by Aggie Perilli
Just as interest and trust in politicians dropped to an all-time low, a lineup of visionary Democrats restored hope with unifying and even masterful speeches. Regardless of your political viewpoints, following are excerpts of speeches that inspired a world of appreciation and enthusiasm.
- “I love that, for Barack, there is no such thing as ‘us’ and ‘them.’ He doesn’t care whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican or none of the above. He knows that we all love our country, and he’s always ready to listen to good ideas…he’s always looking for the very best in everyone he meets.”
- “If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire…if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores…if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote…if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time…if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream…and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with whom they love…then surely, surely we can give everyone …a fair chance at that great American Dream.”
- “In Hershey, Pennsylvania, a woman in her 30s approached us. She asked for the names of some people she could talk to, because she felt alone and isolated. Her neighbors had been polarized by politics masquerading as values. She cares about the well-being of the people in her community. She wishes …the nation would listen to one another with kindness and compassion. Listen to one another, rather than yell at each other. I told her then and I tell her now, she is not alone.”
- “This is what we nuns on the bus are all about: We care for the 100 percent and that will secure the blessings of liberty for our nation.”
- “President Obama believes in a level playing field. He believes in a country where nobody gets a free ride or a golden parachute. A country where anyone who has a great idea has a chance to build a business, and anyone who works hard can build some security and raise a family. President Obama believes in a country where billionaires pay their taxes just like their secretaries do, and—I can’t believe I have to say this in 2012—a country where women get equal pay for equal work.”
- “He believes in a country where everyone is held accountable. …President Obama believes in a country where we invest in education, in roads and bridges, in science, and in the future, so that we can create new opportunities, so the next kid can make it big, and the kid after that, and the kid after that. That’s what President Obama believes. And that’s how we build the economy of the future. An economy with more jobs and less debt. We root it in fairness. We grow it with (equitably inclusive) opportunity. And we build it together.”
- “It turns out that advancing equal opportunity and economic empowerment is both morally right and good economics, because discrimination, poverty and ignorance restrict growth, while investments in education, infrastructure and scientific and technological research increase it, creating more good jobs and wealth for us all.”
- “People ask me all the time how we delivered four surplus budgets. What new ideas did we bring? I always give a one-word answer: arithmetic.”
Barack Obama:
- “We, the people, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty, …is unworthy of our founding ideals.”
- “We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories and we learn from our mistakes, …knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens” of the United States of America.
Conduct your own independent research, especially related to issues as interconnected today as politics and industry profits. Empathize and share understanding and ensure equitably inclusive partnerships. Consistently convey verifiable truths and win-win solutions the people affected agree are for the common good. This earns trust and opens hearts as well as minds.
Aggie Perilli is president of Aggie Perilli Communications International (APCI).
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