Three keynote speakers from past conventions are considered to deliver the best speech of their political careers. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan at the 1976 Democratic Convention, three term new york governor mario cuomos address in 1984 and texas state treasurer and future governor and richards keynote speech in 1988. In 1976, congresswoman Barbara Jordan became the first black woman to give the keynote address to the dnc. She received a law degree from Boston University and was the first black woman elected to the texas senate. House,erving in the u. S. She taught political ethics at the university of texas at austin and later chaired the u. S. Commission on Immigration Reform which recommended immigration in the usb cut by 1 3. She spoke to delegates in new york city. [applause] ladies and gentlemen [applause] ladies and gentlemen [applause] ladies or arer you gentlemen. Gentlemen, in case you dont know it, may i now present our second keynote speaker, the honorable Barbara Jordan, democrat of houston, texas. [cheers and applause] thank you. Thank you. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen for a very warm reception. Was 144 years ago that members of the Democratic Party first met in convention to select a president ial candidate. Since that time, democrats have continued to convene once every four years and draft the Party Platform and nominate a president ial 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, ma keynote speaker. [cheers and applause]. 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. I feel that notwithstanding the past, that my presence here is one additional bit of evidence that the American Dream needs not forever be deferred. [cheers and applause] 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 dont choose to do that. Problemsist the many which americans have. I could list the problems which caused 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 feelingl poverty, the that the grand american experiment is failing or has failed. Problemsecite these and then i could sit down and offer no solutions. But i dont choose to do that either. The citizens of america expect more. Moredeserve and they want than a recital of problems. We are a people in a quandary about the present. We are a people in search of our future. Search of aple in National Community. 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 create andrpose to sustain a society in which all of us are equal. [cheers and applause] 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 turns to the Democratic Party. What is it . What is it about the Democratic Party that makes it the instrument, that people use when they search for ways to shape their future . I believe the answer to that question lies in our concept of governing. Governing isf derived from our view of people. Rooted inncept deeply a set of beliefs firmly etched in the National Conscience of all of us. Now, what are these beliefs . Believe in equality for all and privileges for non. [applause] this is a belief, this is a belief that each american, regardless of background, has equal standing in the public forum, all of us. [applause] because, because we believe this idea so firmly, we are an inclusive rather than an exclusive party. Let everybody come. [applause] i think it no accident that most of those immigrating to america in the 19 century identified with the Democratic Party. ,e are a Heterogeneous Party made up of americans of diverse backgrounds. People arethat the the source of all governmental power. That the authority of the people is to be extended, not restricted. [applause] 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. Governmentthat the which represents the authority of all the people, not just one interest group, but all the tople has an obligation ,ctively underscore actively seek to remove those obstacles which would block individual achievement, obstacles emanating from race, sex, economic conditions. The government must remove them, seek to remove them. [applause] we are a party, we are a party of innovation. Traditionseject our 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. [applause] 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. Upon are the foundations which a National Community can be built. That theseerstand 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. [applause] in other times in other times, i could stand here and give this kind of exhibition exposition on the Democratic Party and that would be enough. But today, that is not enough. People want more. Reason not sufficient 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 raise their didnt hear but our deafness was only a temporary condition. And not an irreversible condition. [applause] even as i stand here and admit that we have made mistakes, i still believed that as the people of america sit in judgment on each party, they will recognize that our mistakes were mistakes of the heart. They will recognize that. [applause] and now, we must look to the future. Let us heed the voice of the people and recognize their common sense. , we not only blaspheme our political heritage , we ignore the common ties that bind all americans. Future and many are distrustful of their leaders and believe that their voices are never heard. Many seek only to satisfy their private wants, to satisfy their private interests but this is the great danger america faces, that we will seek to be one instead a become collection of interest groups. Suburb, region against region, individual against individual, each seeking to satisfy private wants. Then willppens, who speak for america . Speak for the common good . This is the question which must be answered in 1976. Bound to be one people ,ogether by common spirit sharing in a common endeavor or will we become a divided nation . For all of this uncertainty, we cannot be the future. We must not become the new puritans and reject our society. Address and master the future together. If we restore the belief that we share a sense of National Community, that we share a national, a National Common 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. Individuals do as and if we do it as individuals, there is no president of the United States who can v2 that veto that decision. Applause] as a first step, we must restore our belief in ourselves. We are a generous people so why cant we be generous with each other . Heart the take to words spoken by Thomas Jefferson let us restore the social let us reach 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. Mustis election year, we define the common good and begin future. Shape a common let each person do his or her part. If one citizen is unwilling to participate, all of us are going to suffer. Idea, though it is shared by all of us, is realized in each one of us. [applause] now, for those of us who are elected Public Officials supposed to do . We call earth cells Public Servants but i will tell you this servants, must set an example for the rest of the nation. [applause] it is hypocritical for the public official to admonish and ignore the people who uphold the common good if we are derelict in upholding the common good. [applause] 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. [applause] if we as Public Officials propose, we must produce. Peopleay to the american , it is time for you to be , if theial, sacrifice public official says that, we must be the first to give. [applause] we must be. Again, if we make mistakes, we must be willing to admit them. We have to do that. [applause] what we have to do is strike a balance between the idea that government should do everything and the idea, the belief, that government is nothing [indiscernible] let there be no allusions. About the difficulty of forming this kind of National Community. Easy tough, difficult, not but a spirit of harmony will survive in america only if each of us remembers that we share a common destiny. Whench of us remembers selfinterest and bitterness seem to prevail, that we share a common destiny. That we candence form this kind of National Community. I have confidence that the Democratic Party can lead the way. I have that confidence. [applause] 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. [applause] this this expresses my idea of democracy. Whatever differs from this, to the extent of the difference, is no democracy. Thank you. [applause] eight years later, mario cuomo deliver the keynote speech to democrats. He was governor of new york and went on to serve terms. Earlier, cuomo tied for his class at law school. And was elected as Lieutenant Governor of new york. The 1984 Democratic National convention was held in san francisco. Thank you very much. On behalf of the great empire state and the whole family of new york, let me thank you for the great privilege of being able to address this convention. Please allow me to skip the stories and the poetry and the temptation to deal in nice but vague rhetoric. Let me instead use this valuable opportunity to deal immediately with the questions that should determine this election and that we all know are vital to the American People. Ten days ago, president reagan admitted that although some people in this country seemed to be doing well nowadays, others were unhappy, even worried, about themselves, their families, and their futures. The president said that he didnt understand that fear. He said, why, this country is a shining city on a hill. And the president is right. In many ways we are a shining city on a hill. But the hard truth is that not everyone is sharing in this citys splendor and glory. A shining city is perhaps all the president sees from the portico of the white house and the veranda of his ranch, where everyone seems to be doing well. But theres another city, theres another part to the shining city, the part where some people cant pay their mortgages, and most young people cant afford one, where students cant afford the education they need, and middleclass parents watch the dreams they hold for their children evaporate. In this part of the city there are more poor than ever, more families in trouble, more and more people who need help but cant find it. Even worse, there are elderly people who tremble in the basements of the houses there. And there are people who sleep in the city streets, in the gutter, where the glitter doesnt show. There are ghettos where thousands of young people, without a job or an education, give their lives away to drug dealers every day. There is despair, mr. President , in the faces that you dont see, in the places that you dont visit in your shining city. In fact, mr. President , this is a nation [applause] mr. President you ought to know that this nation is more a tale of two cities than it is just a shining city on a hill. [applause] maybe, maybe, mr. President , if you visited some more places, maybe if you went to appalachia where some people still live in sheds, maybe if you went to lackawanna where thousands of unemployed Steel Workers wonder why we subsidized foreign steel. [applause] maybe maybe, mr. President , if you stopped in at a shelter in chicago and spoke to the homeless there, maybe, mr. President , if you asked a woman who had been denied the help she needed to feed her children because you said you needed the money for a tax break for a millionaire or for a missile we couldnt afford to use. [applause] maybe maybe, mr. President. But im afraid not. Because the truth is, ladies and gentlemen, that this is how we were warned it would be. President reagan told us from the very beginning that he believed in a kind of social darwinism. Survival of the fittest. Government cant do everything, we were told, so it should settle for taking care of the strong and hope that economic ambition and charity will do the rest. Make the rich richer, and what falls from the table will be enough for the middle class and those who are trying desperately to work their way into the middle class. [applause] you know, the republicans called it trickledown when hoover tried it. Now they call it supply side. But its the same shining city for those relative few who are lucky enough to live in its good neighborhoods. But for the people who are excluded, for the people who are locked out, all they can do is stare from a distance at that citys glimmering towers. Its an old story. Its as old as our history. The difference between democrats and republicans has always been measured in courage and confidence. The republicans [applause] the republicans believe that the wagon train will not make it to the frontier unless some of the old, some of the young, some of the weak are left behind by the side of the trail. [applause] the strong the strong, they tell us, will inherit the land. We democrats believe in something else. We democrats believe that we can make it all the way with the whole family intact, and we have more than once. [applause] ever since Franklin Roosevelt lifted himself from his wheelchair to lift this nation from its knees wagon train after wagon train to new frontiers of education, housing, peace, the whole family aboard, constantly reaching out to extend and enlarge that family, lifting them up into the wagon on the way, blacks and hispanics, and people of every ethnic group, and native americans all those struggling to build their families and claim some small share of america. For nearly 50 years we carried them all to new levels of comfort, and security, and dignity, even affluence. And remember this, some of us in this room today are here only because this nation had that kind of confidence. And it would be wrong to forget that. So, here we are at this convention to remind ourselves where we come from and to claim the future for ourselves and for our children. Today our great Democratic Party, which has saved this nation from depression, from fascism, from racism, from corruption, is called upon to do it again, this time to save the nation from confusion and division, from the threat of eventual fiscal disaster, and most of all from the fear of a Nuclear Holocaust. [applause] thats not going to be easy. Mo udall is exactly right it wont be easy. And in order to succeed, we must ans