A Tale of Two Cities.docx
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A Tale of Two Cities.docx
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ATaleofTwoCities
ATaleofTwoCities
mariocuomo:
ataleoftwocities
onbehalfoftheempirestateandthefamilyofnewyork,ithankyouforthegreatprivilegeofbeingabletoaddressthisconvention.pleaseallowmetoskipthestoriesandthepoetryandthetemptationtodealinnicebutvaguerhetoric.letmeinsteadusethisvaluableopportunitytodealimmediatelywithquestionsthatshoulddeterminethiselectionandthatweallknowarevitaltotheamericanpeople.
tendaysago,presidentreaganadmittedthatalthoughsomepeopleinthiscountryseemedtobedoingwellnowadays,otherswereunhappy,evenworried,aboutthemselves,theirfamiliesandtheirfutures.thepresidentsaidthathedidntunderstandthatfear.hesaid,why,thiscountryisashiningcityonahill.andthepresidentisright.inmanywaysweareashiningcityonahill.
butthehardtruthisthatnoteveryoneissharinginthiscityssplendorandglory.ashiningcityisperhapsallthepresidentseesfromtheporticoofthewhitehouseandtheverandaofhisranch,whereeveryoneseemstobedoingwell.buttheresanothercity;theresanotherparttotheshiningthecity;thepartwheresomepeoplecantpaytheirmortgages,andmostyoungpeoplecantaffordone,wherestudentscantaffordtheeducationtheyneed,andmiddle-classparentswatchthedreamstheyholdfortheirchildrenevaporate.
inthispartofthecitytherearemorepoorthanever,morefamiliesintrouble,moreandmorepeoplewhoneedhelpbutcantfindit.evenworse:
thereareelderlypeoplewhotrembleinthebasementsofthehousesthere.andtherearepeoplewhosleepinthecitystreets,inthegutter,wheretheglitterdoesntshow.thereareghettoswherethousandsofyoungpeople,withoutajoboraneducation,givetheirlivesawaytodrugdealerseveryday.thereisdespair,mr.president,inthefacesthatyoudontsee,intheplacesthatyoudontvisitinyourshiningcity.
infact,mr.president,thisisanation--.mr.presidentyououghttoknowthatthisnationismoreataleoftwocitiesthanitisjustashiningcityonahill.
maybe,maybe,mr.president,ifyouvisitedsomemoreplaces.maybeifyouwenttoappalachiawheresomepeoplestillliveinsheds,maybeifyouwenttolackawannawherethousandsofunemployedsteelworkerswonderwhywesubsidizedforeignsteel.maybe,maybe,mr.president,ifyoustoppedinatashelterinchicagoandspoketothehomelessthere;maybe,mr.president,ifyouaskedawomanwhohadbeendeniedthehelpsheneededtofeedherchildrenbecauseyousaidyouneededthemoneyforataxbreakforamillionaireorforamissilewecouldntaffordtouse.
maybe,maybe,mr.president.butimafraidnot.
because,thetruthis,ladiesandgentlemen,thatthisishowwewerewarneditwouldbe.presidentreagantoldusfromverythebeginningthathebelievedinakindofsocialdarwinism.survivalofthefittest.governmentcantdoeverything,weweretold.soitshouldsettlefortakingcareofthestrongandhopethateconomicambitionandcharitywilldotherest.maketherichricher--andwhatfallsfromtheirtablewillbeenoughforthemiddleclassandthosewhoaretryingdesperatelytoworktheirwayintothemiddleclass.
youknow,therepublicanscalledittrickle-downwhenhoovertriedit.nowtheycallitsupplyside.butitsthesameshiningcityforthoserelativefewwhoareluckyenoughtoliveinitsgoodneighborhoods.butforthepeoplewhoareexcluded--forthepeoplewhoarelockedout--alltheycandoistostarefromadistanceatthatcitysglimmeringtowers.
itsanoldstory.itsasoldasourhistory.thedifferencebetweendemocratsandrepublicanshasalwaysbeenmeasuredincourageandconfidence.therepublicansbelievethatthewagontrainwillnotmakeittothefrontierunlesssomeoftheold,someoftheyoung,someoftheweakareleftbehindbythesideofthetrail.thestrong,thestrongtheytelluswillinherittheland.
wedemocratsbelieveinsomethingelse.wedemocratsbelievethatwecanmakeitallthewaywiththewholefamilyintact.and,wehavemorethanonce.eversincefranklinrooseveltliftedhimselffromhiswheelchairtoliftthisnationfromitsknees--wagontrainafterwagontrain--tonewfrontiersofeducation,housing,peace;thewholefamilyaboard,constantlyreachingouttoextendandenlargethatfamily;liftingthemupintothewagonontheway;blacksandhispanics,andpeopleofeveryethnicgroup,andnativeamericans--allthosestrugglingtobuildtheirfamiliesandclaimsomesmallshareofamerica.
fornearly50yearswecarriedthemalltonewlevelsofcomfort,andsecurity,anddignity,evenaffluence.andrememberthis,someofusinthisroomtodayarehereonlybecausethisnationhadthatkindofconfidence.anditwouldbewrongtoforgetthat.
so,hereweareatthisconventiontoremindourselveswherewecomefromandtoclaimthefutureforourselvesandforourchildren.todayourgreatdemocraticparty,whichhassavedthisnationfromdepression,fromfascism,fromracism,fromcorruption,iscalledupontodoitagain--thistimetosavethenationfromconfusionanddivision,fromthethreatofeventualfiscaldisaster,andmostofallfromthefearofanuclearholocaust.
thatsnotgoingtobeeasy.moudallisexactlyright,itsnotgoingtobeeasy.inordertosucceed,wemustanswerouropponentspolishedandappealingrhetoricwithamoretellingreasonablenessandrationality.
wemustwinthiscaseonthemerits.wemustgettheamericanpublictolookpasttheglitter,beyondtheshowmanship-toreality,tothehardsubstanceofthings.andwewilldothatnotsomuchwithspeechesthatsoundgoodaswithspeechesthataregoodandsound.notsomuchwithspeechesthatwillbringpeopletotheirfeetaswithspeechesthatbringpeopletotheirsenses.wemustmaketheamericanpeoplehearourtaleoftwocities.wemustconvincethemthatwedonthavetosettlefortwocities,thatwecanhaveonecity,indivisible,shiningforallofitspeople.
nowwewillhavenochancetodothatifwhatcomesoutofthisconventionisababelofarguingvoices.ifthatswhatsheardthroughoutthecampaign-dissidentvoicesfromallsides-wewillhavenochancetotellourmessage.tosucceedwewillhavetosurrendersmallpartsofourindividualinterests,tobuildaplatformwecanallstandon,atonce,comfortably-proudlysingingoutthetruthforthenationtohear,inchorus,itslogicsoclearandcommandingthatnoslickcommercial,noamountofgeniality,nomartialmusicwillbeabletomufflethesoundofthetruth.wedemocratsmustunite.
wedemocratsmustunitesothattheentirenationcanunitebecausesurelytherepublicanswontbringthiscountrytogether.theirpoliciesdividethenation-intotheluckyandtheleft-out,intotheroyaltyandtherabble.therepublicansarewillingtotreatthatdivisionasvictory.theywouldcutthisnationinhalf,intothosetemporarilybetteroffandthoseworseoffthanbefore,andtheywouldcallthatdivisionrecovery.
weshouldnot,weshouldnotbeembarrassedordismayedorchagrinediftheprocessofunifyingisdifficult,evenwrenchingattimes.rememberthat,unlikeanyotherparty,weembracemenandwomenofeverycolor,everycreed,everyorientation,everyeconomicclass.inourfamilyaregatheredeveryonefromtheabjectpoorofessexcountyinnewyork,totheenlightenedaffluentofthegoldcoastsatbothendsofthenation.andinbetweenistheheartofourconstituency.themiddleclass--thepeoplenotrichenoughtobeworry-free,butnotpoorenoughtobeonwelfare.themiddleclass,thosepeoplewhoworkforalivingbecausetheyhaveto,notbecausesomepsychiatristtoldthemitwasaconvenientwaytofilltheintervalbetweenbirthandeternity.whitecollarandbluecollar.youngprofessionals.menandwomeninsmallbusinessdesperateforthecapitalandcontractsthattheyneedtoprovetheirworth.
wespeakfortheminoritieswhohavenotyetenteredthemainstream.wespeakforethnicswhowanttoaddtheirculturetothemagnificentmosaicthatisamerica.wespeak,wespeakforwomenwhoareindignantthatthisnationrefusestoetchintoitsgovernmentalcommandmentsthesimplerulethoushaltnotsinagainstequality,arulesosimple--iwasgoingtosay,andiperhapsdarenotbutiwill,itsacommandmentsosimpleitcanbespelledinthreeletters--e.r.a.!
wespeakforyoungpeopledemandinganeducationandafuture.wespeakforseniorcitizenswhoareterrorizedbytheideathattheironlysecurity-theirsocialsecurity-isbeingthreatened.wespeakformillionsofreasoningpeoplefightingtopreserveourenvironmentfromgreedandfromstupidity.andwespeakforreasonablepeoplewhoarefightingtopreserveourveryexistencefromamachointransigencethatrefusestomakeintelligentattemptstodiscussthepossibilityofnuclearholocaustwithourenemy.theyrefuse.theyrefuse,becausetheybelievewecanpilemissilessohighthattheywillpiercethecloudsandthesightofthemwillfrightenourenemiesintosubmission.
nowwereproudofthisdiversityasdemocrats.weregratefulforit.wedonthavetomanufactureitthewaytherepublicanswillnextmonthindallas,byproppingupmannequindelegatesontheconventionfloor.butwhilewereproudofthisdiversityasdemocrats,wepayapriceforit.thedifferentpeoplethatwerepresenthavedifferentpointsofview.andsometimestheycompeteandevendebate,andevenargue.thatswhatourprimarieswereallabout.butnowtheprimariesareoveranditistimewhenwepickourcandidatesandourplatformheretolockarms
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