Transcripts For CSPAN Past Democratic Convention Speeches 20120902

were fresh and new, hadn't faded yet. to some degree we're going to be remind the of the 2008. the comparisons will be made. i don't think there's going to be the same excitement in the convention hall for barack obama that there was last time around. people are going to be asking why that is, and it's going to have something to do with the obama record. it's going to have something to do with the way he's conducted his presidency. that's something democrats are going to have to explain. >> 30 seconds. >> the president was not challenged in the primaries. a new president seeking re-election. if he wins, he will be for the second time truly historic. the last time we elected with an employment rate above as it raying raying. it dropped continuously the year before. a plummet raise has not dropped. it's ticked upped in recent months. if president obama winds, it will be because of demographic shifts, his ability to persuade voters. it's better than the alternative. be historic. >> we will see you both in charlotte. c-span.org, you can watch everything online, see a lot of archival video at our convention hub. thanks for joining us. >> you can watch "newsmakers" again later today. later today join us for a campaign rally live in wisconsin with vice president joe biden. he'll be talking at the national railroad museum in green bay at 4:10 eastern here on c-span. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> escort the security council back to the airport. i made my way on to one of the u.n. buses. the security council people seemed pretty uptight. >> anybody know a good song we can sing to the airport? bottles of beer on the wall 99 booty shakeles of beer ♪ come on. nobody? was told u.n. peacekeepers who had killed ivorians. >> the -- at the beginning of the crisis and here we had fighting each other. the u.n. came in to help resolve -- >> it sounds to me like he's dodging the question. >> so i walked out of my apartment, upper west side of manhattan, a very comfortable place to live. nothing particularly exciting generally happens there. i came out and i was greeted by a man who was waiting very nicely dressed, you know, well-made suit, waiting for me outside of my apartment. he said, are you ami more witz -- horowitz. said, yes, i am. he said, is this movie more important than your family? >> why does an investment banker make a film on u.n. waste, mismanagement, and crimes committed by its troops in spined out tonight with ami horowitz on c-span's "q&a". >> ahead of the start of the democratic national convention in charlotte we're showing speeches from some past democratic conventions. next hick hillary clinton when she was first lady, followed by john edwards in 2004, and then edward kennedy in 1980. [captions copyright national 2012]satellite corp. >> hillary rodham clinton spoke at the 1996 convention. earlier she published "it takes a village." this is also year she testified in front of a grand jury about her investment p in and involvement with the whitewater development corporation. her remarks here are about half an hour. ♪ [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you, tipper. thank you all so much. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you all, and good evening. i am overwhelmed by your warm welcome. and i want to thank my friend, tipper gore. you know, we are gathered here together -- [cheers and applause] to have a really good time. i am overwhelmed and very grateful to all of you. [cheers and applause] you know -- applause]d after this reception, i think you all are ready for the rest which hasnvention, already been so positive and good. i know and you know that chicago is my kind of town. [cheers and applause] and chicago is my kind of village. [cheers and applause] i have so many friends here, people who have been important to me all my life. and it seems like every single one of them has given me advice on this speech. one friend suggested that i appear here tonight with binti, the child saving gorilla from the brookfield zoo. you know, as this friend explained, binti is a typical chicagoan, tough on the outside but with a heart of gold underneath. [cheers and applause] another friend advised me that i should cut my hair and color it orange and then change my name to hillary rodman clinton. [laughter] [applause] but, after considering these and countless other suggestions, i decided to do tonight what i've been doing for more than 25 years. i want to talk about what matters most in our lives and in our nation, children and families. [cheers and applause] i wish we could be sitting around a kitchen table, just us, talking about our hopes and fears about our children's futures for bill and me, family has been the center of our lives. but we also know that our family like your family is part of a larger community that can help or hurt our best efforts to raise our child. right now in our biggest cities and our smallest towns there are boys and girls being tucked gently into bed, and there are boys and girls who have no one to call mom or dad and no place to call home. right now there are mothers and fathers just finishing a long day's work and there are mothers and fathers just going to work, some to their second or third jobs of day. right now there are parents worrying, what if the babysitter is sick tomorrow or how can we pay for college this fall? and right now there are parents despairing about gang members and drug pushers on the corners in their neighborhoods. right now there are parents questioning a popular culture that glamorizes sex and violence, smoking and drinking and teaches children that the logos on their clothes are more valued than the generosity in their hearts. [cheers and applause] but also, right now, there are dedicated teachers preparing their lessons for the new school year. [cheers and applause] there are volunteers tutoring and coaching children. there are doctors and nurses caring for sick children, police officers working to help kids stay out of trouble and off drugs. of course parents first and foremost are responsible for their children. but we are all responsible for ensuring that children are raised in a nation that doesn't just talk about family values, but acts in ways that values families. [cheers and applause] just think, as christopher reeve so eloquently reminded us last night, we are all part of one family, the american family, and each one of us has value. each child who comes into this world should feel special -- every body and every girl. our daughter chelsea will graduate from college in 2001 at the dawn of the next century. though that's not so far away, it is hard for any of us to know what the world will look like then, much less when chelsea is my age in the year 2028. but one thing we know for sure is that change is certain. progress is not. progress depends on the choices we make today for tomorrow and on whether we meet our challenges and protect our values. we can start by doing more to support parents and the job they have to do. issues affecting children and families are some of the hardest we face as parents, as citizens, as a nation. in october, bill and i will celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary. [cheers and applause] bill was with me when chelsea was born in the delivery room, in my hospital room, and when we brought our baby daughter home. not only did i have lots of help, i was able to stay in the hospital as long as my doctor thought i needed to be there. [cheers and applause] but today, too many new mothers are asked to get up and get out after 24 hours, and that is just not enough time for many new mothers and babies. that's why the president is right to support a bill that would prohibit the practice of forcing mothers and babies to leave the hospital in less than 48 hours. [cheers and applause] that's also why more hospitals ought to install 24-hour hotlines to answer questions once new mothers and fathers get home. that's why home nurses can make such a difference to parents who may not have grandparents or aunts and uncles around to help. we have to do whatever it takes to help parents meet their responsibilities at home and at work. the very first piece of legislation that my husband signed into law had been vetoed twice -- the family and medical leave law. [cheers and applause] that law allows parents time off for the birth or adoption of a child or for family emergencies without fear of losing their jobs. already it has helped 12 million families, and it hasn't hurt the economy one bit. [cheers and applause] you know, bill and i are fortunate that our jobs have allowed us to take breaks from work, not only when chelsea was born, but to attend her school events and take her to the doctor. but millions of other parents can't get time off. that's why my husband wants to expand the family and medical leave law, so that parents can take time off for children's doctors appointments and parent-teacher conferences at school. [cheers and applause] we all know that raising kids is a full-time job. and since most parents work, they are, we are, stretched thin. just think about what many parents are responsible for on any given day -- packing lunches, dropping the kids off at school, going to work, checking to make sure that the kids get home from school safely, shopping for groceries, making dinner, doing the laundry, helping with homework, paying the bills. and i didn't even mention taking the dog to the vet. that's why my husband wants to pass a flex-time law that will give parents the option to take overtime pay either in extra income or in extra time off, depending upon which is ever best for your family. our family has been lucky to have been blessed with a child with good health. chelsea has spent only one night in the hospital after she had her tonsils out. but bill and i couldn't sleep at all that night. but our experience was nothing like the emotional strain on parents when their children are seriously ill. they often worry about where they will get the money to pay the medical bills. that is why my husband has always felt that all american families should have affordable health insurance. [cheers and applause] just last week the president signed a bill sponsored by senators kennedy and kassebaum, a democrat and a republican, that will enable 25 million americans to keep their health insurance even when they switch jobs or lose a job or have a family member who's been sick. this bill contains some of the key provisions from the president's proposal for health care reform. it was an important step achieved only after both parties agreed to build, not block, progress on making health care available to all americans. now the country must take the next step of helping unemployed americans and their children keep health insurance for six months after losing their jobs. [cheers and applause] if you loose your job, it's bad enough. but your daughter shouldn't have to loose her doctor too. and our nation still must find a way to offer affordable health care coverage to the working poor and the 10 million children who lack health insurance today. [cheers and applause] the president also hasn't forgotten that there are thousands of children languishing in foster care who can't be returned home. that's why he signed legislation last week that provides for a $5,000 tax credit for parents who adopt a child. it also abolishes the barriers to cross-racial adoptions. [cheers and applause] never again will a racial barrier stand in the way of a family's love. my husband also understands that parents are their child's first teachers. not only do we need to read to our children and talk to them in ways that encourage learning, we must support our teachers and our schools in deeds as well as words. [cheers and applause] the president announced today an important initiative, called america reads. this initiative is aimed at making sure all children can read well by the third grade. [cheers and applause] it will require volunteers, but i know there are thousands and thousands of americans who will volunteer to help every child read well. [cheers and applause] for bill and me, there has been no experience more challenging, more rewarding, and more humbling than raising our daughter. and we have learned that to raise a happy, healthy, and hopeful child, it takes a family. it takes teachers. it takes clergy. it takes business people. it takes community leaders. it takes those who protect our health and safety. it takes all of us. [cheers and applause] yes, it takes a village. [cheers and applause] and it takes a president. [cheers and applause] it takes a president who believes not only in the potential of his own child, but of all children, who believes not only in the strength of his own family, but of the american family, who believes not only in the promise of each of us as individuals but in our promise together as a nation. it takes a president who not only holds these beliefs but acts on them. [cheers and applause] it takes bill clinton. [cheers and applause] [could you tell chanting "four more years"] sometimes late at night, when i see chelsea doing her homework or watching tv or talking to a friend on the phone, i think to myself her life and the lives of millions of boys and girls will be better because of what all of us are doing together. they will face fewer obstacles and more possibilities. that is something we should all be proud of. and that is what this election is all about. thank you very much. [cheers and applause] >> now john edwards at the 2004 democratic convention. the senator ran for the presidential nomination that year and came in second in iowa. he later dropped out of the race and was selected by the nominee, john kerry, as his running mate. senator edwards is introduced here by his wife, lids liz. -- elizabeth. ♪ >> thank you. i am elizabeth and tonight i am the very proud mother of kate edwards. [cheers and applause] john and i have been truly blessed with a beautiful and strong family. and we're blessed, too, by you, our great democratic family. [cheers and applause] you have no idea how great you all look from right here. this has been quite a year for john and for me. we started last january crisscrossing america, talking about how with determination and vision and optimism we can end the injustice to americans. and this january it's going to end when we move two great friends, two great americans, john kerry and teres hynes kerry avenue.0 pennsylvania [cheers and applause] the victory ofts spirit and will, over tyranny and tragedy. and she will be the most generous first lady in the history of this country. i am so honored to stand with her. [cheers and applause] john kerry was in the navy, and so was my father. i grew up traveling around the world, living on navy bases. but i always knew i was home when i saw the american flag. like john kerry, my father fought for this country. like john kerry, he was decorated, risking his life and service. my father had another thing in common with john kerry and with so many of the uniformed men and women across the country and around the world. he has the right stuff. [cheers and applause] i married a man with the right stuff, too. [cheers and applause] he found his own way to serve. in his community he was the driving force behind two after school centers to meet the needs of young people. he was santa claus to needy families. and when that wasn't enough, to an entire inner city childcare center. he even looks dashing in a santa suit. in youth activities he did what so many americans do, giving up their weekends and evenings to coach young people in basketball and soccer, in his church and urban ministries, in his prayer groups. and for 20 years in his work, fighting for those who could not fight for themselves. [cheers and applause] it never mattered how powerful the opponent. it never mattered how entrenched the interests. if the cause was just and his voice was needed, he was there. and now he serves the great state of north carolina. [cheers and applause] in the united states senate. still fighting for those who count on him to be their voice. using his intellect and his he will consequence he has fought to improve our health care choices and to protect our environment. and he called attention to the threat of terrorism before september 11. [applause] you know, i married the smartest, toughest, sweetest man i know. and in two days we will celebrate 27 years of marriage. [cheers and applause] the way we always do. we'll do it the way we always do, at wendy's. [laughter] whether it's wendy's or washington, i found that it's true. it's not where you go, it's who you go with. [cheers and applause] but none of the things i've mentioned are the reasons i married john edwards. i married him because he was the single most optimistic person that i have ever known. he knew there was a brighter day ahead even as he swept the floors in the cotton mill as a high school student. he knew if he worked hard enough, he could be the first in his family to go to college. he knew that he could outwork and outtough any battalion of lawyers to find justice. and he continued that fight in washington. courageously, eloquently, with one simple goal, to make the opportunities of america available to all americans. we deserve leaders who allow their faith and morale core, our faith and moral core, to draw us closer together not drive us farther apart. we deserve leaders -- [cheers and applause] we deserve leaders who believe in each of us and fight for all of us. my rock, my love, and your next vice president, john edwards. [cheers and applause] ♪ your love has lifted me higher than ever lifted before so keep it up my desire i'll be at your side forever more ♪ ♪ you know your love keeps on lifting higher and higher and higher i said your love your love lifts me higher and higher♪ cheers cheers. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] ♪ that's why your love keeps on lifting me higher higher and higher i said your love keeps on lifting me higher and higher ♪ [cheers and applause] >> thank you. [cheers and applause] thank you. thank you! thank you! thank you. now you know why elizabeth is so amazing, right? [applause] 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 clair 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? [cheers and applause] my father and mother, wallace and bobbie edwards, are also here tonight. [cheers and applause] you taught me the values that i carry in my heart -- faith, family, responsibility, opportunity for everyone. 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. [cheers and applause] [chanting "edwards"] 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 30 years. when john kerry graduated college, he volunteered for military service, volunteered to go to vietnam, volunteered to captain a swiftboat, 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. [applause] 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 decision 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? [cheers and applause] 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, the man volunteers and puts his life on the line for others, that's a man who represents real american values. [cheers and applause] 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. [cheers and applause] you know, for the last few months, john's 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? >> yes. >> more negative attacks. aren't you sick of it? >> yes. >> 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 the 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. [cheers and applause] 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 grand-kids could have a better life. the truth is, they're just like the auto workers, the office workers, the teachers and shop keepers on main streets all across this country. 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 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 opportunities that i had no matter where you live, no matter who your family is, no matter what the color of your skin is. [cheers and applause] this is the america we believe in. [cheers and applause] i have spent my life fighting for the kind of people i grew up with. for two decades, i stood with kids and families against big hmo's 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 -- [cheers and applause] one for all of 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 where we no longer have two health care systems, one for families who get the best health care money can by, and then one for everybody else rationed out by insurance companies, drug companies, hmo's. millions of americans have no health coverage at all. it doesn't have to be that way. we have a plan. [applause] 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. [cheers and applause] 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 to go when they leave school in the afternoon. we can do this together, you and i. [cheers and applause] 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? >> no. >> you know exactly what i'm talking about. can't save any money, can you? >> no. >> 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 applause] and, instead, we're going to give tax breaks to american companies that are keeping jobs right here in america. and applause] and we will invest in the jobs of the future and 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 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. [cheers and applause] 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 $1,000 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. [cheers and applause] if your child -- 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 everyone -- [cheers and applause] and everybody listening here and at home is thinking one thing right now. ok, how are you 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% of americans -- 98%. we're going to roll back -- we're going to roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest americans. and 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. [cheers and applause] 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. [cheers and applause] 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. [cheers and applause] 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. applause]d let me talk about -- let me talk about why we need to build one america. because i, like many of you, i saw up close 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 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. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting "everywhere!" >> the truth is, the truth is that what john and i want, what all of us want is for our children and our grandchildren to be the first generations that grown 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 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, a smoldering field in pennsylvania. we share a profound sadness for the nearly 3,000 lives that were lost. and 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. we can do that. we are approaching the third anniversary of september 11th, 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. [cheers and applause] we will do whatever it takes, as long as it takes, to make sure this never happens again in our america. cheers cheers. [cheers and applause] and when john is president, we will listen to the wisdom of the september 11th 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 -- [applause] 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. [cheers and applause] 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 last 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. [cheers and applause] [chanting "u.s.a.!" ] you understand that. and they deserve a president who understands that 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 line to protect our values. [cheers and applause] and let me tell you, the 26 million veterans in this country will not have to wonder 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. [cheers and applause] but today, our great united states military is stretched thin. we've got more than 140,000 troops in iraq, almost 20,000 in afghanistan. and 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 best prepared in the world. this will make our military stronger. it'll make sure that we 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. [cheers and applause] 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. [applause] 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. 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 -- [applause] 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 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. [cheers and applause] 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, as we celebrate in this hall, somewhere in america, a mother sits at the kitchen table. she can't sleep because she'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. it didn't use 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 he was 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. [cheers and applause] 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 and says 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 and says her daughter's worked hard and she want's to go to college, you tell her hope is on the way and when your son or daughter, who is serving this untry 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 have 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 is a sad lesson, and the other is 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. [cheers and applause] what we believe -- what john kerry and i believe is that you 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. thank you, god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. [cheers and applause] thank you. [cheers and applause] ♪ you can feel it all over you can feel it all over, people ♪ [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] ♪ >> a i look back at the 2004 convention in boston. and this week we're in charlotte, north carolina. you can see the inside of the arena where the democratic convention will be held. the convention starts tuesday. we will hear from first lady michelle obama. on wednesday, elizabeth warren will appear. and former president bill clinton. and, of course, the president and vice president on thursday. let's take a look at the floor here for a moment. >> in a report from fox news, the stage alone at last week's republican convention cost $20 million. the democrats have spent $7 million here at the time warner cable arena where the speakers are going to be surrounded on three sides by the audience. also different from the republican production, the democratic convention has multiple official sites. we'll be taking you to the time warner cable arena and the bank of america stadium. take a look outside of the stadium. activists are planning for bigger protests here than we saw during the republican convention in tampa. as reuters reports, the protests that were planned for the republican convention never really materialized, partly because of tropical storm isaac. but activists say they expect a stronger showing in charlotte. let's listen in. >> our goal is to unite groups from around the country not only against the republicans but also against the senate as a whole. on august 27 people from around the country braved storms and a heavily militarized police state. we took the streets that monday because we had nowhere else to go. that's why we're here today. the parties of the 1%, republicans and democrats have systematically oppressed the people of this country and people from around the world, whether it be economic violence of foreclosures and forced homelessness, denied access to jobs, health care, and education, racism, and denial of rights as well as the millions of people, immigrants, wars, strikes, so many people around the world. we don't have enough for change. we only have one option, to take the streets. we can't wait for politicians and factors to come around. we have needs. we have to take it to the streets. no one aids going to give it -- no one's going to give it to us. we have to take it. thank you. >> how's it going? we have a request for the people in front to sit down. we would appreciate it. a lot people think along the lines of you're saying so many issues at the same time. i like to say a great quote. there are no single issue moments because we do not need single issue lives. and one of the issues that we are definitely caring about is the environment. so it is an honor for me to tint deuce this next speaker, monica embree, greenpeace activist. she's been fighting so hard against the duke merger. without further ado, monica embree. [cheers and applause] >> good morning. it's great to be here today with all of you. again, my name is monica embree, be i'm a north carolina organizer with greenpeace. today we are proud to stand here on so many different issues, social, economic, environmental. but the vision for the world that we want is clear. we want justice for all people. [inaudible] >> a large number of groups here outside of the convention center in charlotte. 80 or more that make up the coalition to march on wall street south. wall street south is what the protesters are calling charlotte, the largest financial center outside of new york. and the activists plan to hold a three-mile march today. we will bring you back out here throughout the day to catch some of the activity on the ground. >> we will will be hearing later also from vice president biden live today at about 4:10 p.m. eastern. he's going to be speaking in home of hishe republican rival paul ryan. we will bring you live coverage from the national railroad museum in green bay. we will take a look back this weekend at past democratic convention speeches. next, senator edward kennedy at the 1980 done avenges. that's the year he challenged president carter and he didn't officially withdraw from the race until the convention. his remarks are about 35 minutes. [cheers and applause] ♪ [cheers and applause] >> thank you very much. [chanting "we want ted"] >> thank you very much. thanks very much, barbara mikulski, for your very eloquent -- your eloquent introduction. distinguished legislator, great spokeswoman for economic democracy and social justice in this country, i thank you for your eloquent introduction. well, things worked out a little different from the way i thought, but let me tell you, i still love new york. [cheers and applause] my fellow democrats and my fellow americans, i have come here tonight not to argue as a candidate but to affirm a cause. i'm asking you -- i am asking you to renew the commitment of the democratic party to economic justice. i am asking you to renew our commitment to a fair and lasting prosperity that can put america back to work. this is the cause that brought me into the campaign and that sustained me for nine months across a 100,000 miles in 40 different states. we had our losses, but the pain of our defeats is far, far less than the pain of the people that i have met. we have learned that it is important to take issues seriously, but never to take ourselves too seriously. the serious issue before us tonight is the cause for which the democratic party has stood in its finest hours, the cause that keeps our party young and makes it, in the second century of its age, the largest political party in this republic and the longest lasting political party on this planet. [applause] our cause has been, since the days of thomas jefferson, the cause of the common man and the common woman. [applause] our commitment has been, since the days of andrew jackson, to all those he called "the humble members of society -- the farmers, mechanics, and laborers." on this foundation we have defined our values, refined our policies, and refreshed our faith. now i take the unusual step of carrying the cause and the commitment of my campaign personally to our national convention. i speak out of a deep sense of urgency about the anguish and anxiety i have seen across america. i speak out of a deep belief in the ideals of the democratic party, and in the potential of that party and of a president to make a difference. and i speak out of a deep trust in our capacity to proceed with boldness and a common vision that will feel and heal the suffering of our time and the divisions of our party. [applause] the economic plank of this platform on its face concerns only material things, but it is also a moral issue that i raise tonight. it has taken many forms over many years. in this campaign and in this country that we seek to lead, the challenge in 1980 is to give our voice and our vote for these fundamental democratic principles. [cheers and applause] let us pledge that we will never misuse unemployment, high interest rates, and human misery as false weapons against inflation. [cheers and applause] let us pledge that employment will be the first priority of our economic policy. let us pledge that there will be security for all those who are now at work, and let us pledge that there will be jobs for all who are out of work, and we will not compromise on the issues of jobs. [cheers and applause] these are not simplistic pledges. simply put, they are the heart of our tradition, and they have been the soul of our party across the generations. it is the glory and the greatness of our tradition to speak for those who have no voice, to remember those who are forgotten, to respond to the frustrations and fulfill the aspirations of all americans seeking a better life in a better land. we dare not forsake that tradition. we cannot let the great purposes of the democratic party become the bygone passages of history. [cheers and applause] we must not permit the republicans to seize and run on the slogans of prosperity. we heard the orators at their convention all trying to talk like democrats. they proved that even republican nominees can quote franklin roosevelt to their own purpose. [cheers and applause] the grand old party thinks it has found a great new trick, but 40 years ago an earlier generation of republicans attempted the same trick. and franklin roosevelt himself replied, "most republican leaders have bitterly fought and blocked the forward surge of average men and women in their pursuit of happiness. let us not be deluded that overnight those leaders have suddenly become the friends of average men and women." [cheers and applause] "you know," he continued, "very few of us are that gullible." and four years later when the republicans tried that trick again, franklin roosevelt asked, "can the old guard pass itself off as the new deal? i think not. we have all seen many marvelous stunts in the circus, but no performing elephant could turn a handspring without falling flat on its back." [cheers and applause] the 1980 republican convention was awash with crocodile tears for our economic distress, but it is by their long record and not their recent words that you shall know them. the same republicans who are talking about the crisis of unemployment have nominated a man who once said, and i quote, "unemployment insurance is a prepaid vacation plan for freeloaders." and that nominee is no friend of labor. the same republicans who are talking about the problems of the inner cities have nominated a man who said, and i quote, "i have included in my morning and evening prayers every day the prayer that the federal government not bail out new york." and that nominee is no friend of this city and our great urban centers across this nation. [cheers and applause] the same republicans who are talking about security for the elderly have nominated a man who said just four years ago that "participation in social security should be made voluntary." and that nominee is no friend of the senior citizens of this nation. [cheers and applause] the same republicans who are talking about preserving the environment have nominated a man who last year made the preposterous statement, and i quote, "eighty percent of our air pollution comes from plants and trees." [laughter] and that nominee is no friend of the environment. [cheers and applause] and the same republicans who are invoking franklin roosevelt have nominated a man who said in 1976, and these are his exact words, "fascism was really the basis of the new deal." and that nominee whose name is ronald reagan has no right to quote franklin delano roosevelt. [cheers and applause] the great adventures which our opponents offer is a voyage into the past. progress is our heritage, not theirs. what is right for us as democrats is also the right way for democrats to win. the commitment i seek is not to outworn views but to old values that will never wear out. programs may sometimes become obsolete, but the ideal of fairness always endures. circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue. it is surely correct that we cannot solve problems by throwing money at them, but it is also correct that we dare not throw out our national problems onto a scrap heap of inattention and indifference. the poor may be out of political fashion, but they are not without human needs. the middle class may be angry, but they have not lost the dream that all americans can advance together. [cheers and applause] the demand of our people in 1980 is not for smaller government or bigger government but for better government. some say that government is always bad and that spending for basic social programs is the root of our economic evils. but we reply, the present inflation and recession cost our economy 200 billion dollars a year. we reply, inflation and unemployment are the biggest spenders of all. [cheers and applause] the task of leadership in 1980 is not to parade scapegoats or to seek refuge in reaction, but to match our power to the possibilities of progress. ile others talked of free enterprise, it was the democratic party that acted and we ended excessive regulation in the airline and trucking industry, and we restored competition to the marketplace. and i take some satisfaction that this deregulation legislation that i sponsored and passed in the congress of the united states. as democrats we recognize that each generation of americans has a rendezvous with a different reality. the answers of one generation become the questions of the next generation. but there is a guiding star in the american firmament. it is as old as the revolutionary belief that all people are created equal, and as clear as the contemporary condition of liberty city and the south bronx. again and again democratic leaders have followed that star and they have given new meaning to the old values of liberty and justice for all. [cheers and applause] we are the party -- we are the party of the new freedom, the new deal, and the new frontier. we have always been the party of hope. so this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an america uncertain about the present, but we are the party -- we are the party of the new freedom, the new deal, and the new frontier.we have always been the party of hope.so this year let us offer new hope, new hope to an america uncertain about the present, but unsurpassed in its potential for the future. to all those who are idle in the cities and industries of america let us provide new hope for the dignity of useful work. democrats have always believed that a basic civil right of all americans is that their right to earn their own way.the party of the people must always be the party of full employment. [cheers and applause] to all those who doubt the future of our economy, let us provide new hope for the reindustrialization of america.and let our vision reach beyond the next election or the next year to a new generation of prosperity. if we could rebuild germany and japan after world war ii, then surely we can reindustrialize our own nation and revive our inner cities in the 1980's. to all those who work hard for a living wage let us provide new hope that their price of their employment shall not be an unsafe workplace and a death at an earlier age. to all those who inhabit our land from california to the new york island, from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters, let us provide new hope that prosperity shall not be purchased by poisoning the air, the rivers, and the natural resources that are the greatest gift of this continent.we must insist that our children and our grandchildren shall inherit a land which they can truly call america the beautiful. to all those who see the worth of their work and their savings taken by inflation, let us offer new hope for a stable economy.we must meet the pressures of the present by invoking the full power of government to master increasing prices.in candor, we must say that the federal budget can be balanced only by policies that bring us to a balanced prosperity of full employment and price restraint. and to all those overburdened by an unfair tax structure, let us provide new hope for real tax reform.instead of shutting down classrooms, let us shut off tax shelters. instead of cutting out school lunches, let us cut off tax subsidies for expensive business lunches that are nothing more than food stamps for the rich. the tax cut of our republican opponents takes the name of tax reform in vain.it is a wonderfully republican idea that would redistribute income in the wrong direction. you good news for any of with incomes over 200,000 dollars a year.for the few of you, it offers a pot of gold worth 14,000 dollars.but the republican tax cut is bad news for the middle income families.for the many of you, they plan a pittance of 200 dollars a year, and that is not what the democratic party means when we say tax reform. the vast majority of americans cannot afford this panacea from a republican nominee who has denounced the progressive income tax as the invention of karl marx.i am afraid he has confused karl marx with theodore roosevelt -- that obscure republican president who sought and fought for a tax system based on ability to pay.theodore roosevelt was not karl marx, and the republican tax scheme is not tax reform. finally, we cannot have a fair prosperity in isolation from a fair society.so i will continue to stand for a national health insurance.we must -- we must not surrender -- we must not surrender to the relentless medical inflation that can bankrupt almost anyone and that may soon break the budgets of government at every level.let us insist on real controls over what doctors and hospitals can charge, and let us resolve that the state of a family's health shall never depend on the size of a family's wealth. the president, the vice presidt, the members of congress have a medical plan that meets their needs in full, and whenever senators and representatives catch a little cold, the capitol physician will see them immediately, treat them promptly, fill a prescription on the spot.we do not get a bill even if we ask for it, and when do you think was the last time a member of congress asked for a bill from the federal government?and i say again, as i have before, if health insurance is good enough for the president, the vice president, the congress of the united states, then it's good enough for you and every family in america. there were some -- there were some who said we should be silent about our differences on issues during this convention, but the heritage of the democratic party has been a history of democracy.we fight hard because we care deeply about our principles and purposes.we did not flee this struggle.we welcome the contrast with the empty and expedient spectacle last month in detroit where no nomination was contested, no question was debated, and no one dared to raise any doubt or dissent. [cheers and applause] democrats can be proud that we chose a different course and a different platform. we can be proud that our party stands for investment in safe energy, instead of a nuclear future that may threaten the future itself.we must not permit the neighborhoods of america to be permanently shadowed by the fear of another three mile island. we can be proud that our party stands for a fair housing law to unlock the doors of discrimination once and for all.the american house will be divided against itself so long as there is prejudice against any american buying or renting a home. and we can be proud that our party stands plainly and publicly and persistently for the ratification of the equal rights amendment. women hold their rightful place at our convention, and women must have their rightful place in the constitution of the united states.on this issue we will not yield; we will not equivocate; we will not rationalize, explain, or excuse.we will stand for e.r.a.and for the recognition at long last that our nation was made up of founding mothers as well as founding fathers. [cheers and applause] a fair prosperity and a just society are within our vision and our grasp, and we do not have every answer.there are questions not yet asked, waiting for us in the recesses of the future.but of this much we can be certain because it is the lesson of all of our history: together a president and the people can make a difference.i have found that faith still alive wherever i have traveled across this land.so let us reject the counsel of retreat and the call to reaction.let us go forward in the knowledge that history only helps those who help themselves. there will be setbacks and sacrifices in the years ahead; but i am convinced that we as a people are ready to give something back to our country in return for all it has given to us. let this -- let this be our commitment: whatever sacrifices must be made will be shared and shared fairly.and let this be our confidence: at the end of our journey and always before us shines that ideal of liberty and justice for all. [cheers and applause] in closing, let me say a few words to all those that i have met and to all those who have supported me at this convention and across the country.there were hard hours on our journey, and often we sailed against the wind.but always we kept our rudder true, and there were so many of you who stayed the course and shared our hope.you gave your help; but even more, you gave your hearts. and because of you, this has been a happy campaign.you welcomed joan, me, and our family into your homes and neighborhoods, your churches, your campuses, your union halls.and when i think back of all the miles and all the months and all the memories, i think of you.and i recall the poet's words, and i say: "what golden friends i had." among you, my golden friends across this land, i have listened and learned. i have listened to kenny dubois, a glassblower in charleston, west virginia, who has ten children to support but has lost his job after 35 years, just three years short of qualifying for his pension. i have listened to the trachta family who farm in iowa and who wonder whether they can pass the good life and the good earth on to their children. i have listened to the grandmother in east oakland who no longer has a phone to call her grandchildren because she gave it up to pay the rent on her small apartment. i have listened to young workers out of work, to students without the tuition for college, and to families without the chance to own a home. i have seen the closed factories and the stalled assembly lines of anderson, indiana and south gate, california, and i have seen too many, far too many idle men and women desperate to work. i have seen too many, far too many working families desperate to protect the value of their wages from the ravages of inflation. yet i have also sensed a yearning for a new hope among the people in every state where i have been. and i have felt it in their handshakes, i saw it in their faces, and i shall never forget the mothers who carried children to our rallies. i shall always remember the elderly who have lived in an america of high purpose and who believe that it can all happen again. tonight, in their name, i have come here to speak for them.and for their sake, i ask you to stand with them.on their behalf i ask you to restate and reaffirm the timeless truth of our party. i congratulate president carter on his victory here. i am -- i am confident that the democratic party will reunite on the basis of democratic principles, and that together we will march towards a democratic victory in 1980. and someday, long after this convention, long after the signs come down and the crowds stop cheering, and the bands stop playing, may it be said of our campaign that we kept the faith. may it be said of our party in 1980 that we found our faith again. and may it be said of us, both in dark passages and in bright days, in the words of tennyson that my brothers quoted and loved, and that have special meaning for me now: "i am a part of all that i have met to [tho] much is taken, much abides that which we are, we are -- one equal temper of heroic hearts strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield." for me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end. for all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> attorney general, robert f. kennedy, spoke at the 1964 democratic convention after the assassination of his brother, john f. kennedy. many in the party urged robert f. kennedy to run for the presidency. he announced he would run for the u.s. senate. as his 50 minute speech begins, we are showing you the last couple of my -- moments of an ovation that lasted nearly 10 minutes. [cheers and applause] >> mr. chairman. mr. chairman. [cheers and applause] >> mr. chairman. [cheers and applause] >> mr. chairman. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> attorney general kennedy -- [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause] >> has asked me to test the delegates. >> the delegates of these -- this convention were aware of this would be an emotional night. there are 6000 people. 6000 delegates. >> mr. speaker. mr. chairman. mrs. johnson. mr. -- mr. johnson. senator jackson. ladies and gentlemen. mr. chairman, mr. chairman. i wish to speak just for a few moments. i first want to thank all of you, the delegates to the democratic national convention, in support of the democratic party, for all that you did for president john f. kennedy. [cheers and applause] >> database and ran about 12 minutes. -- that ovation ran about 12 minutes. >> i want to express my appreciation to you for the effort you made on his behalf at the convention that years ago and the effort you made on his behalf for his election in 1960. most importantly, the encouragement and the strength you gave him after he was elected president of united states. [cheers and applause] i know it was the source of the greatest strength to him to know there were thousands of people all over the united states who were together with him, dedicated to certain principles and certain ideals. no matter what talent and individual possesses, no matter what industry he might have, no matter how much integrity and honesty he might have, if he is by himself and particularly a political figure, he can accomplish very little. if he is sustained, as president kennedy was, by the democratic party of the united states, dedicated to the same things he was attempting to accomplish, he can accomplish a great deal. no one knew that better than president john f. kennedy. he used to take great pride in telling of the trip jefferson and madison made in the 1800's searching for buckfies. they ended up in new york city and day found the democratic party -- and they found in the political -- the democratic party. the democratic party is the oldest political party in the world. this linkage of madison and jefferson of the leaders -- with the leaders of new york combined the industrial areas of the country with the world firm banks -- rural farms. when thomas jefferson realize the united states could not remain on the eastern seaboard, he said lewis and clark to the west coast. andrew jackson or woodrow wilson or plant and roosevelt who said our citizens is were in great disparity -- or franklin roosevelt, who said our citizens were in great despair. when he became president, he not only had his own principles and his own ideas, but he had the strength of the democratic party. when he came -- became president, he wanted to do something for the mentally ill and be mentally retarded, but for those who were not as receiving adequate minimum wage, for those who did not have adequate housing, for our early people had difficulty paying their -- elderly people had difficulty paying their medical bills. to all of this he dedicated himself. but he realized also in order for us to make progress at home, our military strength had to be strong. he said, only when our arms are without doubt can we be certain that they will never have to be employed. when we had the crisis with the soviet union in october of 1962, the soviet union withdrew their missiles and the bombs from cuba. even beyond that, his idea was that this country, this world really, could be a better place when we turned it over to the next generation than what we inherited from the last generation. [applause] that is why, with all these other efforts that he may, the test ban treaty, was so important to him. that is why he made such an effort and was always committed to the young people, not only of the united states, but the young people love the world. in all of these efforts, you weren't there, all of you. -- you were there, all of you. when there were periods up crisis, you stood beside him. when there were periods of sorrow, you comfort him. i realize that, as an individual, we cannot look back. we must look for work. when i think of president kennedy, i think of what shakespeare said in romeo and juliet. when he shall die, take him and cut him out into little stars and all the world will be in love with night. i realize he was an individual -- [applause] i realize that as an individual and for a political party and the country, there will be times when we must look to the future. everyone here started four years ago. if that is to be continued, the same effort and the same energy and the same dedication that was given to president john f. kennedy must be given to president lyndon johnson and hubert humphrey. [applause] if we make that commitment, it will not only be for the benefit of the democratic party, but more importantly, it will be with the benefits of this whole country. when we look at this, we might think that president kennedy once said we have the capacity to make this the best generation in the history of mankind or make it the last. if we do our duty and me out of responsibility and our obligation -- not just -- and meet our responsibilities and our obligations -- not just as democrats -- this country will be the best generation in the history of mankind. [applause] if we dedicate ourselves to all of you when he spoke when he quoted from robert frost, it could really apply to the democratic party and to all of us as individuals. the words are lovely and dark and deep. i have miles to go before i sleep. miles to go before i sleep. mrs. kennedy has asked that this film be dedicated to all of you and all of the people throughout the country that helped make john f. kennedy the president of the united states. i thank you. [cheers and applause] >> as we take a look back at some of the past democratic convention speeches, this is a look at the upcoming democratic convention, bank of america stadium. this week is just -- it is just one of the locations of the democratic contingent. we will have three views and analysis here on c-span. in just a moment, we will take a look inside the time warner cable arena. this is usually home to be nba charlotte bobcats. the democratic national convention will be moving to another stadium on the final night. outside of the arenas and stadiums, activists and police are planning some protests. they are planning to march on what they call mall -- wall street south. let's take a look at what is happening on the ground. >> another announcement i want to make is that it is so important that we make our own stories today. we made history today. a lot of us and a lot of contingent will be speaking to our media, who is here for us. i need everybody in front of the states. it is a little bit dangerous. >> [speaking spanish] [indistinct speaking] >> ahead of the democratic convention, a lot better weather than they had for the republican convention. we will be bringing you continuous coverage of this occupy rally. unknown. you can also find president obama's speech from colorado. we will also be hearing from vice predent biden at about 4:10 p.m. eastern. we will bring you live coverage from the national railroad in green bay right here on c-span. taking a look at "washington journal" tomorrow on the day before the democratic convention, we will be talking about the latest news from the convention and talk to a political reporter. then the playbook breakfast. we will discuss unions and right to work legislation on the state and federal level. then we will hear from florida's afl-cio president. all of that on "washington journal" tomorrow morning starting at 7:00 a.m. eastern. we have been taking a look back at democratic speeches, democratic convention speeches. the next one is texas state treasurer ann richards giving the keynote at the 1988 convention. the national cause closure -- national exposure help her run successfully for texas governor. [cheers and applause] >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you very much. good evening ladies and gentlemen. buenas noches mis amigos. i am delighted to be with you this evening. after listening to george bush all of these years, i figured you needed to know what a wheel texas accent sounds like. [cheers and applause] 12 years ago, barbara jordan, another texas woman -- [cheers and applause] barbara made the keynote address at this convention. and two women in 160 years is about par for the course. [laughter] but if you give us the chance, we can perform. after all, ginger rogers did everything that fred astaire did. she just did it backwards and in high heels. [cheers and applause] i want to announce to this nation that in a little more than 100 days, the reagoan, wattsxter, weinberger ,w, , stockman, hague, bush era will be over. [cheers and applause] tonight i feel a little like i did when i played basketball in the eighth grade. i thought i looked to in my uniform. then i heard a boy yelled from the bleachers, made that basket, bird legs. [laughter] my greatest fear is that that same guy is somewhere in the audience tonight and he is going to cut me down to size. where i grew up, there really wasn't much tolerance for self importance. people put on heirs. i was born during the depression in a little community outside of waco. i grew up listening to franklin roosevelt on the radio. it was bad then that i came to understand the small truth -- back then that i came to understand the small truth and the hardships that bonn's neighbors together. they had real problems and real -- bonds neighbors together. they had real problems. they would put down a palette and we listen to the grownups talk. -- pallet and listen to the grownups talk. i can still hear the laughter of the man telling chung's you were not supposed to hear. -- telling jokes you were not supposed to hear. they talked about war and washington and what this country needed. they talked straight talk that came from people who were living their lives as best they could. that is what we are going to do tonight. we are going to tell how the cow ate the cabbage. [cheers and applause] i got a letter last week from a young mutter -- mother in lorena, texas. i want to read some of it to you. she writes, our worries go from payday to payday like millions of others. we have two barely decent incomes. i wonder how i will pay the rising car insurance and food. i pray my kids will not have a growth spurt from august to december so i will not have to buy new genes. we buy clothes at the budget store and we have them stretch in the first wash. we try to figure out how we will pay for college and braces and tennis shoes. we do not take vacations and we do not go out to eat. please do not think me ungrateful. we have jobs and a nice place to live and we are healthy. we are the people you see every day in the grocery store. we obey the laws, we pay our taxes and fly our flags on holidays and we try to make it better for ourselves and our children and our parents. we are not local -- vocal anymore. i think maybe we are too tired. i believe people like us are forgotten in america. of course you believe you are forgotten because you have been. [cheers and applause] this republican administration treats us as if we were pieces of a puzzle that cannot fit together. they have tried to put us into compartments and separate us from each other. their political theory is divide and conquer. they have suggested time and time again that what is of interest to one group of americans is not of interest to anyone else. we have been isolated, we have been lumped into that said, crazy ideology called special interests. they told farmers they were selfish and they would drive up food prices if asked the government to intervene on behalf of the family firm. we watched firms go on the -- on behalf of the family farm. we watched farms go bankrupt while we bought food from foreign countries. that is wrong. [cheers and applause] they told working mothers it is all their fault that families are falling apart because they had to go to work to keep their genes in jeans and tennis schools and college. and they are wrong. [cheers and applause] they told american labor they were trying to ruin free enterprise by asking for 60 days' notice of plant closings. and that is wrong. [cheers and applause] and they told the auto industry and the steel industry and the timber industry and the oil industry that you are protectionist if you think the government should enforce our trade laws. and that is wrong. [cheers and applause] when baby little us for demanding clean air and clean water -- when they be little us for demanding clean air and clean water -- belittle us for demanding clean air and clean water and trying to save the ozone layer, that is wrong. [cheers and applause] no wonder we feel isolated and confused. we want answers. their answer is that something is wrong with you. well, nothing is wrong with you. nothing is wrong with you that you cannot fix in november. [cheers and applause] we have been told that the entrance the best interest -- interest of the south is not the same as the north and the northeast. they have to pit one group against another. they have divided this country and in our isolation, we think government is not going to help us. that we are alone in our feeling. we feel forgotten. he that is, we are not an isolated piece of their puzzle. we are one nation. we are the united states of america. we democrats believe that america is still the country a fair play. we can come out of a small town or a poor neighborhood and have the same chance as anyone else and it does not matter if we are black or hispanic or disabled or women. we believe that america is a country where small business owners must succeed because they are the bedrock, backbone of our economy. we believe that our kids deserve good day care and public school s. [cheers and applause] we believe our kids deserved public-school saugh -- public schools where kids can learn and teachers can teach. [cheers and applause] and we want to believe that our parents will have a good retirement and that we will too. we democrats believe that social security is a pact that cannot be broken. [cheers and applause] we want to believe that we can live out our lives without the terrible fear that an illness is going to bankrupt us and our children. we democrats believed that america can overcome any problem, including the dreaded disease called aids. [cheers and applause] we believe that america is still a country where there is more to life than just a constant struggle for money. [cheers and applause] and we believe that america must have leaders who showed us that our struggles amount to something and contribute to something larger, leaders that wants us to be all that we can be. we want leaders like jesse jackson. [cheers and applause] [crowd chanting "jesse, jesse"] jesse jackson is a leader and a teacher. who can open our hearts and open our minds and start our very souls. and he has taught us that we are as good as our capacity for caring. , caring about the drug problem, caring about crime. caring about each other. [cheers and applause] in contrast, the greatest nation of the free world has had a year for 8 straight years that has pretended he cannot hear our questions over the noise of the helicopter. [cheers and applause] and we know he does not want to answer. but we have a lot of questions. and when we get our questions asked or there is a leak or an investigation, the only answer we get is, i do not know, or i forgot. [laughter] [cheers and applause] but he would not accept that answer from your children. -- but you would not accept that answer from your children. [laughter] i would not. [laughter] don't tell me you don't know. or you forgot. we are not going to have the america that we want until we elect leaders who are going to tell the truth. not most days, but every day. leaders who do not forget what they do not want to remember. and for 8 straight years, a joint bush has not displayed been -- a joint bush has not displayed the slightest interest in anything we care about. [cheers and applause] and now that he is after a job he cannot get appointed to -- [cheers and applause] he is like columbus discovering america. [laughter] he found child care. he has found education. poor george. [laughter] he can help it. he was born with a silver foot in his mouth. [laughter] [cheers and applause] no wonder we cannot figure it out. the leadership of this nation is telling us one thing on tv and doing something entirely different. they tell us they are fighting a war against terrorism. and then we find out the white house is selling arms to the ayatollah. [cheers and applause] they tell us that they are fighting a war on drugs. and then people come on tv and thetify that the cia and b dea and the fbi knew they were flying drugs into america all along. [crowd boos] and they are negotiating with a dictator who is shoveling cocaine into this country like crazy. i guess that is their central american strategy. they tell us that employment rates are great. and that they are it used to take one. the opportunity today are so proud of is a low end, low-wage jobs. there is no major city in america where you cannot see men and public lots holding signs that say "i will work for food." my friends, we are at a crucial time in american history. under this administration we have devoted our resources into making this country in military philosophy. we have let our economic lines fall into disrepair. the debt of this nation is greater than it has ever been in our history. in lessht a war of war las than what the republicans have built up in the past eight years. it is like that brother in law who drives the flashy new car but he is always borrowing money from you to make the payment. let's take what they're proudest of, and their stand on defense. we are committed to a strong america. when our leaders say we need a new weapon system, our inclination is to say "is they must be right." when we paid billions for planes that will not fly, billions for tanks that will not fire, and billions for systems that will not work, that old dog won't hunt. and applause] you do not have to be from waco to know that when the pentagon makes folks read it and does not make america strong, that it is a bum deal. i am really glad that our young people missed the depression and missed the great big war, but i do regret day miss the leaders that i knew, leaders that told us when things were tough and that we would have to sacrifice and that these difficulties might last for a while. they did not tell us things were hard because we were different. or isolated. but they brought us together and gave us a sense of national purpose. they gave us social security and said they're setting up a system where we could pay our own money in and with the time came for our retirement we could take money out. people in the rural areas that we are told they were going to necessary. inner cienergy they told us they were guaranteed that the money was going to be there and insured appeared today -- insured. and they did not lie to us. i think one of the saving graces of democrats is that we are candid. we talked straight talk. we tell people what we think. that tradition and those values live today in michael dukakis from massachusetts. michael dukakis knows that this country is on the edge of a great new error. -- era. we are not afraid of change. we are full of thoughtful, it truthful leadership. there is an impatience to unify this country and to get on with the future. they are tough. they are generous. i have to tell you that i have never met a man who had a more remarkable since about -- sense about what is important in life. then there is my friends and my teacher for many years, senator lloyd bentsen. i cannot be prouder both as a texan and as a democrat. he understands america. from the bar a note to the boardroom, he knows how to bring us together -- barrio to the boardroom, he knows how to bring us together. he is already beat george bush once. when it comes right down to it, this election is a contest between those who are satisfied with what they have and those who know we can do better. that is what this election is really all about. it is about the american dream, those who want to keep it for the kids and those who know it must be nurtured and passed along. i am a grandmother now. i have a one in nearly perfect granddaughter named lily. when i hold that grandbaby i feel the continuity of life that defined generations, that ties us with each other. sometime i spread back baptist palette on the floor and we rolled the ball back and forth. i think of all the families like mine all across america. as i look at lilly, i know is in families that we learned the need to respect human dignity and to work together for our goods. it is the same. as i sit there, i wonder if she'll ever grasp of the changes i have seen in my life, if she will ever believe there is a time when blacks did not drink from water fountains, when spanish children or not punished for speaking spanish in public schools and women could not vote. i was so much to tell lilly how far we have come. as the ball rolls back and forth, i want to tell her how very lucky she is. for all of our difference, we are still the greatest nation on this good earth. our strength lies with the men and women who go to work every day who struggled to balance of their family and their job and who should never ever be forgotten. i just hope that she goes on to raise her kids with the promise that echoes at home all across america. that we can do better. that is what this election is all about. thank you very much. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> 1976, barbara jordan became the first african american woman to give a keynote address. she's also the first elected to serve in the house of texas. she gained national recognition as a member of the national judiciary committee. this is about 20 minutes. ♪ me [band playing "deep in the heart of texas"] ladies and gentlemen. ladies and gentlemen. you are neither ladies nor gentlemen. know it,you don't let me introduce the honorable robert jordon of houston, texas. -- barbara jordan of houston, texas. >> thank you. thank you. thank you ladies and gentlemen for a very warm reception. it was one hundred and forty- four years ago that members of the democratic party first met in convention to select a presidential candidate. since that time, democrats have continued to convene once every four years and draft a party platform and nominate a presidential candidate. and our meeting this week is a continuation of that tradition. but there is something different about tonight. there is something special about tonight. what is different? what is special? i, barbara jordan, am a keynote speaker. a lot of years passed since 1832, and during that time it would have been most unusual for any national political party to ask a barbara jordan to deliver a keynote address. but tonight, here i am. and i feel -- i feel that notwithstanding the past that my presence here is one additional bit of evidence that the american dream need not forever be deferred. now -- now that i have this grand distinction, what in the world am i supposed to say? i could easily spend this time praising the accomplishments of this party and attacking the republicans -- but i don't choose to do that. i could list the many problems which americans have. i could list the problems which cause people to feel cynical, angry, frustrated, problems which include lack of integrity in government, the feeling that the individual no longer counts, the reality of material and spiritual poverty, the feeling that the grand american experiment is failing or has failed. i could recite these problems, and then i could sit down and offer no solutions. but i don't choose to do that either. the citizens of america expect more. they deserve and they want more than a recital of problems. we are a people in a quandary about the present. we are a people in search of our future. we are a people in search of a national community. we are a people trying not only to solve the problems of the present, unemployment, inflation, but we are attempting on a larger scale to fulfill the promise of america. we are attempting to fulfill our national purpose, to create and sustain a society in which all of us are equal. throughout -- throughout our history, when people have looked for new ways to solve their problems and to uphold the principles of this nation, many times they have turned to political parties. they have often turned to the democratic party. what is it? what is it about the democratic party that makes it the instrument the people use when they search for ways to shape their future? well i believe the answer to that question lies in our concept of governing. our concept of governing is derived from our view of people. it is a concept deeply rooted in a set of beliefs firmly etched in the national conscience of all of us. now what are these beliefs? first, we believe in equality for all and privileges for none. this is a belief -- this is a belief that each american, regardless of background, has equal standing in the public forum -- all of us. because we believe this idea so firmly, we are an inclusive rather than an exclusive party. let everybody come. i think it no accident that most of those immigrating to america in the 19th century identified with the democratic party. we are a heterogeneous party made up of americans of diverse backgrounds. we believe that the people are the source of all governmental power, that the authority of the people is to be extended, not restricted. this can be accomplished only by providing each citizen with every opportunity to participate in the management of the government. they must have that, we believe. we believe that the government which represents the authority of all the people, not just one interest group, but all the people, has an obligation to actively -- underscore actively -- seek to remove those obstacles which would block individual achievement -- obstacles emanating from race, sex, economic condition. the government must remove them, seek to remove them. we. we are a party of innovation. we do not reject our traditions, but we are willing to adapt to changing circumstances, when change we must. we are willing to suffer the discomfort of change in order to achieve a better future. we have a positive vision of the future founded on the belief that the gap between the promise and reality of america can one day be finally closed. we believe that. this, my friends is the bedrock of our concept of governing. this is a part of the reason why americans have turned to the democratic party. these are the foundations upon which a national community can be built. let all understand that these guiding principles cannot be discarded for short-term political gains. they represent what this country is all about. they are indigenous to the american idea. and these are principles which are not negotiable. in other times -- in other times, i could stand here and give this kind of exposition on the beliefs of the democratic party and that would be enough. but today that is not enough. people want more. that is not sufficient reason for the majority of the people of this country to decide to vote democratic. we have made mistakes. we realize that. we admit our mistakes. in our haste to do all things for all people, we did not foresee the full consequences of our actions. and when the people raised their voices, we didn't hear. but our deafness was only a temporary condition, and not an irreversible condition. even as i stand here and admit that we have made mistakes, i still believe that as the people of america sit in judgment on each party, they will recognize that our mistakes were mistakes of the heart. they'll recognize that. and now -- now we must look to the future. let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. if we do not, we not only blaspheme our political heritage, we ignore the common ties that bind all americans. many fear the future. many are distrustful of their leaders, and believe that their voices are never heard. many seek only to satisfy their private work -- wants, to satisfy their private interests. but this is the great danger america faces -- that we will cease to be one nation and become instead a collection of interest groups, city against suburb, region against region, individual against individual, each seeking to satisfy private wants. if that happens, who then will speak for america? who then will speak for the common good? this is the question which must be answered in 1976, are we to be one people bound together by common spirit, sharing in a common endeavor, or will we become a divided nation? for all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future. we must not become the "new puritans" and reject our society. we must address and master the future together. it can be done if we restore the belief that we share a sense of national community, that we share a common national endeavor. it can be done. there is no executive order, there is no law that can require the american people to form a national community. this we must do as individuals, and if we do it as individuals, there is no president of the united states who can veto that decision. as a first step -- as a first step, we must restore our belief in ourselves. we are a generous people, so why can't we be generous with each other? we need to take to heart the words spoken by thomas jefferson, let us restore the social intercourse -- "let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and that affection without which liberty and even life are but dreary things." a nation is formed by the willingness of each of us to share in the responsibility for upholding the common good. a government is invigorated when each one of us is willing to participate in shaping the future of this nation. in this election year, we must define the "common good" and begin again to shape a common future. let each person do his or her part. if one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are going to suffer. for the american idea, though it is shared by all of us, is realized in each one of us. and now, what are those of us who are elected public officials supposed to do? we call ourselves "public servants" but i'll tell you this, we as public servants must set an example for the rest of the nation. it is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and exhort the people to uphold the common good if we are derelict in upholding the common good. more is required -- more is required of public officials than slogans and handshakes and press releases. more is required. we must hold ourselves strictly accountable. we must provide the people with a vision of the future. if we promise as public officials, we must deliver. if we as public officials propose, we must produce. if we say to the american people, "it is time for you to be sacrificial" -- sacrifice. if the public official says that, we [public officials] must be the first to give. we must be. and again, if we make mistakes, we must be willing to admit them. we have to do that. what we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government ought to do nothing. strike a balance. let there be no illusions about the difficulty of forming this kind of a national community. it's tough, difficult, not easy. but a spirit of harmony will survive in america only if each of us remembers that we share a common destiny, if each of us remembers, when self-interest and bitterness seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny. i have confidence that we can form this kind of national community. i have confidence that the democratic party can lead the way. i have that confidence. we cannot improve on the system of government handed down to us by the founders of the republic. there is no way to improve upon that. but what we can do is to find new ways to implement that system and realize our destiny. now i began this speech by commenting to you on the uniqueness of a barbara jordan making a keynote address. well i am going to close my speech by quoting a republican president and i ask you that as you listen to these words of abraham lincoln, relate them to the concept of a national community in which every last one of us participates, "as i would not be a slave, so i would not be a master." "this expresses my idea of democracy. whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy." thank you. >> he chose geraldine ferraro as his running mate. the speeches about half an hour. -- this speech is about half an hour. for been [band playing "new york, new york"] ladies and gentlemen of the convention, my name is geraldine ferraro. i stand before you to proclaim tonight, america is the land where dreams can come true for all of us. as i stand before the american people and think of the honor this great convention has bestowed upon me, i recall the words of dr. martin luther king jr., who made america stronger by making america more free. he said, "occasionally in life there are moments which cannot be completely explained by words. their meaning can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart." tonight is such a moment for me. my heart is filled with pride. my fellow citizens, i proudly accept your nomination for vice president of the united states. and i am proud to run with a man who will be one of the great presidents of this century, walter f. mondale. tonight, the daughter of a woman whose highest goal was a future for her children talks to our nation's oldest party about a future for us all. tonight, the daughter of working americans tells all americans that the future is within our reach -- if we're willing to reach for it. tonight, the daughter of an immigrant from italy has been chosen to run for president in the new land my father came to love. our faith that we can shape a better future is what the american dream is all about. the promise of our country is that the rules are fair. if you work hard and play by the rules, you can earn your share of america's blessings. those are the beliefs i learned from my parents. and those are the values i taught my students as a teacher in the public schools of new york city. at night, i went to law school. i became an assistant district attorney, and i put my share of criminals behind bars. i believe, if you obey the law, you should be protected. but if you break the law, you should pay for your crime. when i first ran for congress, all the political experts said a democrat could not win in my home district of queens. but i put my faith in the people and the values that we shared. and together, we proved the political experts wrong. in this campaign, fritz mondale and i have put our faith in the people. and we are going to prove the experts wrong again. we are going to win, because americans across this country believe in the same basic dream. last week, i visited elmore, minnesota, the small town where fritz mondale was raised. and soon fritz and joan will visit our family in queens. nine hundred people live in elmore. in queens, there are 2,000 people on one block. you would think we would be different, but we're not. children walk to school in elmore past grain elevators, in queens, they pass by subway stops. but, no matter where they live, their future depends on education -- and their parents are willing to do their part to make those schools as good as they can be. in elmore, there are family farms, in queens, small businesses. but the men and women who run them all take pride in supporting their families through hard work and initiative. on the fourth of july in elmore, they hang flags out on main street, in queens, they fly them over grand avenue. but all of us love our country, and stand ready to defend the freedom that it represents. playing by the rules americans want to live by the same set of rules. but under this administration, the rules are rigged against too many of our people. it isn't right that every year, the share of taxes paid by individual citizens is going up, while the share paid by large corporations is getting smaller and smaller. the rules say, everyone in our society should contribute their fair share. it isn't right that this year ronald reagan will hand the american people a bill for interest on the national debt larger than the entire cost of the federal government under john f. kennedy. our parents left us a growing economy. the rules say, we must not leave our kids a mountain of debt. it isn't right that a woman should get paid 59 cents on the dollar for the same work as a man. if you play by the rules, you deserve a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. it isn't right that if trends continue -- by the year 2000 nearly all of the poor people in america will be women and children. the rules of a decent society say, when you distribute sacrifice in times of austerity, you don't put women and children first. it isn't right that young people today fear they won't get the social security they paid for, and that older americans fear that they will lose what they have already earned. social security is a contract between the last generation and the next, and the rules say, you don't break contracts. we're going to keep faith with older americans. we hammered out a fair compromise in the congress to save social security. every group sacrificed to keep the system sound. it is time ronald reagan stopped scaring our senior citizens. it isn't right that young couples question whether to bring children into a world of 50,000 nuclear warheads. that isn't the vision for which americans have struggled for more than two centuries. and our future doesn't have to be that way. change is in the air, just as surely as when john kennedy beckoned america to a new frontier, when sally ride rocketed into space and when rev. jesse jackson ran for the office of president of the united states. by choosing a woman to run for our nation's second highest office, you sent a powerful signal to all americans. there are no doors we cannot unlock. we will place no limits on achievement. if we can do this, we can do anything. tonight, we reclaim our dream. we're going to make the rules of american life work fairly for all americans again. to an administration that would have us debate all over again whether the voting rights act should be renewed and whether segregated schools should be tax exempt, we say, mr. president, those debates are over. on the issue of civil, voting rights and affirmative action for minorities, we must not go backwards. we must -- and we will -- move forward to open the doors of opportunity. to those who understand that our country cannot prosper unless we draw on the talents of all americans, we say, we will pass the equal rights amendment. the issue is not what america can do for women, but what women can do for america. to the americans who will lead our country into the 21st century, we say, we will not have a supreme court that turns the clock back to the 19th century. to those who understand that our country cannot prosper unless we draw on the talents of all americans, we say, we will pass the equal rights amendment. [applause] the issue is not what america can do for women, but what women can do for america. [applause] to the americans who will lead our country into the 21st century, we say, we will not have a supreme court that turns the clock back to the 19th century. [applause] to those concerned about the strength of american family values, as i am, i say, we are going to restore those values -- love, caring, partnership -- by including, and not excluding, those whose beliefs differ from our own. because our own faith is strong, we will fight to preserve the freedom of faith for others. [applause] to those working americans who fear that banks, utilities, and large special interests have a lock on the white house, we say, join us, let's elect a people's president, and let's have government by and for the american people again. [applause] to an administration that would savage student loans and education at the dawn of a new technological age, we say, you fit the classic definition of a cynic, you know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. [applause] to our students and their parents, we say, we will insist on the highest standards of excellence because the jobs of the future require skilled minds. to young americans who may be called to our country's service, we say, we know your generation of americans will proudly answer our country's call, as each generation before you. this past year, we remembered the bravery and sacrifice of americans at normandy. and we finally paid tribute -- as we should have done years ago -- to that unknown soldier who represents all the brave young americans who died in vietnam. [applause] let no one doubt, we will defend america's security and the cause of freedom around the world. but we want a president who tells us what america is fighting for, not just what we are fighting against. [applause] we want a president who will defend human rights -- not just where it is convenient -- but wherever freedom is at risk -- from chile to afghanistan, from poland to south africa. to those who have watched this administration's confusion in the middle east, as it has tilted first toward one and then another of israel's long- time enemies and wondered." will america stand by her friends and sister democracy? "we say, america knows who her friends are in the middle east and around the world. america will stand with israel always. [applause] finally, we want a president who will keep america strong, but use that strength to keep america and the world at peace. a nuclear freeze is not a slogan, it is a tool for survival in the nuclear age. if we leave our children nothing else, let us leave them this earth as we found it -- whole and green and full of life. [applause] i know in my heart that walter mondale will be that president. [applause] the gift of life a wise man once said, "every one of us is given the gift of life, and what a strange gift it is. if it is preserved jealously and selfishly, it impoverishes and saddens. but if it is spent for others, it enriches and beautifies." my fellow americans, we can debate policies and programs. but in the end what separates the two parties in this election campaign is whether we use the gift of life -- for others or only ourselves. [applause] tonight, my husband, john, and our three children are in this hall with me. to my daughters, donna and laura, and my son, john jr., i say, my mother did not break faith with me and i will not break faith with you. [applause] to all the children of america, i say, the generation before ours kept faith with us, and like them, we will pass on to you a stronger, more just america. thank you. [applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] clients we take a look back at some of the past democratic convention speeches. here is a scene from this year's convention in charlotte, n.c. we will have live coverage minute by minute at the time warner cable arena, the home of the charlotte bobcats. we will take a look inside the arena at one of the locations of the democratic national convention. we will see first lady michelle obama on the first day in the unveiling of the party platform. it will be submitted for a final vote. "the new york times" said the democratic party would not accept corporate donations. they could make in kind donations. politico says they received fewer union donations since it is being held in a right to work state, north carolina, where they do not collect mandatory dues. we are having some trouble receiving video. the first speaker on tuesday, first lady michelle obama, said the keynote address will be by gillian castro. -- julian castro. then we will hear from elizabeth warren and former president bill clinton. you can find on our convention hall with a web explicit videos and ways you can clip and share portions of videos. it's at c-span.org/campaign2012. to tweet, #cspandnc > later on, we will hear from vice-president biden at 4:10 p.m. eastern expected to here in wisconsin, the home of his rival, paul ryan. we will bring you live coverage from the national railroad museum in green bay. looking back at past democratic convention speeches. this next one, ce-presidential candidate al gore accepting his party's nomination at the 1992 convention. he stayed out because his son had been hit by a car a few years earlier. his speeches about half an hour. [applause] [applause] >> thank you. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. thank you, very much. i have to tell you, i've been dreaming of this moment since i was a kid growing up in tennessee: that one day, i'd have the chance to come here to madison square garden and be the warm-up act for elvis. my friends, i thank you for your confidence expressed in the vote this evening, i pledge to pour my heart and soul into this crusade on behalf of the american people, and i accept your nomination. i did not seek this nomination or expect it. but i am here to join this team because i love my country. and i believe in my heart that together we offer the american people the best chance we have to move this nation forward in the right direction again. [applause] i am here because the country i love has a government that is failing our people: the forgotten majority in your hometown and mine who work hard and play by the rules, who scrimp and save to build a better life for their children. i am here to renew a journey our founders began more than 200 years ago. in my fetime, i have seen america's ideals and dreams change the world, and i believe that now is the time to bring those ideals and dreams home again to change america. [applause] 'there is always hope' our country is in trouble. and while george bush and dan quayle have been making excuses for deadlock and decay, people in other nations--inspired by the eternal promise of america-- have torn down the berlin wall, brought communism to its knees and forced a racist government in south africa to turn away from apartheid. throughout the world, obstacles to liberty that many thought might stand forever turned out to be no match for men and women who decided in their hearts that their future could be much greater than their past would let them dream. their faith in the power of conscience and the force of truth required a leap of the human spirit. can we say truthfully that their chance for change was better than ours? yet we face our own crisis of the spirit here and now in america. we're told we can no longer change, we've seen our better days; they even say we're history. the cynics are having a field day because across this country, millions of american families have been betrayed by a government out of touch with our values and beholden only to the privileged few. millions of people are losing faith in the very idea of democracy, and are even in danger of losing heart, because they fear their lives may no longer have any deeper meaning or purpose. but you can't kill hope that easily, not here, not in america, where a cynic is just a disappointed idealist in disguise, a dreamer yearning to dream again. [applause] in every american, no matter how badly betrayed or poorly led, there is always hope. even now, if you listen, you can hear the pulse of america's true spirit. no, the american spirit isn't gone. but we vow here tonight that in november, george bush and dan quayle will be. bush, quayle criticized they've had their chance, and they have failed. they have taxed the many to enrich the few. it is time for them to go. [applause] they have given us false choices, bad choices, and no choice. it is time for them to go. [applause] they have ignored the suffering of those who are victims, of aids, of crime, of poverty, of hatred and harassment. it is time for them to go. they have nourished and appeased tyrannies, and endangered america's deepest interests while betraying our cherished ideals. it is time for them to go. [applause] they have mortgaged our children's future to avoid the decisions they lack the courage to make. it is time for them to go. they have demeaned our democracy with the politics of distraction, denial and despair. it is time for them to go. the american people are disgusted with excuses and tired of blame. they know that throughout american history, each generation has passed on leadership to the next. that time has come again. the time for a new generation of leadership for the united states of america to take over from george bush and dan quayle. and that means it is time for them to go. in 1992, our challenge is not to elect the last president of the 20th century, but to elect the first president of the 21st century, bill clinton. [applause] bill clinton has a plan that offers real answers for the real problems of real people, a bold new national economic strategy to rebuild this country and put our people back to work. and if you want to know what bill clinton can do, take a look at what he has already done. for more than a decade, he's been fighting against incredible odds to bring good jobs, better skills and genuine hope to one of the poorest states in this country. a decade ago, when his state needed dramatic reform to shake up one of the worst school systems in america, bill clinton took on the established interests and made arkansas the first state to require teacher- testing. he has cut classroom size, raised test scores and earned the support of both teachers and parents; they know bill clinton will be the real education president. for most of the last decade, while the republicans have been trying to use welfare to divide us, bill clinton has led the fight to reform the welfare system to move people off welfare and into the work force. and bill clinton did all this while balancing eleven budgets in a row and giving the people of arkansas one of the lowest tax burdens in this country. no wonder arkansas under bill clinton has created manufacturing jobs at ten times the national rate. and no wonder when all of the nation's governors, republicans and democrats alike, were asked to vote on who was the most effective governor in america, they chose bill clinton by an overwhelming margin. what we need in america in 1992 is a president who will unleash the best in us by putting faith in the decency and good judgment of our people. a president who will challenge us to be true to our values and examine the ways in which our own attitudes are barriers to the progress we seek. america is ready to be inspired and lifted again, by leaders committed to seeking out the best in our society, developing it and strengthening it. i have spent much of my career working to protect the environment, not only because it is vital to the future of my state of tennessee, our country and our earth, but because i believe there is a fundamental link between our current relationship to the earth and the attitudes that stand in the way of human progress. for generations, we have believed we could abuse the earth because we weren't really connected to it. but now we must face the truth. the task of saving the earth's environment must and will become the central organizing principle of the post-cold war world. [applause] and just as the false assumption that we are not connected to the earth has led to the ecological crisis, so the equally false assumption that we are not connected to each other has led to our social crisis. [applause] even worse, the evil and mistaken assumption that we have no connection to those generations preceding us or those who will follow us has led to the crisis of values we face today. those are the connections that are missing from our politics today. those are the bridges we must rebuild if we are to rebuild our country. and those are the values we must honor in order to recapture that faith in the future which has always been the heart of the american dream. we have another challenge as well. in the wake of the cold war, with the re-emergence of ancient ethnic and racial hatreds throughout the world, the united states must once again prove that there is a better way. just as we accepted on behalf of humankind the historic mission of proving that political freedom is the best form of government and economic freedom is the best engine of prosperity, and must now accept the obligation of proving that freedom from prejudice is the heart and soul of community, that yes, we can get along, yes, people of all backgrounds can not only live together peacefully but enrich one another, celebrate diversity and come together as one. yes, we will be one people and live the dream that will make this world free. [applause] in the end, this election isn't about politics. it isn't even about winning, though that's what we are going to do. it's about the responsibilities we owe one another and we owe our children, the calling we hear to serve our country and to be part of a community larger than ourselves. you've heard a lot in the past week about how much bill clinton and i have in common. indeed, we both share the values we learned in our hometowns: individual responsibility, faith, family and the belief that hard work should be rewarded. we're both fathers with young children, children who are part of a generation whose very future is at stake in this election. and we're both proud of our wives, hillary clinton and tipper gore, two women who have done more for the children of this country in the last 12 years than the last two men who have sat in the oval office have done in their lifetimes. [applause] i'm proud my father and mother could be here tonight to see me join a ticket that will make good on the best advice they ever gave me: to tell the truth and always love my country. my sister and i were born to two wonderful people who worked hard to give us a better life. 1992 is the year of the woman. it is also the 46th anniversary of the year my mother, born in a time when women weren't even allowed to vote, became one of the first women to graduate from vanderbilt law school. [applause] my father was a teacher in a one-room school who worked his way to the united states senate. i was eight years old when my father's name was placed in nomination for the vice presidency before the democratic convention of 1956. growing up, i watched him stand courageously for civil rights and economic opportunity and a government that worked for ordinary people. [applause] i don't know what it's like to lose a father, but i know what it's like to lose a sister and almost lose a son. i wish my late sister, nancy, could be here this evening, but i am grateful beyond words for the blessings my family has shared. three years ago, my son, albert, was struck by a car crossing the street after watching a baseball game in baltimore. he was thrown 30 feet in the air on impact and scraped along another 20 feet on the pavement after he hit the ground. i ran to his side and held him and called his name, but he was limp and still, without breath or pulse. his eyes were open with the empty stare of death, and we prayed, the two of us, there in the gutter, with only my voice. his injuries, inside and out, were massive, and for terrible days he lingered between life and death. tipper and i spent the next thirty days and nights at his bedside. our family was lifted and healed, in no small measure by the love, compassion and prayers of thousands of people, most of whom we never even knew. albert is plenty brave and strong, and with the support of three wonderful sisters-- karenna, kristin, and sarah-- and two loving parents who helped him with his exercises every morning and prayed for him every night, he pulled through. and now, thank god, he has fully recovered, and he runs and plays and torments his older sisters like any little boy. [applause] but that experience changed me forever. when you've seen your 6-year- old son fighting for his life, you realize that some things matter more than winning, and you lose patience with the lazy assumption of so many in politics that we can always just muddle through. when you've seen your reflection in the empty stare of a boy waiting for a second breath of life, you realize that we weren't put here on earth to look out for our needs alone; we're part of something much larger than ourselves. my friends, if you look up for a moment from the rush of your daily lives, you will hear the quiet voices of your country crying out for help. you will see your reflection in the weary eyes of those who are losing hope in america. and you will see that our democracy is lying there in the gutter, waiting for us to give it a second breath of life. [applause] i don't care what party you're in, whether you are an independent, whether you have been tempted to give up on the whole political process or not, or give up on our party or not, we want you to join this common effort to unite our country behind a higher calling. if you have been supporting ross perot, i want to make a special plea to you this evening: don't give up on your fight for change. [applause] the time has come for all americans to be part of the healing. in the words of the bible, "do not lose heart. this nation will be renewed." in order to renew our nation, we must renew ourselves. just as america has always transcended the hopes and dreams of every other nation on earth, so must we transcend ourselves and, in gandhi's words, become the change we wish to see in the world. [applause] let those of us alive today resolve with one another that we will so conduct ourselves-- in this campaign and in our lives--that 200 years from now, americans will say of our labors that this nation and this earth were healed by people they never even knew. i'm told that hope, ark., is a lot like my hometown of carthage, tenn.: it's a place where people know about it when you're born and care about it when you die. that's the america bill clinton and i grew up in. that's the kind of nation we want our children to grow up in. just as hope is a community, so is america. when we bring the community of america together, we will rekindle the american spirit and renew this nation for generations to come. and the way to begin is to elect bill clinton president of the united states of america. [applause] thank you very much. [applause] ♪ ♪ >> we are showing video from past conventions beaches for the upcoming democratic convention starting tuesday. you can find this all on our convention hon. you can clip and share portions of speeches all online at c- span.org/campaign2012. join the conversation on twitter. before al gore, we showed geraldine ferraro, the first woman on a national ticket. on twitter, one of you were says, "i still love her. one of my favorite people to listen to." another, "just watch barbara jordan's speech from the 1976 democratic national convention. she was so inspiring and dynamic." #cspandnc. >> hello. i'm a production assistant with "washington journal." i will be working in conjunction with the producers to help research and ended sound bites and i will also be creating and editing graphics and i will be taking your phone calls throughout the shows that we can make sure we have an open discussion with the public. is the first convention i have ever had a chance to work on, the first election i have helped produce. i'm excited to be working with such a great team. >> "washington journal" will be in charlotte talking with activists and our viewers. watch at 7:00 a.m. eastern all morning on c-span. >> tomorrow, we will have tim funk talking about the latest from the convention from charlotte with the "charlotte observer." will be followed by the politico playbook breakfst. mark mix will discuss the right to work legislation on state and federal levels. this is all on "washington journal." your calls, emails, and tweets. vice-president biden at 4:10 p.m. eastern will be speaking in wisconsin at the home of his republican rival, paul ryan. live coverage from green bay. taking a look back at past conventions features. in 2004, after he won the state's primary, they asked him to give the keynote address at that year's convention. his remarks are about 20 minutes. ♪ >> thank you so much. thank you so much. thank you. thank you so much. thank you. thank you, dick durbin. you make us all proud. on behalf of the great state of illinois -- [applause] the crossroads of a nation, the land of lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. particular honor 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 to the british. 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, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. [applause] 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 my grandfather signed up for duty; joined patton's army, 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 g.i. bill, bought a house through f.h.a., and later moved west all the way to hawaii 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. [applause] 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. and yet, i know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride. i stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two 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. [applause] 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 be 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 faithin simple dreams. children at night and know that t an insistence on small miracles, thathat we can tuck in our children at night and know that 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. that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted at least, most of the time. this year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our values and our 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. [applause] more work to do for the workers i met in galesburg, ill., 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 that i met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that 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. now 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 by the pentagon. [applause] go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can't teach our kids to learn they know that parents have to teach, 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. they know those things. [applause] people don't expect government to solve all their problems. but they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight 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 open 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. and that man is john kerry. [applause] john kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they've defined his life. from his heroic service to vietnam, to his years as a 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 offers 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 sometimes, but it should never be the first option. you know, a while back, i met a young man named seamus in a v.f.w. hall in east moline, ill.. he was a good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. he told me he'd joined the marines, and was heading to iraq the following week. and as i listened to him explain why he'd enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, i thought this young man was all that any of us might hope for in a child. but then i asked myself: are we serving seamus as well as he is serving us? i thought of the 900 men and women sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and i thought of the families i've 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 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. 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 that 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're all connected as one people. if there is 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 their prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandparent. if there's an arab american family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. it is that fundamental belief, it is 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 and yet still come together as one american family. now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. well, i say to them tonight, there is not a liberal america and a conservative america there is the united states of america. there is not a black america and a white america and latino america and asian america there's the united states of america. the pundits, 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 in our libraries in the red states. we coach little league in the blue states and yes, we've got some gay friends in the red states. there are patriots who opposed the war in iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in iraq. 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 do we participate in 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 think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. that's not what i'm talking about. 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. hope in the face of difficulty. hope in the face of uncertainty. the audacity of hope! in the end, that is god's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. a belief in things not seen. a belief that there are better days ahead. i believe that 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 we have a righteous wind at our backs and 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 that i do, if you feel the same urgency that i do, if you feel the same passion i do, if you feel the same hopefulness that i do if we do what we must do, then i have no doubts 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 very much everybody. god bless you. thank you. thank you, and god bless america. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> michelle obama spoke on the first sighted the convention that the air. her remarks are about 20 minutes. as you might imagine, for barack, running for president is nothing compared to that first game of basketball with my brother, craig. i can't tell you how much it means to have craig and my mom here tonight. like craig, i can feel my dad looking down on us, just as i've felt his presence in every grace-filled moment of my life. and at six-foot-six, i've often felt like craig was looking down on me, too, literally. but the truth is, both when we were kids and today, craig wasn't looking down on me, he was watching over me. and he has been there for me every step of the way since that clear day, february, 19 months ago, when, with little more than our faith in each other and a hunger for change, we joined my husband, barack obama, on the improbable journey that has led us to this moment. but each of us comes here also by way of our own improbable journey. i come here tonight as a sister, blessed with a brother who is my mentor, my protector, and my lifelong friend. and i come here as a wife who loves my husband and believes he will be an extraordinary president. and i come here as a mom, as a mom whose girls are the heart of my heart and the center of my world. they're the first things i think about when i wake up in the morning and the last thing i think about before i go to bed at night. their future -- and all our children's future -- is my stake in this election. and i come here as a daughter, raised on the south side of chicago by a father who was a blue-collar city worker and a mother who stayed at home with my brother and me. my mother's love has always been a sustaining force for our family. and one of my greatest joys is seeing her integrity, her compassion, her intelligence reflected in my daughters. my dad was our rock. and although he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in his early 30s, he was our provider. he was our champion, our hero. but as he got sicker, it got harder for him to walk. it took him longer to get dressed in the morning. you know, but if he was in pain, he never let on. he never stopped smiling and laughing, even while struggling to button his shirt, even while using two canes to get himself across the room to give my mom a kiss. he just woke up a little earlier and he worked a little harder. he and my mom poured everything they had into me and craig. it was the greatest gift a child could receive, never doubting for a single minute that you're loved and cherished and have a place in this world. and thanks to their faith and their hard work, we both were able to go to college, so i know firsthand from their lives and mine that the american dream endures. and, you know, what struck me when i first met barack was that, even though he had this funny name, and even though he had grown up all the way across the continent in hawaii, his family was so much like mine. he was raised by grandparents who were working-class folks just like my parents and by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills just like we did. and like my family, they scrimped and saved so that he could have opportunities that they never had for themselves. and barack and i were raised with so many of the same values, like, you work hard for what you want in life, that your word is your bond, that you do what you say you're going to do, that you treat people with dignity and respect, even if you don't know them and even if you don't agree with them. and barack and i set out to build lives guided by these values and to pass them onto the next generation, because we want our children -- and all children in this nation -- to know that the only limit to the height of your achievements is the reach of your dreams and your willingness to work hard for them. and as our friendship grew, and i learned more about barack, he introduced me to work -- the work that he'd done when he first moved to chicago after college. you see, instead of going to wall street, barack went to work in neighborhoods that had been devastated by the closing of steel plants. jobs dried up. and barack obama was invited back to speak to people from those neighborhoods about how to rebuild their community. and the people gathered there together that day were ordinary folks doing the best they could to build a good life. see, they were parents trying to get by from paycheck to paycheck, grandparents trying to get it together on a fixed income, men frustrated that they couldn't support their families after jobs had disappeared. you see, those folks weren't asking for a handout or a shortcut. see, they were ready to work. they wanted to contribute. they believed, like you and i believe, that america should be a place where you can make it if you try. and barack stood up that day, and he spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. he talked about "the world as it is" and "the world as it should be." and he said that, all too often, we accept the distance between the two and we settle for the world as it is, even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. but he reminded us that we also know what our world should like -- look like. he said 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. and isn't that the great american story? it's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in high school gyms, and people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had, refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals. and it's because of their will and determination that this week we celebrate two anniversaries, the 88th anniversary of women winning the right to vote -- and the 45th anniversary of that hot summer day when dr. king lifted our sights and our hearts with his dream for our nation. and i stand here today at the crosscurrents of that history, knowing that my piece of the american dream is a blessing hard won by those who came before me, all of them driven by the same conviction that drove my dad to get up an hour early each day to painstakingly dress himself for work, the same conviction that drives the men and women i've met all across this country. people who work the day shift, they kiss their kids goodnight, and head out for the night shift, without disappointment, without regret, see, that goodnight kiss is a reminder of everything they're working for. the military families who say grace each night with an empty seat at the table. the servicemen and women who love this country so much, they leave those they love most to defend it. the young people across america serving our communities, teaching children, cleaning up neighborhoods, caring for the least among us each and every day. people like hillary clinton who put those 18 million cracks in that glass ceiling so that our daughters and our sons can dream a little bigger and aim a little higher. people like joe biden who has never forgotten where he came from and never stopped fighting for folks who work long hours and face long odds and need someone on their side again. all of us driven by the simple belief that the world as it is just won't do, that we have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be. and that is the thread that connects our hearts. that is the thread that runs through my journey and barack's journey and so many other improbable journeys that have brought us here tonight, where the current of history meets this new tide of hope. and, you see, that is why i love this country. in my own life, in my own small way, i have tried to give back to this country that has given me so much. see, that's why i left a job at a big law firm for a career in public service, working to empower young people to volunteer in their communities, because i believe that each of us -- no matter what our age or our background or our walk of life -- each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation. and it's a belief that barack shares, a belief at the heart of his life's work. see, it's what he did all those years ago in 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 get equal pay for equal work. it's what he's done in the united states senate, fighting to ensure that 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. see, that's why barack's running, to end the war in iraq responsibly to build an economy that lifts every family, to make sure health care is available for every american, and to make sure that every single child in this nation has a world-class education all the way from preschool to college. that's what barack obama will do as president of the united states of america. he'll achieve these goals the same way he always has, by bringing us together and reminding us how much we share and how alike we really are. careee, barack doesn't where you're from, or what your background is, or what party, if any, you belong to. see, that's just not how he sees the world. he knows that thread that connects us -- our belief in america's promise, our commitment to our children's future -- he knows that that thread is strong enough to hold us together as one nation even when we disagree. it was strong enough to bring hope to those neighborhoods in chicago. it was strong enough to bring hope to the mother he met who was worried about her child in iraq, hope to the man who's unemployed and can't afford gas to find a job, hope to the student working nights to pay for his sister's health care, sleeping just a few hours a day. and it was strong enough to bring hope to people who came out on a cold iowa night and became the first voices in this chorus for change that has been echoed by millions of americans from every corner of this nation millions of americans who know that barack understands their dreams, millions of americans who know that barack will fight for people like them, and that barack will bring finally the change that we need. and in the end, and in the end, after all that's happened these past 19 months, see, the barack obama i know today is the same man i fell in love with 19 years ago. he's the same man who drove me and our new baby daughter home from the hospital 10 years ago this summer, inching along at a snail's pace, peering at us anxiously at -- through the rearview mirror, feeling the whole weight of her future in his hands, determined to give her everything he'd struggled so hard for himself, determined to give her something he never had, the affirming embrace of a father's love. and as i tuck that little girl in -- as i tuck that little girl in and her little sister into bed at night, you see, i think about how, one day, they'll have families of their own and how, one day, they -- and your sons and daughters -- will tell their own children about what we did together in this election. they'll tell them -- they'll tell them how this time we listened to our hopes, instead of our fears, how this time we decided to stop doubting and to start dreaming. how this time, in this great country, where a girl from the south side of chicago can go to college and law school, and the son of a single mother from hawaii can go all the way to the white house. that we committed ourselves to building the world as it should be. so tonight, in honor of my father's memory and my daughters' future, out of gratitude for those whose triumphs we mark this week, and those whose everyday sacrifices have brought us to this moment, let us devote ourselves to finishing their work, let us work together to fulfill their hopes, and let's stand together to elect barack obama president of the united states of america. thank you. god bless you, and god bless america. >> hi, daddy. >> hello. how about michelle obama at? ? now you know why i asked her out so many times. you want a persistent presidents. you are unbelievable. >> thank you. >> you look very cute. >> thank you. >> i am here with the family in st. louis. >> daddy was a the are you in? kansas city. how do think mom did? >> i think she did good. >> i think so, it too. i'll see you guys on thursday. >> i love you, daddy. like sticking a look back at some of the past speeches. here on the grounds the democratic national convention begins tuesday. more than 80 groups will be joining together for protests. the occupied movement, protesting the wall street of the south. as far as security, officials are set to prepare for a sitting president coming into town as well as events being held at two vineyards. take a look at what is going on right now. >> banks of america, bad for america. banks of america, bad for america. banks of america, bad for america. >> we are bringing you the view from the ground here in charlotte. let us know what you think. you can use the hashtag # cspandnc. on tuesday we will hear from first lady michelle obama. later today, vice president by then will be live at about 4:10 p.m. eastern. you can let us know what you think about his speech. we're taking garbo cause after he wraps up today. take a look at the political dynamic in north carolina. we are going to be broadcasting this week. earlier we heard about the political dynamics in the state. president obama one they're not the 2008, at the first president to win since jimmy carter. >> joining as now is susan roberts. tell us how the state has changed over the last decade or two. what is mean? guest: one of the most important changes would be the number of people that are newcomers to charlotte. public policy polling looks at the new comers which are 11% in north carolina picture they have given president obama the increase in favorability. newcomers are people that support obama by 40%. host: a little more about demographics. a significant black population, 22%. what i think president obama has to do is mobilize voters. 14,107 votes. that is a battleground state. it is not a bellwether state. it probably will not be the state that in sight this at all. >> our guest now joining us a charlotte, north carolina. we will take the phone calls for our guests as we look closer. the population is just another 10 million. it is 9.6%. it is the highest in the country. it is the 12th highest. to give us more insight. guest: that is much of the change. s.xtiles comment tobacco they are gone without question. the textiles have been declining. we had jobs in computers, and technology. the six have had an impact but still have the world -- rural areas. there are 15 and he party -- -- there are 15 tea party chapters in the state. that is where you have the most growth. the job someone goes to the african americans and the newcomers. >host: there is a separate line for those from north carolina. we look forward to hearing from you. the first call is from toledo. good morning. caller: good morning. i was calling about the demographics immobilization. how do oyuyou mobilize people as far as to influences this ta? there is a lot of money being spent. the media sways the politics. how do you mobilize a nation? >> in north carolina you are going to look at several questions. do the demographics lead to the destiny or the history? is it the money? in north carolina there has been a serious effort to register new voters. especially the hispanic/latino voter. n.c. is a state where money will matter. there is campaign advertising. we have seen much in the way of money spent. it is an expensive market. ink we will see president obama get them to turn out. all are not created equal. ts are some of the people really have to be turned on by the campaign and electorate to really vote. that is important. mobilization is the way we can get those demographics and tell president obama. host: a cnn poll has mitt romney 48%, mitt romney 47%. good morning. caller: i wanted to know why did the republicans talk about president obama doing this and that. they are not being truthful. what is wrong with our politicians when they can get on the podium and not state the facts? president obama should not worry about saying something wrong. he should shoot straight at them as hard as he can. it hurts me to my heart when i see the other side degrade and talk down to him. host: in our twitter traffic, there is a whole issue of truth out there. what would you say to that? >> both sides of trying to step aside the argument. these are places that try to pick apart. they are not sure the average american voter is listening. we should reiterate these. people criticize republicans. they give them an unfiltered access. and maybe and filters for those the minister is this over analyze. that is one way that the american voter can listen. it depends on what you're listening to. if it to c-span, cnn. beattie very different approaches. >> welcome to the program. >> one and the things they would love to do is control the message. the candidates can always say that is not me. there is very fascinating questions. they are not coordinated. they have an idea of super packs and where they want to take the message. north carolina people remember the days that gave the candidates all the resources that all too often was negative. here is a job i did not get because of affirmative action. host: let's hear from west virginia. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to make a comment. what we lack right now is leadership. we have had no leadership righ whatsoever. if obama will lead they could do so. without a leader, and they will not do anything. they do not have to. i heard nancy pelosi and harry reid had an affair and she had an abortion. host: 80 in the first part of the call you want to talk about? >> the american dream narrative is very powerful. the second was a lack of leadership. the republicans fail to mention it was a stalemate between the democrats and republicans in washington. he said i'm going to do this my first day in office. we are so polarized that the republicans have gotten more conservative and the democrats have gotten more liberal. gone are the days of the modern partisan. host: what religion in north carolina politics this year? guest: i was taking inventory of what are the reasons. i cannot come up with a number. i think many people are not aware that north carolina has that 9.6% unemployment. there define marriage between a man and woman passed by 60 1%. the poet spent twice as much. the republicans took over. a few things that interesting and i think they come from the republican controlled legislature. republicans helped defeat the racial justice act barre -- it s the republican controlled site that cannot decide on a number. many of the things we can look at. they say it is more conservative. perhaps more divided. >> he mentioned the tea party. there is a twitter question. house john has this been in the past elections? >> it is different to talk about people that i identify with the tea party. there is no one consistent tea party. i am curious as to the extent they coordinated their efforts. i think you're going to see those conservatives. they are going to turn of the voters. i do not know if they have been registrating them. i know they are not exclusively for the democrats. >> some more of the numbers in north carolina. they are registered voters as of last week. about 43% of the state, 31% republicans. unaffiliated about 25% of the state. anything in those numbers tax g? guest: independents may be the key. set for one of the battleground/swing states, you had independents on the rise. for north carolina, it is the people that settle in the research triangle. that come to the baking industry. i think some people under estimate the number of retirees back come to the chapel hill area. that has been in one of the largest of six. that is the older population. north carolina has a robust state. i cannot recall how many state branches. >> bob is in florida. >> good morning. thank you for taking the call. this is for professor susan roberts. i'd seen a blip about a year ago that said what was considered the black belts between and along the eastern seaboard, i read it is 6.5 or 8.5 black americans and had retired and had moved out of this large area. they mentioned it was the largest racial exodus -- x's and american history. i wondered if they were probably going to be going south and if they were going to go south, they would be going back to south.home towns in the sel in the elections, they are going to be hinged on such a small number. i think there's 17,000 person vote. how much of that comes into play with all of the folks? host: professor eric? guest: that is a wonderful question. i do not think this is so prevalent in the lower south. north carolina always positioned itself aggressively. if you look at some of the maps, it is pink. all the rest are red. i do not know what the numbers are in the outer states. you have had african-americans to have come back to north carolina. this could be significant if they are mobilized. host: we have read a lot about the urban versus rural economy. tell us about how it is changing. guest: the urban area is still becoming more liberal than the rural. had ideological divide was really prevalent. they were defining marriage is only between a man and a woman. the areas came out these are the areas that are much more conservative. it is always interesting. some places look at church attendance. we look at the rest of the south. the rest of the south is more evangelicals and north carolina. that is something we could look like -- look at. are there other races on the ballot that can make a different? guest: there are several things they cannot control. she was one of the least liked governors in the country. he was mayor for years and years. i think that is a race that is tightening. the republicans have a good chance i getting the governor's race. i think there has been so much redistricting that the republicans i have heard hope to pick up for seat in n.c.. that is pretty impressive. i think it was one of those things that i do not know if he would have been defeated. he made the decision that this is what he wanted to do. they were more liberal views for the republicans. he was not a liberal democrat. he chose not to run for reelection. that is telling. host: democratic line. can you turn the sound down on your television set? i think he might be gone. are you there? what would you like to say? caller: i like to thank you for taking my call. i am a loyal c-span listener. i voted for obama for his first term because of the health care law. i will vote for him again. mitt romney need to show his tax returns. what is he hiding? host: does the health-care lot play a big role in the north carolina vote? guest: it is a mixed message. i think north carolina might reflect the same sentiment as the nation as a whole. i do not know what it is one to do for the next election. as far as the tax return issue, i do not know whether you'll see that come back out. it is a concern with americans. he has given so much money to charity. should that be the case, we would like to see them. then the contrast that with 10- forms that his father released. i do not know if there is a secret there. i would not be surprised if you do not see ads by the obama campaign suggesting there's something going on. host: tomorrow is labor day. north carolina has a low rate immunization region of unification. guest: a carolina is a right to work state. he made a good point of saying they have no union presence. if there is some concern reading about the logistics of the dnc coming to charlotte. there is some dissonant about the prevalence of the labor workers in north carolina for the convention. that is an issue. i do not know how much of a galvanized. we lost a lot in manufacturing jobs. i do not know what that is. the union vote is not the linchpin. it is not the key is used to be. host: republican, indiana. caller: i have studied and read the obama plan. i am very active politically. i've never voted a straight ticket. obama's people all the time misrepresent obamacare. i have many friends in medical field. they lied about [inaudible] i am living in here. it is a democratic area. people do not care about mitt mney's taxes. guest: we have not discussed the importance of the party platform. i think this was highlighted briefly at the republican convention with some planks that some said were barely radically conservative. i would point out that the health care reform is very complicated. you have a firestorm when you looked at planned parenthood. i think this is one of those things that people are going to have different views. it is complicated. i do not know what the view is that the medical community. i think there have been a lot of complaints. it may be that certain segments have looked at the health care reform and find it too complicated. medical community. host: just under 15 minutes left with our guest, susan roberts, political science professor at davidson college. speak about your students. what do they ask, and speak about these days when it comes to politics. guest: davidson college is about 15 miles from charlotte and we have a great number of students, democrats and republicans, who are working for the convention. about almost 200 that are coming down to work on thursday, and these are votes, people that identify with the republican party and identify with the democratic party. 40 it stands to reason that more can identify with the democrats. i think there's a lot of -- i think the president had a conversation the other day about is it policy or is it personality that really galvanizes people to vote. one of the things that came up was the goal of the republicans in the national convention on thursday night was to humanize mitt romney. i think that tells a lot of people that that's one of the things that is the charisma that makes people turn out to vote. the american public already knows president obama. so what is the tone there? it's not going to be so much the personal narrative that we saw night after night for better or worse at the republican national convention. i think my students are also a little concerned about the polarization. they may be concerned about it because i talk about it a lot in my courses on the congress and the presidency. they're trying to figure out is it still a red state, do we still have red states or blue states, are there culture wars, and where does the youth -- where is the millenial vote now, what's going to happen that happened in 2008, is it going to there be in 2012. host: let's get a call from richmond, virginia, bertha, a democrat, for susan roberts. hi there, you're on the air. caller: yes. 41 i'm calling and there was a lady that spoke earlier and she talked about not voting, that president obama needs to get up and be appreciative of everything that all of us have done for him, and i do think president obama is a -- he is a humble man, but what i wanted to say to her, don't have tunnel vision. it's important for all people to vote. not voting only hurts ourselves when we don't vote. we have to find something that we are in agreement with. a country divided is a country that will fall and right now i see our country divided and i don't believe that president obama is causing hatred and division. i think he still is trying to pull the country together, and because of that, i will continue to vote for him. and another thing, god took care of the poor, so people make decisions if they want to be gay or lesbians, and -- and so forth, but people that cannot take care of themselves, as president obama said, we are our brother's keeper, and god took care of the poor, and that's what i think we should do. host: susan roberts. guest: i think there is discussion about the degree to which we need to have a safety net. and i'll agree with the caller, too, we not only have what we could call the poor and how we frame that, but the working poor. 42 and i think as you would probably agree, it's not just the vote. one of the things president obama did in 2008 is invest voters in his campaign, and that was reflected in the number of small contributions that he was able to generate, and that invests people in the election. if one gives $50, you're investing in the campaign. not just literally in terms of money, but figuratively, in terms of i contributed to this. and so i think we should all turn out to vote. one of the things i think if you look at 2008 versus 2012, then i try to point out is you did not have the number of states contemplating or passing voter identification laws. north carolina, and i want to point out because it does disappoint me, the state legislature refused to pay $600,000 that would free up $4 million from the federal government to extend or have early voting centers, to upgrade voting machines, and as someone pointed out, that's a $7 to $1 investment. that's important. and i'm concerned as a political scientist about early voting and how this play be circumscribed in different states. it's still going to be an issue for the brennan center for justice, it's a great place to look about the number of states that are looking at or passing voter identification. 43 governor perdue veto the the voter i.d. and the house didn't override it. that was an attempt in north carolina but did not succeed. host: marie from raleigh, north carolina is now is on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. i'm so thankful to be able to talk to you today. i enjoy c-span over the years, and i hope it continues. my question to the professor, fir of all, is about the topic of voters in the classroom. is it discussed specifically about the voters' power or feeling empowered, the dynamics, have they changed over the last 10 years, along with the diversity of communications throughout the country? guest: well sure, and using the social media of the leg up that president obama had in 2008. i don't have a facebook, i don't use twitter or whatever, you know, i don't tweet, but i think that's created a lot of interest in the younger voter. i do think they talk about, the students, talk about the influence of money and 2012 is going to be different because of more photo voter legislation, because of superpacs and perhaps because the use of the social media is not exclusively for the obama campaign, and we do spend a lot of time looking at what someone would call negative campaigning, and 44 there's the question of whether that depresses turnout or has no effect at all. most political scientists would say the jury is still out, it's not clear that negative voting really spurs people to the polls as much as you would like. it really reaffirms what republicans think about the election and the candidates and what democrats think. negative campaigning doesn't do a lot to really convince the undecided voter. host: on the line, michigan, richard, a republican. hi there. caller: yes. i'm calling with one question because i'm concerned with it. i'm concerned with your concern, as to why in three years has there not been a budget passed by the senate? the president presented one, it was voted down, 99-nothing. where is the senate budget? it's supposed to be by law that you have a budget. do you consider them law breakers? something you can talk about. guest: i don't know that i consider them law breakers but i consider the u.s. senate highly dysfunctional, and i think if you look at it and you look at the much discussed filibuster and the way that they can, as someone said, the senate is the place where good bills go to die, and i think you're correct in saying the budget is a set of priorities and people want to 45 see what -- this want to know our national priorities. it's be a -- it's been a complicated four years for the president but it's also been -- and i'm upset because we've gotten this politics of brinkmanship, almost like a game of chicken. you know, who will move first, and i think that that's a real -- to call it a stalemate is maybe being charitable. host: how does that play itself out the rest of the campaign do you think? blaming washington, blaming congress, blaming each other, or more a campaign about ideas? guest: well, i think paul ryan would hope it's about ideas because he's been i believe a 7-term member of congress who didn't have the experience of being out in the work force, being in business, and congress is i think about 11 percent approval rating. people always said i'd like to meet that 11 percent that approve of the job that congress is doing. so i think it may be about -- they my try to portray it as ideas or the democrats may say look, we didn't have control of congress in the last two years when things really needed reevaluated, we need to push the country in a different course. i think congress is going to play into it. but i don't know which, if this is going to be the throw the bums out that we had years ago. 46 host: paul ryan will be in north carolina this week. by the way, what kind of traffic susan roberts are you expecting by the candidates, at least the principals and others? guest: i think we are going to have more republicans in north carolina than we had democrats in florida, and i think -- i would really argue that part of that is a function of hurricane isaac and the fact that it would have been unseemly to have a lot of politicians in florida at the time, but we've got republicans, paul ryan and others, coming around the state. i don't know that anyone is going to northbound florida. but i will -- is going to be in florida, but i will say this, we are going to see an uptick in protestors in charlotte for the democratic national convention than we saw in florida and whether that's a feature of the weather, or more stringent access, the protestors, i don't think we expect any trouble, but i think they're going to increase the dialogue and put a little more focus on the issues and the polices and maybe not so much on personalities. host: time for a couple more calls from lesberg, virginia, donna, independent, good morning. caller: hi, good morning. i'm in battleground state, and i'm where there are political ads to the point where it's sickening. one caller talked about the 47 lack of leadership. my question is, and this is what has changed me from an independent to a democrat -- from an independent to a democrat as soon as the republican party said they were going to make president obama a one-term president, i knew i was dealing with a bunch of children and there's no way if they were legitimately trying to solve issues for the country, if you put that up front, how can i expect that they were going to go ahead and make this easy or even cooperative for them to work with the presidency. so that made it -- that really put a sore bug in my ear, when they came out with that from the very beginning, because for me, electing a president is about issues, and it is about the -- it's about issues and character, and i'll tell you, after looking at the debates and after looking at the republican convention, i'll tell you, i'm very concerned about romney. one gentleman called in and said people are not concerned about the attacks, the attacks. well, independents are. what you do in the dark tells you who that person really is and even his thing about religion, i'm a christian, i believe that religion is an individual choice but i do think that tells but the character of the person and where their direction is going. so whether you believe, whether you're a christian or 48 jew or mormon, i may have a problem that, you know, their philosophy on women or philosophy on polygamy or philosophy on magic under pants. stuff like that matters when you're talking about electing leaders that are going to lead this country. guest: i think you're right, i think independents, democrats, i would guess republicans, most of them, were a little disappointed to hear that mitch mcconnell said on day one, his job was to make president obama a one-term president. that was before we really got into a lot of proposals. i share the caller's disappointment with leadership, but i do want to point out this. i did not want to see religion play a heavy role in this election in terms of people being uncomfortable or mystified by president obama's attending church and looking at that and also whether or not what americans might think about the mormon religion. i guess i'm glad that they didn't make it the highlight of the vote, the number one reason. i think that you're right in terms of leadership. we can't quantify leadership, whether leadership is, you know, in terms of rhetoric that can rally or move people or if it's something about what you do in the private sector. of course, i like politics. i don't understand economics 49 or venture capital, or these sorts of things, but i think leadership is wanting and i think we have people in the senate and the house before who were leaders and took risk. here we have in north carolina the simpson-bowles where mr. bowles was a north carolinian, took some very bold steps, but i think you're right, it's going to take lead -- leadership takes followers and that's the one thing we can say and we don't have followers. if people are not going to follow the president, then we do have a vacuum in terms of leadership. host: susan roberts is political science professor at davidson college joining us live from charlotte, north carolina, the site of the convention starting tuesday. thank you for your time this morning. guest: thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] >> we are about to hear from joe biden here. we will bring it to you as soon as he appears. we want to let to know that ""the washington post" has reported on the vice president's comments, about favoring war while ignoring the middle-class. he was speaking earlier during a campaign stop. the gop is trying to portray the vice president as a liability for president obama. republicans are attacking him in order to raise the stature of paul ryan, according to some. there is one official presidential debate on october 11. starting tuesday we will be hearing from michelle obama. we will be hearing on the last vote on the party platform. but we will hear from the video from former president jimmy carter. >> as c-span covers the republican and democratic party conventions this year, here's what some viewers have had to say about the candidates. >> the governor had to do two things tonight. one, explain why obama deserved not to be elected. two, explain why governor romney deserves to be elected, as well as giving it some idea of the roots of his values. i think that he largely did a good job. >> honestly, i thought that the speech was a fairly good speech. it introduced mitt romney to the american public. however, it did not change my mind. i would still vote for president obama. >> i was undecided. now i am decided. i am 100% a mitt romney supporter. >> i am afro-latino. i think he has done a great job compared to mitt romney. at this point in time, putting the record of obama against what mitt romney has done, there is no comparison. paul ryan and mitt romney against obama and joe biden, there is no comparison there. >> president obama has a republican house. how does he get anything done? putting obama back in, we need to let him finish what he has started. >> mr. romney has done a fabulous job on this convention. he opened my eyes. and his wife did a fabulous job. my whole family will be voting for mr. romney and mr. ryan. >> join the conversation every morning on "washington journal." 7:00 a.m. eastern time. >> right now we are in green bay, wisconsin, hearing shortly from vice-president joe biden, who will be making an appearance at the national railroad museum. wisconsin is the home of his republican rival, paul ryan. a couple of articles about these comments from the vice president. he has been talking a lot about mitt romney and foreign policy, starting a war in iran while ignoring the middle-class. also, the gop on the other side tried to portray the vice president as a liability for the obama campaign. ♪ >> of course, the democratic national convention with vice president biden and president obama in boulder, colorado, today, setting things up before they get to charlotte, n.c. on tuesday. they will be hearing from the first lady at the convention. the platform will be presented to the delegates for a final vote. that is all on tuesday. day #two of the democratic national convention, elizabeth warren of massachusetts will make an appearance. as will bill clinton. lastly, john kerry of massachusetts and vice-president biden as well as president obama. surely we expect to see the vice president in green bay, wisconsin. -- shortly we expect to see the vice president here in green bay, wisconsin. ♪ [cheers] >> we have heard that the vice president is going to be making his appearance shortly. he is coming back here to green bay, wisconsin, but in the meantime let's listen to the viewers' phone calls this morning about the division in washington, d.c.. host: the right this morning -- "why is washington as divided as ever"? we want to ask you that question this morning. we welcome your phone calls to the segment, as well as your twitter messages and e-mails. for democrats, 202-737-0001. for republicans, 202-737-0002. for independents, 202-628-0205. the question, why do you think washington is as divided as ever? they're right -- instead of bipartisanship, others polarization as deep as it has been in modern times. host: we will read just a little bit more for you then start taking your phone calls. host: we will be lots more and take you to charlotte, where there will be holding the convention two days from now. first of all, dan, democratic line. good morning. caller: thank you for taking my call. host: why is washington so divided? caller tell you hit the nail on the head. mitch mcconnell said it in the first statement. they spend all their money that bill clinton built up as the surplus. it was gone. when obama came into office, there was no money to these things. there is no santa claus left. there is no money and they know it. host: carl is on the line for the republicans. caller: you know, one reason -- yesterday morning i was watching your program and your moderator read a twitter message. vitter throwing peanuts at a black cameraperson and said that this is the way they treat animals. this is just a twitter message. this reminds me of washington, d.c., when they said the tea party was yelling racial epithets at the congress people. they have no proof. one guy offered $10,000 for someone who could show proof. everyone carries a cell phone, a camera and can clear their name. get down there and read incendiary stuff like that. tell your sources. tell us who reported it and if they have proof. host: that was carl, berkeley springs. steve, independent line. good morning to you. caller: good morning. host: why is washington so divided? caller code because what -- republicans have been in campaign mode since obama came into office. even mitt romney in his exceptions speech as the republican nominee said that he fully expected that any new president would gain the full support of the nation. that has not what has happened. that is not the american way. we should all be galvanized behind our presidents. that is not what happened in this particular election with obama. what you have was the republicans taking a very bipartisan approach. they have been complaining that obama has been campaigning for the last year, but they have been campaigning for the past four years. host: more hear from the post, they talk about band piper, saying that there was a misunderstanding about what obama was talking about in 2008 when he called for new politics. >> you can take a look at this on line. as we leave it now, we go back to green bay, wisconsin, to hear from vice president joe biden, with his son, here at the national railroad museum in green bay, wisconsin. >> hello, green bay. before we began, i have to make and admission. whoever set this up hit a soft spot in my heart. i am the biggest railroad guy you have ever known. i of travel roundtrip from wilmington, delaware, to washington, d.c., over 7900 times, round trip. 36 years, every day. never lived in washington. came home every time to see that great son of mine, my brother, sister, and grandkids. by the way -- by the way -- i heard you have a team here. [laughter] i heard about them when i was in eighth grade. let me tell you why. green bay has always had a special place in my heart, and all the guys that i went to catholic boys' school with. 12 years, the high school but i went to, we were taught by an order of priests you have heard of, the [unintelligible] [applause] i want to tell you, we always started a home with a prayer. it was the name of the father, the sun, the holy ghost, vince lombardi, and it would go from there. [applause] i tell you, in the fall whole room was different from any other time of year. that is one we've learned the name of the 12 apostles. jimmy taylor, max mcgee, willie davis. you get the point. that is all we cared about. you think i am kidding? i am not kidding. [applause] this is how it worked. our headmaster was from wisconsin. he used to sign everything jed. we call him the head jed. not to his face clearly mahamoud come over the system and say -- gentleman -- the packers won yesterday. therefore there will be no last. today. that is what we love the packers. let me start by recognizing a great congressman who will soon be your next great senator. tammy? [applause] i would like to recognize all of the elected officials here, thank you for coming, but particularly jamie waltz. i just want to make sure, because i know how important these numbers of the house and senate are, remember unrecognized due. when you're there. do not -- i did not pretend not to know you. brett, it is an honor to be here with you. to be with a real organized labor guy on the eve of labor day is a good thing. i know how to say union. i know how to say union. [applause] i got elected because of union. the steelworkers were the first union ever to endorse me. but there is something more special about him, if you and say that, this guy as an aviator is one of the most decorated in the u.s. army. the screaming eagles of the 101st division. these guys are real. folks, folks, this country as you know -- i apologize -- i have been here for half of an hour. i want you all to know that. the good news is that there were still people trying to get in. i apologize for all us standing this long. to state the obvious, this country faces the starkest choice for president in my memory. now that congressman ryan and governor romney have been nominated -- [booing] no, i do not need your boos, i need your votes. [applause] those stark differences are even more stark. congressman ryan has given an absolutely clear definition of the vague commitments from governor romney. i mean that seriously. we know exactly what the other team is going to do. i am not joking. the reason is the house republican party is already passed the ryan budget. already put into place everything that he has said he promised to do for the whole nation. so, all you have to do is take a look at what they did. we will point it out, because it is honestly the best way to show the difference. they called their planned bold and gutsy. in the neighborhood i come from, there's nothing gutsy about giving a $1 trillion tax cut for billionaires. there is nothing bold about cutting medicare and turning it into a voucher system. what is new about their plan? not only is it not new, it is not fair. and it simply is not right. it will not grow the economy. how do we know? they tried it before and it did no work before. we have seen this movie before and we know how it ends. [applause] it ends with lost jobs, stagnant wages, watching the equity in your home evaporate, watching your a -- retirement account it decimated. it ends with a catastrophe for the middle-class and the great recession of 2008. listen to the theme they are now running on. restoring the dreams and greatness of this country. restoring the dreams and greatness of this country. why do they have to be restored? what they are not telling you, what they are not telling you is who took them away. what they are not telling you, what they are not telling you is that the very proposals that the congressman voted for for the last 14 years, the very economic policies the governor supported, those are the very policies that put america's greatness in jeopardy. ladies and gentleman, listen to their convention. they talked about the state of the nation and the terrible things that happened in 2009. how do they think we got there? really, think about it. do they think we have an misha? how do they think this happen? do they think that it fell out of the scion of timbre 15th, 2008? ladies and gentleman, a grandson, hunter, his little sister is just a bit older and she was saying -- did casper the friendly ghost do it? who did it? how did we get here? folks, there is something important that they did not tell you at their convention. when the congressman was elected in 1988 and took office in 1999, there was a democratic administration. we had a balanced budget. the middle class was thriving. [applause] what they did not say was that the day that we were sworn in, before the president sat behind the desk, resolute in his office, he was handed a cast of $1 trillion in deficit for that year before we got started. the american middle class was devastated. much of what they told you was not on the level at that convention. you heard congressman ryan on wednesday night blaming the president -- listen to this -- he blamed the president because the recommendations of a bipartisan debt commission that we appointed were not acted on. the so-called sims in bulls commission. -- simpson-bowles commission. what he did not tell you was that he sat on the commission. he sat on that commission. if he and his house republican friends, if they had voted with the commission, it would have been voted on, but he voted no, he would not let it go to the floor. [applause] he walked away. by the way, the commission he is talking about recommended a balanced approach to bring down the debt and control the debt crisis. here's what they said -- we recommend you cut $3 in spending for every $1 in revenue that you raised. the president's plan calls for a similar approach. governor romney and congressman ryan reject that approach. romney has repeatedly said he would reject any deal to bring down the debt that included $10 in spending cuts, even if it added only $1 in taxes for the wealthy. congressman ryan failed to mention any of that. a convenient omission, i would say. i love these guys. i love these guys. i love how they claim to care about the deficit. when we left office, it was in balance. ladies and gentlemen, the thing i'm most love about them is how they discovered the middle-class at their convention. was that not amazing? all of a sudden their heart was beating for the middle-class. i was impressed. i thought -- where have i been? i must have got an all wrong. he is a good guy, by the way. listen to what he had to say. "the surest measure of any society is how it treats those who cannot defend or care for themselves. that's when he said. well, folks, let's measure would he wants to do for those who cannot care or fend for themselves. i would say the best way to do that -- my father would say this, a great expression -- do not tell me what you value. show me your budget, i will tell you what you value. [applause] well, they will cry foul, but let's take a look of their budget. to understand what they value. massive cuts in medicaid, throwing 19 million people off of health care. i am not making this stuff up. massive cuts in medicare. let's be honest, what the president and i are talking about is protecting medicare. if they expect people to believe that guys like me have spent my whole life generating, creating, caring for medicare, they are somehow against it now? when the government -- governor and congressman talking about creating a new system -- the voucher care system, that is what it is. it will give seniors a stipend that is worth less than their medicare costs now. that will say to them, go out there and shop for the best insurance you can buy with this. the best deals. that is what it is. if it was not so serious, you would think i was making it up. my mother, god love her, she was at the last convention with me. we lost for a couple of years ago. she was a smart woman. but i could not picture handing her a voucher at age 83 and saying -- you go to the insurance market and figure out what is the best for you. ladies and gentlemen, it is that simple. we are for medicare, there for voucher-care. it is that simple. they are for massive cuts in social security for future generations. eliminating tax credits to send your kids to college. tens of thousands. pell grants that cut, by an average of $1,000 for the 9 million working cat -- working- class kids in college now. they put insurance companies -- this is a fact -- they get rid of obama care. what does that mean? that insurance companies are back in charge of your health care, allowing them to cut off coverage when you get set. allowing them to change the rates that they charge for women as opposed to men. knocking 6.6 million young adults off of their parents' health care coverage. folks, this is not your father's republican party. for real, this is a different breed of cat. this is not even ms. romney's father's republican party. by the way -- [applause] there is another thing they did not tell you what the convention. they did not tell you why they were in eviscerating all of these efforts to help the working and middle-class people in america. they're doing it all in the service of max of tax cut for the very wealthy. i used phrase like massive -- phrases like massive, so let me give you some specific examples. $500 billion of the bush tax cuts to the wealthy goes to 120,000 families. did you hear what i just said? one-half of $1 trillion will go to 120,000 american families. on top of that, they want to add another $250,000 tax cut, per year, for anyone making $1 million or more. look, they talked about the middle class at their convention. what they did not tell you is that their tax policy carries a big price tag. as the non-partisan tax policy center points out, middle-class families with children will pay an average of $2,000 per year or more to pay for those tax cuts for 120,000 families and beyond. on top of that, governor romney says that in his first 100 days he would repeal wall street reform. he would begin to let the banks write their own rules again. listen to what he said about foreign policy in his speech. talking about iraq, where my son served four years. we lost 4488 fallen angels. 32,227 wounded over 16,000 requiring care for the rest of their lives. mitt romney said that it was a mistake to put an end to that war by bringing our warriors home. in afghanistan, we have lost 1980 fallen angels as of yesterday. i am precise because everything one of those lives deserves to be recognized. [applause] and god knows. as of yesterday, some of them mortally wounded, mitt romney thought that the decision from the president of the united states -- we have 50 allies working with us. nato, other countries in afghanistan. all 50 of them said -- it is time to set a date to hand over responsibility to the afghans to bring our 90,000 troops home. [applause] what did mitt romney say? he said that that was a mistake. look, i have seen these warriors. i have travelled in and out of afghanistan and iraq. i have seen these kids. they are not kids. i have seen these men and women. i have been in the so-called forward operating bases in the valley with kids getting shot at every single night. i have been out there in those armored humvees. i wish every member of the american public could see what i saw in those trips. these kids are incredible. this 9/11 generation, 2,800,000 young women and men, raising their right hand to a recruiter saying that they wanted to join, knowing almost certainly that they would be going to a rack or afghanistan. ladies and gentlemen, this is one of the finest generations in the history of america and they should be recognized. [applause] we only have one sacred obligation. we have a lot of obligations, but only one sacred obligation, to prepare those who sit -- we sent to war and care for them when they come home. [applause] and now he wants to move from cooperation with russia to confrontation with russia? these guys said that obama is of touch? how many of you all have a swiss bank account? untold millions in the cayman islands? how many of you would refuse to let the american people see your tax returns? out of touch? what they said -- and i know that they mean it -- they have espoused a social policy right out of the 1960's, with echoes of the cold war and economic policies that brought us near great recession. ladies and gentleman, this is no time to turn back. we must continue moving forward. folks, i am absolutely certain, there is not a doubt in my mind that we are on our way to rebuilding this country strong revenue was. i am absolutely certain that we are on our way to rebuilding the middle class more vibrant than that was. i know, given half of a chance, the american people never let the country down. we believed in the american people. because we know you. it has never been a good bet to bet against america. [applause] join us, help us finish " we started. with your help we will win wisconsin and we will win the presidency. thank you all. god bless you, god protect our children. on, wisconsin. [applause] ♪ >> you can see vice president joe biden there in the crowd at the national railway museum. dozens of supporters are taking pictures as he wraps things up in the home state of his republican rival, vice presidential candidate paul ryan. we will be taking your calls, momentarily. the numbers to call, for democrats, for democrats, 202- 737-0001. -- make sure to mute your television when you call in. we will rewrite your phone calls. reese, fort worth, texas. caller: yes, vice-president biden said a lot about the republicans. now they're trying to make us believe that there for those programs? those are completely lives. to be reelected by at least 1 million votes, more often they are the republicans. if the republicans win the presidency. >> thank you for your thoughts. now we are going on to greensboro, north carolina. is this shelley? >> helen. >> go ahead. caller: it just amazes me when you listen to joe biden and he talks about how his father said to help people. if he wants to help people, i noticed that he only gets 1/10 of 1% of the donations. barack obama did not do anything about the fast and furious. republicans were getting hot on his tail and they called it executive privileges. this is the most corrupt politician we have had in the white house in decades. i hope that the american people do not listen to the baloney about medicare, social security. the health plans have already been cut. that's part of his health care bill. they do not tell you that. anyway, american people, please wake up. thank you. >> we will be bringing you the president tomorrow from toledo, ohio, which is where our next caller is calling from. independent line, rashiid. >> i have been watching -- caller: good afternoon. thank you. i find c-span very informative. i really appreciate vice- president joe biden. president obama has a good fighter in him. he is down to earth, from pennsylvania. he did not come up through politics, economically advantaged flofolk. this is what i see about the election, as far as the knowledge i have of it. republicans have taken this rhetoric to say that their ultimate goal is to make barack obama a one-term president. i believe that the rhetoric they preach, they are intoxicated by it. like the caller before, i do not want to judge anyone, but when she speaks about democrats and how they try to keep medicaid, she should rethink that. the reality of a halt -- of the home -- that is the reality of the whole matter. >> joe biden was in green bay, wisconsin, talking to reporters. as the caller just mentioned, the gop -- this is from "the washington post" -- the gop is trying to present candidate as a liability -- liability in the campaign. to bee both going debating next month. one of the wisconsin senators had comments about the visit today. saying that they should be judged by the results of their policies, not by their intentions or promises. joshua is on the line from texas. what did you think about what you heard from joe biden? >> i thought it was kind of weird. he mentioned mitt romney not wanting to release more tax returns. maybe that is because mitt romney was a haven for tax evasion. maybe mitt romney has said he is involved in it and that is why he will not release the tax return, because they know he came over for the republican party. that is just crazy. >> new york, brett is on the line. republicans. >> thank you for taking my call. i voted for barack obama in the last election. it is terrifying to listen to these callers talk about joe biden and tax lawsuits. he just got done with a 20 minute speech without a single reference to policy, talking about supporting the military at the same time there are huge budget cuts. how do you do both? also, these banks talking about the republicans -- i am a strong independent, but it is not a question. if you step out of the personalities and look at the achievements, mitt romney brings us into some real trouble. they have failed miserably with minorities and unemployment. i thought that this was supposed to be about community and hope. they guest: i think they sounds solid. today are there. it is like obama is slapping these in through legal entitlements. you can scream about old politics. let me tell you something. the way we are going up now is into a tremendous amount of debt. we are in a bad way. i hope people can get their head out of the sand and not look at the superficial people. it is scary. people really have to smarten up. >> we have ramon on the line. >> thank you for taking my call. regarding joe biden, he touched upon a lot of issues. i am a veteran. i am a disabled vet. i am a vietnam era veteran. i appreciate the fact they what to help the men and women in the field. they say they want to take care of their needs. in my age group, what i see is really horrendous. i keep considering what is going to be like. and how these are going to be met. considering the way the economy is and the proposals of the republicans, what about the veterans? host: who are you going to be supporting? obama has had a lot of negativity since day one congress has wanted to be a one- term only president. tohink i'm going to have support obama. the opposition scares me. on your screen to earlier we salt vice-president joe biden. now we look at him campaigning on the trails. taking a look at a tweet, the marchers happen today. it is a reminder of the freedom we have of americans. today we saw lots of footage from the ground there in in north carolina where about 80 groups are coalesced against the occupy movement. we're taking a 3 mile march. on what you think about it? e her dec caller: it is important to citizens. the senior citizens will not have anywhere to go. they need to be careful before i make these choices. i had to take care of it. i know how all-important it is. do not be fooled. it is fun to take all of us. it is going to affect you. >> new jersey on the republican and. >> obama is divided the country. newt gingrich called the president the president. because the president divisive. a really don't know how it is going to go. we're already in two wars. we have seen this before. we do not want to go back to the same policies. host: the president making a stop in ohio tomorrow. he is in line to move to louisiana. he will check out the storm damage there. this call is coming to us from ohio. patricia is on the democrat line. everybody is down on obama. it takes time to get everything together. it is going to take time for him to get the deficit right into all these things. host: do you think most voters will do that? caller: i hope so. he walked into a situation that was already destroyed. i wish they would give him time. that is all i wanted to say. host: on the republican line we have brian. i have a couple of things to say. i have not heard from joe biden. i am shocked about how angry he is. he sounds really angry all the time. even when he said god bless america he sounded angry. it was shocking. the second thing i like to add is in terms of policy. what i see happening with health care this college tuition. whether it is the cost of health care, at the markets askew. muscle are not paying it. host: thank you for all your calls. the conversation continues online. we hardly need the convention including first lady michelle obama and the platform will be unveiled. we will have minute by minute every speech covered on the convention platform. >> the coverage of the democratic convention starts this week every minute of every speech. featured speakers include the san antonio mayor and first lady michelle obama. then elizabeth warren and former president bill clinton. then vice president joe biden and president barack obama. >> in the end that is what this election is about. do we participate in cynicism or hope? john kerry calls on us to help. john edward calls on us to hope. i am not talking about blind optimism. it is almost level ignorance to the implosion will go away if we do not think about it. something moreut substantial. >> connected other c-span viewers. >> in the movie we rattle a lot of cages. >> i finagled my way onto one of the buses. the council people seem pretty uptight. i was told that there were un peacekeepers that have killed others. >> at the beginning of the crisis, we had these belligerent fighters. it was how they would have to resolve it. >> it sounds to me like you're dodging the question. >> nothing particularly exciting trip happened here. i was greeted by a man who is waiting. his very nicely dressed. he is waiting for me outside my apartment. he said my senses are tingling a little bit. he said is this movie more important than your family? at 8:00 on tonight's c-span. >> we go back to 1948 now to hear the nomination acceptance speech for president harry truman. he took office three years earlier when fdr died at the beginning of this fourth term. in 1948 primary, he to challenges from the left and the progressive party. from conservative southern democrats concerned about his record on civil rights. his speeches about half an hour. -- speech is about half an hour. >> a great leader in the next president of the united states. >> thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you verty much. i have to have them up where i can see. beeni am sorry that the microphones are in the way, but i must leave them the way they are because i have got to be able to see what i am doing-- as i am always able to see what i am doing. i can't tell you how very much i appreciate the honor which you have just conferred upon me. i shall continue to try to deserve it. i accept the nomination. and i want to thank this convention for its unanimous nomination of my good friend and colleague, senator barkley of kentucky. he is a great man, and a great public servant. senator barkley and i will win this election and make these republicans like it-- don't you forget that! we will do that because they are wrong and we are right, and i will prove it to you in just a few minutes. this convention met to express the will and reaffirm the beliefs of the democratic party. there have been differences of opinion, and that is the democratic way. those differences have been settled by a majority vote, as they should be. now it is time for us to get together and beat the common enemy. and that is up to you. we have been working together for victory in a great cause. victory has become a habit in our party. it has been elected four times in succession, and i am convinced it will be elected a fifth time in november. the reason is that the people know that the democratic party is the people's party, and the republican party is the party of special interest, and it always has been and always will be. the record of the democratic party is written in the acomplishments of the last 16 years. i don't need to repeat them. they have been very ably placed before this convention by the keynote speaker, the candidate for vice president, and by the permanent chairman. confidence and security have been brought to the people by the democratic party. farm income has increased from less than $2-1/2 billion in 1932 to more than $18 billion in 1947. never in the world were the farmers of any republic or any kingdom or any other country as prosperous as the farmers of the united states, and if they don't do their duty by the democratic party, they are the most ungrateful people in the world! wages and salaries in this country have increased from 29 billion in 1933 to more than $128 billion in 1947. that's labor, and labor never had but one friend in politics, and that is the democratic party and franklin d. roosevelt. and i say to labor what i have said to the farmers, they are the most ungrateful people in the world if they pass the democratic party by this year. the total national income has increased from less than $40 billion in 1933 to $203 billion in 1947, the greatest in all the history of the world. these benefits have been spread to all the people, because it is the business of the democratic party to see that the people get a fair share of these things. this last, worst 80th congress proved just the opposite for the republicans. the record on foreign policy of the democratic party is that the united states has been turned away permanently from isolationism, and we have converted the greatest and best of the republicans to our viewpoint on that subject. the united states has to accept its full responsibility for leadership in international affairs. we have been the backers and the people who organized and started the united nations, first started under that great democratic president, woodrow wilson, as the league of nations. the league was sabotaged by the republicans in 1920. and we must see that the united nations continues a strong and growing body, so we can have everlasting peace in the world. we removed trade barriers in the world, which is the best asset we can have for peace. those trade barriers must not be put back into operation again. we have started the foreign aid program, which means the recovery of europe and china, and the far east. we instituted the program for greece and turkey, and i will say to you that all these things were done in a cooperative and bipartisan manner. the foreign relations committees of the senate and house were taken into the full confidence of the president in every one of these moves, and don't let anybody tell you anything else. as i have said time and time again, foreign policy should be the policy of the whole nation and not the policy of one party or the other. partisanship should stop at the water's edge, and i shall continue to preach that through this whole campaign. i would like to say a word or two now on what i think the republican philosophy is, and i will speak from actions and from history and from experience. the situation in 1932 was due to the policies of the republican party control of the government of the united states. the republican party, as i said a while ago, favors the privileged few and not the common everyday man. ever since its inception, that party has been under the control of special privilege, and they have completely proved it in the 80th congress. they proved it by the things they did to the people, and not for them. they proved it by the things they failed to do. now, let's look at some of them-- just a few. time and time again i recommended extension of price control before it expired june 30, 1946. i asked for that extension in september 1945, in november 1945, in a message on the state of the union in 1946, and that price control legislation did not come to my desk until june 30, 1946, on the day on which it was supposed to expire. and it was such a rotten bill that i couldn't sign it. and 30 days after that, they sent me one just as bad. i had to sign it, because they quit and went home. they said, when opa died, that prices would adjust themselves for the benefit of the country. they have been adjusting themselves all right! they have gone all the way off the chart in adjusting themselves, at the expense of the consumer and for the benefit of the people that hold the goods. i called a special session of the congress in november 1947-- november 17, 1947 -- and i set out a 10-point program for the welfare and benefit of this country, among other things standby controls. i got nothing. congress has still done nothing. way back 4-1/2 years ago, while i was in the senate, we passed a housing bill in the senate known as the wagner-ellender- taft bill. it was a bill to clear the slums in the big cities and to help to erect low-rent housing. that bill, as i said, passed the senate 4 years ago. it died in the house. that bill was reintroduced in the 80th congress as the taft- ellender-wagner bill. the name was slightly changed, but it is practically the same bill. and it passed the senate, but it was allowed to die in the house of representatives, and they sat on that bill, and finally forced it out of the banking and currency committee, and the rules committee took charge, and it still is in the rules committee. but desperate pleas from philadelphia in that convention that met here 3 weeks ago couldn't get that housing bill passed. they passed a bill they called a housing bill, which isn't worth the paper it's written on. in the field of labor we needed moderate legislation to promote labor-management harmony, but congress passed instead that so- called taft-hartley act, which has disrupted labor- management relations and will cause strife and bitterness for years to come if it is not repealed, as the democratic platform says it ought to be repealed. on the labor department, the republican platform of 1944 said, if they were in power, that they would build up a strong labor department. they have simply torn it up. only one bureau is left that is functioning, and they cut the appropriation of that so it can hardly function. i recommended an increase in the minimum wage. what did i get? nothing. absolutely nothing. i suggested that the schools in this country are crowded, teachers underpaid, and that there is a shortage of teachers. one of our greatest national needs is more and better schools. i urged congress to provide $300 million to aid the states in the present educational crisis. congress did nothing about it. time and again i have recommended improvements in the social security law, including extending protection to those not now covered, and increasing the amount of benefits, to reduce the eligibility age of women from 65 to 60 years. congress studied the matter for 2 years, but couldn't find time to extend or increase the benefits. but they did find the time to take social security benefits away from 750,000 people, and they passed that over my veto. i have repeatedly asked the congress to pass a health program. the nation suffers from lack of medical care. that situation can be remedied any time the congress wants to act upon it. everybody knows that i recommended to the congress the civil rights program. i did that because i believed it to be my duty under the constitution. some of the members of my own party disagree with me violently on this matter. but they stand up and do it openly! people can tell where they stand. but the republicans all professed to be for these measures. but congress failed to act. they had enough men to do it, they could have had cloture, they didn't have to have a filibuster. they had enough people in that congress that would vote for cloture. now everybody likes to have low taxes, but we must reduce the national debt in times of prosperity. now the republicans came here a few weeks ago, and they wrote a platform. i hope you have all read that platform. they adopted the platform, and that platform had a lot of promises and statement of what the republican party is for, and what they would do if they were in power. they promised to do in that platform a lot of things i have been asking them to do that they have refused to do when they had the power. the republican platform cries about cruelly high prices. i have been trying to get them to do something about high prices ever since they met the first time. now listen. this is equally bad, and as cynical. the republican platform comes out for slum clearance and low- rental housing. i have been trying to get them to pass that housing bill ever since they met the first time, and it is still resting in the rules committee, that bill. the republican platform favors educational opportunity and promotion of education. i have been trying to get congress to do something about that ever since they came there, and that bill is a rest in the house of representatives. the republican platform is for extending and increasing social security benefits. think of that! increasing social security benefits! yet when they had the opportunity, they took 750,000 off the social security rolls! i wonder if they think they can fool the people of the united states with such poppycock as that! there is a long list of these promises in that repubican platform. if it weren't so late, i would tell you about them. i have discussed a number of these failures of the republican 80th congress. every one of them is important. two of them are of major concern to nearly every american family. they failed to do anything about high prices, they failed to do anything about housing. my duty as president requires that i use every means within my power to get the laws the people need on matters of such importance and urgency. i am therefore calling this congress back into session july 26th. on the 26th day of july, which out in missouri we call "turnip day," i am going to call congress back and ask them to pass laws to halt rising prices, to meet the housing crisis-- which they are saying they are for in their platform. at the same time i shall ask them to act upon other vitally needed measures such as aid to education, which they say they are for, a national health program, civil rights legislation, which they say they are for, an increase in the minimum wage, which i doubt very much they are for, extension of social security coverage and increased benefits, which they say they are for, funds for projects needed in our program to provide public power and cheap electricity. by indirection, this 80th congress has tried to sabotage the power policies the united states has pursued for 14 years. that power lobby is as bad as the real estate lobby, which is sitting on the housing bill. i shall ask for adequate and decent laws for displaced persons in place of this anti- semitic, anti-catholic law which this 80th congress passed. now, my friends, if there is any reality behind that republican platform, we ought to get some action from a short session of the 80th congress. they can do this job in 15 days, if they want to do it. they will still have time to go out and run for office. they are going to try to dodge their responsibility. they are going to drag all the red herrings they can across this campaign, but i am here to say that senator barkley and i are not going to let them get away with it. now, what that worst 80th congress does in this special session will be the test. the american people will not decide by listening to mere words, or by reading a mere platform. they will decide on the record, the record as it has been written. and in the record is the stark truth, that the battle lines of 1948 are the same as they were in 1932, when the nation lay prostrate and helpless as a result of republican misrule and inaction. in 1932 we were attacking the citadel of special privilege and greed. we were fighting to drive the money changers from the temple. today, in 1948, we are now the defenders of the stronghold of democracy and of equal opportunity, the haven of the ordinary people of this land and not of the favored classes or the powerful few. the battle cry is just the same now as it was in 1932, and i paraphrase the words of franklin d. roosevelt as he issued the challenge, in accepting nomination in chicago, "this is more than a political call to arms. give me your help, not to win votes along, but to win in this new crusade to keep america secure and safe for its own people." now my friends, with the help of god and the wholehearted push which you can put behind this campaign, we can save this country from a continuation of the 80th congress, and from misrule from now on. i must have your help. you must get in and push, and win this election. the country can't afford another republican congress. >> the coverage of the democratic convention starts this week, every minute, every speech live on c-span and online at c-span.org. the featured speakers include michelle obama. wednesday elizabeth warren and bill clinton appeared thursday joe biden and president barack obama. tuz our convention have to share clips. >> that is what this election is about. dewey participate in psittacism a politics of hope? john kerry calls on us to help. i am not talking about blind optimism. i am talking about something more substantial. >> cap your own opinion and connect with other viewers. >> no. i can only surmise we rattle and a lot of cages. >> a pretended to be important. >> i finagle my way onto one of the u.n.'s buses. they seemed pretty uptight. >> 99 bears on the wall. >> no. body? -- nobody? >> weibo we know the prices. we have these fighting each other. >> i walked out of my apartment. i was greeted by a man who is very nicely dressed. he was waiting for me outside my apartment. he said are you ami horwitz? i said i am. he said this this movie more important than your family? >> why does he make a film on crimes committed by the troops? find out. >> longtime reporter. thank you for joining us. you wrote recently that the gop those 243 on its convention bowls. tell us what you are putting out their? -- there? guest: if you look at what the republicans have accomplished, they had to inspire their political base. they like mitt romney but they did not love h,m. he did not have the strong appeal to their political base. paul ryan fix that for them. they did not like barack obama. they did not like his policies. we have to be more than a get something. you have to be for something. i think the convention succeeded. paul ryan was the main reason why. paul wright an appeal to all elements from -- paul ryan appealed to all elements from tea party people to social conservatives. he is able to do things that mitt romney was not able to do. two weeks ago wal-mart had a undecided group that were undecided voters. they were asked what they thought about obama and what they thought about romney. there were disappointed in the economy. they were open to change. some voted for mccain. some voted for obama. they liked obama. there were very disappointed in the economy. they had a hard time connecting with romney. it was on a personal level. they felt disconnected. they did not know much about his story. one woman body had never been in the grocery store. one of the missions was to fill out the breast of lamb -- the resume and the romney. one of the goals was to fill out the rest of me. i think they succeeded. wasromney -- ann romney affected. the other was to go on the defensive on medicare issue. it is a tough issue. i think it is unclear. it will be played out over the next two months. >> phone numbers on the bottom of the screen for our guest for rob christensen. he's out of raleigh, north carolina. our guests will be with us for plenty of time to take your calls. move this forward. what are the goals this week? >> they have similar goals. they have to get the face of obama. it is not quite the same. they do not have to warm up to obama let republicans up to warmup suit romney. the same to creecreate enthusiasm that they had in 2008 parent you have the realities of an economy. it is hard to recreate that level of incitement -- excitement in 2012. that is one thing this does. both nationally and in north carolines. the democrats are hoping to do what they did in december. they helped turn the thousands of volunteers that are being used at the convention in use the intel turn them into their political organization. -- and help turn them into their political organization. they have to reach out to voters. one of the messages is that the obama administration did not work. the obama plan has not worked. now it is time for a change. it is time for the american people to turn a page and try something new. the counter message passing be to a sliver of undecided voters. things are improving. things are slowly improving. not necessarily as fast as they like. the third part is that it does not work. it returns to the bush policies that got us into the mess in the first place. get the same level of interest they had in 2008 and reach out to the swing voters. >> good morning. caller: i wanted to talk more. people were talking about what obama was doing. people need to realize that the republicans have done nothing to help the poor and the middle class. republicans [inaudible] obama has to talk about what he has done and let people decide. this country has to be out of their mind. they have to realize that obama is for all. he is to help everybody. why this country cannot see that me.eyond if they let a republican in, it will go downhill. host: their rights if they increase employment we will probably cure all our bills. how about the first part and watch each -- and what each of the candidates will put forward? >> would you repeat that question? host: what each of the candidates will be saying specifically to the voters about how to create jobs? guest: the romney plan is basically tax cuts, free up free enterprise. it is yo ur traditional republican formula, get the government off the backs of small business and that will grow the economy. obama has a more traditional democratic response. there are tax breaks for businesses. it is more middle class oriented. it is more things like support for research, grants. pell grants for students, more toward the middle class. there are different ways to stimulate the economy. one is more oriented to the business community of one is more in directing stimulus. there are lots of similarities. >> here is the front page of your paper today. they failed to sway beleaguered middle-class. the job picture is growing worse for many. how about a brief sketch of how folks are doing. we hear the unemployment rate is higher. >guest: it is. the same is true for our sister state. it has to do with the fact that north carolina is a very heavy manufacturing state. it has been very heavily relying on things like textiles and furniture. those industries have been in decline for years. they're slowly being replaced by higher tech industries. it is a slow process. north carolina has been much slower to come back. that is when the reasons why it has been a somewhat difficult state for president obama. it has little to do with government policy. north carolina has had a democratic governor. the democrats have been some good stock carolina that republican policies. we have the same unemployment rate. it has to do was of decline of some industries. some of them having to do with textile industry is moving to other countries. some of them having to do with the reception. these many facture in jobs were slow to return. that is why they have had a difficult time returning. in different parts of the state are affected in different ways. places like major metropolitan areas, places like here in charlotte are doing better. places that are hurting our the small towns that are more heavily reliant and some of the older industries. they have had a harder time. the more rural you get, the more smalltown you get. that is how that is played out. there is a lot of hurt and pain. easy to talk about training workers. it is hard to talk to someone who is in their 50's about learning a new trade after they have worked in a mill for all of their life. someone who is in their 20's is a lot more adaptable. >> thank you. >> i was really happy to see this. i know it has been a rough go help allies. -- rough go healthewise. obama needs to let the american people know that he is thankful for the opportunities comment that he appreciates the sport -- support and that he truly loves and appreciate everything that we do for him and our country. i am in the field out there trying to get people to vote for him. i was the he got not even voting for this year, the first time in 30 years. this campaign is so insular. president obama thinks because he says he is out there fighting hard for us, being the best, but that will bring votes. host: any insight from your end on tournament? -- on turned out? guest: we do not know. in north carolina there is in 2008 a tremendouse differential between the democrats and republicans. obama had a huge ground operation. the republicans did not. this had been a red state ever since jimmy carter carried it. republicans and not believe that north carolina could go democratic. they took is lightly until the lighlast month. by then it was too late. this is different. the republicans are investing heavily in their ground effort. they claim they are going to match obama in this state. i talked to ralph reed. they are trying to increase the intensity among christian conservatives to counterbalance the obama campaign. my sense is the democrats were on the ground with much more resources than republicans in this state, even this time. even more than resources on the grounds, north carolina there were only 14,000 votes in 2008. not much separates this state. over the something, $50 million had been spent here by the two campaigns and allies. that is an extraordinary amount. it barred edge reach a large add to romney. obama has spent a lot, too. despite this the broadest of television -- barrage of ads, it is the same place it was at the beginning of summer. it is tied. all within the margin of error. this state is a microcosm of the country and a lot of ways. it is dead even. it a $50 million cannot move it, what will? we cannot prove this statistically. a lot of people are seeing at after at in the beginning to mute the buttons. people are just getting sick of them here. and the ads are probably going to have a diminishing impact. one could conclude that the boat to get out -- voter get out will have increasing importance. have increasing importance.

Related Keywords

Arkansas ,United States ,Vietnam ,Republic Of ,Fallujah ,Al Anbar ,Iraq ,Brookfield Zoo ,Illinois ,Syria ,Cote D Ivoire ,West Virginia ,Mexico ,Massachusetts ,Iowa ,Poland ,Spain ,Madison Square ,Chicago ,Mekong Delta ,Vietnam General ,Japan ,Germany ,Missouri ,Afghanistan ,Philadelphia ,Pennsylvania ,Galesburg ,Indiana ,Virginia ,San Antonio ,Texas ,Oregon ,Michigan ,Chapel Hill ,North Carolina ,East Moline ,Pearl Harbor ,Hawaii ,Cayman Islands ,New Jersey ,Green Bay ,Wisconsin ,New York Island ,Washington ,Davidson College ,Louisiana ,Turkey ,China ,Minnesota ,Delaware ,California ,Russia ,District Of Columbia ,Richmond ,American House ,Cuba ,South Korea ,Switzerland ,Greece ,South Africa ,New York ,Oakland ,Iran ,Raleigh ,Kentucky ,Boston ,Florida ,Bonn ,Nordrhein Westfalen ,United Kingdom ,Liberty City ,Maine ,Kenya ,Tennessee ,Baghdad ,Israel ,Colorado ,Houston ,Ohio ,Kansas ,Italy ,Berlin ,Americans ,Texan ,Ivorians ,Iraqi ,British ,Swiss ,American ,Chosen ,Afghans ,Spanish ,Soviet ,Theodore Roosevelt ,Bobbie Edwards ,Jesse Jackson ,John Edward ,Ronald Reagan ,Robert Jordon ,Joe Biden ,Michael Dukakis ,Willie Davis ,Hillary Rodham Clinton ,John Kerry ,Fritz Mondale ,Teresa Heinz Kerry ,Fred Astaire ,Al Gore ,Karl Marx ,Vince Lombardi ,Max Mcgee ,Paul Ryan ,Hynes Kerry ,Walter F Mondale ,Lyndon Johnson ,Geraldine Ferraro ,Kenny Dubois ,Woodrow Wilson ,Andrew Jackson ,Ralph Reed ,Hillary Rodman Clinton ,John Jr ,Martin Luther King Jr ,Abraham Lincoln ,Christopher Reeve ,Franklin D Roosevelt ,Barack Obama ,Gillian Castro ,Ross Perot ,Dan Quayle ,Mitch Mcconnell ,Jimmy Taylor ,John F Kennedy ,Hillary Clinton ,Latino America ,Emma Clair ,Elizabeth Warren ,Nancy Pelosi ,George Bush ,Walter Mondale ,Hubert Humphrey ,Harry Truman ,Stockman Hague Bush ,Kate Edwards ,Franklin Delano Roosevelt ,Edward Kennedy ,Julian Castro ,Susan Roberts ,John Edwards ,Newt Gingrich ,John Mccain ,Monica Embree ,Dick Durbin ,Barbara Mikulski ,Santa Claus ,Lloyd Bentsen ,Romney Anne ,Robert F Kennedy ,Thomas Jefferson ,Harry Reid ,Jimmy Carter ,Al Qaida ,Michelle Obama ,John Kennedy ,Ann Richards ,Franklin Roosevelt ,