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July 29, 2004

Remarks Of Governor Mark R. Warner To The Democratic Convention

Good evening fellow Democrats, and a special good evening to my friends in Virginia. My name is Mark Warner. And I want to answer the question that a lot of you have been asking me all week. Yes, John Kerry can win in Virginia and across the South. And with your help, he will.

When I ran for governor, in 2001, all of the pundits said it couldn't be done. The Republicans controlled everything in Virginia back then. But thanks to the endless hard work of thousands of Virginia Democrats, lots of Republicans, independents, folks who hadn't voted Democratic in a long time, we proved the pundits wrong.

And today I stand before you as the commonwealth's first elected Democratic governor in more than a decade. This year, those same pundits are back. They shake their heads and say, "You know, Virginia hadn't voted for a Democrat for president since 1964, 40 years ago." Come November, Virginia is going to prove the experts wrong once again and help send John Kerry to the White House.

That's because we embrace the kind of American values that have defined John Kerry's entire life: service to country and the armed forces, opportunity for all, and that most unique American value, our basic sense of fairness.

Now, though, we're just across the water from Washington, it's like a world apart. In Washington, we've seen the first budget surplus in a generation become the largest deficit in history. Could you all imagine -- could you all imagine what they would say if that had happened under a Democratic administration?

In Virginia, we Democrats are the party of balanced budgets, of fairer tax code and a stronger economic future. We've always said: You can't prepare for tomorrow until you get your fiscal house in order today.
And that will be John Kerry's approach when we take back the White House this year.

John Kerry will work for educational opportunity and good jobs. He'll work to give young people in small towns the chance to live and work in the place they grew up. Because you shouldn't have to leave your family or your hometown to get a good job. And to work for true fiscal responsibility and economic opportunity, it will take a president who will work across party lines and regional divisions. John Kerry will bring us together to get the job done.

If we can do it in Virginia, we can do it in America. And John Kerry will lead the way.

But they're right. It has been a while since Virginia voted for a Democrat for President. Moses wandered in the desert for 40 years. Virginia has been wandering in the Republican desert for 40 years.

But let me tell you, this Bush can't lead us to the promised land. This year our wandering is over. This year, with old-fashioned values and new ideas, Virginia stands ready to help send John Kerry to the White House.

Thank you. God bless America. And God bless the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Posted by laura at July 29, 2004 01:00 PM

Comments

I was disappointed by the governor's speech. I'm not sure what I expected, but it wasn't this. :) His delivery wasn't very strong, and the text of the speech wasn't very good. Take the Moses/Bush thing -- good connection, but it was limited to a single paragraph, rather than made the theme of his brief remarks. I'd hoped for a speech that might end up being excerpted on CNN, but instead it proved rather forgettable.

Posted by: Waldo Jaquith at August 3, 2004 04:05 PM