Tomorrow morning, a group of state, county, and city Democratic officials from the St. Louis will meet and decide if they are going to endorse a candidate. They may endorse as a group, or decide to have each member go their own way.
Several of the candidates will be speaking to the group by phone, but right now it's not clear that Dean will be able to call in. So I've been asked (on this very short notice) to give a five minute speech telling these folks why they should endorse Dean.
This is a high power group, including the mayor, councilmen, state reps, etc. St. Louis is a diverse city, racially-divided (and sometimes racially polarized), and has a double-helping of the same problems that face any inner city.
In short, I'm an unelected volunteer coming in to tell the professionals why they should go with my team over the rest. And the rest will be there -- some of them by phone, some represented by other officials or folks that used to be part of Gephardt's machine.
And I get five minutes to sell Dean.
Here's my first draft of a speech. Any feedback would be appreciated. (oh, and the "where did you go to school" bit is part of a standard St. Louis area joke)
I didn't grow up here. When I answer the "where did you go to school" question, I have to answer "Kentucky." But I've lived in and around St. Louis for twenty-five years now, so while I may not be a native, I think I know this city. My city.
And when it comes to the "what candidate are you supporting" question, I have no hesitation. I'm here for Howard Dean. He's the best candidate for me, and I believe he's the best candidate for St. Louis.
I shouldn't have to tell you that Governor Dean is a strong Democrat with a complete vision for this country that encompasses all the important issues, but since the media has been so intent on telling you that the good doctor is a single issue candidate, I'll take the time to repudiate that misrepresentation. Howard Dean cares for, and has planned for, the issues that are most important to this city.
He has an education plan that calls for full funding of federal special education requirements -- requirements that lay particularly heavy on this school district. He knows that standards and accountability are important, but rigid and unrealistic mandates, incentives for lowering standards, burdensome sanctions, over-reliance on testing, and demoralizing labels are not. He knows that the solution to public education is not to gut it, but to strengthen it. That means funding pre-K programs, funding vocational programs, funding the resources that schools need -- and not trying to convince people that funding will come out of thin air. Imagine the difference that would make in our schools.
As governor, he saw to it that all the children under 18 in his state had access to health care. Not just those who could afford it. For children in families that have an income below 300% of the poverty line, that health insurance comes for no cost. That's not a theory. That's not a wild plan. That's something real, something he's already accomplished. Sure, it's easy to say that Dean only did these things for Vermont, but Vermont is not a theme park. It's not even a rich state. It's in the bottom half for both annual income and revenue. If this program can work in Vermont, it can work for the whole nation -- which is just what Dr. Dean proposes. Health insurance to every child under the age of 25. Health insurance to every family up to 185% of the poverty line. And for those over that limit, tax credits to reduce insurance premiums. The total cost of all this is less than half of what Bush doled out in his tax-cut. Imagine what that kind of health care plan could mean to both the people and the government of this city.
There's not a candidate in the field this year that isn't concerned with jobs. I'd be surprised if there was such a candidate in any year. Gov. Dean is no different in being convinced that jobs are important. But he's especially concerned with how important jobs are to cities like St. Louis. While I may be here to talk about Howard Dean, I know I don't have to tell you about the incredible difficulties facing this city, and how hard people at all levels are working to reverse those problems. Many people in our city want to build prosperity by starting their own businesses. In the nineties, minority-owned businesses soared by 30 percent. But now many promising business can't succeed or expand, because financing isn't available. And this burden has come down hardest on businesses owned by women and people of color. The lack of funding for businesses hurts inner-city residents. It doesn't make sense that some neighborhoods have decent grocery stores and drug stores, while large parts of our city go without. Filling unmet inner city demand for retail stores could generate tens of thousands of jobs right here in St. Louis. Howard Dean has proposed a $100 billion Fund To Restore America, aimed at adding jobs and restoring America's cities. The plan provides funding so that potential business owners can turn that potential into reality and neighborhoods can get back their grocery stores, drug stores, and their pride. Howard Dean's plan for cities also cracks down on predatory lending, improves affordable housing programs, and fights sprawl. If there's any city in the nation that needs some help fighting sprawl, we're living in it.
I have material on Doctor Dean's positions available if you want to discuss any of these matters further, and I hope you're convinced that the governor is not a single issue candidate. But before I sit down, I do want to say something about the war.
Self-defense is a long recognized right of nations and of individuals. If a man points a gun at you, you have the right to protect yourself. If a nation is threatened, that nation has a right to take action, in fact, it's leaders are obligated to do so. However, there's a huge difference between defense and the kind of preemptive war advocated by the Bush administration. It's the difference between shooting a man who is pointing a gun at you, and shooting a man who you think, possibly might have some old parts for a gun in the top of his closet. One is self-defense, the other is simply murder.
The preemptive policy of George W. Bush is illegal, immoral, and as a Christian, I believe it's a sin. We can have a safer. more secure nation. We'll get there through cooperation with our allies, and with international organizations. We'll have a strong military --and we'll also know when to use it. Because President Dean will know the difference between defense and deception.
Thank you.