Dennis Kucinich’s Speech At The Democratic National Convention

DENVER, Aug. 26 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is a
transcript of a speech, as prepared for delivery, by Dennis Kucinich,
Member of the US House of Representatives, Ohio at the Democratic National
Convention on Tuesday, August 26, 2008:

Scheduled for delivery: August 26, 2008 - 4:00-5:00 p.m. MT

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE ON DELIVERY

It’s Election Day 2008. We Democrats are giving America a wake-up call.
Wake up, America. In 2001, the oil companies, the war contractors and the
neo-con artists seized the economy and have added 4 trillion dollars of
unproductive spending to the national debt. We now pay four times more for
defense, three times more for gasoline and home heating oil and twice what
we paid for health care.

Millions of Americans have lost their jobs, their homes, their health
care, their pensions. Trillions of dollars for an unnecessary war paid with
borrowed money. Tens of billions of dollars in cash and weapons disappeared
into thin air, at the cost of the lives of our troops and innocent Iraqis,
while all the president’s oilmen are maneuvering to grab Iraq’s oil.

Borrowed money to bomb bridges in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. No
money to rebuild bridges in America. Money to start a hot war with Iran.
Now we have another cold war with Russia, while the American economy has
become a game of Russian roulette.

If there was an Olympics for misleading, mismanaging and
misappropriating, this administration would take the gold. World records
for violations of national and international laws. They want another
four-year term to continue to alienate our allies, spend our children’s
inheritance and hollow out our economy.

We can’t afford another Republican administration. Wake up, America.
The insurance companies took over health care. Wake up, America. The
pharmaceutical companies took over drug pricing.

Wake up, America. The speculators took over Wall Street. Wake up,
America. They want to take your Social Security. Wake up, America.
Multinational corporations took over our trade policies, factories are
closing, good paying jobs lost.

Wake up, America. We went into Iraq for oil. The oil companies want
more. War against Iran will mean $10-a-gallon gasoline. The oil
administration wants to drill more, into your wallet. Wake up, America.
Weapons contractors want more. An Iran war will cost 5 to 10 trillion
dollars.

This administration can tap our phones. They can’t tap our creative
spirit. They can open our mail. They can’t open economic opportunities.
They can track our every move. They lost track of the economy while the
cost of food, gasoline and electricity skyrockets. They skillfully played
our post-9/11 fears and allowed the few to profit at the expense of the
many. Every day we get the color orange, while the oil companies, the
insurance companies, the speculators, the war contractors get the color
green.

Wake up, America. This is not a call for you to take a new direction
from right to left. This is call for you to go from down to up. Up with the
rights of workers. Up with wages. Up with fair trade. Up with creating
millions of good paying jobs, rebuilding our bridges, ports and water
systems. Up with creating millions of sustainable energy jobs to lower the
cost of energy, lower carbon emissions and protect the environment.

Up with health care for all. Up with education for all. Up with home
ownership. Up with guaranteed retirement benefits. Up with peace. Up with
prosperity. Up with the Democratic Party. Up with Obama-Biden.

Wake up, America. Wake up, America. Wake up, America.

SOURCE 2008 Democratic National Convention Committee