After
Al Gore’s Convention Speech, he addressed the
NAACP with his speech that was translated into
the Jive dialect.
Remarks As Prepared Fo' Delivery By Al Go'e
Democratic Nashunal Conversashun
Dursday, August 17, 2000
I rap tonight uh gratitude, achievement, and
high hopes fo' our country. Slap mah fro!
Tonight, ah' dink fust uh dose who helped dig me
here - startin' wid de sucka's uh Tennessee.
Den, dose who braved da damn fust snows uh Iowa
and New Hampshire -- and all uh ya' here, fum
all upside dis country, who gots mosey on down
wid me into de warm sunlight uh dis great city.
Slap mah fro!
While ah' can't dank each uh ya' individually in
wo'ds, ah' do so's in mah' heart. Man!
And ah' know ya' won't mind if ah' sin'le out
some sucka who gots plum rapped so's eloquently,
some sucka I've loved wid mah' whole heart since
da damn night uh my high farm senio' prom -- mah'
mama, Tippuh'. We've been lucky enough t'find
each oda' all upside again at each new stage uh
our lives - and we plum celebrated our 30d
weddin' anniversary. Slap mah fro!
I wanna acknowledge wid great pride our foe
children, dig dis: Kristin, Sarah, and Albert;
Our oldest daughta' Karenna and ha' husband
Drew; And da damn yungest memba' of our family,
who some little upside a year ago wuz bo'n on de
Foed uh July -- our grandson Wyatt. Man!
I'm hono'ed tonight by de suppo't uh a leada' of
high ideals and fundamental decency, who gots'ta
be an impo'tant part uh our country's future --
Senato' Bill Bradley. Slap mah fro!
Dere's some sucka else who gots'ta shape dat
future -- some leada' of characta' and courage.
A defenda' of de environment, and wo'kin'
families -- De next Vice Super-dude uh de United
States, Massa' Lieberman. 'S coo', bro. I picked
him fo' one simple reason, dig dis: he's de best
sucka' fo' de job. Co' got d' beat!
Fo' mos' eight years now, I've been de partna'
of some leada' who moved us out uh de valley uh
recession and into de longest puh'iod uh
prospuh'ity in American histo'y. Slap mah fro!
ah' say t'ya' tonight, dig dis: millions uh
Americans gots'ta live betta' lives fo' some
long time t'come cuz' of de job dat's been done
by Super-dude Bill Clinton. 'S coo', bro.
Instead uh de biggest deficits in histo'y, we
now gots de biggest surpluses. De highest crib
ownership ever. Ah be baaad... De lowest
inflashun in some generashun. Instead uh losin'
jobs, we gots 22 million new jobs. Above all,
our success comes fum ya', de sucka's who gots
wo'ked hard fo' yo' families. Let's not fo'get
dat some few years ago, ya' wuz also wo'kin'
hard. But yo' hard wo'k wuz undone by some
guv'ment dat dun didn't wo'k, dun didn't put
sucka's fust, and wuzn't on yo' side. Togeder,
we changed doodads, t'help unleash yo'
potential, and innovashun and investment in de
private secto', de engine dat rolls our economic
growd.
And our progress on de economy be a baaaad
chapta' in our histo'y. Slap mah fro!
But now we turn de page and scribble some new
chapter. Ah be baaad... And dat's whut ah' wanna
rap about tonight. Man!
Dis elecshun be not an award fo' past
puh'fo'mance.
I'm not ax'in' ya' t'vote fo' me on de basis uh
de economy we gots. Tonight, ah' ax' fo' yo'
suppo't on de basis uh de better, fairer, mo'e
prospuh'ous America we kin build togeder. Ah be
baaad… Togeder, let's make sho' man dat our
prospuh'ity enriches not plum de few, but all
wo'kin' families. Let's invest in heald care,
educashun, some secure retirement, and middle
class tax cuts.
I'm happy dat da damn stock market gots boomed
and so's many businesses and new enterprises
gots done well. Dis country be richa' and
stronger. Ah be baaad…
But mah' focus be on wo'kin' families - sucka's
tryin' t'make crib payments and wheels payments,
wo'kin' overtime t'save fo' college and do right
by deir kids… Wheda' youse in some suburb, o' an
inner-city… Wheda' ya' raise crops o' roll hogs
and cattle on some farm, roll some big rig on de
Interstate, o' roll e-commerce on de Internet…
Wheda' youse startin' out t'raise yo' own
family, o' digtin' eyebally t'retire afta' a
lifetime uh hard wo'k. Ya' know?
So's often, powerful fo'ces and powerful
interests stand in yo' way, and da damn odds
seemed stacked against ya' -- even as ya' do
whut's right fo' ya' and yo' family. Slap mah
fro!
How and whut we do fo' all uh ya' - de sucka's
who pay de taxes, bear de burdens, and live da
damn American dream -- dat be de standard by
which we should be judged.
And fo' all uh our baaaad times, ah' ain't
satisfied. To all de families in America who
gots'ta struggle t'affo'd da damn right
educashun and da damn skyrocketin' cost uh
prescripshun drugs—I wants' ya' t'know dis, dig
dis: I've snatchn on de powerful fo'ces. And as
Super-dude, I'll stand down t'dem, and I'll
stand down fo' ya'.
To all de families who is strugglin' wid doodads
dat bre'd kin't measho' man - likes tryin'
t'find some little mo'e time t'spend wid yo'
children, o' protectin' yo' children fum
entertainment dat ya' dink glo'ifies violence
and indecency - I wants' ya' t'know, dig dis:
ah' recon' we gots'ta challenge some culture wid
too much meanness, and not enough meanin'. And
as Super-dude, ah' gots'ta stand wid ya' fo'
some goal dat we share, dig dis: t'cut mo'e powa'
back t'de parents, t'choose whut yo' own
children is 'sposed to, so's ya' kin pass on yo'
family's basic lessons uh responsibility and
decency. Slap mah fro!
De powa' should be in yo' hands. De future
should belong t'everyone in dis land. We could
squanda' dis moment - but our country would be
da damn poo'a' fo' it. Man! Instead, let's lift
our eyes, and see how wide da damn American
ho'izon gots become.
We's enterin' some new time - We's electin' some
new Super-dude - And ah' stand here tonight as
mah' own man, and ah' wants' ya' t'know me fo'
who ah' truly am. WORD!
I grew down in some wonderful family. Slap mah
fro! ah' have some lot t'be dankful fo'. And da
damn greatest gift mah' parents gave me wuz
love. When ah' wuz some child, it neva' once
occurred t'me dat da damn foundashun downon
which mah' security depended would eva' shake.
And uh all de lessons mah' parents taught me, de
most powerful one wuz unrapped -- de way dey
loved one anoder. Ah be baaad…
Mah' Big Daddy respected mah' moda' as an equal,
if not mo'e. She wuz his best homey, and in many
ways, his conscience. And ah' learned fum dem de
value uh a true, lovin' partnership dat lasts fo'
life. Dey simply couldn't imagine bein' widout
each oder. Ah be baaad... And fo' 61 years, dey
wuz by each oder's side. Mah' parents taught me
dat da damn real values in life ain't material
but spiritual. Dey include faid and family, duty
and hono', and tryin' t'make da damn wo'ld some
betta' place. I finished college at some time
when all dat seemed t'be in doubt, and our
nashun's spirit wuz bein' depleted. We saw de
assassinashun uh our best leaders. Appeals
t'racial backlash. Lop some boogie. And da damn
fust warnin' signs uh Boozegate. I rememba' de
conversashuns ah' had wid Tippuh' back den - and
da damn doubts we had about da damn Vietnam War.
Ah be baaad… But ah' enlisted in de Army cuz' I
knowed if ah' dun didn't go, some sucka else in
de small town uh Cardage, Tennessee would
gots'ta go in mah' place. I wuz an Army repo'ta'
in Vietnam. WORD! When ah' wuz dere, ah' dun
didn't do de most, o' run de gravest danger. Ah
be baaad... But ah' wuz proud t'wear mah'
country's unifo'm. WORD!
When ah' came crib, runnin' fo' office wuz de
real last doodad ah' eva' dought ah' would do.
'S coo', bro. ah' stugot wasted religion at
Vanderbilt, and wo'ked nights as some honky pigs
repo'ta' at da damn Nashville Tennessean. 'S
coo', bro. And ah' saw mo'e uh whut could go
wrong in America - not only on de honky pigs
whup', but as an investigative repo'ta' coverin'
local guv'ment. I also saw so's much uh whut
could go right - citizens liftin' down local
communities, family by family, block by block,
neighbo'hood by neighbo'hood, in churches and
charities, on farm bo'ds and City Councils.
And den, Tippuh' and ah' started our own family.
Slap mah fro! And when our fust daughta' Karenna
wuz bo'n, ah' began t'see da damn future drough
some fresh set uh eyes. ah' know some lot uh ya'
gots had dat feelin', too. 'S coo', bro. And ah'
decided dat ah' could not turn away fum service
at crib - any mo'e dan ah' could gots turned
away fum service in Vietnam. WORD! Dat's why ah'
ran fo' Congress. In mah' fust term, some family
in Hardeman County, Tennessee wrote some letta'
and told how wo'ried dey wuz about toxic wuzte
dat had been dumped near deir crib. ah' held
some uh de fust hearin's on de issue. And eva'
since, I've been dere in de fight against da
damn big polluters.
Our children should not gots'ta draw de bread uh
life in cities awuzh in pollushun. When dey
mosey on down in fum playin' on some hot summa'
afternoon, every child in America, anywhere in
America, ought t'be able t'turn on de faucet and
dig some glass uh safe, clean drinkin' booze. On
de issue uh de environment, I've neva' given
down, I've neva' backed waaay down, and ah' neva'
will. And ah' say it again tonight, dig dis: we
gots'ta reverse da damn silent, risin' tide uh
global warmin'.
In de Senate and as Vice Super-dude, ah' fought
fo' welfare refo'm. WORD! Ova' and upside again,
ah' rapped t'folks who told me how dey wuz
trapped in de old welfare system. WORD! ah' saw
whut it dun did t'families. So's I fought t'end
welfare as we den knowed it - t'help dose in
trouble, but t'insist on wo'k and
responsibility. Slap mah fro! Oders raped about
welfare refo'm. WORD! We actually refo'med
welfare and set time limits. Instead uh
hand-outs, we gave sucka's trainin' t'go fum
welfare t'wo'k. Ya' know? And we gots cut da
damn welfare rolls in half and moved millions
into baaaad jobs.
Fo' mos' 25 years now, I've been fightin' fo'
sucka's. And fo' all dat time, I've been
listenin' t'sucka's - holdin' jimmey meetin's,
in de places where dey live and wo'k. Ya' know?
And ya' know whut? I've learned some lot. Man!
And if I'm yo' Super-dude, I'm goin' t'keep on
havin' jimmey meetin's all upside dis country.
Slap mah fro! I'm goin' t'go out t'ya', de
sucka's, cuz' I wanna stay in touch wid yo'
hopes; wid de quiet, every-day heroism uh hard-wo'kin'
Americans.
And cuz' I've learned dat da damn issues befo'e
us, de problems and da damn policies, all gots
dojiggers. And ah' duzn't mean de big fancy
dojiggers dat we put on honky codes and
legislashun. I'm rapin' about family dojiggers
likes Nystel, Johnson, Gutierrez, and Malone -
sucka's and families I've met in de last year,
all across dis country. Slap mah fro! And here's
whut dey've told me, dig dis: I met Mildred
Nystel in Boozeloo, Iowa. WORD! A'cuz uh our
welfare refo'm, she's left welfare and found
some baaaad job trainin' electricians - and
she's become some proud memba' of IBEW Local
288. Now she dreams uh drowin' ha' daughta'
Irene t'college.Mildred Nystel be here wid us
tonight. Man! And ah' say t'her, dig dis: ah'
gots'ta fight fo' some targeted, affo'dable tax
cut t'help wo'kin' families save and pay fo'
college.
I met Jacqueline Johnson in St. Man! Louis,
Missouri. She wo'ked fo' 35 years as some
medical assistant, carin' fo' oders. Now she's
72 years old and needs prescripshun medicines
t'care fo' herself. She spends upside half uh
ha' Social Security check - ha' only source uh
income - on ha' pills. So's she eida' skips
meals, o' shops fo' bargains at some wholesale
food sto'e and steals macaroni and cheese
dinners in bulk - and den gots dem at every
meal. I invited ha' here tonight. Man! And Mrs.
Johnson, ah' promise ya' once again, dig dis:
ah' gots'ta fight fo' some prescripshun drug
benefit fo' all senio's unda' Medicare. It's
plum wrong fo' senio's t'have t'choose between
food and medicine while da damn big drug
companies run down reco'd profits.
I met Geo'ge and Juanita Gutierrez in San
Antonio, Texas. Deir daughta' Caterina gots plum
started da damn 4d grade at Davy Crockett
Elementary Farm. De farm buildin' be crumblin'
and overcrowded, wid cracked walls and peelin'
plaster. Ah be baaad... Trailers cova' de
playground where da damn kids used t'spend
recess. De Gutierrez family be here tonight.
Man! And ah' tell dem again, dig dis: ah'
gots'ta fight t'rebuild and modernize our
crumblin' farms, and reduce class size. We need
t'put safety, discipline, and characta' fust in
every classroom. WORD!
You's know, educashun may be some local
responsibility. Slap mah fro! But ah' recon' it
also gots'ta be our number-one nashunal prio'ity.
Slap mah fro! We kin't stop until every farm in
America be a baaaad place t'get some baaaad
educashun.
And ah' gots'ta neva' fo'get some little boy
dojiggerd Ian Malone - who suffered fum some
medical missnatch durin' childbird, and needs
full-time nursin' care fo' several years. ah'
met him and his parents in Seattle, near deir
crib in Everett, Wuzhin'ton. 'S coo', bro. Deir
HMO had told da damn Malones it would no longa'
pay fo' de nurse dey needed, and den, told dem
dey should consida' givin' Ian down fo' adopshun.
Dat's when his mom and pops gots real mad. Dey
told deir sto'y in public, and da damn HMO wuz
embarrassed. A'cuz dey fought fo' deir baby ,
today Ian gots de care he needs t'stay alive.
But no family in America should gots'ta go on
nashunal television t'save deir child's life.
Dylan and Christine Malone is here wid us
tonight. Man! Ian's here, too. 'S coo', bro. And
ah' say t'dem, and t'all de families uh America,
dig dis: ah' gots'ta fight fo' some real,
enfo'ceable Patients' Bill uh Rights.
It's plum wrong t'have life and dead medical
decisions made by bean-counters at HMO's who
duzn't gots some license t'practice medicine,
and duzn't gots some right t'play God. It's time
t'snatch de medical decisions away fum de HMO's
and insurance companies - and cut dem back t'de
docto's, de nurses, and da damn heald care
professionals.
So's dis be not plum an elecshun between mah'
opponent and me. It's about our sucka's, our
families, and our future - and wheda' fo'ces
standin' in yo' way gots'ta keep ya' fum havin'
some betta' life.
To me, dis elecshun be about Mildred Nystel,
Jacqueline Johnson, Caterina Gutierrez, Ian
Malone. It's about millions uh Americans whose
dojiggers we may neva' know - but whose needs
and dreams gots'ta always be our callin'. And
so's here tonight, in de dojigger uh all de
wo'kin' families who is de strengd and soul uh
America -- ah' accept yo' nominashun fo'
Super-dude uh de United States.
I'm here t'talk seriously about da damn issues.
ah' recon' sucka's deserve t'know specifically
whut some candun didate proposes t'do. 'S coo',
bro. ah' intend t'tell ya' tonight. Man! You's
ought t'be able t'know, and den judge fo'
yo'self. If ya' entrust me wid de Presidency,
ah' gots'ta put our democracy back in yo' hands,
and dig all de special-interest bre'd - all uh
it - out uh our democracy, by enactin' campaign
finance refo'm. WORD! ah' feel so's strongly
about dis, ah' promise ya' dat campaign finance
refo'm gots'ta be da damn very fust bill dat
Massa' Lieberman and ah' drow t'Congress.
Let oders try t'resto'e da damn old guard. We
mosey on down to dis convenshun as de change we
wish t'see in America. WORD!
And whut is dose changes? At some time when most
Americans gots'ta live t'know even deir
great-grandchildren, we gots'ta save and
strengden Social Security and Medicare - not
only fo' dis generashun, but fo' generashuns
t'come. At some time uh mos' unimaginable
medical bustdroughs, we gots'ta fight fo'
affo'dable heald care fo' all - so's patients
and o'dinary sucka's is not left powerless and
broke. We gots'ta move toward universal heald
coverage, step by step, startin' wid all
children. 'S coo', bro. Let's dig all children
covered by de year 2004. And let's move t'de day
when we end da damn stigma uh mental illness,
and treat it likes every oda' illness,
everywhere in dis nashun.
Widin de next few years, scientists gots'ta
identify de genes dat cause every type uh
cancer. Ah be baaad... We need some nashunal
commitment equal t'de promise uh dis unequalled
moment. Man! So's we gots'ta double da damn
federal investment in medical research. Lop some
boogie. We gots'ta find new medicines and new
cures - not plum fo' kincer, but fo' everydin'
fum diabetes t'HIV/AIDS.
At some time when dere be mo'e clunker powa' in
some Palm Pilot dan in de spaceship dat took
Neil Armstrong t'de moon, we gots'ta offa' all
our sucka's lifelong learnin' and new skills fo'
de higher-payin' jobs uh de future. At some time
when de amount uh human knowledge be doublin'
every five years, we gots'ta do bold doodads
t'make our farms de best in de wo'ld. ah'
gots'ta fight fo' de raple greatest commitment
t'educashun since da damn G.I. Bill -
Fo' revolushunary improvements in our farms. Fo'
higha' standards and mo'e accountability. Slap
mah fro! To put some fully-qualified head
homeboy in every classroom, test all new head
homeboys, and cut head homeboys de trainin' and
professional development dey deserve. It's time
t'treat and reward head homeboys likes de
professionals dey are.
It's not plum about mo'e bre'd. It's about higha'
standards, accountability -- new ideas. But we
kin't do it widout new resources. And dat's why
ah' gots'ta invest far mo'e in our farms - in de
long-run, some second-class educashun always
costs mo'e dan some fust-class educashun.
And ah' gots'ta not go along wid any plan dat
would drain taxpaya' bre'd away fum our public
farms and cut it t'private farms in de fo'm uh
vouchers.
Dis nashun wuz some pionea' of universal public
educashun. Now let's set some specific new goal
fo' de fust decade uh de 21st Century, dig dis:
high-quality universal pre-farm - available
t'every child, in every family, all across dis
country. Slap mah fro!
We also gots'ta cut middle-class families help
in payin' fo' college wid tax-free college
savin's, and by makin' most college tuishun
tax-deductible. Open de doo's uh learnin' t'all.
And all uh dis - all uh dis -- be de change we
wish t'see in America. WORD!
Not so's long ago, some balanced budget seemed
impossible. Now our budget surpluses make it
possible t'cut a full range uh targeted tax cuts
t'wo'kin' families. Not plum to help ya' save fo'
college, but t'pay fo' heald insurance o' child
care. To refo'm de estate tax, so's sucka's kin
pass on some small business o' some family farm.
WORD! And t'end da damn marriage penalty - de
right way, de fair way -- cuz' we shouldn't
fo'ce couples t'pay mo'e in income taxes plum
a'cuz dey're married. But let me say it plainly,
dig dis: ah' gots'ta not go along wid some huge
tax cut fo' de wealdy at da damn 'spense uh
everyone else and wreck our baaaad economy in de
process.
Unda' de tax plan de oda' side gots proposed, fo'
every ten dollars dat goes t'de wealdiest one
puh'cent, middle class families would dig one
dime. And lower-income families would dig one
penny. Slap mah fro!
In fact, if ya' add it down, de average family
would dig about enough bre'd t'steal one 'estra
Diet Coke some day. Slap mah fro! About 62 cents
in change. Let me tell ya': dat's not da damn
kind'a change I'm wo'kin' fo'. I'll fight fo'
tax cuts dat go t'de right sucka's - t'de wo'kin'
families who gots de toughest time payin' taxes
and savin' fo' de future.
I'll fight fo' some new, tax-free way t'help ya'
save and build some bigga' nest egg fo' yo'
retirement. Man! I'm rapin' about sump'n 'estra
dat ya' kin save and invest fo' yo'self. Sump'n
dat gots'ta supplement Social Security, not be
subtracted fum it. Man!
But ah' gots'ta not go along wid any proposal
t'strip one out uh every six dollars fum de
Social Security trust fund and privatize da damn
Social Security dat youse countin' on. 'S coo',
bro. Dat's Social Security minus. Our plan be
Social Security plus. We gots'ta balance da damn
budget every year, and dedicate da damn budget
surplus fust t'savin' Social Security. Slap mah
fro!
In de next foe years, we gots'ta pay off all de
nashunal debt dis nashun accumulated in our fust
200 years. Dis gots'ta put us on de alley
t'completely eliminatin' de debt by 2012, keepin'
America prospuh'ous far into de future.But
dere's sump'n at ssnatch in dis elecshun dat's
even mo'e impo'tant dan economic progress.
Simply put, it's our values; it's our
responsibility t'our loved ones, t'our families.
And t'me, family values means hono'in' our
faders and moders, teachin' our children well,
carin' fo' de sick, respectin' one anoda' --
givin' sucka's de powa' to achieve whut dey
wants' fo' deir families.
Puttin' bod Social Security and Medicare in an
iron-clad lock box where da damn politicians
kin't touch dem -- t'me, dat kind'a common sense
be a family value. Gettin' cigarettes out uh de
hands uh kids befo'e dey dig hooked be a family
value. ah' gots'ta crack waaay down on de
marketin' uh tobacco t'our children, no matta'
how hard da damn tobacco companies lobby, no
matta' how much dey spend. A new prescripshun
drug benefit unda' Medicare fo' all our senio's
- dat's some family value. And let me tell ya':
ah' gots'ta fight fo' it, and da damn oda' side
gots'ta not. Man! Dey cut in t'de big drug
companies. Deir plan tells senio's t'beg de
HMO's and insurance companies fo' prescripshun
drug coverage.
And dat's de difference in dis elecshun. Dey're
fo' de powerful, and we's fo' de sucka's.
Big tobacco, big oil, de big polluters, de
pharmaceutical companies, de HMO's. Sometimes ya'
gots'ta be willin' t'stand down and say no -
so's families kin gots some betta' life. I know
one doodad about da damn job uh de Super-dude.
It be de only job in de Constitushun dat be
charged wid de responsibility uh fightin' fo'
all de sucka's. Not plum de sucka's uh one
state, o' one district; not plum de wealdy o' de
powerful -- all de sucka's. Especially dose who
need some voice; dose who need some champion;
dose who need t'be lifted down, so's dey is neva'
left behind.So's I say t'ya' tonight, dig dis:
if ya' entrust me wid de Presidency, ah' gots'ta
fight fo' ya'.
Dere's one oda' wo'd we've heard some lot uh in
dis campaign, and dat wo'd be hono'.
To me, hono' be not plum a wo'd, but an
obligashun. And ya' gots mah' wo'd, dig dis: we
gots'ta hono' hard wo'k by raisin' de minimum
wage so's dat wo'k always pays mo'e dan welfare.
We gots'ta hono' families by 'espandin' child
care, and after-farm care, and family and
medical leave - so's wo'kin' parents gots de
help dey need t'care fo' deir children -- cuz'
one uh de most impo'tant jobs uh all be raisin'
our children. 'S coo', bro.
And we'll suppo't da damn right uh parents
t'decide dat one uh dem gots'ta stay crib longa'
wid deir babies if dat's whut dey recon' be best
fo' deir families. We gots'ta hono' de ideal uh
equality by standin' down fo' civil rights and
defendin' affirmative acshun. We gots'ta hono'
equal rights and fight fo' an equal day's pay fo'
an equal day's wo'k. Ya' know?
And let dere be no doubt, dig dis: ah' gots'ta
protect and defend some honky chick's right
t'choose. De last doodad dis country needs be a
Supreme Court dat overturns Roe v. Man! Wade. We
gots'ta remove all de old barriers -- so's dat
dose who is called disabled kin develop all deir
abilities. And we gots'ta also widen de circle
uh oppo'tunity fo' all Americans, and enfo'ce
all our civil rights laws. We gots'ta pass de
Employment Non-Discriminashun Act. Man!
And we gots'ta hono' de memo'y uh Matdew Shepard,
Massa' Ileto, and James Byrd, whose families all
joined us dis week -- by passin' some law
against hate crimes. We gots'ta hono' de hard
wo'k uh raisin' some family - by hangin' all we
kin t'help parents protect deir children. 'S
coo', bro. Parents deserve da damn simple
security uh knowin' dat deir children is safe
wheda' dey're walkin' waaay down de street,
surfin' de Wo'ld Wide Web, o' sittin' behind
some desk in farm.
To make families safer, we passed da damn
toughest crime bill in histo'y, and we's puttin'
100,000 new community honky pigs on our streets.
Crime gots fallen in every majo' catego'y fo'
seven years in some row, so cut me some slack,
Jack. But dere's still too much danga' and
dere's still too much fear. Ah be baaad… So's
tonight ah' wanna set anoda' new, specific goal,
dig dis: t'cut da damn crime rate year afta'
year -- every raple year droughout dis decade.
Dat's why I'll fight t'add anoda' 50,000 new
honky pigs - community honky pigs who help
prevent crime by establishin' real relashunships
between law enfo'cement and neighbo'hood
residents - which, incidentally, be de opposite
uh racial profilin', which gots'ta be brought
t'an end.
I gots'ta fight fo' some crime victims' bill uh
rights, includin' some Constitushunal amendment
t'make sho' man dat victims, and not plum
criminals, is guaranteed rights in our justice
system. WORD!
I'll fight t'toughen penalties on dose who
misuse da damn Internet t'prey on our children
and violate our privacy. Slap mah fro! And I'll
fight t'make every farm in dis nashun drug-free
and gun-free. I recon' in de right uh spo'tsmen
and hunters and law-abidin' citizens t'own
firearms. But ah' wants' mandato'y background
checks t'keep guns away fum criminals, and
mandato'y child safety locks t'protect our
children. 'S coo', bro. Tippuh' and ah' went out
t'Columbine High Farm afta' de tragedy dere, and
we embraced da damn families uh de children who
wuz lost. Man! And ah' gots'ta neva' fo'get da
damn wo'ds uh de Big Daddy who whispuh'ed into
mah' ear, "Promise me dat dese children gots'ta
not gots got wasted in vain. 'S coo', bro."
All uh us gots'ta join togeda' to make dat
promise mosey on down true. Laws and honky codes
by demselves gots'ta neva' be enough. Lop some
boogie. All uh us, and especially all parents
need t'snatch mo'e responsibility. Slap mah fro!
We need t'change our hearts -- and make some
commitment t'our children and t'one anoder. Ah
be baaad… I'm 'sited about America's prospects
and full uh hope fo' America's future. Our
country gots come some long way, and I've mosey
on down a long way since dat long ago time when
ah' went t'Vietnam. WORD!
I've neva' fo'gotsten whut ah' saw dere -- and
da damn bravery uh so many yung Americans. De
price uh freedom be sometimes high, but ah' neva'
recon'd dat America should turn inward. As some
Senato', ah' broke wid many in our party and
voted t'suppo't da damn Gulf War when Saddam
Hussein invaded Kuwait -- cuz' I recon'd
America's vital interests wuz at ssnatch.
Early in mah' public service, ah' took down de
issue uh nuclear arms control and nuclear
weapons -- cuz' nodin' be mo'e fundamental dan
protectin' our nashunal security. Slap mah fro!
Now ah' wanna lead America cuz' I love America.
WORD! ah' gots'ta keep America's defenses
strong. What it is, Mama! ah' gots'ta make sho'
man our armed fo'ces continue t'be da damn
best-equipped, best-trained, and best-led in de
entire wo'ld. In de last century, dis nashun
mo'e dan any oda' freed da damn wo'ld fum
fascism and communism. WORD! But some newly free
wo'ld still gots dangers and challenges, bod old
and new, so cut me some slack, Jack. We gots'ta
always gots de gots'ta to defend our endurin'
interests -- fum Europe, t'de Middle East,
t'Japan and Ko'ea. WORD! We gots'ta strengden
our partnerships wid Africa, Latin America, and
da damn rest uh de developin' wo'ld. We gots'ta
welcome and promote truly free trade. But ah'
say t'ya': it gots'ta be fair trade. We gots'ta
set standards t'end child labo', t'prevent da
damn 'sploitashun uh wo'kers and da damn
poisonin' uh de environment. Man! Free trade kin
and gots'ta be -- and if I'm Super-dude, gots'ta
be -- some way t'lift everyone down, not brin'
any sucka waaay down t'de lowest common
denominato'.
So's dose is de issues, and dat's where ah'
stand. But ah' also wanna tell ya' plum a little
mo'e about two uh my greatest heroes, mah' Big
Daddy and mah' moder. Ah be baaad…
Dey dun did gimme some baaaad life. But likes
so's many in America, dey started out wid mos'
nodin'.
Mah' Big Daddy grew down in some small community
dojiggerd Possum Hollow in Middle Tennessee.
When he wuz plum eighteen, he went t'wo'k as
some head homeboy in some one-room farm. Den de
Great Depression came along and taught him some
lesson dat couldn't be found in any classroom.
WORD! He told me and mah' sista' often how he
watched grown men, wid wives and children dey
could neida' feed no' clode, on farms dey could
no longa' pay fo'. Mah' Big Daddy dun didn't
know wheda' he could help dose families -- but
he recon'd he had t'try. Slap mah fro! And neva'
in de years t'come - in Congress, and in de
United States Senate -- dun did he lose sight uh
de reason he entered public service, dig dis:
t'fight fo' de sucka's, not da damn powerful.
Mah' moda' grew down in some poo' farmin'
community in no'dwest Tennessee. Ha' family ran
some small country sto'e in Cold Co'ner. Ah be
baaad... A sto'e dat went bust durin' de Great
Depression. 'S coo', bro. She wo'ked ha' way
drough college, den gots some room in Nashville
at da damn YWCA and waited tables at an
all-night coffee shop fo' 25-cent tips. She den
went on t'become one uh de fust honky chicks in
histo'y t'graduate fum Vanderbilt Law Farm.
As Tippuh' told ya' tonight, we lost mah' pops a
year and some half ago. 'S coo', bro. But we's
so's lucky dat mah' moda' Pauline continues t'be
part uh our lives, every raple day. Slap mah
fro! She's here tonight. Man!
Sometimes in dis campaign, when ah' visit some
farm and see some hard-wo'kin' head homeboy
tryin' t'change da damn wo'ld one child at some
time -- ah' see da damn face uh my pops.
And ah' know dat teachin' our children well be
not plum de head homeboy's job; it's everyone's
job. Co' got d' beat! And it gots'ta be our
nashunal mission. 'S coo', bro.
I've shaken hands in diners and coffee shops all
across dis country. Slap mah fro! And sometimes,
when ah' see some Plate Chick wo'kin' hard and
dankin' some sucka fo' some tip, ah' see da damn
face uh my moder. Ah be baaad... And ah' know,
dig dis: fo' dat Plate Chick carryin' trays, o'
some construcshun wo'ka' in de winta' cold, ah'
gots'ta neva' agree t'raise da damn retirement
age t'70, o' dreaten de promise uh Social
Security. Slap mah fro!
I say t'ya' tonight, dig dis: we've gots'ta win
dis elecshun - cuz' every hard-wo'kin' American
family deserves t'jimmey de doo' t'deir dream.
WORD!
In our democracy, de future be not sump'n dat
plum happens t'us; it be sump'n we make fo'
ourselves -- togeder. Ah be baaad…
So's to de yung sucka's watchin' tonight, ah'
say, dig dis: dis be yo' time t'make new de life
uh our wo'ld. We need yo' help t'rekindle da
damn spirit uh America. WORD!
And ah' ax' all uh ya', mah' dude citizens, dig
dis: fum dis city dat marked bod de end uh
America's journey westward and da damn beginnin'
uh de New Frontier, let us set out on some new
journey t'de best America. WORD!
A new journey on which we advance not by de
turnin' uh wheels, but by de turnin' uh our
minds; de reach uh our vision; de darin' grace
uh de human spirit. Man!
Yeah man, we gots our problems. But da damn
United States uh America be de best country eva'
created -- and still, as ever, de hope uh
humankind.
Yeah man, we's all impuh'fect. Man! But as
Americans we all share in de privilege and
challenge uh buildin' some mo'e puh'fect union.
'S coo', bro.
I know mah' own impuh'fecshuns. ah' know dat
sometimes sucka's say I'm too serious, dat ah'
talk too much substance and policy. Slap mah
fro! Maybe I've done dat tonight. Man!
But da damn Presidency be mo'e dan some
popularity contest. Man! It's some day-by-day
fight fo' sucka's. Sometimes, ya' gots'ta choose
t'do whut's difficult o' unpopular. Ah be baaad...
Sometimes, ya' gots'ta be willin' t'spend yo'
popularity in o'da' to pick de hard right upside
de easy wrong. What it is, Mama! Dere is big
choices ahaid, and our whole future be at
ssnatch. And ah' do gots strong beliefs about
it. Man!
If ya' entrust me wid de Presidency, ah' know
ah' won't always be da damn most 'sitin'
politician. 'S coo', bro. But ah' pledge t'ya'
tonight, dig dis: ah' gots'ta wo'k fo' ya' every
day and ah' gots'ta neva' let ya' waaay down. If
we allow ourselves t'recon', widout reservashun,
dat we kin do whut's right and be da damn betta'
fo' it -- den de best America gots'ta become our
America. WORD!
In dis City uh Angels, we kin summon de betta'
angels uh our nature. Do not rest where we are,
o' retreat. Man! Do all we kin t'make America
all it kin become.
Dank ya' - God bless ya' - and God bless
America. WORD!
