Transcript of a speech by Mayor Menino at the DNCFellow Democrats: Welcome to Boston, a city with so much history, and so much future. It's an honor for us to be your hosts. We are proud of our traditions here in Boston.
One is the way we talk. Here are three things that sound great with a Boston accent: Fenway Park; a lobster dinner by the Harbor; and my favorite, I'm proud to be a member of the Democratic Party. Please join me in saying thank you to the thousands of volunteers and workers who labored for so long to make this week in Boston possible. We all have to put up with some inconveniences because we cannot allow threats from our enemies to undermine our democratic process. We gather in the city and state where America really began-home of the Pilgrims, and the first Thanksgiving. America's first public school, Boston Latin. The Boston Public Library put knowledge and culture into the hands of people who work with their hands. America's industrial revolution was born in Massachusetts mills. The telephone, the first mutual fund, all got their start here. The American Revolution was ignited right outside these doors. Walk our Freedom Trail and trace the footsteps of the Patriots who risked their lives to change the course of history. We know our cause. We know the stakes. And this week, we tell America and the world: Get ready! Take heart! The next four years will be better than the last! I am a Democrat because Democrats believe the future will be better than the past. But we have to make that happen. Like those of you who share my roots in an urban, ethnic neighborhood, my views were shaped as a youngster in Harry Truman's America. Our parents taught us to respect our neighbors. And look out for them, too. Our dream was the American Dream-to grow up and join the ranks of the Great American Middle Class. The GI Bill resulted in the greatest expansion of the middle class that America has ever known. That was a Democratic idea. It opened the door to opportunity and rewarded hard work. Democrats gave us that. America works best when it works for all-when Democrats are in charge. I see it every time I walk into one of our great hospitals or high-tech firms. I look at the faces of our workers and I see the whole human race. It's these brilliant young people who make us number one in the New Economy Index of states. And more than 90 colleges and universities in Massachusetts draw young people from all over the world. Like any city, we've had our setbacks. We didn't always live up to our ideals. There was a time in Boston when Catholics were not welcome, when no Irish need apply. Two generations ago, our streets were marred by racial strife. Some even said that an Italian-American would never be mayor of Boston. We took care of that 11 years ago! Continued... |
