Kerry Speech Highlights

Full text here:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What I Learned During the Democratic Convention

Senator Kerry served in the Vietnam War.
We are family.
This is the most important election of our lifetimes.
Oh Captain Kerry, my captain.
We live in the United States of America.
Kerry’s daughters did a better job talking him up than his wife.
Placard printers make a lot of money during political conventions. I had expected them for the keynote speakers. But it seemed like they had them for almost everyone. Even Al Sharpton. Not only that, but they had some to go along with the talking points of the speeches. And those vertically-oriented signs (better for the TV audience?). The “Boiler Room” was working overtime.

President Kerry

All said, a great speech. A little rushed, a bit long, and the sweating was unfortunate. But it was the best I’ve seen Kerry this campaign season. He did a good job of sharing his story and his values as well as making the case for why we should elect him to lead the country into the future.
I thought it a fitting conclusion to what I view as a preemptive convention. The Democrats took the supposed Republican ammunition (“strong leadership”, war, veterans, the flag, faith, values, optimism) and pointed it right back at them. To use a football comparison, it’s like a team who’s read all week how they won’t be able to move the ball on offense completing a long pass the first play from scrimmage to make a “take that” statement.
Three months to go and a lot can happen, but Kerry is off to a strong start.

Over the Top!

BREAKING NEWS: John Kerry wins Democratic nomination!
I thought I recalled from prior conventions that the state delegations ordered themselves in the roll call so that the nominee’s home state provided the votes necessary to clinch the nomination.
That didn’t happen this time; Massachusetts went first, followed by North Carolina. Ohio was the magic state this time around. Guess the powers that be wanted to make a statement about the importance of the swing state.
Brilliant move; one which will undoubtedly sway thousands of Ohio undecideds this November. Ha.

Two If By Sea

Cable news has been covering Senator Kerry’s arrival by boat in Boston for the last half hour or so. Boats go pretty slow after all. He was gabbing with his Vietnam buddies along the way in an event designed for TV camera. I think the only way they could have played it up more would be to arrive by rowboat–a la Washington crossing the Delaware.
Anyway, a somewhat amusing episode of campaign stagecraft.
Kerry better get working on his speech once this show ends. The convention has gone fairly well thus far, but it he’s the clean-up batter and must deliver a game-winning hit.

Lack of Civility

“Now shove it.”

Teresa Heinz Kerry
To newspaper reporter
25 July 2004

“Go f— yourself.”

Vice President Dick Cheney
To Senator Patrick Leahy (on Senate floor)
22 June 2004

Neither of these statements demonstrate civility. Funny how many people, including “journalists” are now playing up the former without mentioning the latter.