Gov. Mario Cuomo: What Democrats believe in less than four minutes

[draft_mario_cuomo]

http://www.theartofrwfirestone.com/tempcuomo/MC84%20We%20Believe%20.%20.%20..mp3

(The applause has been edited out)

I have not heard a better summary of Democratic values. If more Democrats were this clear in their rhetoric and shared Governor Cuomo's passion we would be the dominant party right now. The Republicans are much better at articulating their ideology than we are.

[no_hypocrisy]

1. I don't suppose you have a transcript . . . .

I have dial-up. Can't enjoy your link like when I'm at work (S-h-h-h-h . . . .)

[draft_mario_cuomo]

2. Here is the transcript for the excerpt

This election will measure the record of the past four years. But more than that, it will answer the question of what kind of people we want to be.

We Democrats still have a dream. We still believe in this nation's future. And this is our answer to the question. This is our credo:

We believe in only the government we need, but we insist on all the government we need.

We believe in a government that is characterized by fairness and reasonableness, a reasonableness that goes beyond labels, that doesn't distort or promise to do things that we know we can't do.

We believe in a government strong enough to use words like "love" and "compassion" and smart enough to convert our noblest aspirations into practical realities.

We believe in encouraging the talented, but we believe that while survival of the fittest may be a good working description of the process of evolution, a government of humans should elevate itself to a higher order.

We -- Our -- Our government -- Our government should be able to rise to the level where it can fill the gaps that are left by chance or by a wisdom we don't fully understand. We would rather have laws written by the patron of this great city, the man called the "world's most sincere Democrat," St. Francis of Assisi, than laws written by Darwin.

We believe -- We believe as Democrats, that a society as blessed as ours, the most affluent democracy in the world's history, one that can spend trillions on instruments of destruction, ought to be able to help the middle class in its struggle, ought to be able to find work for all who can do it, room at the table, shelter for the homeless, care for the elderly and infirm, and hope for the destitute. And we proclaim as loudly as we can the utter insanity of nuclear proliferation and the need for a nuclear freeze, if only to affirm the simple truth that peace is better than war because life is better than death.

We believe in firm -- We believe in firm but fair law and order.

We believe proudly in the union movement.

We believe in a -- We believe -- We believe in privacy for people, openness by government.

We believe in civil rights, and we believe in human rights.

We believe in a single -- We believe in a single fundamental idea that describes better than most textbooks and any speech that I could write what a proper government should be: the idea of family, mutuality, the sharing of benefits and burdens for the good of all, feeling one another's pain, sharing one another's blessings -- reasonably, honestly, fairly, without respect to race, or sex, or geography, or political affiliation.

We believe we must be the family of America, recognizing that at the heart of the matter we are bound one to another, that the problems of a retired school teacher in Duluth are our problems; that the future of the child -- that the future of the child in Buffalo is our future; that the struggle of a disabled man in Boston to survive and live decently is our struggle; that the hunger of a woman in Little Rock is our hunger; that the failure anywhere to provide what reasonably we might, to avoid pain, is our failure.

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mariocuomo1984dnc.htm

[emanymton]

4. I Believe -

I will take responsibility for agreeing with this. This is important enough to accept as an individual. It cannot be any more clear, "I

... still have a dream. I still believe in this nation's future. And this is my answer to the question. This is my credo:

I believe in only the government I need, but I insist on all the government I need. ...

... the failure anywhere to provide what reasonably I might, to avoid pain, is my failure."

[frogcycle]

5. I'm in

I got my introduction to Reagan Republicanism at a business dinner shortly after he was elected.

There had been a news item about an elderly woman who was being evicted from her home because of some policy change introduced by the new administration as part of "trickle down economics." She'd lived there for decades; it was paid for; there was some tax issue and a federal program that had existed which would have helped her had been scrapped. A reporter had asked a Reagan staffer to comment on this sad story and the response was "there is nothing in the Constitution guaranteeing people a house."

I had seen the story that day, and commented on it at dinner, pointing out the appalling hard-heartedness. Everyone at the table agreed with the guy! They were all drooling over their tax cuts.

I quit that job not long after, and continued to see Reagan for what he really was thereafter.

The difference between Republicans and Democrats is quite simple. Paraphrasing Tom Hartman: Democrats consider morality to be a measure of how society behaves in public; Republicans consider it to be a measure of how people behave in private. So Democrats do things to improve everyone's well-being and stay out of personal lives; Republicans don't care about your well being but want to control what you do in private.

[C_U_L8R]

7. one word i'd like to see more of...

TRUTH.

Truth without exception.
it's been missing in govt for a very long time.

[no_hypocrisy]

8. Thank you so much.

[emanymton]

3. It Is _OUR_ Government. Happy to Recommend This Post.

[ewoden]

6. Simple to compare with the republican Creed. . .

"I got mine, to Hell with you."

[Adelante]

9. Mario Cuomo is simply the best

When it comes to Democratic orators. Nobody touches him.

[annabanana]

10. Lordy yes! The man could talk. . . .

I used to love listening to him. He had great speeches. If he hadn't taken so long to make up his mind, he might have had a shot at the big chair...

[draft_mario_cuomo]

11. What could have been! Imagine a Cuomo administration

He would have been a great president, a new FDR.

[Hart2008]

12. I know someone who tried to get Mario to run in '91-92.

Over dinner, Mario said that Bush the elder would win because he was popular becuase of the war. Obviously, he was wrong. What a shame for us.
It would have been great to have him as a president. No one would have ever doubted what he believed.

[Tellurian]

13. Fine speech, if your not running for president....

For speaking to a room full of (Catholic) Democrats...(St. Francis of Assisi?)
Otherwise, Mario might alienate as many as he attracts- a presidential speech has to strike the right balance encompassing all Americans.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

14. Yeah, that speech was a huge bust!

:sarcasm:

That speech, which included a clear vision for America with a passionate defense of progressive Democratic principles, was hardly a failure. Perhaps those who prefer to engage in poll-tested, vague, meaningless and idealess rhetoric should take note of that...

=="a presidential speech has to strike the right balance encompassing all Americans."==

In other words, be so generic, so bland, so bereft of any principle that you say something that will appeal equally to a conservative Republican as it would to a progressive Democrat because it is meaningless. It is difficult to oppose a blank slate.

Cuomo's speech, a real speech, was not limited to Catholics or Democrats. The reason he mentioned St. Francis of Assisi is because the speech was given in San Franciso. San Franciso. St. Francis of Assisi. No shocker there, especially since it was made in contrast to Darwin (read: social conservatives who believe in social darwinism). Regarding the claim that it appealed only at Democrats:

==Now for 50 years -- for 50 years we Democrats created a better future for our children, using traditional Democratic principles as a fixed beacon, giving us direction and purpose, but constantly innovating, adapting to new realities: Roosevelt's alphabet programs; Truman's NATO and the GI Bill of Rights; Kennedy's intelligent tax incentives and the Alliance for Progress; Johnson's civil rights; Carter's human rights and the nearly miraculous Camp David Peace Accord.

Democrats did it -- Democrats did it and Democrats can do it again. We can build a future that deals with our deficit. Remember this, that 50 years of progress under our principles never cost us what the last four years of stagnation have. And we can deal with the deficit intelligently, by shared sacrifice, with all parts of the nation's family contributing, building partnerships with the private sector, providing a sound defense without depriving ourselves of what we need to feed our children and care for our people. We can have a future that provides for all the young of the present, by marrying common sense and compassion.

We know we can, because we did it for nearly 50 years before 1980. And we can do it again, if we do not forget -- if we do not forget that this entire nation has profited by these progressive principles; that they helped lift up generations to the middle class and higher; that they gave us a chance to work, to go to college, to raise a family, to own a house, to be secure in our old age and, before that, to reach heights that our own parents would not have dared dream of.

That struggle to live with dignity is the real story of the shining city. And it's a story, ladies and gentlemen, that I didn't read in a book, or learn in a classroom. I saw it and lived it, like many of you. I watched a small man with thick calluses on both his hands work 15 and 16 hours a day. I saw him once literally bleed from the bottoms of his feet, a man who came here uneducated, alone, unable to speak the language, who taught me all I needed to know about faith and hard work by the simple eloquence of his example. I learned about our kind of democracy from my father. And I learned about our obligation to each other from him and from my mother. They asked only for a chance to work and to make the world better for their children, and they -- they asked to be protected in those moments when they would not be able to protect themselves. This nation and this nation's government did that for them.

And that they were able to build a family and live in dignity and see one of their children go from behind their little grocery store in South Jamaica on the other side of the tracks where he was born, to occupy the highest seat, in the greatest State, in the greatest nation, in the only world we would know, is an ineffably beautiful tribute to the democratic process.==

[Tellurian]

16. To make a long story short..

As much as the speech you've posted inspires some, it may offend others. A potential president's view should give proper and respectful consideration to as many voters personal views as possible. Candidates presenting a view of Utopia is the feel good message, achieving it is something else altogether. Cuomo's speech works for him, if you are already a believer and oblivious to the real world and it's problems.

"That speech, which included a clear vision for America with a passionate defense of progressive Democratic principles, was hardly a failure. Perhaps those who prefer to engage in poll-tested, vague, meaningless and idealess rhetoric should take note of that... "

Well, I guess if you want Cuomo to be the president of Liberals and Progressives, you wouldn't have a problem with that. If the rest of the population ...(your neighbors who pay taxes as well) moved to a state that believed in a true democracy, separate and apart from critics that believe it's their way or the highway. I'd agree with you.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

17. This must be the 1st time someone has criticized the effectivenes of his famous DNC keynote speech!

It was probably the greatest speech given by a Democrat in the past four decades...

So you disagree with Mario Cuomo on the things mentioned in this speech? He basically outlined the fundamental beliefs of the Democratic Party. Which aspects of that are "oblivious of the real world and it's problems" in your view? Now I know why you are such a staunch supporter of HRC. ;)

[Tellurian]

21. No, not really..

The more you write expounding your views, you more I realize how deficient you are in the understanding of political science.

Oh and as far as the DNC speech remark. Obama's keynote speech set the new benchmark. You should read it for your own information, if you haven't already.

[ldf]

44. no, not really....

and as much as i hate to admit it...

Al Sharpton set the new benchmark. His speech at the last convention topped everyone else's. if you doubted it, maybe you weren't listening to the crowd.

he told it like it was, held no punches, AND did it with humor.

as far as mario goes, he IS an excellent speaker.

but the word on the street here in new york is that he didn't, and would never, run for president due to closet ties with organized crime. they WOULD come out. and that is why he will never be tapped for anything.

too bad.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

47. I don't buy the mob tie claims

I think that is based on ethnic stereotypes. If they actually existed why didn't Republicans bring it up when he ran for the governorshi p of the second largest state in the nation at the time? They were content to keep it under the lid, cede New York for possibly even sixteen years (he could have won in 1994 and the alleged ties were not revealed) just so they could save the mafia card IF he ran for president someday. I don't buy that theory.

[wyldwolf]

19. Tellurian, "progressives" think they can win by appealing to the least amount of voters

[draft_mario_cuomo]

20. We know how little electoral appeal Cuomo had in 1987 and 1991

Obviously his rhetoric limited him so much that he was stuck with front-runner status.

[wyldwolf]

23. No we don't. Show us some stats on that.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

27. Ask Bill Clinton

;)

[wyldwolf]

28. No, you made the assertion. Back it up.. if you can.

:)

[draft_mario_cuomo]

29. You are criticizing his message's appeal without knowing basic facts about him?

[wyldwolf]

30. No, I'm saying you have made some claims with no statistical data to back them.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

32. The data is well-known

Do a google search if you are interested in the information, which I highly doubt since any Clinton fan would know who the chief obstacle to him winning the nomination was prior to 12/20/1991...

[wyldwolf]

33. no. In debate, it is the responsibility of those who make the claim to provide the proof.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

36. I don't have a photo of every tv image with a poll or every internet article saved

If you dispute it, look it up--but every Clinton fan knows who his chief obstacle to the nomination was. I doubt you truly are interested in the data for that reason.

[wyldwolf]

40. so we can only assume you dreamed it all.

[Tellurian]

24. Yes, you said the magic word...WIN..

I don't understand how or why, draft_mario_cuomo, isn't reading whats been said as grounded in logic. The Republicans are sterling examples of why advocating and governing by 'group think' consisting of special interest's "values" is the politics of personal and political destruction..

[annabanana]

38. Whose "special interests" are served by want ing everyone

to do better?

[annabanana]

37. "Least amount of voters"?

How is this speech less than inclusive?
Who does he exclude? Seriously. . . -

[draft_mario_cuomo]

41. DLC'ers think expounding actual principles is divisive and a losing strategy

[annabanana]

35. "oblivious to the real world and it's problems"

Excuse me? Which problems of the real world would not have been dealt with? I really don't understand you.

[Tellurian]

45. Why am I not surprised?

[draft_mario_cuomo]

46. This coming from a backer of the only prez candidate without an issues page

So much for dealing with "real world" problems.

[Hart2008]

31. Considering that Bill Clinton never won a majority of the popular vote...

in two elections, yours is a curious comment, especially since Hillary has the highest negatives of anyone running for president. Without Ross Perot, Bill Clinton probably never would have left Arkansas. There is also the small matter of Dem’s losing the House under Clinton for the first time since Eisenhower. The Clintons’ arguably alienate as many as they attracts.

I don't know what this comment had to do with my posting.



:kick: HART 2008! :kick:

[draft_mario_cuomo]

34. Consider the sources

The DLC myth is that only the DLC's message can win elections. That message offers no real vision but generic rhetoric and a few minor tactical policies that have been approved by focus groups and polling (i.e. the Clinton-Gingrich welfare "reform"). In order for that to be true rhetoric such as Mario Cuomo's is not a winning formula. They are criticizing him for the same reason the attacked Dean's message in 2003. Morever, Cuomo also damages the cherished DLC myth in that if Clinton's message was so magical why was he trailing another Democrat badly in the polls even right before the primaries late in 1991? ;)

[draft_mario_cuomo]

15. Yes, it is sad. Mario is a man of ideas, passion, and vision

Your last line is very telling. No one would have doubted Mario Cuomo's sincerity when he spoke about an issue. No one would have to analyze it and wonder whether he was doing something simply because a focus-group or poll caused his aides to suggest he do or say a particular thing.

[Tellurian]

18. You are blindsiding your own argument..

by concentrating Cuomo's appeal to special interest groups. Perhaps the reason he failed, when he ran as an independent. And someday may becomes obvious to you.. What I've said in my previous posts is not slamming Cuomo but pointing out his campaign formula was an unworkable one.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

22. His formula definately didn't work

That is why he was the leading choice of Democrats in 1987-1988 after Hart dropped out and then in 1991, running far ahead of mr. triangulation himself. How did he fare in New York? He was re-elected in 1986 by 33 points, a record for a post held by both Roosevelts, Dewey, Rockefeller, Smith and many other giants. In 1990 he won a third term by 31 points. In 1994 he barely lost but I don't think Clinton/DLC fans want to discuss the 1994 Democratic debacle. ;)

[Tellurian]

25. Anyway..

Gubernatorial races and Presidential races are comparing apples to watermelons..

I'm rushing out this morning..and mean no disrespect.. Later..<g>

[draft_mario_cuomo]

26. You can't win a gubernatorial election by appealing to only a sliver of the population

You definately cannot win by 33 and 32 points by appealing to a small percentage of the population. Surely one who understands political science as well as you can understand this.

[annabanana]

39. again. . "special interests"-

Are you saying he was only intereted in promoting the welfare of Catholics? I can't see that in his speech...

[draft_mario_cuomo]

42. In DLC land believing in progressive values=promoting "special interests"

Cuomo was simply stating the party's core principles. Republicans have no problem doing so. Unfortunately, some Democrats believe we should hide from our beliefs. DLC'ers don't like people who articulate Democratic values because DLCism is driven by no real ideology other than doing whatever is politically expedient at a given time.

[annabanana]

43. Ah.. I see. That makes sense to me.. . . .n/t