Text of Rep. Rosa DeLauro's speechGood evening. I am Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, Chair of the Democratic Platform Drafting Committee and a proud representative of the people of Connecticut.
We gather this week in Boston with the same seriousness of purpose that gave rise to the sons of liberty, to bring America together, to find its inner strength, and set it on a new course. The country calls us, as it called on those many patriots who were our forebears, to build a good society and a better nation. That spirit infused the work of the 15 members of the drafting committee who set out, not to cobble together a bunch of programs to suit a coterie of interests, but to produce a party platform that reflects our values and offers the vision of a stronger country. That determination took us from Portland to Baton Rouge to Santa Fe and finally to Miami for our final deliberations. We pursued our task with urgency because of the seriousness of the questions in front of us: " why was our country pursuing a foreign policy that leaves America isolated and less safe? " why a fiscal policy that passes off our debts to the next generation? " why an economic policy indifferent to the export of our jobs and indifferent to the health care costs that crush our middle class? And why had the powerful been allowed to doggedly cut taxes for the most privileged, knowing there was little left for the most vulnerable. We listened to experts of diverse perspectives, but we were also determined to hear from people living and working on the frontlines. We heard from our firefighters and their families, from port workers, and from religious leaders. I could not forget Army Lieutenant Paul Rieckhoff, there for the rescue at the World Trade Center, among the first fighters in Iraq, his tour of duty extended three times. His testimony and others inspired us to get this document right. Today, we present this platform to our convention and the country. In our vision of national security, we support our troops with the resources they need, but we also commit to battle the full arsenal of our moral authority, our historic alliances, the power of our ideas and values. This platform shows how we will be stewards for our environment. It presents the financial and moral incentives to produce a burst of job creation in America. By saying that out-of-control heath care costs are no longer permissible, we show that health care can be a right of all, not a privilege for the few. Rather than the current cynical divisiveness, we show how our glorious diversity can unite our country and once again, make it a beacon for freedom in the world.
With this platform in hand and the exuberant affirmation of this convention, John Kerry and John Edwards will lead a united party, confident of its new direction and prepared to win the public's support in November. |
