- Jul 12, 2018
- 9,718
DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION
Boston, Massachusetts
2004
Tens-of-thousands of loyal Democratic Party members along with hundreds of Democratic politicians and elected officials - along with many who hoped to be elected - gathered in Boston for the Democratic National Convention. Many topics were discussed over the days that the DNC was held, including the party's platform and numerous speeches energetic party members, including Illinois Senator-hopeful Barrack Obama. The Democratic Party has held control of the White House, and largely held control of Congress, since Bill Clinton was sworn in as President in 1993. Eleven years of Democratic control of the Federal Government means that many members of the party have forgotten what it is like to be in the minority and a loyal opposition. The success of the Democratic Party has been attributed to many things, including its moderate stances to many hot-topic issues, the successes of the late President Clinton and President Gore, and the peace that has been preserved on the home front while the rest of the world has been relatively unstable. President Gore's confidence to lead the nation after the attack on Washington in 1997 and the Washington riots and the attempt on his life in 2002 have recharged the Democrats again and again, as well as the rest of the country.
But now, the Democratic Party has new challenges to face. President Gore cannot constitutionally run for another term in office, despite his popularity being unusually high for a president in his second term of office. His Vice President, who is arguably even more popular than him, is not a Democrat and has repeatedly stated that he is ready to leave public service. While the Republicans struggle with an identity crisis, the Democrats have been working hard to maintain their relevance. There are large disagreements as to what will maintain their relevance and who should be the new leader of the party, and potentially the next President of the United States. After the primaries it has become apparent that former Secretary of State, Jackson Fitzgerald, would be chosen at the DNC as the party's nominee for President. Fitzgerald walked onto stage with North Carolina Senator John Edwards, who was a rising star in the party himself. Edwards was declared to be the running mate of Fitzgerald. The crowd was cheering and chanting as confetti and ballons snowed down onto them.
"Fellow Democrats, my fellow Americans, I want to thank you for putting your faith in me for this election. As I look out onto this crowd I am reminded of the sheer might of our nation. I can see delegations from California, Texas, New York, and of course Massachusetts. We are a country of many colors and beliefs that spans from the Atlantic to the Pacific. People in Hawaii, Alaska, Florida, and Ohio all live very different lives. The climates of those places, compared to each other, seem almost otherworldly. The people in those places have very different ethnic backgrounds and generational stories that make them unique to any other part of the country. Regardless of that, at the end of the day, we all support each other as Americans. While so many other countries around the world are mired by ancient feuds and wars, we are united by being a part of a New World that has left that all behind. We are here to be free and to enjoy our lives, to pursue happiness as we see fit - we are Americans.
"Centuries of progress and growth, as well fighting alongside other free nations around the world, have showed us how important preservation of stability and the world order is. After the fall of Communism and the iron curtain that had suffocated Eastern Europe for decades, the entire world has found itself in a new era where almost any country can forge a new destiny for itself and work alongside the rest of the world to rise from the bitter attitudes of the Cold War. We, as Americans, have the duty to work with our allies, friends, and other states around the world to maintain this new order and to encourage prosperity around the world. If we can do that, then the rest of the world will want to work alongside us to ensure a better tomorrow.
"At home, we still have work to do. Senator Edwards and I have discussed what the White House and Congress can do to bring more Americans out of poverty and into the twenty-first century. While our nation boats most of the best universities in the entire world, we also have some of the worst middle and high schools in the developed world in many of our urban centers. What America needs is an initiative to revitalize some of our storied cities, which is work that has begun under President Gore with the 'Restore America' projects. With a new focus on secondary education, and a continued focus on building new housing and decreasing crime, we can continue to reinvigorate our nation and see to the progress that was made in the late 1990s and the beginning of this century.
"We should never forget how we got to where we are now and what we need to do to ensure prosperity for the future generations of the American People. The decisions that we make today will decide what kind of country, and what kind of world, we will have tomorrow. Let us choose to have a better country and a more united world - let us choose to Rekindle America!"
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