Senator John Edwards's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention
July 27, 2004
The following is the text of Senator John Edwards's remarks
to the Democratic National Convention, as recorded by The New York Times.
JOHN EDWARDS. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Now you know why Elizabeth is so amazing, right? I am such
a lucky man to have the love of my life at my side. Both of us have been
blessed with four extraordinary children: Wade, Cate, who you heard from,
Emma Claire and Jack. We are having such an extraordinary time,
myself and my entire family at this convention. And by the way, how great
was Teresa Heinz Kerry last night?
My father and mother, Wallace and Bobbie Edwards, are also here tonight.
You taught me the values that I carry in my heart: faith, family,
responsibility, opportunity for everybody. You taught me that there's
dignity and honor in a hard day's work. You taught me to always look out for
our neighbors, to never look down on anybody, and treat everybody with respect.
Those are the values that John Kerry and I believe in. And nothing
makes me prouder than standing with him in this campaign. I am so humbled to
be your candidate for vice president of the United States.
I want to talk about our next president. For those who want to know
what kind of leader he'll be, I want to take you back about thirty years. When
John Kerry graduated from college, he volunteered for military service,
volunteered to go to Vietnam, volunteered to captain a swift boat, one of the
most dangerous duties in Vietnam that you could have.
As a result he was wounded, honored for his valor.
If you have any question about what he's made of, just spend three minutes
with the men who served with him then and who stand with him now.
They saw up close what he's made of. They saw him reach into the river
and pull one of his men to safety and save his life. They saw him in the
heat of battle make a decisions in a split second to turn his boat around,
drive it through an enemy position, and chase down the enemy to save his
crew. Decisive. Strong. Is this not what we need in a commander in chief?
You know, we hear a lot of talk about values. Where I come from,
you don't judge somebody'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.
So when a man volunteers to serve his country, a man volunteers
and puts his life on the line for others that's a man who represents real
American values. This is a man who is prepared to keep the American people safe,
to make America stronger at home and more respected in the
world. John is a man who knows the difference between right and wrong.
He wants to serve you, your cause is his cause. And that is why we must
and we will elect him the next president of the United States.
You know, for the last few months, John has been traveling around
the country talking about his positive, optimistic vision for America, talking
about his plan to move this country in the right direction.
But what have we seen? Relentless negative attacks against John.
So in the weeks ahead, we know what's coming don't we? More negative
attacks. Aren't you sick of it? They are doing all they can to take the
campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road. But
this is where you come in. Between now and November, you, the American people,
you can reject this tired, old, hateful, negative politics of the
past. And instead you can embrace the politics of hope, the politics of
what's possible because this is America, where everything is possible.
I am here tonight for a very simple reason, because I love my country.
And I have every reason to love my country. I have grown up in the bright
light of America. I grew up in a small town in rural North Carolina,
a place called Robbins. My father, he worked in a mill all his life. And I still
remember vividly the men and women who worked in that mill with him. I can see them.
Some of them had lint in their hair. Some of them had
grease on their faces. They worked hard. And they tried to put
a little money away so that their kids and their grandkids could have a better life.
The truth is they are just like the auto workers, the office workers,
the teachers, and the shop keepers on Main Streets all across this cuontry.
My mother had a number of jobs. She worked at the post office so
she and my father could have health care. She owned her own small business,
she refinished furniture to help pay for my education.
I have had such incredible opportunities in my life.I was blessed to be
the first person in my family to be able to go to college. I worked my way
through, and I had opportunities beyond my wildest dreams. . And the heart
of this campaign, your campaign, our campaign, is to make sure all
Americans have exactly the same kind of opportunities that I had,
no matter where you live, no matter who your family is, no matter what the color
of your skin. This is the America we believe in.
I have spent my life fighting for the kind of people that I grew up with.
For two decades, I stood with kids and families against big HMOs and big
insurance companies. When I got to the Senate I fought those same fights
against the Washington lobbyists and for causes like the Patients' Bill of
Rights.
I stand here tonight ready to work with you and John to make America stronger.
And we have much work to do. Because the truth is, we still live
in a country where there are two different Americas:
one for all those people who have lived the American Dream and don't have to worry,
and another for most Americans, everybody else, who struggle to make ends meet
every single day. It doesn't have to be that way.
We can build one America. We can build one America where we no longer
have two healthcare systems. One for families who get the best
healthcare money can buy and then one for everybody else, rationed
out by insurance companies, drug companies, and HMOs. Millions of
Americans who don't have any health insurance at all. It doesn't have to be that way.
We have a plan that will offer all Americans the same health care that
your Senator has. We can give you tax breaks to help you pay for your
health care. And when we're in office, we will sign a real Patients' Bill of Rights
into law so that you can make your own health care decisions.
We shouldn't have two public school systems in this country:
one for the most affluent communities, and one for everybody else. None of us believe
that the quality of a child's education should be controlled by where they live
or the affluence of the community they live in. It doesn't have to be
that way.
We can build one school system that works for all our kids, gives them
a chance to do what they're capable of doing. Our plan will reform our
schools and raise standards. We can give our schools the resources
that they need. We can provide incentives to put our best teachers in the
subjects and the places where we need them the most. And we can ensure
that three million children have a safe place when they leave school in
the afternoon. We can do together, you and I.
John Kerry and I believe that we shouldn't have two different economies
in this country: one for people who are set for life, they know their kids
and their grandkids are going to be just fine, and then one for most
Americans, people who live paycheck to paycheck. You don't need me to explain
this to you, do you?
You know exactly what I'm talking about Can't save any money, can you?
Takes every dime you make just to pay your bills. And you know what
happens if something goes wrong, if you have a child that gets sick,
a financial problem, a layoff in the family, you go right off the cliff. And when
that happens, what's the first thing that goes? Your dreams.
It doesn't have to be that way. We can strengthen and lift up your families.
Your agenda is our agenda. So let me give you some specifics.
First, we can create good paying jobs in this country again. We're going to get rid of
tax cuts for companies who are outsourcing your jobs.
And instead, we're going to give tax breaks to American companies that are keeping jobs right
here in America. And we will invest in the jobs of the future,
in the technologies and innovation to ensure that America stays ahead of the
competition.
And we're going to do this because John and I understand understand that
a job is about more than a paycheck. It's about dignity and self-respect.
Hard work should be valued in this country. So we're going to reward work,
not just wealth. We don't want people to just get by; we want people to
get ahead. So let me give you some specifics about what we're going to do..
First, we're going to help you pay for your health care by having a tax
break and health care reform that can save you up to a thousand dollars
on your premiums.. We're going to help you cover the rising costs of child
care with a tax credit up to $1,000 so that your kids have a place to go
when you're at work that they're safe and well taken care of. If your child
wants to be the first in your family to go to college, we're going to give
you a tax break on up to $4,000 in tuition.
And everybody listening here and at home is thinking one thing right now.
O.K., how are we going to pay for it, right? Well, let me tell you how
we're going to pay for it. And I want to be very clear about this.
We are going to keep and protect the tax cuts for 98 percent of Americans, 98
percent. We're going to roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans.
We're going to close corporate loopholes. We're going to cut government
contractors and wasteful spending. We can move this country forward without
passing the burden to our children and our grandchildren.
We can also do something about 35 million Americans who live in poverty
every day. And here's why we shouldn't just talk about but do something
about the millions of Americans who live in poverty. Because it is wrong.
And we have a moral responsibility to lift those families up.
I mean the very idea that in a country of our wealth and our prosperity,
we have children going to bed hungry. We have children who don't have the
clothes to keep them warm. We have millions of Americans who work
full-time every day to support their families, working for minimum wage and
still live in poverty. It's wrong. These are men and women who are living up
to their bargain. They're working hard, they're supporting their
families. Their families are doing their part; it's time we did our part.
And that's what we're going to do, that's what we're going to do when
John is in the White House. Because we're going to raise the minimum wage.
We're going to finish the job on welfare reform. And we're going to bring
good paying jobs to the places where we need them the most. . And by
doing all those things we're going to say no forever to any American
working full-time and living in poverty. Not in our America, not in our America.
Not in our America. Not in our America.
And let me talk - let me talk about - let me talk about - let me talk
about about why we need to build one America. Because I, like many of you, I
saw up close what having two Americas - what having two Americas
can do to our country. From the time I was very young, I saw the ugly face of
segregation and discrimination. I saw young African-American kids being sent
upstairs in movie theaters. I saw white only signs on restaurant
doors and luncheon counters. I feel such an enormous personal responsibility
when it comes to issues of race and equality and civil rights.
And I've heard some discussions- I've heard some discussions and debates
around America about where, and in front of what audiences we ought
to talk about race and equality and civil rights. I have an answer to that question.
Everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere.
This is not an African-American issue, this is not a Latino issue, this is not
an Asian-American issue, this is an American issue. It is about who we
are, what our values are and what kind of country we live in.
The truth is - the truth is is that what John and I want - what we all want - is
for our children and our grandchildren to be the first generations
that grow up in an America that's no longer divided by race. We must build
one America. We must be one America, strong and united for another
very important reason - because we are at war.
None of us will ever forget where we were on September the 11th.
We all share the same terrible images: the Towers falling in New York, the
Pentagon in flames, smoldering field in Pennsylvania. We share
the profound sadness for the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost.
As a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, I know that we have
to do more to fight the war on terrorism and keep the American people
safe. And we can do that. We're approaching the third anniversary of Sept. 11,
and one thing I can tell you: when we're in office, it won't take three
years to get the reforms in our intelligence that are necessary
to keep the American people safe. We will do whatever it takes, as long as it takes,
to make sure this never happens again in our America.
And when John is president, we will listen to the wisdom of the Sept. 11 Commission.
We will lead strong alliances. We will safeguard and secure
our weapons of mass destruction. We will strengthen our homeland security,
protect our ports, protect our chemical plants, and support our
firefighters, police officers, EMT's. We will always - we will always
use our military might to keep the American people safe.
And we - John and I -we will have one clear unmistakable message
for Al Qaida and these terrorists: You cannot run. You cannot hide. We will
destroy you.
John understands personally about fighting in a war. And he knows
what our brave men and women are going through right now in another war -
the war in Iraq. The human cost and the extraordinary heroism of this war,
it surrounds us. It surrounds us in our cities and our towns. And we'll
win this war because of the strength and courage of our own people.
Some of our friends and neighbors, they saw their last images in Baghdad.
Some took their last steps outside of Fallujah. Some buttoned their
uniform for the final time before they went out and saved their unit.
Men and women who used to take care of themselves, they now count on
others to see them through the day. They need their mother to tie their shoe.
Their husband to brush their hair. Their wife's arm to help them
across the room.
The stars and stripes wave for them. The word hero was made for them.
They are the best and the bravest. And they will never be left behind.
You- you - you understand that. And they deserve a president who
understands - understands it on the most personal level what they've gone through,
what they've given and what they've given up for their country.
To us, the real test of patriotism is how we treat the men and women
who have put their lives on the lines to protect our values. And let me tell
you, the 26 million veterans in this country will not have to wonder, when
they're in office - when we're in office, whether they'll have health care
next week or next year. We will take care of them because they have taken care of us.
But today, our great United States military is stretched thin. We've got more
than 140,000 are in Iraq, almost 20,000 in Afghanistan. I visited the
men and women there and we're praying as they try to give that country hope.
Like all of those brave men and women, John put his life on the line for our country.
He knows that when authority is given to a president, much is
expected in return. That's why we will strengthen and modernize our military.
We will double our Special Forces. We will invest in the new
equipment and technologies so that our military remains the best equipped
and the best prepared in the world. This will make our military
stronger. It'll make it sure that can defeat any enemy in this new world.
But we can't do this alone. We have got to restore our respect in the world
to bring our allies to us and with us. It is how we won the cold war. It is
how we won two world wars. And it is how we will build a stable Iraq.
With a new president who strengthens and leads our alliances, we can get
NATO to help secure Iraq. We can ensure that Iraq's neighbors like
Syria and Iran, don't stand in the way of a democratic Iraq. We can help Iraq's
economy by getting other countries to forgive their enormous debt
and participate in the reconstruction. We can do this for the Iraqi people
and we can do it for our own soldiers. And we will get this done right.
A new president will bring the world to our side, and with it a stable Iraq,
a real chance for freedom and peace in the Middle East, including a safe
and secure Israel. And John and I will bring the world together - John and I
will bring the world together to face the most dangerous threat we
have: the possibility of terrorists getting their hands on a chemical,
biological or nuclear weapon.
With our credibility restored, we can work with other nations
to secure stockpiles of the world's most dangerous weapons and safeguard this
extraordinarily dangerous material. We can finish the job and secure the
loose nukes in Russia. We can close the loophole in the Nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty that allows rogue nations access to the tools
they need to develop these weapons.
That's how we can address the new threats we face. That's how we
can keep you safe. And that's how we can restore America's respect around the
world. And together, we will ensure that the image of America, the image
all of us love, America this great shining light, this beacon of freedom,
democracy and human rights that the world looks up to, is always lit.
And the truth is - the truth is that every child, every family in America will be
safer and more secure if they grow up in a world where America is
once again looked up to and respected. That is the world we can create together.
Tonight - tonight, as we celebrate in this hall, somewhere in America,
a mother sits at her kitchen table. She can't sleep becauseshe's worried.
She can't pay her bills. She's working hard trying to pay her rent,
trying to feed her kids but she just can't catch up. Didn't used to be that way in
her house. Her husband was called up in the Guard. Now he's been in Iraq
for over a year. They thought hewas going to come home last month, but
now he's got to stay longer. She thinks she's alone. But tonight in this hall
and in your homes, you know what? She's got a lot of friends. We want
her to know that we hear her. It is time to bring opportunity and an equal
chance to her door.
We're here to make America stronger at home so that she can get ahead.
And we're here to make America respected in the world again so that we
can bring him home and American soldiers don't have to fight this war in Iraq
or this war on terrorism alone.
So when you return home some night, you might pass a mother on her
way to work the late-shift. You tell her: Hope is on the way.
When your brother calls - when your brother calls and says that he's
spending his entire life at the office and he still can't get ahead, you tell him:
Hope is on the way.
When your parents call and tell you their medicine's going through the roof,
they can't keep up, you tell them: Hope is on the way.
And when your neighbor calls you and says her daughter's worked hard
and she wants to go to college, you tell her: Hope is on the way.
And when your son or daughter who's serving this country heroically
in Iraq calls, you tell them: Hope is on the way.
When you wake up and you're sitting at the kitchen table with your kids
and you're talking about the great possibilities in America, your kids
should know that John and I believe to our core that tomorrow can be better than today.
Like all of us, I've learned a lot of lessons in my life. Two of the most important
are that first, there will always be heartache and struggle. We can't
make it go away. But the second is that people of good and strong
will can make a difference. One's a sad lesson; the other's inspiring. 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 know
that we can do better because this is America where everything is still possible.
What we believe - what John Kerry and I believe - is that we should
never look down on anybody, we ought to lift people up. We don't believe in
tearing people apart. We believe in bringing them together. What we
believe - what I believe - is that the family you're born into and the color of
your skin in our America should never control your destiny.
Join us in this cause. Let's make America stronger at home and more
respected in the world. Let's ensure that once again, in our one America -
our one America - tomorrow will always be better than today.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company
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