Wednesday, May 5, 2010 - The centerpiece of his campaign was a sweeping... |
| The centerpiece of his campaign was a sweeping proposal to provide health coverage for all Americans, a big issue in a state where the number of people losing their health insurance was rising daily after a decade in which the cost of health insurance nationally had risen at three times the overall rate of inflationKerrey also had a powerful argument that his military record and his popularity in conservative Republican Nebraska made him the most electable Democrat against President Bush
Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa was the Senates leading advocate for the rights of the disabled; an authority on science and technology issues, which were important to the growing number of New Hampshire suburban voters; and a longtime ally of the labor movementHe argued that it would take an authentic populist campaign to win in November, not a DLC message, which he said had no appeal to real Democrats
Former senator Paul Tsongas of Lowell, Massachusetts, had retired at a young age from a successful career in the Senate to battle cancerHe had become a fitness fanatic who swam vigorously, and publicly, to demonstrate that he was cured and able to be PresidentTsongas argued that his premature brush with mortality had liberated him from conventional political constraints, making him more willing than the rest of us to tell voters hard truths they didnt cartier santos wit necessarily want to hearHe had some interesting ideas, which he put forward in a widely distributed campaign booklet
Governor Doug Wilder had made history by becoming Virginias first African-American governorHe argued that his ability to win in a conservative southern state and his record on education, crime, and balanced budgets proved his electability
Soon after I entered the race, former governor Jerry Brown of California also announcedJerry said he wouldnt take contributions in amounts over $100 and tried to position himself as the only genuine reformer in the raceThe focus of his campaign became a proposal to scrap the complex tax code in favor of a uniform flat tax of 13 percent on all AmericansIn 1976, as a young governor, Jerry entered the late primaries and won several of them in a last-minute effort to stop Jimmy CarterIn 1979, I served with him in the National Governors Association, where I came to appreciate his quick mind and often unusual analysis of current eventsThe only quality his unique political persona lacked was a sense of humorI liked Jerry, but he took every conversation awfully seriously
For more than two months after I announced, the campaign was shadowed by the specter that there might be yet another candidate, Governor Mario Cuomo of New YorkCuomo was a huge figure in Democratic politics, our finest orator and a miu miu knock off passionate defender of Democratic values during the Reagan-Bush yearsMany people thought the nomination was his for the asking, and for a good while I thought he would askHe took some hard shots at the DLC, at me, and at my ideas on welfare reform and national serviceI was magnanimous in public, but I fumed in private and said some things about Mario I regretI think I was so stung by his criticism because I had always admired himIn mid-December he finally announced that he wouldnt runWhen some of my hard comments about him became public during the New Hampshire primary, all I could do was apologizeThank goodness, he was big enough to accept itIn the years ahead, Mario Cuomo would become a valued advisor and one of my strongest defendersI wanted to put him on the Supreme Court, but he didnt want that job, eitherI think he loved his life in New York too much to give it up, a fact the voters didnt fully appreciate when they denied him a fourth term in 1994
At the outset of the campaign, I thought my strongest competitor in New Hampshire would be Harkin or KerreyBefore long, it was clear that I had been mistaken: Tsongas was the man to beatHis hometown was practically on the New Hampshire state line; he had a compelling life story; he demonstrated the toughness and determination to win; and, most important, he was the only other candidate who was rolex watches for ladies competing with me on the essential battleground of ideas, message, and specific, comprehensive proposals
Successful presidential campaigns require three basic thingsFirst, people have to be able to look at you and imagine you as PresidentThen you have to have enough money and support to become knownAfter that, its a battle of ideas, message, and issuesTsongas met the first two criteria and was out to win the ideas battleI was determined not to let him do it
I scheduled three speeches at Georgetown to flesh out my New Covenant theme with specific proposalsThey were delivered to students, faculty, supporters, and good press coverage in beautiful, old, wood-paneled Gaston Hall, in the Healy BuildingOn October 23, the topic was responsibility and community; on November 20, economic opportunity; on December 12, national security
Together, these speeches allowed me to articulate the ideas and proposals I had developed over the previous decade as governor and with the Democratic Leadership CouncilI had helped to write, and deeply believed in, the DLCs five core beliefs: Andrew Jacksons credo of opportunity for all and special privileges for none; the basic American values of work and family, freedom and responsibility, faith, tolerance, and inclusion; John Kennedys ethic of mutual responsibility, asking citizens to give something back to their country; cheap louis vuitton replicas the advancement of democratic and humanitarian values around the world, and prosperity and upward mobility at home; and Franklin Roosevelts commitment to innovation, to modernizing government for the information age and encouraging people by giving them the tools to make the most of their own lives
I was amazed by some of the criticisms of the DLC from the Democratic left, who accused us of being closet Republicans, and from some members of the political press, who had comfortable little boxes marked Democrat and RepublicanWhen we didnt fit neatly in their ossified Democratic box, they said we didnt believe in anythingThe proof was that we wanted to win national elections, something Democrats apparently werent supposed to do
I believed the DLC was furthering the best values and principles of the Democratic Party with new ideasOf course, some liberals honestly disagreed with us on welfare reform, trade, fiscal responsibility, and national defenseBut our differences with the Republicans were clearWe were against their unfair tax cuts and big deficits; their opposition to the Family and Medical Leave bill and the Brady bill; their failure to adequately fund education or push proven reforms, instead of vouchers; their divisive tactics on racial and gay issues; their unwillingness to protect the environment; their anti-choice stance; and much replica gucci handbags mo |
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