Howard Dean
Thursday, August 28, 2008

I’m Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee. I know exactly how many houses I own.

Not too long ago, many of us wanted to know what happened to our party. We were on the short end of the last two elections. We were in the minority in the House and Senate.

But we had hope. A plan: “Show up.” We knew if we knocked on doors and told people what we believe, they would respect us and vote for us. That’s exactly what you did. And because you did, today, our party competes in all 50 states. Today, we are a party that took back Congressional seats in Louisiana and Mississippi, and we’re gonna win in Virginia and Alaska. Today, ours is a party that had 35 million Americans vote in our primaries. Today, our party knows that power grows from the grassroots up.

If you’re a young American wanting change, if you’re looking for a government that’s on your side, we are your party. And Barack Obama will be your president.

If you’re a working American wanting change, we are your party. And Barack Obama will be your president.

If you’re an older American or a veteran wanting change, and deserve a government that honors you and your sacrifice, when you’re serving and when you come home, we are your party.

And Barack Obama will be your president.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden both know that this is not just about turning red states blue. It’s about turning our country around. We can’t afford four more years of the same. No matter how many times John McCain tries to hide from it, it’s a fact: John McCain has voted with George Bush and his policies 95 percent of the time over the past year.

John McCain is not a maverick. John McCain is a “yes man.” Like George Bush, John McCain would let companies that ship American jobs overseas keep their tax giveaways. Barack Obama would end those tax breaks and instead reward companies that create jobs in America.

Who do we want as our president?

Like George Bush, John McCain does not see that health care costs are sinking the fortunes of American families and small businesses. Barack Obama will reduce costs and make coverage available to every American.

Who do we want as our president?

Like George Bush, John McCain proposes spending $10 billion a month in Iraq and he’s fine being there for 100 more years. Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we should bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end, bring our troops home, and invest at home.

Who do you want as our president?

We’ve been working hard to register voters. Recently, these efforts took me to Macon, Georgia. I met a young woman named Randa, whose husband, a staff sergeant in the United States Army, is serving his third tour in Iraq. She has three small children. Her hands, and her days, are pretty full. Yet somehow she has found time to register 450 new voters.

Like millions of Americans all over our country, Randa wants change. She wants her husband to come home safely. She wants better opportunities for her children. She wants to vote for a leader who can move us past the partisanship and bring our country together.

So who do we want as our president?

On behalf of all Democrats, let’s welcome Randa here tonight. Randa knows that Barack Obama and Joe Biden don’t just believe in change. They know how desperately Americans need change.

And with your help—block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, vote by vote—we’ll elect Barack Obama as the next President of the United States.