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It's great to be here in Boston this evening. And I want to thank Senator Cleland for that generous introduction. I know you're all waiting to hear those four special words that start with ?I? and end with ?nomination,? but for America, there are more important things to talk about tonight. First, I have to thank my wife Teresa. Without her disinterested acquiescence, John Edwards might be standing up here tonight, and as I said this past spring, John Edwards is simply not ready to be president. Actually, though, I was in favor of John Edwards before I was opposed to him. Now I'm in favor again. The Republicans call this ?waffling,? but they simply refuse to see that there are three sides to every coin.
Today, America's workers need this kind of clarity in the White House. Only 10 decades ago, people up and down the Merrimack River Valley worked on their feet in sweltering, poorly lit textile mills, so exhausted that it was all they could do to keep their hands out of the whirling machinery. But today, the children of those mill workers have no choice but to sit behind a computer for eight, even 10 hours a day, in office buildings that are hot in the winter and cold in the summer. This past spring, the president's chief economic adviser said that outsourcing makes our economy stronger. That's putting jobs last. My plan to create 10 million new jobs over the next four years will ensure that every American, whether they're a computer programmer, medical technician or paralegal, will regain the tedious, hazardous and mind-numbing factory jobs their parents worked so desperately to escape.
Of course, to do this we'll need to work with America's businesses. Some people still think the Democratic Party is opposed to business. But the hundreds of thousands of dollars I've received in donations from HMOs, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industry groups since the earliest days of my career prove that when it comes to the interests of gigantic corporations, John Kerry takes a back seat to no one.
I know what you all want to hear tonight. But before we get to that, I want to talk about values. While running for president, I've been forced to visit places like Cedar Rapids, IA, and Fond-du-Lac, WI, and let me tell you something: It really sucks out there. Have you ever tried to buy a basic tin of Mousse Basquaise in Kentucky? It's not like there's a Savenor's a few blocks from your house. Still, what I discovered when I saw these places for the first time was that people actually live there. Some of them are actually here with us today, right in this great hall that echoes with the voices of many of Boston's sports heroes, like Roger Clemens and Drew Bledsoe. I would also like to remind the delegation from Tennessee that Haymarket does not sell actual hay any longer, but you are welcome to graze your horses on the Common so long as they are not double-parked.
But what I want every middle-class, living-in-the-suburbs, non-French-speaking, network-TV-watching American to know tonight is that this party shares your values. Many people ask me what that means. If they ask what I have done for gay rights, I tell them that I supported allowing gay and lesbian couples to form legal relationships for hospital visitation, property inheritance and child custody. We must protect these basic civil rights. But we must also defend traditional marriage, which is why I favor civil unions. With George W. Bush, you never have any question about where he stands on an issue. He tells you exactly what he's thinking, albeit with frequent misspellings. Because of this, I propose we start improving our educational system, starting at the top. What hope do we have to compete in the global marketplace when shift supervisors at call centers in Bangalore speak better English than the president?
Some people think leadership is about making clear, simple statements that tell people exactly where you stand on the critical issues of the day. Others do not. This is the importance of diplomacy. A little over 200 years ago, France helped liberate this country from the tyranny of the British monarchy. But today, after one term of George W. Bush, we find the world turned upside down, the United States aligning itself with Britain, still a monarchy after all these years, against our great and historic friends in the republic of France - all for a war of choice.
I know you're all asking, ?When is he going to say it?? But right now, a lot more people are asking, ?Did we have to go to war in Iraq?? In nearly two decades in the Senate, I cast very few important votes. Remember the Kerry Bill? You don't, because there isn't one. But when the time came to vote on war, a time when a courageous voice of truth in the wilderness could make all the difference, history will recall how I voted. That's why I've taken every opportunity since then to backbite, snipe and take potshots at the president's decisions. Some people say the challenges of this world demand decisive leadership with clear values. I say they demand John Kerry in the White House. And that's precisely why when people ask, ?Do you accept your nomination?? I can only reply, ?With your help, in 2004, we can, we must, we will bring back our mighty dream again.? Thank you and God bless you all.
Today, America's workers need this kind of clarity in the White House. Only 10 decades ago, people up and down the Merrimack River Valley worked on their feet in sweltering, poorly lit textile mills, so exhausted that it was all they could do to keep their hands out of the whirling machinery. But today, the children of those mill workers have no choice but to sit behind a computer for eight, even 10 hours a day, in office buildings that are hot in the winter and cold in the summer. This past spring, the president's chief economic adviser said that outsourcing makes our economy stronger. That's putting jobs last. My plan to create 10 million new jobs over the next four years will ensure that every American, whether they're a computer programmer, medical technician or paralegal, will regain the tedious, hazardous and mind-numbing factory jobs their parents worked so desperately to escape.
Of course, to do this we'll need to work with America's businesses. Some people still think the Democratic Party is opposed to business. But the hundreds of thousands of dollars I've received in donations from HMOs, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industry groups since the earliest days of my career prove that when it comes to the interests of gigantic corporations, John Kerry takes a back seat to no one.
I know what you all want to hear tonight. But before we get to that, I want to talk about values. While running for president, I've been forced to visit places like Cedar Rapids, IA, and Fond-du-Lac, WI, and let me tell you something: It really sucks out there. Have you ever tried to buy a basic tin of Mousse Basquaise in Kentucky? It's not like there's a Savenor's a few blocks from your house. Still, what I discovered when I saw these places for the first time was that people actually live there. Some of them are actually here with us today, right in this great hall that echoes with the voices of many of Boston's sports heroes, like Roger Clemens and Drew Bledsoe. I would also like to remind the delegation from Tennessee that Haymarket does not sell actual hay any longer, but you are welcome to graze your horses on the Common so long as they are not double-parked.
But what I want every middle-class, living-in-the-suburbs, non-French-speaking, network-TV-watching American to know tonight is that this party shares your values. Many people ask me what that means. If they ask what I have done for gay rights, I tell them that I supported allowing gay and lesbian couples to form legal relationships for hospital visitation, property inheritance and child custody. We must protect these basic civil rights. But we must also defend traditional marriage, which is why I favor civil unions. With George W. Bush, you never have any question about where he stands on an issue. He tells you exactly what he's thinking, albeit with frequent misspellings. Because of this, I propose we start improving our educational system, starting at the top. What hope do we have to compete in the global marketplace when shift supervisors at call centers in Bangalore speak better English than the president?
Some people think leadership is about making clear, simple statements that tell people exactly where you stand on the critical issues of the day. Others do not. This is the importance of diplomacy. A little over 200 years ago, France helped liberate this country from the tyranny of the British monarchy. But today, after one term of George W. Bush, we find the world turned upside down, the United States aligning itself with Britain, still a monarchy after all these years, against our great and historic friends in the republic of France - all for a war of choice.
I know you're all asking, ?When is he going to say it?? But right now, a lot more people are asking, ?Did we have to go to war in Iraq?? In nearly two decades in the Senate, I cast very few important votes. Remember the Kerry Bill? You don't, because there isn't one. But when the time came to vote on war, a time when a courageous voice of truth in the wilderness could make all the difference, history will recall how I voted. That's why I've taken every opportunity since then to backbite, snipe and take potshots at the president's decisions. Some people say the challenges of this world demand decisive leadership with clear values. I say they demand John Kerry in the White House. And that's precisely why when people ask, ?Do you accept your nomination?? I can only reply, ?With your help, in 2004, we can, we must, we will bring back our mighty dream again.? Thank you and God bless you all.
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