History: Dem Convention Keynote Addresses
Wed Jan 16, 2008 at 01:12:32 PM PDT
We've watched Barack Obama go from Illinois Legislator to Democratic Convention Keynote Speaker to US Senator to viable challenger for President in 2008. For anyone who watched it, the importance of Senator Obama's Keynote address at the 2004 Democratic Convention is difficult to overstate.
Ask yourself this: Would Obama even be running for President this election cycle had he not delivered that address?
In this diary I want to give some of the highlights of Keynote addresses over the years and demonstrate that this important speech is not the stepping stone to the Presidency that some might believe.
First the list...
2004 Barack Obama
2000 Harold Ford Jr
1996 Evan Bayh
1992 Barbara Jordan
1988 Ann Richards
1984 Mario Cuomo
1980 Edward Kennedy
1976 Barbara Jordan
1972 Reuben Askew (no internet link to speech)
1968 Daniel Inouye (no internet link to speech)
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A few things stand out on this list. Barbara Jordan was asked to deliver the address twice. Add to this Ann Richards in 1992, and Anne Armstrong who delivered the 1972 Republican Convention Keynote address, and it would appear that women from Texas seem a little over-represented in this honor. But, of course, in the case of Jordan and Richards, it's difficult to overstate how extraordinary these two politicians were, irrespective of their home state.
The second thing that stands out is that the Keynote address has not been a launching pad to the Presidency. They made an odd choice in 1980 of Ted Kennedy, who had already lost his run in the Primaries to incumbent Jimmy Carter. Some historians believe that Kennedy's role in this convention undercut Carter and might have cost him the general election. Curious factoid: Bob Schrum wrote this speech.
There were rumors everywhere that the speech of Mario Cuomo was a launching pad for the Presidency. Then again, there were many other rumors swirling around Cuomo, as well.
Onto some excerpts, and to make it fun, I'll reveal the speakers of these quotes at the end of the diary...
1. One overdue change, which you have already heard a lot about, is already underway. And that is reflected in the number of women now challenging the councils of political power. These women are challenging those councils of political power because they have been dominated by white, male policy makers and that is wrong. That horizon of gender equity is limitless for us. And what we see today is simply a dress rehearsal for the day and time we meet in convention to nominate Madame President. This country can ill afford to continue to function using less than half of its human resources, less than half its kinetic energy, less than half its brain power.
2. Imagine a healthcare system where every American recieves the medicine they need, and where no senior is forced to choose between buying food and filling a prescription.
Imagine a society that treats seniors with the respect and dignity they deserve, and where Social Security and Medicare are strengthened, not only for our parents and grandparents, but for our children and grandchildren.
Imagine a nation of clean coastlines, safe drinking water, pristine parks, and air our kids can breathe as they play in those parks.
3. We believe that our kids deserve good daycare and public schools. We believe our kids deserve public schools where students can learn and teachers can teach. And we wanna believe that our parents will have a good retirement and that we will too. We Democrats believe that social security is a pact that can not be broken.
4. Now, we must do more. We must ensure opportunity through jobs for all able-bodied adults - and education for their children to break the cycle of poverty once and for all. There's more opportunity in America today. More jobs. Better education. Welfare reform.
5. There's not a black America and white America and Latino America and Asian America; there's the United States of America. The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
6. Are we to be one people bound together by common spirit, sharing in a common endeavor; or will we become a divided nation? For all of its uncertainty, we cannot flee the future. We must not become the "New Puritans" and reject our society. We must address and master the future together. It can be done if we restore the belief that we share a sense of national community, that we share a common national endeavor. It can be done.
7. We must win this case on the merits. We must get the American public to look past the glitter, beyond the showmanship to the reality, the hard substance of things. And we'll do it not so much with speeches that sound good as with speeches that are good and sound; not so much with speeches that will bring people to their feet as with speeches that will bring people to their senses. We must make -- We must make the American people hear our "Tale of Two Cities." We must convince them that we don't have to settle for two cities, that we can have one city, indivisible, shining for all of its people.
8. And may it be said of us, both in dark passages and in bright days, in the words of Tennyson that my brothers quoted and loved, and that have special meaning for me now:
"I am a part of all that I have met
To [Tho] much is taken, much abides
That which we are, we are --
One equal temper of heroic hearts
Strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
For me, a few hours ago, this campaign came to an end.
For all those whose cares have been our concern, the work goes on, the cause endures, the hope still lives, and the dream shall never die.
Finally, since this is my diary, I'll give a few of my own perceptions. I started watching Dem Conventions in 1972. My parents, diehard Republicans, would watch these conventions as a sort of Oppo Research. I confess that although I had watched many speeches in many conventions over the years, I wasn't really aware of the importance of the "Keynote" address until Mario Cuomo raised the roof in 1984. Kennedy gave a great speech in 1980, but it didn't seem this Keynote address was differentiated from the normal Runner Up speech given by the 2nd place finisher in the delegate count.
Cuomo's speech was one of a kind. In many ways it stands as the lone stark rebuttal to the 12 years of Reagan/Bush I. Watching the speech you see an audience who are politely, quietly, listening to Governor Cuomo as he opens his lyrical speech. They seem spellbound as he tells the tale of two cities. But finally the dam breaks and they start cheering. And then they can't stop. With each brilliant passage they hear history in the making, and they cheer louder and louder all the way to the finish. For many of us who were Independents, or non-voters, or even Republicans... we became Democrats for Life on that day as we watched Mario on the television that night.
The toughest part of creating this diary was picking out one passage to quote from this speech.
By the way, there is no shortage of borrowing from the great speeches. Listen to John Edwards' speeches of 2 Americas, and you hear echoes of Cuomo in 1984. Listen to Barack's speeches about change, and you hear echoes of Jordan in 1992.
More recently, it would seem, the Keynote speaker is chosen by the nominee to represent some aspect of his candidacy. Harold Ford was from the home state of Al Gore. Evan Bayh was a fellow DLC member of Bill Clinton's.
And finally, many agree that the speech of Barack Obama in 2004 has been his finest hour. As I listened to it, my mind wandered back to Cuomo's address. It is amazing to think of how far he has come in just over 3 years. It would appear that Barack has another important speech to give at the 2008 Democratic Convention, maybe the Runner up speech or maybe the Nomination Acceptance speech. I bet it'll be another good one.
So a question for everyone here is: who do you think would be the perfect Keynote speaker for the 2008 Democratic Nominating Convention? (POST YOUR ANSWER IN THE COMMENTS)
[QUOTES: 1. Barbara Jordan '92; 2. Harold Ford; 3. Ann Richards; 4. Evan Bayh; 5. Barack Obama; 6. Jordan '76; 7. Mario Cuomo; 8. Ted Kennedy ]
REFERENCE:
Great American Speeches.. by ourprez08
2008 Democratic Convention... from Wikipedia
Official 2008 Democratic Convention Website
We owe it to ourselves to listen again and read again these speeches. Many of these speeches define who we are, as Democrats.
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