The person who showed me the soul of the Democratic Party is someone I haven't even met as far as I know. Her name is is Lisa Feinberg Duckett, and she is county chair of the Allegany County Democratic Committee in New York. Here is a transcript of what she said at a fundraiser for Eric Massa (
link) last June:
"We Are America, but Washington Doesn't Hear Our Voice"
Eric asked me to come here tonight and explain who we are in the district.
My name is Lisa Feinberg Duckett, I live in Wellsville, NY in Allegany County. We are located in the Southwest corner of the other New York. Extremely rural, extremely beautiful and extremely poor.
We're the New York that few people know exist including the folks from New York City. We are the poorest County in New York State, yet due to our eroded tax base and the high percentage of residents receiving Medicaid we have one the highest property taxes in the state.
We are the working poor, holding 2 or 3 jobs to make ends meet, but still have no health insurance. We are America, but Washington does not hear our voice.
We are the farmers whose family farms have put food on your tables for generations, and are now being sold at auctions. We are America, but Washington doesn't hear our voice.
We are the well trained machinists, engineers and assembly workers who put our hearts and souls into the Dresser Rand plant only to lose our jobs to areas with untrained workers and cheaper costs, resulting in large bonuses for Chief Executives.
We are the teachers who educate, train and nurture our students only to watch them move elsewhere because no opportunities exist for them here. We are America, but Washington doesn't hear our voice.
We are the towns where schools are closed during the first week of hunting season so that families may hunt together, fill their freezers and have meat for the coming year. We are America, but Washington doesn't hear our voice.
We are the senior citizens who worked hard to build and support this country but can no longer afford our medicine, and are in danger of losing our homes due to high property taxes. We are America, but Washington doesn't hear our voice.
We are the people who still believe Veterans Day, Memorial Day and the 4th of July are three of the most important days of the year. We are the towns where behind almost every front door you will meet someone who has served or is serving in the military, because it's their honor to do so, and now having to apply for food stamps and are in danger of losing their precious health benefits promised to them by the government. We are America, but Washington doesn't hear our voice.
I became involved in politics when I was 8 or 9 and a store front opened with volunteers for John F. Kennedy. I walked in and asked if I could help. But lately I've just been thinking of giving up. And then one day, I received a call from man named Eric Massa who told me he was interested in running to represent our district in Congress. We met, talked and he told me about himself. How he's a guy who spent the majority of his adult life serving his country in the military - he could now get a fancy job, fancy house, but instead wants to serve his country again, by representing one of the largest, poorest and most overlooked areas in the New York State. He asked would we do him the honor, of allowing him to represent us.
So I say to you tonight, that just as we trusted Commander Eric Massa to lead, guide and keep safe under his command, our most precious sons and daughters, won't you please help us, help Eric do the same for our district. When you leave and talk to your friends, family and co-workers, please ask them to work and support Eric so that he can be our voice, for we are America, and Washington must hear our voice.
As mentioned on the RaisingKaine.com website (link), this is a speech that could have been given by FDR or JFK. This speech does nothing less than show us the soul of the Democratic Party. My friend Noel Schutz previously mentioned it here, but his diary was more about Eric than about the speech given by Lisa Duckett. I felt, like the grassroots Virginia Dems at RaisingKaine.com, that the speech deserves wider circulation. So I mentioned it again as an independent diary.
Markos mentioned here that 2008 stock for Mark Warner fared perhaps better than anyone else yesterday on election day because he gave the voters of his state a reason to vote Democratic. Markos also mentioned here that the Montana mojo helped a Dem win the mayor's seat in Great Falls, unseating a Republican incumbent. Although I admire what is being done in both Montana and Virginia, that's not where I have found the most powerful presentation of the soul of the Democratic Party. I greatly admire General Clark (link) and am doing everything I can to help Eric Massa (link) his former aide, unseat freshman Republican Randy Kuhl in NY29. But neither Eric nor General Clark showed me the soul of the party. I even got to hear Governor Dean earlier this year talk about rebuilding the party from the ground up (see diary here), but he didn't show me the soul of the party like this either.
This speech gave me goosebumps. I am sure it does the same for many of you. I hope to meet Lisa someday and I hope she gets the credit she deserves. Governor Dean talks about treating party membership as something to invite your friends over and share with them about, something like church. Most of us don't really feel that strongly about our party affiliation but I find myself wanting to share this speech with people I know. I encourage you to do the same.