Charlotte, NC — The Democratic National Convention kicked off Tuesday evening with opening remarks from Democratic National Committee Chair Rep. Debbie Wassermann Schultz. “We have the largest number of delegates ever assembled at a Democratic National Convention,” Wassermann Schultz said. “As I look out from the podium, I see a diverse assembly of Democrats who represent the strength and unity of our party.”
Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker introduced the 2012 Democratic Party Platform. “This platform is a clear choice between economic pathways,” Booker said: “forward or back, inclusion or exclusion, grow together as a nation or be a country of savage disparities that favor the fortunate few over the greatest driving force of any economy—a large and robust middle class.”
“Our platform and our peresident are not interested in petty political arguments. Instead, this platform of big and practical ideas sets forth an emboldened pathway toward the historic hope which has driven generations od Americans forward—it is our most fundamental national aspiration—that no matter who you are, no matter what your color, creed, how you choose to pray or who you choose yo love, that if you are an American—first generation or fifth—one who is willing to work hard, play by the rules and apply your God-given talents—that you should be able to find a job and pay the bills.”
Booker concluded:
“This is our platform. This is our American mission. Thesebare the dreams of our fathers and mothers. This is the demand from the next generation, who call to our conscience in a chorus of conviction, in classromms from north to south, from sea to shining sea, when they proudly proclaim those sacred words from our most profound pledge, that we are one nation with liberty and justice for all.
San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro delivered the Keynote address speaking of his immigrant roots and the commitment of his mother and grandmother to make sure he and his brother had ally the opportunity that America could offer.
“My family’s story isn’t special,” Castro said. “What’s special is the America that makes our story possible. Ours is a nation like no other, a place where great journeys can be made in a single generation. No matter who you are or where you come from, the path is always forward.”
“America didn’t become the land of opportunity by accident. My grandmother’s generation and generations before always saw beyond the horizons of their own lives and their own circumstances. They believed that opportunity created today would lead to prosperity tomorrow. That’s the country they envisioned, and that’s the country they helped build. The roads and bridges they built, the schools and universities they created, the rights they fought for and won—these opened the doors to a decent job, a secure retirement, the chance for your children to do better than you did.”
“And that’s the middle class—the engine of our economic growth. With hard work, everybody ought to be able to get there. And with hard work, everybody ought to be able to stay there—and go beyond. The dream of raising a family in a place where hard work is rewarded is not unique to Americans. It’s a human dream, one that calls across oceans and borders. The dream is universal, but America makes it possible. And our investment in opportunity makes it a reality.”
“Now, like many of you, I watched last week’s Republican convention. They told a few stories of individual success. We all celebrate individual success. But the question is, how do we multiply that success? The answer is President Barack Obama.”
“Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn’t get it. A few months ago he visited a university in Ohio and gave the students there a little entrepreneurial advice. “Start a business,” he said. But how? “Borrow money if you have to from your parents,” he told them. Gee, why didn’t I think of that? Some people are lucky enough to borrow money from their parents, but that shouldn’t determine whether you can pursue your dreams. I don’t think Governor Romney meant any harm. I think he’s a good guy. He just has no idea how good he’s had it.”
“We know that in our free market economy some will prosper more than others. What we don’t accept is the idea that some folks won’t even get a chance. And the thing is, Mitt Romney and the Republican Party are perfectly comfortable with that America. In fact, that’s exactly what they’re promising us.”
“Of all the fictions we heard last week in Tampa, the one I find most troubling is this: If we all just go our own way, our nation will be stronger for it. Because if we sever the threads that connect us, the only people who will go far are those who are already ahead. We all understand that freedom isn’t free. What Romney and Ryan don’t understand is that neither is opportunity. We have to invest in it.”
“Mitt Romney just doesn’t get it. But Barack Obama gets it. He understands that when we invest in people we’re investing in our shared prosperity. And when we neglect that responsibility, we risk our promise as a nation. Just a few years ago, families that had never asked for anything found themselves at risk of losing everything. And the dream my grandmother held, that work would be rewarded, that the middle class would be there, if not for her, then for her children—that dream was being crushed.”
“Four years ago, America stood on the brink of a depression. Despite incredible odds and united Republican opposition, our president took action, and now we’ve seen 4.5 million new jobs. He knows better than anyone that there’s more hard work to do, but we’re making progress. And now we need to make a choice.”
First Lady Michelle Obama reminded us that “when the challenges we face start to seem overwhelming—or even impossible – let us never forget that doing the impossible is the history of this nation…it’s who we areas Americans…it’s how this country was built.”
“If farmers and blacksmiths could win a war against an empire…if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores…if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote…if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time…if a young preacher could lift us up to the mountaintop with his righteous dream…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the alter with who they love…then surelywe can give everyone in this country a fair chance at the American dream.”
“Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country—the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle.”
Michelle Obama concluded:
“I know from experience that if I truly want yo leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters…if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise…if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility—that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it…then we must work like never before…and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward…my husband, our President, President Barack Obama.”