TOM
VILSACK’S PRESIDENTIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
AS
PREPARED FOR DELIVERY
November 30, 2006
Mount Pleasant, Iowa
“Christie, thank you. It
sure feels good to be home. I want to thank
Christie, Jess, and Doug for their love, support,
and inspiration. Without them I would not be here
today. As a family we are committed to this campaign
and this effort – you can be sure of that. And I
want to thank all of you for being here and for your
friendship and support for so many years. My life
was profoundly changed and made better when you
welcomed me into your community 30 years ago.
Three weeks ago,
Americans courageously voted to create change. We
sent a clear message that we wanted our country led
in a new and better direction. But our job is not
done. We have more work to do.
Today in the White
House, we have a president whose first reflex is to
divide and conquer…who preys on insecurities and
fears for partisan gain…who has tried to rob us of
the very asset that has made the United States the
greatest country on earth: Our sense of community,
optimism and can-do spirit.
In the last election,
Americans were not fooled by political tricks or
gimmicks. We said in one voice, from all regions of
the country, for our children and grandchildren:
Tomorrow does matter.
That is why I am here
today -- to bring even bolder change and build an
even stronger future for our great nation.
Let us face facts.
The world today is
filled with real threats and real problems. Our way
of life is at risk from terrorism throughout the
world. Here at home, families struggle with
skyrocketing healthcare costs and rising college
tuition. For too many, home ownership is a fading
dream. For others, a secure retirement is an
unfulfilled promise. And for many neighborhoods and
cities, crime is a daily threat and danger.
Let us also speak truth.
Our way of life and
national security have been put at risk by fiscal
irresponsibility and by our dependence upon foreign
oil and the countries that provide it. In some
cases, the governments of these countries take our
money -- and yet despise us and harbor terrorists.
By any measure or
standard we are less safe and less secure than we
were 6 years ago. Our country needs bold leadership
guided by the right values and the right
experience.
That is why I am here
today.
For those of you meeting
me for the first time, let me say a few words of
introduction.
I have always been the
underdog and long shot. And I have always been
inspired by stories of ordinary people who
struggled, but ultimately succeeded.
I began life in an
orphanage in the arms of a stranger. I was adopted
into a loving but troubled home. During my early
years, my mother battled alcohol and prescription
drug addiction. My parents separated. I watched as
my father balanced being a single parent while
trying to keep his business alive. We struggled and
adapted to a declining standard of living. I know
what it is to feel alone and forgotten…as if you do
not belong.
The deepest hole anyone
can dig is addiction and dependency. My mother dug
that hole, but she dug herself out. She relied on
her faith, family and friends. In doing so she
taught me a valuable lesson – that the courage to
create change can overcome anything, and that
community can give you the support and confidence to
succeed.
My parents got back
together. And when they did, they taught me never
to give up on people, family or community. Their
values live here inside me and will always guide me
in everything I do.
I have served as a
mayor, state senator and two-term governor. I have
worked every day in public life to bring people
together to create change.
In the past eight years,
Iowa successfully changed farm fields into energy
fields. We changed the traditional idea of
agriculture and became the national leader in
renewable fuel and energy production. As a state,
we became more economically, environmentally and
energy secure. If you drive around Iowa today, you
will see a changing landscape marked by new ethanol
and bio-fuel production plants and wind farms.
We had the courage to
create change in education, health care and
government itself. And by having the courage to
create change, we provided greater security and
opportunity to our people
That is why I am here
today – to continue our work, and to bring the
courage to create change to America. It will take
leadership to create this change. But it also will
take an active sense of community.
You do not have to be
raised behind a white picket fence to understand the
power of community. Some of America’s strongest
communities do not have any white picket fences or
even yards for that matter.
In these communities,
there are countless American success stories -
immigrants from every continent who traveled here to
farm fields, work in factories and pursue the
American Dream. Many of these new Americans faced
and overcame discrimination. Our country must
always remain a destination for those in pursuit of
that dream, for a better life for their family and
to live in freedom.
That too is why I am
here.
America needs a
president who builds and creates…who makes our
country more secure… who is bold and has the courage
to create change.
I will be that
president.
So today, in front of
the family and friends I love and here in the
community I call home, I announce my candidacy to be
the next President of the United States.
Let us have the courage
to create the bold change we need. Let us stop the
endless debates and empty talk.
Together, with the
courage to create change, let us develop a
healthcare system that prevents illness, cures
diseases and helps people live longer healthier
lives -- without taking away every penny in their
bank accounts after a lifetime of sacrifice and hard
work.
Together, with the
courage to create change, let us fight for an
education system that helps every child become as
inquisitive and creative as God intended them to be.
If we are to compete in a tough, global economy,
Americans must remain the most innovative people on
earth.
Together, with the
courage to create change, let us build a 21st
Century economy of cutting-edge companies and
technologies that lead us to energy security.
Energy security will revitalize rural America,
re-establish our moral leadership on global warming
and climate security and eliminate our addiction to
foreign oil.
Together, with the
courage to create change let us embrace a new
foreign policy that renews friendships, develops
alliances and isolates enemies. In Iraq, we must
act, take our troops out of harm’s way and allow
Iraqis to begin providing their own security.
I am running for President because every America has
the right to pursue the American Dream.
I am running for
President because every community should contribute
to our success. Americans who live in cities,
barrios, suburbs and small towns all deserve a
president who works for and remembers them.
Most of all, I am
running for President to replace the anxiety of
today with the hope of tomorrow and to guarantee
every American their birthright: Opportunity.
It will take courage to
create this change. But by restoring America’s
community, optimism and can-do spirit, we will
succeed. I ask for your support and your vote.
Together let us have the courage to create change in
America.
May God Bless our work
and the United States of America.”
Source: Tom
Vilsack for President |