On Monday night, Bill Clinton addressed the Democratic National Convention in Boston. I’m willing to bet that most of the people I know were not watching him, either because they hold certain, shall we say, strong feelings about the former president, or because my friends are the types that would consider watching a national political convention comparable to having their eyes melted out with an acetylene torch. And that’s a shame because it really was a remarkable speech, possibly the best one this man has ever given, and that’s saying a lot. In an age when public speaking is a lost art and discourse has been reduced to rancorous barbs, his elegant, carefully chosen and well-spoken words reminded me of what political statements should be like. More importantly, they painted a picture of what America should be like.
I’ll be honest: I’m not a huge fan of John Kerry. He’ll be getting my vote less for what he represents than for what he does not represent, which is four more years under an administration that I don’t trust and don’t believe in. But Clinton managed to make me feel far less grudging of a vote for Kerry, and he managed to articulate many of my feelings about how I think this country should be run and why the last four years have been a failure.
Therefore, as a public service for those who didn’t see the speech but need to hear its words, I am going to reprint the text of it here on Simple Tricks, slightly edited to eliminate the tedious “thank-you’s” and greetings that always precede the meat of any political address.
