Mr. President, as I close, Mr. President, I heard you say Friday that you had questions for voters, particularly African- American voters. And you asked the question: Did the Democratic Party take us for granted? Well, I have raised questions. But let me answer your question.
You said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule.
That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres.
We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us.
Mr. President, you said would we have more leverage if both parties got our votes, but we didn't come this far playing political games. It was those that earned our vote that got our vote. We got the Civil Rights Act under a Democrat. We got the Voting Rights Act under a Democrat. We got the right to organize under Democrats.
Mr. President, the reason we are fighting so hard, the reason we took Florida so seriously, is our right to vote wasn't gained because of our age. Our vote was soaked in the blood of martyrs, soaked in the blood of good men (inaudible) soaked in the blood of four little girls in Birmingham. This vote is sacred to us.
This vote can't be bargained away.
This vote can't be given away.
Mr. President, in all due respect, Mr. President, read my lips: Our vote is not for sale.
John Edwards dares to stand in the gap between rich and poor, black and white, urban and rural, a vision of a new America.
The Bible speaks of the difficulties of rich young rulers getting into the kingdom. It's because they are intoxicated by ... privilege. But John Edwards understands using wallpaper for a windbreaker, not for decoration. He understands peanut-butter sandwiches and Kool-Aid.
He understands grits and gravy. ... He understands you and me.
We thank God that John Kerry chose John Edwards on that ticket. It makes hope and healing come alive ...
Say WHAT?!?!
none of them speak for me...
I saw Al Sharpton's face when the President asked those questions about what the Democrats party had really done for blacks at the Urban League speech he gave.
Sharpton truly looked like he'd swallowed a cactus during those questions the President asked. I'm not surprised he's been working night and day on his version of a pithy response.
Prairie
Was that suppose to help Edwards?
ROTFLOL.