t r u t h o u t | Address
Former Vice President Al Gore
Standing Up
April 13, 2002
My fellow Democrats, thank you for that warm welcome. It is truly
a pleasure to be back in Florida.
Nobody fought harder - or longer - for Joe Lieberman and for me in
2000 than you did.
You welcomed us into your hearts and into your homes. Thank you for
your faith and thank you for your friendship. Believe me I will never,
ever forget it.
But this is not about what might have been. This is about what we
can accomplish together for America in the future.
After the last election, I made you a promise - I promised that I
would continue to speak out for the American people, especially for
those who need burdens lifted and barriers removed, especially for
those who feel their voices have not been heard. I intend to keep
that pledge-today, tomorrow, and for all the days to come. After all,
this is who we are, and this is what we stand for as the Democratic
Party.
Those of us here gathered in Orlando today have a vision of the future
in which we pull together to build a safer, stronger America. We have
a vision that is more open and fair to all Americans.
And that vision is very much at odds with what the Republicans want
to do to our country.
I want to talk today about the environment, the economy and our values
here at home.
But before I turn to these three areas of domestic policy, there
is one issue I touched on in my foreign policy speech earlier this
year that I would like to mention today. It is a matter on which all
Americans - Republicans and Democrats alike - are united: The war
on terrorism.
The brutal attacks against America on September 11th shattered soaring
structures that were symbols of our strength and security.
We may have lost our innocence, but from the shadow of those fallen
towers has soared a new spirit of American patriotism, a sense of
community, and an understanding that we are all in this together.
So let there be no doubt: we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the
President and our brave service men and women in defending America
from terrorism. We do so as Democrats. We do so as Americans. We do
so as patriots.
Here in America, patriotism doesn't mean keeping quiet. It means
speaking up. It means exercising our freedom of speech and debating
what we believe is right and what we believe is wrong.
It is in this spirit of patriotism that I appear before you today,
to engage in the debate we so vitally need to build a brighter future
for our country. The time has come for to speak out boldly -- not
only when believe the Administration is right -- but to offer constructive
alternatives when we believe what they're doing is wrong for America.
And they are wrong to vilify honorable men and women who oppose their
right-wing domestic agenda and blatantly dishonest budget. They are
wrong to imply that those who stand to them are somehow unpatriotic.
It doesn't have to be this way.
In October of 1943, during the terrible days of World War II, Winston
Churchill faced an ideological controversy that had the potential
to divide the bipartisan coalition that was important to victory.
And this is what he said:
"What
holds us together is the prosecution of the war. No.man has been asked
to give up his convictions. That would be indecent and improper. We
are held together by something outside, which rivets our attention.
The principle that we work on is, 'Everything for the war, whether
controversial or not, and nothing controversial that is not bona fide
for the war.' That is our position. We must also be careful that a
pretext is not made of war needs to introduce far-reaching social
or political changes by a side-wind."
I'm
tired of this right-wing side-wind. I've had it. America's economy
is suffering unnecessarily. Important American values are being trampled.
Special interests are calling the shots. And it sometimes seems as
if, in the words of the poet, "The best lack all conviction and the
worst are full of passionate intensity."
If
you agree with me, then stand up with conviction for what we believe
in.
To start with, I want to focus on three issues in particular that
are critical to building a brighter future for our country -- three
issues where we strongly disagree with the direction that this Administration
is taking. These issues are the environment, the economy, and America's
values.
In each of these areas, this Administration is following the same
pattern: Selling out America's future in return for short-term political
gains.
They have returned us to the days of deficits and debt - the days
of irresponsible tax cuts for the wealthy; the days of loosening environmental
safeguards to satisfy the polluters. And they have turned their back
on America's covenant with our nation's greatest generation, raiding
the Social Security and Medicare trust funds without pause, without
remorse and without even a thought as to the long term consequences
of their actions.
America deserves so much better. And we Democrats will fight for
doing right by all our citizens and all our tomorrows yet to come.
We believe in honoring our mothers and fathers, not using their retirement
savings to pay for special interest spending sprees.
We believe in investing in people and building for the future.
We believe in celebrating the diversity of race, ethnicity and religion
that makes America a strong and tolerant nation that others look up
to.
We believe that Americas policies should be decided in the open,
not in secret back-room meetings where average citizens get the door
slammed in their face while polluters get the welcome mat.
ENVIRONMENT
We believe in protecting the environment in which our nation's children
are growing up.
In fact, protecting our environment for future generations is a bedrock
principle of this Democratic Party.
This Administration also claims to support the environment, but let's
look at their record. Behind closed-doors, they let special interest
lobbyists write America's environmental policy. Here's what they came
up with:
Endangering the Everglades, allowing sewage to flow into our water,
and now - they are brazenly breaking solemn promises given repeatedly
to the people of Florida - and moving to allow drilling off of Florida's
coast.
Walking away from the Kyoto Treaty and from real action on climate
change.
More corporate subsidies for coal, oil, and nuclear power plants
so that the polluters get richer.
Less investment in energy innovation so that we continue to be held
hostage to oil imports and tin horn tyrants like Saddam Hussein.
Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for six months worth
of oil - a bundle of destruction for a drop in the barrel. And we
won't see a single drop of that oil for at least the next 10 years.
Allowing trucks carrying nuclear waste to roll through our neighborhoods.
And this broken promise on Yucca is not just about Nevada. This waste
will be trucked through 45 states on the very highways and streets
that you use every day to drive your children to school and get to
work.
Some domestic security. And all that waste will almost certainly
have to be picked up and trucked through your communities again when
a permanent repository is located.
Trying to convince us our water was too clean and didn't have enough
arsenic.
America's future is in the balance. And the Republicans are tipping
the scales in the wrong direction. Its up to Democrats to set things
right again.
THE ECONOMY
Stewardship of our nation's economy is an immense responsibility.
It is in exercising this responsibility that an Administration shows
what it believes in and where it is going.
Under Democratic leadership we focused on the future. We put America's
financial house back in order after the crippling deficits of the
Reagan-Bush era. We moved this nation from the largest deficits in
history to the largest surpluses in history. Even as we did that,
we made major investments in education, job training and other areas
to strengthen our families and our communities.
When Bill Clinton and I left office, America was looking at trillions
of dollars of projected surpluses. Some people were actually worried
about paying down the national debt too fast. Worry no longer: In
just 15 months under president Bush, that surplus has all but evaporated.
Under President Bush, the surplus has evaporated in little over a
year.
And where did American's hard-earned tax dollars go? What is the
biggest reason the surplus is disappearing? Is it to build a brighter
future for our children? Was it to care for our parents in their retirement?
Was it at least to increase our spending on national defense at this
time of great challenge? No, the largest single factor that eliminated
the surplus was the Administration's tax cuts, which disproportionately
went to the wealthy.
That's this Administration's economic record: The rich get tax cuts,
working Americans get peanuts, the balanced budget goes out the window,
and America's people get left holding the bill.
And what has been the result of these misguided priorities?
Well first of all, unemployment is going up.
Second, education has gotten short shrift. We made real investments
in education - they were satisfied with making headlines. They bragged
about their education reform plan, but now they have decided not to
continue funding it.
Their budget actually cuts their own so-called "Leave No Child Behind
Act" by $90 million. Ninety million. That sounds like an awful lot
of children being left behind to me.
Third, the Administration has no real health care plan, no plan to
provide coverage to those who need it, no plan to make health care
more affordable. They talk a good game but have done nothing to help
seniors who are being forced to choose between their medicine and
their mortgage. Bush promised prescription drug coverage for all needy
seniors. But now, according to estimates from his White House, his
plan will leave behind two thirds of all seniors in need. At a time
when this nation is relying on police officers, fire fighters and
other such heroes, this Administration is slashing 1.4 billion dollars
of funding for state, local and community law enforcement. Now, how
does that make our homeland more secure?
Bottom line: the Republicans want to cut funds for new police, cut
funds to stem high school dropout rates, cut back protections for
seniors, cut protections for the environment. I may have been using
my razor lately, but these guys have been using a meat cleaver.
We need to build a stronger, safer America for the future. We need
to restore leadership that is serious about investing in the future.
We need new ideas and old-fashioned common sense. We need a new direction.
My friends, we need Democrats to lead.
VALUES
What kind of values lead this administration to dismantle the medical
privacy of Americans and allow insurance companies greater access
to your private files - while they insist that their OWN right to
privacy allows them to hold secret meetings with special interest
lobbyists who come into the White House to write their proposals on
energy?
Whose values are they following when they permit pharmaceutical companies
to market new drugs directly to patients based on information culled
from your personal medical files while they defy the courts and the
General Accounting Office to keep official files secret from Congress?
Why is it that they tell us that because there's such a shortage
of money they have to cut funds for maternal and child health block
grants, and class-size reduction, and emergency medical services for
children, newborn and infant hearing screening, hospital services
for the uninsured, youth training, mental health programs, substance
abuse prevention, and youth-opportunity grants -- yet, when the biggest
corporate polluters ask for relief from the obligation to clean up
their own messes, all of a sudden there's plenty of room to shift
that burden onto the taxpayers?
What all these policies have in common is this: each and every time
there is a dispute between the well-heeled and the well-worn, the
little guy loses out with this crowd.
At least they are consistent. But they think they are so clever at
hiding the ball that they'll never get caught.
And make no mistake, they are out to dismantle every policy that
helps the little guy and paint it as an effort to do him a favor.
Let me give you an illustration. Instead of Saving Social Security
first, this Administration's policy has been to Leave Social Security
last.
A little over a year ago, the President said that he would stop politicians
dipping into the Social security trust fund to pay for more spending.
Well, not only has he not stopped the practice, but his own budget
will raid the Social Security trust fund by 1.8 trillion over the
next ten years.
I won't say I told you so, but if anyone is in the market for a "never-been-used"
lockbox - they should see me afterwards.
This administration isn't just intent on raiding the Social Security
trust fund. Under the guise of "reforming" the system, it wants to
pass the most radical changes ever proposed. The proposals from the
President's so-called "Commission to Protect Social Security," would
actually cut Social Security benefit levels and do nothing to put
the system on sounder financial footing without large additional infusions
of money from American taxpayers.
And remember their proposal to invest Social Security funds in the
stock market? We don't hear much about that anymore.
The differences between our parties have never been sharper. On one
key issue after another, the Republicans' radical agenda is completely
at odds with our vision for America, and with the will of the American
people.
CONCLUSION
My fellow Democrats, this year we're going to show America that our
party stands for a fairer America with a brighter future ahead. In
the coming months, we're going to take our agenda to the American
people. And we're going to show them the truth of the Republican record.
Over and over they have turned the clock back on progress. I tell
you, it is a good thing they love the past so much, because pretty
soon, they're going to be history.
And if we tell America about our vision, we will win in 2002.
We will make Dick Gephardt Speaker of the House, keep Tom Daschle
as Majority Leader, and put Democrats back in charge in Tallahassee.
Senator Bob Graham and Senator Bill Nelson and the entire Florida
delegation have been working harder than ever before for you.
And in this coming campaign, I hope you'll work harder than ever
before for them.
Because every time you stand up for a brighter, stronger, safer,
better, fairer America, you're standing up for America itself.
Stand up for an America that ensures civil rights and human rights
for all.
Stand up for an America where a woman's right to choose is never
weakened, never abandoned, never taken away.
Stand up an America that honors our fighting men and women overseas
by making this nation everything it should be here at home.
Stand up for an America where people know their vote counts because
they live in a country that counts every vote.
Never give up on what you believe in. Never give up on your vision
for the future. Never give up on fighting for what's right.
As Churchill also said: Never, never, never, never, never, never
give up.
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