Please Recommend This Thread! John Yarmuth's JJ Dinner speech from 6-16

[Pryderi]

Remarks of
Congressman John Yarmuth
Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
June 6, 2008

Party events are about politics and politics is about winning elections, and it's natural that the speakers tend to focus on winning elections instead of governing. We are in the midst of an incredible resurgence of the Democratic Party, with a string of significant electoral victories and a nation that resoundingly rejects the policies and governance of our rival party. It is, of course, a great time to be a Democrat. National polls show that our fellow citizens prefer us over the Republicans by record margins. They want Democrats to control Congress, and they want a Democrat in the White House. They trust us to repair the economy by almost two to one over the GOP, they trust us to resolve the health care crisis, the education crisis, the housing foreclosure crisis, and to protect our environment, by huge majorities. They trust us to solve the energy shortage, and they even trust us just as much as Republicans to protect our homeland.

Yes, it is a good time to be a Democrat, and I am proud not only to be a Democrat but a Kentucky Democrat.

Here in the Commonwealth we are in a similar position. We elected a governor and lieutenant governor by huge percentages last year, along with our great Attorney General, Auditor, and Treasurer. We gained seats in the House, solidifying our defensive wall against the backward looking Kentucky Senate. And now we have a tremendous opportunity to send Mitch McConnell into retirement and Bruce Lunsford to the U.S. Senate.

But as we all know, winning an election, or even every election, does not mean we have solved societies problems. And I hope you noticed that every problem I mentioned a few seconds ago has reached critical proportions.

At every level of society we have incredibly difficult challenges. We have rapidly escalating human needs and limited resources. We need to invest in infrastructure in our cities, our states and at the federal level, but there are insufficient funds even to pave our highways.

We need to guarantee access to higher education for everyone, at the same time that costs are growing at record rates. The list goes on and on. In other words, while our electoral prospects are impressive, our challenges are even more daunting. I look forward to returning to Congress next year with more Democratic colleagues and a Democratic president, and working with Governor Beshear and local officials throughout Kentucky to make this a society that works for everyone.

But tonight I want to talk about a special challenge facing Democrats here in Kentucky. In recent weeks, racial bigotry has reared its ugly head in our state. We have been labeled, perhaps unfairly, perhaps not, as one of the most racist states in the country based on exit polling from our presidential primary. On the one hand it would be unfair when considering Senator Hillary Clinton's success in Kentucky, to ignore the obvious truth that she is one of the all-time great leaders in American politics. These two Senators combined to form perhaps the strongest primary in the history of American Presidential politics. That is, in large part, due to the strength, endurance, and compassion of Senator Clinton, and her victory here can never and should never be explained away. Still, the country sees exit polls that do not paint a pretty picture. They indicate that one out of five Democrats who voted on May 20 considered race a major factor in their vote, and 90% of those voters cast their ballot against the African-American candidate. I am sure every one in this room has heard subtle and not-so-subtle racial or sexist attacks directed at our party's candidates.

Today, on the eve of Senator Clinton throwing her support behind our Party's presumptive nominee, I can only hope and pray that, when President Obama takes the oath of office next January, those who are offended by his race are open to being impressed by his talents.

But I also hope that those of us here tonight, and the overwhelming majority of Democrats who judge every individual, and specifically every candidate, by the content of their character, will meet our responsibility to combat this racism with resolve and confidence. Whenever we encounter a Democrat who says he or she cannot vote for a black man, we must not walk away and let that blind hatred fester. We must defend not just Barack Obama, but the legacy we inherit as members of the Democratic Party, the party that truly reflects the diversity of our great country.

In the face of riots, violence, and bitter hatred, this party integrated our military, our places of work, and our schools. It was Democrats who successfully fought for civil rights, voting rights, and housing rights. When this country faced its darkest hours, Democrats summoned the courage to carry the torch forward. That is our shared history when things were tough, and as we stand on the brink of something truly special, that should also be our future as the nation turns to Democratic leaders for hope. It is our willingness, or actually even our eagerness to embrace diversity that will make us the dominant party in this increasingly diverse society.

So when you hear the racist messages, or you read them on the internet, don't hesitate to respond. After all, if race were really a factor in the ability of a man or a woman to be president, what happened to George Bush?

When someone argues that if it's okay for blacks to vote for blacks and women to vote for women, it should be okay for whites to vote for whites, you should answer that there is a world of difference between voting for a candidate out of pride and voting against one out of irrational fear and hatred.

In any event, we must resolve to answer racism whenever we encounter it. We cannot let anyone, particularly anyone who calls him or herself a Democrat, think that racist politics is acceptable. If we do we may still win elections, but we will never realize our potential as a party or live up to our legacy.

We have an opportunity to elect a black man President of the United States— not because he is a black man, but because this black man is among the most inspirational, thoughtful, capable individuals of his generation.

I became a Democrat for one reason: Democrats believe that every person matters. That's why we have taken control of Congress, that's why the American people have confidence in us, that's why young people are showing up to vote as never before, and that's why when we elect President Obama on November 4 we will govern successfully and restore faith in America's future

Please join me in resolving to work hard to make every Kentuckian proud of the historic step we are about to take.