Buenos días. Mi nombre es Bill Winter y estoy postulado para el Congreso en contra de Tom Tancredo en el Sexto Distrito Congresional de Colorado.
(Good morning. My name is Bill Winter and I'm running for Congress against Tom Tancredo in Congressional District 6.)
Soy originario de Colorado y un veterano del Navy y del Marine Corps. Yo soy un abogado, yo soy un maestro, y yo soy un entrenador de fútbol Americano de la preparatoria, y yo soy un donador de riñón.
(I'm a Colorado Native and a veteran of the Navy and the Marine Corps. I'm a lawyer, a teacher, a high school football coach, and a kidney donor.)
¡Pero antes que nada y sobre todas estas cosas lo más importante es que SOY AMERICANO y estoy orgulloso de ello así como estoy seguro que ustedes también lo están!
(But before all those other things, and more importantly than all those other things, I AM AN AMERICAN AND PROUD OF IT AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO!)
But let me also be very honest with you. I don't speak Spanish fluently and I don't want to pretend that I do, or mislead you in any way. I speak enough Spanish to get myself in trouble in many parts of the world, but not quite enough to get myself out of that trouble.
But if I can be very frank with you today, you don't need another white guy from either political party standing up in front of you speaking Spanish. You've had enough of that in the last ten years.
And where has it gotten you? Where are those Spanish speakers when you need them--the ones who come to you when they need your votes but then can't be found when you need theirs?
Where are they when Tom Tancredo declares war on Hispanic Americans and people who speak Spanish as a first language? Why won't they take him on the way they take on other Republican members of Congress? Tell me when one of these Spanish speaking white guys has really stood up for you and for your needs?
You don't need another Spanish speaking white guy standing up here telling you what he's going to do for you.
You need a warrior standing up here who will fight for you, a warrior who will stand on the wall for you, and a warrior who will be there for you every time you ask, and whose answer will always be "Yo estoy aquí para ustedes!"
¡Yo soy este guerrero!
When white settlers came to what is now Colorado and Arizona and New Mexico and California, they found people already living there. Many of those people were dark skinned and Spanish speaking.
Today even the names of many of these places are still in Spanish--Colorado, Santa Fe, Las Cruces, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Los Angeles.
But now, in 2006 in America, people like Tom Tancredo say that Spanish is a danger to America, and those people, the ones who were here first, are somehow a threat to our culture and to our way of life. I believe in an America that is much stronger than this. I wish Tancredo believed in America the way I do!
People whose families have lived in America for generations, people who are citizens, people who have fought for this Country, people with proud names like Gonzalez, and Sanchez, and Becerra, and Salazar, and Ortiz, and Herrera--now these people are looked at with suspicion and they have to prove their loyalty and citizenship.
Well I'm here today to tell you that is WRONG and I'm not going to stand for it. I didn't give ten years of my life to the Navy and Marine Corps just to stand by and do nothing as hate and discrimination are written into the law!
My name is Bill Winter and I'm running for Congress in Colorado against Tom Tancredo and I'm going to send him home! I am a veteran of the Navy and the Marine Corps. I am a warrior and losing is just not something I'm going to accept!
And I'm sure not going to lose to a racist bully who has built his whole career on hate and fear and attacking good people who want nothing more than a chance at a better life!
We absolutely need more secure borders, but attacking immigrants is not going to help us get them. I'd like to see 100% secure borders, including the Canadian Border, and including our ports and airports. But we don't hear Tancredo talk about that, do we? All we hear him talk about is how bad Mexican immigrants are, and how bad ALL Muslims are, as if all Muslims should be held responsible for the violent radical fringe that become terrorists. Makes me wonder what his real motivations are!
When I got into this campaign, I got lots of advice from a lot of people, but one thing I was told really sticks out in my mind. I was told that I shouldn't worry about the Latino vote because Latino Americans don't register and they don't vote, and so I shouldn't put any effort there.
Now I have to tell you, when I heard that I was discouraged and I'll tell you why.
I learned leadership from some darn good teachers in the Marine Corps, and in the Navy, and playing and coaching football for the last 30 years.
And real leadership to me has always meant inspiring people to do something, not writing them off because they don't!
I have to wonder about leadership in my own Party that tells me to give up on you. I have to wonder about leadership that says "forget them" instead of "let's bring them in and empower them to help themselves."
Because I believe that all of you have something powerful and wonderful to offer to America, and I intend to see that you get that chance, and I'll be darned if I'll leave you behind or throw you under the bus or miss any opportunity to empower you and your families!
When I was born, I was relinquished to the State of Colorado--given up for adoption, and I was an orphan until I was five years old. My mother gave me away because she said she couldn't raise me.
When I became a candidate for Congress, I was also given up and became an orphan. My Party, the Democratic Party, gave me away because they said I couldn't win.
Well I overcame being an orphan because a good family adopted me and believed in me and raised me to be strong and fight for what is right!
And I'm going to overcome being orphaned by the Democratic Party, because I'm asking all of you to adopt me now, be my new family, give me a home, and let me go out and be a warrior for you!
Let's stand together, you and I, and send a message. Let's show everyone in BOTH parties that they can't forget about any of us, that we won't allow it, that we will stand and fight. Let's stand together and fight for what we believe in, and for each other.
I don't care what anyone anywhere thinks about my race and my chances. I've seen our poll numbers. I know how weak Tom Tancredo is in our District. I know how strong I am. I've talked to people all over America who now believe I can win. We have our yard signs in the yards of wealthy republicans all over our District. I know the District where I've spent most of my life, and I know that the people here are good people who don't agree with the things Tancredo has to say.
I can win. We can win. We can beat Tom Tancredo and when we do we send a powerful message about Latino voters, and about hate and intolerance, and we change the immigration debate overnight!
When we win we also send a message to the Democratic Party that they can't take anyone for granted anymore, that their old ways of looking at the world have to change, and they darn well better give everyone their due from now on!
My friends, I need you to support me. I need every one of you to donate to my campaign as much as you can. I need you to raise money for me all over America. I need you to believe. Don't listen to anyone who says I can't win.
I can win! I must win! I WILL win! And I will do it because of you and for you!
¡Soy su hermano! ¡Soy su hijo! ¡Permítanme defenderlos! ¡Permítanme luchar por ustedes!
(I am your brother! I am your son! Let me stand for you! Let me fight for you!)
¡Apóyenme ahora para que yo pueda representarlos en el congreso!
(Stand with me now, so I can stand for you in Congress!)
¡Gracias!
(Thank you!)
Bill Winter
http://winterforcongress.com/