bes
schools in the land even they weren't rich, because in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve your potential. I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware my parents' dreams live on in my two precious daughters.
Source: Keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama:
Greatness based on Declaration of Independence, not military
I owe a debt to all of those who came before me. 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 200 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 & the pursuit of happiness."
Source: Keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama:
We are one people all defending the United States of America
The pundits like to slice and dice our country into red states and blue states. But I've got news for them. 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're patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all defending the United States of America
Source: Keynote speech to the Democratic National Convention
Bill Clinton:
Republicans have to portray Democrats as unacceptable to win
We Democrats want to build a world and an America of shared responsibilities and shared benefits. We want a world with more global cooperation where we act alone only when we absolutely have to. We think the role of government should be to give people th
tools to create the conditions to make the most of their own lives. And we think everybody should have that chance. The Republicans believe American should be run by the right people-their people-in a world in which America acts unilaterally when we can
& cooperates when we have to. They believe the role of government is to concentrate wealth and power in the hands of those who embrace their economic, political and social views, leaving ordinary citizens to fend for themselves on important matters like
health care and retirement security. Now, since most Americans aren't that far to the right, our friends have to portray us Democrats as simply unacceptable, lacking in strength and values. In other words, they need a divided America. But we don't.
Source: Speech to the Democratic National Convention
Bill Clinton:
Strength and wisdom are not opposing values
Strength and wisdom are not opposing values. They go hand in hand, and Kerry has both. His first priority will be to keep America safe. Kerry and Edwards are good people with good ideas, ideas to make the economy work again for middle-class Americans, to
restore fiscal responsibility, to make health care more affordable, college more available, to free us from dependence on foreign oil, and create new jobs with clean energy and a cleaner environment, and to make a world with more friends and less terror.
Source: Speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Bigotry and hatred should never steal our hope and future
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. 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? What if we have a leadership as good as the American dream - so that bigotry and hatred never again steal the hope and future of any American?
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
My mother was the rock of our family
My mother was the rock of our family as so many mothers. 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. She was my den mother when I was a Cub Scout and so proud of her 50-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. By the power of her example, she showed me we can and must finish the march toward full equality for all women in our country
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Saw the fear in the eyes of people who were not free
My father was in the State Department, stationed in Berlin when it and the world were divided between democracy & communism. I have unforgettable memories of being a kid mesmerized by the British, French, and American troops, each guarding their own part
of the city. Russians standing guard on the stark line separating East from West. 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Service is what brought America peace and prosperity
We thank that whole generation for making America strong, for winning WWII, winning the Cold War, and for the great gift of service which brought America 50 years of peace and prosperity. My parents inspired me to serve, and when I was a high school
junior, 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. You know what? We did.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Restore trust and credibility to the White House
As President, I will restore trust and credibility to the White House. 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Seeing complexities of complex issues is not flip-flopping
After 9/11 all us rallied to 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 there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities-and I d
-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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Shutting one's eyes and ears to the truth is not patriotism
To those who question the patriotism of Americans who offer a better direction for our country, before wrapping themselves in the flag & shutting their eyes & 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. 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
The flag represents who we are and what we believe in
The Old Glory. The stars and stripes. I fought under that flag, as did so many of you and all across our country. It 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
America can do better and help is on the way
Where is the conscience of our country? 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 determined to give
our country back its values and 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Reject politics that divide people
We 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, & blue. When I am President, I 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Pray humbly that we are on God's side
We welcome people of faith. I think of what Ron Reagan said of his father a few weeks ago, and I want to say: 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. I don't want to claim that
God is on our side. As 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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Kerry:
Will lead an America where all are in the same boat
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.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
Rev. Jesse Jackson:
Help is on the way to end darkness of 2000 election
In the darkness of 2000, the winners lost and the losers won. In the dark, our nation's record budget surplus turned into a $500 billion-dollar deficit. In the dark, a net loss of jobs in every state. They ignored the genocide in the Sudan,
and induced coup in Haiti.And yet as the darkness abounds, hope abounds even more. For the 44 million without health care insurance, help is on the way. For parents afraid to call the doctor for their children, because they cannot pay the bills,
help is on the way. For our seniors whose Social Security is at risk, who must choose between paying their rent or paying for the soaring costs of their prescription drugs, hold on, help is on the way.
Millions of youth today cannot afford tuition and cannot get a job. Every child, red, yellow, brown, black and white, deserves a constitutional right to an equal, high-quality public education. Help is on the way.
Source: Speech to the Democratic National Convention
Al Gore:
Every vote counts, and every election matters
I love this country deeply, and even I always look to the future with optimism and hope, it's worth pausing for a moment, to take note of two very important lessons from four years ago. The first lesson is this: Take it from me-every vote counts. In our
democracy, every vote has power. And never forget: that power is yours. Don't let anyone take it away or talk you into throwing it away. Let's make sure that this time every vote is counted. Let's make sure not only that the Supreme Court does not pick
the next president, but also that this president is not the one who picks the next Supreme Court. The second lesson is this: What happens in a presidential election matters. A lot. The outcome profoundly affects the lives of all 293 million Americans -
and people in the rest of the world too. The choice of who is president affects your life and your family's future. These challenges we now confront are not Democratic or Republican challenges; they're American challenges that we must overcome together.
Source: Primetime speech to the Democratic National Convention
Al Sharpton:
Living up to the promise of America is not a partisan issue
The promise of America says we will guarantee quality education for all children and not spend more money on metal detectors than computers in our schools. The promise of America guarantees health care for all of its citizens and doesn't force seniors to
go to Canada to buy prescription drugs they can't afford here at home. The promise of America provides that those who work in our health care system can afford to be hospitalized in the very beds they clean up every day.
The promise of America is that government does not seek to regulate your behavior in the bedroom, but to guarantee your right to provide food in the kitchen. The promise of America that we stand for human rights, whether it's fighting against slavery
in the Sudan; AIDS in Lesotho; or police misconduct in this country. The promise of America is one immigration policy for all who seek to enter our shores.
Source: Primetime speech to the Democratic National Convention
Al Sharpton:
Family values are not just car garages and a retirement plan
Family values are not just those with two-car garages and a retirement plan. Retirement plans are good. But family values also are those who had to make nothing stretch into something happening, who had to make ends meet. I was raised by a single mother
who made a way for me. She used to scrub floors as a domestic worker, put a cleaning rag in her pocketbook and ride the subways in Brooklyn so I would have food on the table. But she taught me as I walked her to the subway that life is about not where
you start, but where you're going. That's family values. And I wanted somebody in my community - I wanted to show that example. As I ran for president, I hoped that one child would come out of the ghetto like I did, could look at me walk across the stage
with governors and senators and know they didn't have to be a drug dealer, they didn't have to be a hoodlum, they didn't have to be a gangster, they could stand up from a broken home, on welfare, and they could run for president of the United States.
Source: Primetime speech to the Democratic National Convention
Jimmy Carter:
Trust is at the very heart of our democracy
Our dominant international challenge is to restore the greatness of America, based on telling the truth, a commitment to peace, and respect for civil liberties at home and basic human rights around the world. Truth is the foundation of our global
leadership, but our credibility has been shattered and we are left increasingly isolated and vulnerable in a hostile world. Without truth, without trust, America cannot flourish. Trust is at the very heart of our democracy, the sacred covenant between a
president and the people. When that trust is violated, the bonds that hold our republic together begin to weaken. After 9/11, America stood proud - wounded, but determined and united. A cowardly attack on innocent civilians brought us an unprecedented
level of cooperation and understanding around the world. But in just 34 months, we have watched with deep concern as all this good will has been squandered by a virtually unbroken series of mistakes and miscalculations.
Source: Primetime speech to the Democratic National Convention
Jimmy Carter:
Our decency, compassion, and common sense will prevail
Ultimately, the basic issue is whether America will provide global leadership that springs from the unity and the integrity of the American people, or whether extremist doctrines, the manipulation of the truth, will define America's role in the world.
At stake is nothing less than our nation's soul. But I am not discouraged. I really am not. I do not despair for our country. I never do. I believe, as I always have, the essential decency & compassion & common sense of the American people will prevail.
Source: Primetime speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Edwards:
Judge values based upon deeds, not words
Where I come from, you don't judge someone's values based upon how they use that word in a political ad. You judge their values based upon what they've spent their life doing. When a man volunteers to serve his country and puts his life on the line for
others, he represents real American values. He's prepared to keep the American people safe, to make America stronger at home and more respected in the world. Kerry knows the difference between right & wrong. He wants to serve you. Your cause is his cause
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention
John Edwards:
Ensure tomorrow will always be better in our one America
We are Americans and we choose to be inspired. We choose hope over despair, possibilities over problems, optimism over cynicism. We choose to do what's right even when those around us say, "You can't do that." We choose to be inspired
because we can do better, because this is America where everything's still possible. What we believe is that you should never look down on anybody. We should lift people up. We don't believe in tearing people apart. We believe in bringing them together.
Source: Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention