Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.” I’ll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. It is easy to point fingers – for Palestinians to point to the displacement brought by Israel’s founding, and for Israelis to point to the constant hostility and attacks throughout its history from within its borders as well as beyond. We cannot disguise hostility towards any religion behind the pretense of liberalism.
Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn – they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. I was too young to be involved in that movement, but I felt I could play a small part in the continuing battle for justice by helping rebuild some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations. We cannot walk alone.
That’s why I’ve been fighting to expand the Earned Income Tax Credit and the minimum wage. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one. It’s a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism.
They cheered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial when Dr. Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations. We were born out of revolution against an empire. Now let me be clear: issues of women’s equality are by no means simply an issue for Islam.
So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this country. This too is part of America’s promise – the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
