Kerry's Speech to the DLCC Friday, 8/19

[kerrygoddess]

This speech got a lot of great press coverage... for those interested I have a copy of the speech on my blog:

The complete text of John Kerry’s speech to the DLCC, as prepared for delivery, follows:

“It’s great to be sharing thoughts with a group of public people who really know what the front lines are like. Thank you for the privilege of being here. I can’t thank you enough for your extraordinary efforts to help Teresa and me these last years. You showed guts and you sacrificed. You did everything: opened your living rooms – worked phone banks – raised money – knocked on doors – built crowds. You campaigned in your districts, states and in some cases across the country. You did everything, except move to Ohio.

“And while we came up short and that’s frustrating for all of us – the upside of what we did together should encourage everyone. Together, Democrats united to run the strongest grassroots campaign the party has seen for generations. We involved more volunteers in cities, towns and precincts across the country than any modern democratic effort.

“Up and down the ticket we won seats across the country – Chambers in New Jersey, Oregon and Vermont and other states – Democratic Governor in Montana, in New Hampshire, and here in Washington state, where we beat George Bush and elected a fantastic Democratic Governor, Christine Gregoire.

“And the reason we did this is because you and a lot of others came together and led in your communities, making grassroots work. But that’s not enough. Here’s the simple reality: we have to build on our work last year and create a sustainable grassroots organization for the Democratic Party across the country. Most important, we have to get our grassroots even better and we have to fight even harder for what we believe in. The last thing America needs is a second Republican party.

MORE & Links to Press Coverage - http://blog.thedemocraticdaily.com/?p=306#more-306

[second edition]

1. That was a great speech! It contains some good, optimistic

ideas and thoughts and it takes some excellent jabs at the repubs. Thanks for posting this.

[kerrygoddess]

2. The man with hope...

Always optimistic, he is, even in the face of all this shit!

[PATRICK]

3. Good speech

I somehow miss the actual agenda and evil that Bush particularly and today's GOP generally have fully evidenced. I guess being politic with the organization sets a tone but I sometimes wonder if the opposition to a war criminal, liar, usurper, war profiteer, RW fanatic is still a bit exalted. Nothing would shock or disappoint me about Bush. I can still feel disappointed by people better in a position to see and fight this transparent crime organization who I guess are humoring a deceived populace and respectable citizens who likewise don't yet get how bad to the patrician bone Bush really is.

This is sort of cutting a middle path to a group that considers itself a middle path alive with democratic ideals and effective governing and political strategies. That too is a bit exalted considering the actual results of all the straightforward traditional campaigning, etc. in the face of naked cheating. I am not finding fault as much as saying we are still managing to come up a day late and dollar short and sometimes this approach gives me the willies the party leaders are continuing to do so.
The time to fight the fraud was well before November and apparently no strategies defended against this or coped mentally with the inevitable at all. So what was revealed in the concession was a silent "too late, my ballots are gone" which also was never fully acknowledged and the exalted viewpoint was passed down instead.

Call me greedy or idealistic, but a little more reality a little more timely might save lives, votes and careers.

[kerrygoddess]

4. Thanks for sharing

Hindsight is wonderful... don't know what else to say.