Democratic National Convention: Some of My Favorite Lines

For those who are disappointed they don't have a convention to watch tonight, I thought I'd share some of my favorites from the Democratic convention. I'm sure others will have special moments that I have not included, so I invite you to add your favorite moments in the comment section.

"As a Republican, I stand before you with deep respect for the history and traditions of my political party. But it is clear to all Americans that something is out of kilter in our great republic. In less than a decade America's political and economic standing in the world has been diminished. Our nation's extraordinary leadership in so many areas is simply not reflected in the partisan bickering and ideological politics of Washington. Seldom has the case for an inspiring new political ethic been more compelling. And seldom has an emerging leader so matched the needs of the moment.

The platform of this transformative figure is a call for change. The change Barack Obama is advocating is far more than a break with today's politics. It is a clarion call for renewal rooted in time-tested American values that tap Republican, as well as Democratic traditions."  Former Republican Representative Jim Leach, IA-1

"Our nation is in trouble on two fronts: The American Dream is under siege at home, and America's leadership in the world has been weakened."  Former President Bill Clinton

"We need a President who understands that the genius of America has always depended on the strength and vitality of the middle class. Barack Obama began his career fighting for workers displaced by the global economy. He built his campaign on a fundamental belief that change in this country must start from the ground up, not the top down. He knows government must be about "We the People" not "We the favored few." And when Barack Obama is in the White House, he'll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time. Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, President Clinton and the Democrats did it before. And President Obama and the Democrats will do it again." Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
 

“But I stand before you tonight because all across American something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me. It’s been about you.

For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have show what history teaches us – that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn’t come from Washington. Changes comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it – because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.

America, this is one of those moments.” Barack Obama

Barack Obama's values are enduring American values:

A belief in personal responsibility, community, and hard work that brought him to the struggling neighborhoods of Chicago.

A faith in God that gives him strength.

A patriotic love of American that gives him courage.

And his wife, Michelle, and his entire loving family, inspiring him every day to strengthen and renew this great country."  Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi

"Everywhere I go in this country, people tell me that Barack Obama is making them feel hopeful the way he did when my father was president. It's partly the words he uses - words that remind us that we are all in this together and that we each have something to contribute to this country that has given us so much. But it's the life he has led that is the true source of this inspiration - a life spent fighting for ordinary people in neighborhoods and courts, in state senate and the United States Senate.

I have never had someone inspire me the way people tell me my father inspired them, but I do now, Barack Obama. And I know someone else who's been inspired all over again by Senator Obama. In our family, he's known as Uncle Teddy. More than any senator of his generation, or perhaps any generation, Teddy has made life better for people in this country and around the world."  Carolyn Kennedy Schlossberg

"When we were young, our family didn't have much in the way of wealth, but what we did have was far more important. We had people who made us believe that with a little imagination, we could dream the improbable; that through hard work we could accomplish the extraordinary; that through the power of education, we could propel ourselves to a future far more promising than our circumstances led us to expect.

Perhaps, most importantly, we had our mother. I've thought of her often during this campaign and wish she were here to see it. She was a sturdy woman and an eternal optimist who understood that parents are our first and best teachers. She encouraged us to explore and ask questions and delight in unexpected discoveries and surprising answers. She brought us to telescopes and microscopes to remind us that there was a world beyond our limited reach and that we should have faith in what we could not see.

"Barack opened my mind and spirit to a broader world. He took me to festivals and museums, introduced me to people from many different neighborhoods and backgrounds, and taught me about the importance of standing up for what you believe. I love to watch him in action, working with such commitment, really listening to people, bringing them together to solve their own problems."  Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack Obama's sister

"Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism and too little cooperation; a  perilous dependence on imported oil; a refusal to lead on global warming; a growing indebtedness and a dependence on foreign lenders; a severely burdened military; a backsliding on global non-proliferation and arms control agreements; and a failure to consistently use the power of diplomacy, from the Middle East to Africa to Latin America and Eastern Europe. Clearly, the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore America's standing in the world. Everything I learned in my eight years as President and in the work I've done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job." Former President Bill Clinton

"We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.

We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work." Senator Barack Obama

"Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race against race, gender against gender, group against group, and straight against gay. And Barack Obama will be a commander-in-chief who understands that young Americans in uniform must never ever be committed to a mistake, but always to a mission worthy of their bravery and sacrifice." Senator Edward Kennedy

"He will work for an America with more partners and fewer adversaries. He will rebuild our frayed alliances and revitalize the international institutions which help to share the costs of the world's problems and to leverage our power and influence." Former President Bill Clinton

"But he reminded me that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves, to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be." Michelle Obama

"Because I believe that each of us - no matter what our age or background or walk of life - each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation. It's a belief Barack shares, a believe at the heart of his life's work. It's what he did all those years ago on the streets of Chicago, setting up job training to get people back to work and after-school programs to keep kids safe, working block by block to help people lift up their families.

It's what he did in the Illinois Senate, moving people from welfare to jobs, passing tax cuts for hard-working families and making sure women got equal pay for equal work. It's what he's done in the United States Senate, fighting to ensure the men and women who serve this country are welcomed home not just with medals and parades, but with good jobs and benefits and health care, including mental health care." Michelle Obama

"Barack Obama is telling us exactly what he will do; launch a bold new economics plan to restore America's greatness; fight for smaller government that trusts the market, but protects against its excesses; enact policies that are pro-choice, pro-education, and pro-family; establish a foreign policy that is smart as well as strong; provide health care for all and solutions for the climate crisis." Former Vice President and once elected President Al Gore

"America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this."Senator Barack Obama

"Barack Obama also will not allow the world's problems to obscure its opportunities." Former President Bill Clinton

"We must listen and lead by example because even a nation as powerful as the United States needs some friends in this world. We need a leader who understands all our security challenges, not just bombs and guns, but global warming, global terror, and global AIDS. And Barack Obama understands there is no way for America to be secure until we create clean energy here at home, not with a little more oil in 5, or 10, or 20 years, but with an energy revolution starting right now.

Our mission is to restore America's influence and position in the world. We must use all the weapons in our arsenal, above all, our values. President Obama and Vice President Biden will shut down Guantanamo, respect the constitution, and make clear once and for all, the United States of America does not torture, not now, not ever." Senator John Kerry

"Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power." Former President Bill Clinton

"Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.

Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.

I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.

I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families.  Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.

And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.

Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them.  In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels.  And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.

Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution.  Not even close.

As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power.  I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America.  I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars.  And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.

America, now is not the time for small plans.

Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy.  Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education.  And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance.  I'll invest in early childhood education.  I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support.  And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability.  And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.

Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American.  If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums.  If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves.  And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.

Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.

Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.

And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.

Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow.  But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money.  It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength."  Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair.  But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.

Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise."  Barack Obama

Joe Biden transcript video

Bill Clinton transcript video

Hillary Clinton transcript video

Al Gore transcript video

Edward Kennedy transcript video

John Kerry transcript video

Jim Leach transcript video

Barack Obama transcript video 

Michelle Obama transcript video

Nancy Pelosi transcript video

Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg transcript video

Maya Soetoro-Ng transcript video  (one of my favorites)