Note: The following came in from a Wyoming Democrat. While we attempt to share work that reflects the WDP platform, you may come across some words that are not exactly what WDP would have written. Perhaps you will agree with and value what you read below, perhaps not. Your mileage may vary.
I hope you had a chance to watch or listen to some of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago last week. It was clearly a love fest, as it should have been, and the tone was positive, upbeat, optimistic, and looking to the future. It was a refreshing change from the dystopic, negative, mostly false vision for America that the Republican nominee has been whining about for seven long years.
There were a lot of quotable lines in the speeches that should inspire and energize all of us to “Do Something,” as Kamala Harris’s mom told her. I picked out a few to share with you.
Michelle Obama had some of the best lines of the convention and I believe her when she speaks. “Because no one has a monopoly on what it means to be an American. No one.” Rock on, Michelle! I’m tired of Republicans thinking they have a lock on patriotism and own the flag of the United States of America, and she called them on it. Say it out loud!
She is also a realist and pointed out that nominating Kamala Harris was a celebration; getting her elected will take a LOT of hard work. “Our fate is in our hands. In 77 days, we have the power to turn our country away from the fear, division, and smallness of the past. We have the power to marry our hope with our action. We have the power to pay forward the love, sweat, and sacrifice of our mothers and fathers and all those who came before us.”
Barack Obama had a few good lines of his own, including pointing out that it was dumb to follow his wife on the stage, but this one stood out for me: “We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own life, how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry. And we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that other people have the freedom to make choices that are different than ours. That’s okay.”
Republicans don’t have a lock on what constitutes “freedom,” either, and Obama’s expansive view is much more American than the freedom to limit our neighbors’ medical choices or what books their children can find at the library.
Obama also addressed the negative tone, pitting Americans against one another, that seems to define the Republican campaign, “because the vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that’s bitter and divided. We want something better. We want to be better. And the joy and the excitement that we’re seeing around this campaign tells us we’re not alone.”
Hillary Clinton deserved the joyous ovation she received and her final words were a clarion call:
“And America needs every one of us, our energy, our talents, our dreams. We’re not just electing a President. We are uplifting our nation. We’re opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone. Because my friends, when a barrier falls for one of us, it falls, it falls and clears the way for all of us…
I want my grandchildren and their grandchildren to know I was here at this moment, that we were here and that we were with Kamala Harris every step of the way. This is our time, America. This is when we stand up. This is when we break through. The future is here. It’s in our grasp. Let’s go win it.”
“We’re not just electing a President. We are uplifting our nation. We’re opening the promise of America wide enough for everyone.
Wow. Just…Wow.
I was particularly touched by Kamala Harris’s description of her upbringing: “My mother worked long hours. And, like many working parents, she leaned on a trusted circle to help raise us. Mrs. Shelton, who ran the day care below us and became a second mother. Uncle Sherman. Aunt Mary. Uncle Freddy. And Auntie Chris.
None of them family by blood. And all of them, family. By love.”
“And all of them, family. By love.” That is some powerful stuff.
Vice President Harris made it very clear that “America, we are not going back. We are charting a new way forward.”
And I am fairly certain that generations to come will read her words in their civics books:
“We are the heirs to the greatest democracy in the history of the world. And on behalf of our children and grandchildren, and all those who sacrificed so dearly for our freedom and liberty, we must be worthy of this moment. It is now our turn to do what generations before us have done. Guided by optimism and faith, to fight for this country we love.
To fight for the ideals we cherish.
And to uphold the awesome responsibility that comes with the greatest privilege on Earth: the privilege and pride of being an American.
So, let’s get out there and let’s fight for it.
Let’s get out there and let’s vote for it.
And together, let us write the next great chapter in the most extraordinary story ever told.
Thank you. God bless you. May God bless the United States of America.”
The momentum is on our side, friends, but it’ll only carry us so far. We each have a bit-part to play in uplifting our nation. Now is the time to talk with people you know who would find these speeches inspirational but who have checked out, maybe even let their voter registration lapse. Let them know that in a red county in a red state, their vote for Harris and Walz will be notable. They will be striking a blow for freedom and ringing the bell for democracy.
And all they have to do is VOTE!
Pax,
Dave Throgmorton
Carbon County DEmocratic Party Chair