"That's not a maverick. That's a sidekick."
I've compiled a few of my favorite quotes from the Democratic National Convention so far:
From Monday, Day 1:
Okay, I have a confession to make. A friend of mine came into town unexpectedly Monday night. I hadn't seen him in almost a year so instead of watching the convention coverage, I went out for a late dinner with my friend. I managed to catch some video online and Sen. Kennedy was wonderful. I thought Michelle Obama did a fine job as well.
Ted Kennedy's entire speech can be found here.
Here are the last few paragraphs, which -- I cannot believe I'm admitting this -- made me cry just by reading them:
"We are told that Barack Obama believes too much in an America of high principle and bold endeavor, but when John Kennedy called of going to the moon, he didn't say it's too far to get there. We shouldn't even try.
Our people answered his call and rose to the challenge, and today an American flag still marks the surface of the moon.
Yes, we are all Americans. This is what we do. We reach the moon. We scale the heights. I know it. I've seen it. I've lived it. And we can do it again.
There is a new wave of change all around us, and if we set our compass true, we will reach our destination - not merely victory for our party, but renewal for our nation.
And this November the torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on."
And while we're at it, go ahead and take a look at Michelle's entire speech:
Full transcript from AP via Yahoo! News
From Tuesday, Day 2:
Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich:
"Wake up, America!"
The full text of his speech here at Politico. Just a warning, he says that a lot.
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Senator Bob Casey:
"John McCain calls himself a maverick, but he votes with George Bush 90 percent of the time. That's not a maverick. That's a sidekick."
This is a long one from Sen. Casey, but I just had to put it all because it's so great:
"The Bush-McCain Republicans inherited the strongest economy in history and drove it into a ditch. They cut taxes on the wealthiest of us and passed on the pain to the least of us. They ran up the debt, gave huge subsidies to big oil companies, and now they're asking for four more years.
How 'bout four more months? We can't afford four more years of deficit and debt, drift and desperation. Not four more years. Four more months. And we can't afford another president who will veto children's health insurance for 10 million children, or who will keep senior citizens from seeing the doctors they trust. Not four more years. Four more months."
Full transcript of Bob Casey's remarks from Politico.
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Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer gave one of my favorite speeches so far. He really fired up the delegates. You can read the full remarks here from The Rocky Mountain News (via Yahoo! News).
My favorite quote from the Montana Governor? This one concerning John McCain's ties to big oil:
"Four billion in tax breaks for big oil? That's a lot of change, but it's not the change we need."
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Former Virginia Governor (and current Senate candidate) Mark Warner:
"I know we're at the Democratic convention, but if an idea works, it really doesn't matter if it has an R or a D next to it. Because this election isn't about liberal versus conservative. It's not about left versus right. It's about the future versus the past."
And this:
"Right now, at this critical moment in our history, we have one shot to get it right, and the status quo just won't cut it."
At the end of his speech, he used a great quote from Thomas Jefferson:
"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past."
Warner went on to say:
"Jefferson got it right at the dawn of the 19th century, and it's our challenge to get it right at the dawn of the 21st. This race is all about the future. That's why we must elect Barack Obama as our next president. Because the race for the future will be won when old partisanship gives way to new ideas. When we put solutions over stalemates, and when hope replaces fear."
Full transcript of Mark Warner's remarks here.
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I couldn't possibly forget Hillary, could I?
New York Senator Hillary Clinton:
"We don't need four more years of the last eight years."
And another good one:
"You haven't worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership. No way. No how. No McCain."
Full transcript of Hillary's remarks from AP via Yahoo! News
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And finally, a side note on the 88th anniversary of women's suffrage -- look how far we've come:
Senator Hillary Clinton:
"My mother was born before women could vote, but in this election my daughter got to vote for her mother for president."
That's pretty cool.