Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention
July 27, 2004
On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation,
land of Lincoln, let me express my deep 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.
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,
which stood 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 he signed up for duty, joined Patton's
army and 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 GI Bill, bought a house through FHA, and moved west 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. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with pride.
I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage,
aware that my parents' dreams live on in my 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 he 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 the simple dreams of its people
, the insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck in our children
at night and know 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 or hiring somebody's son.
That we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution,
and that our votes will he counted - or at least, most of the time.
This year, in this election,
we are called t reaffirm our values and 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 to do for the workers
I met in Galeaurg, Illinois, 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 I met who was losing his job and choking back tears,
wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without
the health benefits 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.
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 the Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks
will tell you that government alone can't teach kids to learn. They know
that parents have to parent, 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. No, people don't expect
government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones,
that with just a 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 o
pen 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. That man is John Kerry. John
Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice, because
they've defined his life. From his heroic service in Vietnam to his years
as 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'll offer 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,
but it should never he the first option.
A while back, I met a young man named Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois.
He was a good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear-eyed, with an easy smile.
He told me he'd joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week.
As I listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, his absolute faith in our country
and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all
any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus
as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service men and women, sons
and daughters, hu□□ands and wives, friends and neighbors, who will not be returning
to their hometowns. I thought of families I had 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 with 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. 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 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 are connected as one people. If there's 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 her prescription and has
to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not
my grandmother.
If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or
due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It's 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, yet still come together as a single American
family. "E pluribus unum." Out of many, one.
Yet even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin
masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well,
I say to them tonight, there's not a liberal America and a conservative America -
there's the United States of America. There's not a black America and white America
and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. 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
our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have
gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and
patriots who supported it. 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 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 talk about it, or
the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, 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. The audacity of hope!
In the end, that is God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in
things not seen; the belief that there are better days ahead. I believe 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 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 I do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do,
the same hopefulness I do - if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt 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 and God bless you.