名人演讲A Tale of Two Cities.docx

名人演讲A Tale of Two Cities.docx

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名人演讲ATaleofTwoCities

名人演讲：

ATaleofTwoCities

  MarioCuomo:

"ATaleofTwoCities"

  OnbehalfoftheEmpire

  State

  andthefamilyofNewYork

  ,Ithankyouforthegreatprivilegeofbeingabletoaddressthisconvention.Pleaseallowmetoskipthestoriesandthepoetryandthetemptationtodealinnicebutvaguerhetoric.LetmeinsteadusethisvaluableopportunitytodealimmediatelywithquestionsthatshoulddeterminethiselectionandthatweallknowarevitaltotheAmericanpeople.

  Tendaysago,PresidentReaganadmittedthatalthoughsomepeopleinthiscountryseemedtobedoingwellnowadays,otherswereunhappy,evenworried,aboutthemselves,theirfamiliesandtheirfutures.Thepresidentsaidthathedidn'tunderstandthatfear.Hesaid,"Why,thiscountryisashiningcityonahill."Andthepresidentisright.Inmanywaysweareashiningcityonahill.

  Butthehardtruthisthatnoteveryoneissharinginthiscity'ssplendorandglory.AshiningcityisperhapsallthepresidentseesfromtheporticooftheWhiteHouseandtheverandaofhisranch,whereeveryoneseemstobedoingwell.Butthere'sanothercity;there'sanotherparttotheshiningthecity;thepartwheresomepeoplecan'tpaytheirmortgages,andmostyoungpeoplecan'taffordone,wherestudentscan'taffordtheeducationtheyneed,andmiddle-classparentswatchthedreamstheyholdfortheirchildrenevaporate.

  Inthispartofthecitytherearemorepoorthanever,morefamiliesintrouble,moreandmorepeoplewhoneedhelpbutcan'tfindit.Evenworse:

Thereareelderlypeoplewhotrembleinthebasementsofthehousesthere.Andtherearepeoplewhosleepinthecitystreets,inthegutter,wheretheglitterdoesn'tshow.Thereareghettoswherethousandsofyoungpeople,withoutajoboraneducation,givetheirlivesawaytodrugdealerseveryday.Thereisdespair,Mr.President,inthefacesthatyoudon'tsee,intheplacesthatyoudon'tvisitinyourshiningcity.

  Infact,Mr.President,thisisanation--.Mr.Presidentyououghttoknowthatthisnationismorea"TaleofTwoCities"thanitisjusta"Shining

  City

  onaHill."

  Maybe,maybe,Mr.President,ifyouvisitedsomemoreplaces.MaybeifyouwenttoAppalachiawheresomepeoplestillliveinsheds,maybeifyouwenttoLackawanna

  wherethousandsofunemployedsteelworkerswonderwhywesubsidizedforeignsteel.Maybe,maybe,Mr.President,ifyoustoppedinatashelterinChicagoandspoketothehomelessthere;maybe,Mr.President,ifyouaskedawomanwhohadbeendeniedthehelpsheneededtofeedherchildrenbecauseyousaidyouneededthemoneyforataxbreakforamillionaireorforamissilewecouldn'taffordtouse.

  Maybe,maybe,Mr.President.ButI'mafraidnot.

  Because,thetruthis,ladiesandgentlemen,thatthisishowwewerewarneditwouldbe.PresidentReagantoldusfromverythebeginningthathebelievedinakindofsocialDarwinism.Survivalofthefittest."Governmentcan'tdoeverything,"weweretold."Soitshouldsettlefortakingcareofthestrongandhopethateconomicambitionandcharitywilldotherest.Maketherichricher--andwhatfallsfromtheirtablewillbeenoughforthemiddleclassandthosewhoaretryingdesperatelytoworktheirwayintothemiddleclass."

  Youknow,theRepublicanscalledittrickle-downwhenHoovertriedit.Nowtheycallitsupplyside.Butit'sthesameshiningcityforthoserelativefewwhoareluckyenoughtoliveinitsgoodneighborhoods.Butforthepeoplewhoareexcluded--forthepeoplewhoarelockedout--alltheycandoistostarefromadistanceatthatcity'sglimmeringtowers.

  It'sanoldstory.It'sasoldasourhistory.ThedifferencebetweenDemocratsandRepublicanshasalwaysbeenmeasuredincourageandconfidence.TheRepublicansbelievethatthewagontrainwillnotmakeittothefrontierunlesssomeoftheold,someoftheyoung,someoftheweakareleftbehindbythesideofthetrail.Thestrong,thestrongtheytelluswillinherittheland.

  WeDemocratsbelieveinsomethingelse.Wedemocratsbelievethatwecanmakeitallthewaywiththewholefamilyintact.And,wehavemorethanonce.EversinceFranklinRooseveltliftedhimselffromhiswheelchairtoliftthisnationfromitsknees--wagontrainafterwagontrain--tonewfrontiersofeducation,housing,peace;thewholefamilyaboard,constantlyreachingouttoextendandenlargethatfamily;liftingthemupintothewagonontheway;blacksandHispanics,andpeopleofeveryethnicgroup,andnativeAmericans--allthosestrugglingtobuildtheirfamiliesandclaimsomesmallshareofAmerica.

  Fornearly50yearswecarriedthemalltonewlevelsofcomfort,andsecurity,anddignity,evenaffluence.Andrememberthis,someofusinthisroomtodayarehereonlybecausethisnationhadthatkindofconfidence.Anditwouldbewrongtoforgetthat.

  So,hereweareatthisconventiontoremindourselveswherewecomefromandtoclaimthefutureforourselvesandforourchildren.TodayourgreatDemocraticParty,whichhassavedthisnationfromdepression,fromfascism,fromracism,fromcorruption,iscalledupontodoitagain--thistimetosavethenationfromconfusionanddivision,fromthethreatofeventualfiscaldisaster,andmostofallfromthefearofanuclearholocaust.

  That'snotgoingtobeeasy.MoUdallisexactlyright,it'snotgoingtobeeasy.Inordertosucceed,wemustanswerouropponent'spolishedandappealingrhetoricwithamoretellingreasonablenessandrationality.

  Wemustwinthiscaseonthemerits.WemustgettheAmericanpublictolookpasttheglitter,beyondtheshowmanship-toreality,tothehardsubstanceofthings.Andwewilldothatnotsomuchwithspeechesthatsoundgoodaswithspeechesthataregoodandsound.Notsomuchwithspeechesthatwillbringpeopletotheirfeetaswithspeechesthatbringpeopletotheirsenses.WemustmaketheAmericanpeoplehearour"TaleofTwoCities."Wemustconvincethemthatwedon'thavetosettlefortwocities,thatwecanhaveonecity,indivisible,shiningforallofitspeople.

  Nowwewillhavenochancetodothatifwhatcomesoutofthisconventionisababelofarguingvoices.Ifthat'swhat'sheardthroughoutthecampaign-dissidentvoicesfromallsides-wewillhavenochancetotellourmessage.Tosucceedwewillhavetosurrendersmallpartsofourindividualinterests,tobuildaplatformwecanallstandon,atonce,comfortably-proudlysingingoutthetruthforthenationtohear,inchorus,itslogicsoclearandcommandingthatnoslickcommercial,noamountofgeniality,nomartialmusicwillbeabletomufflethesoundofthetruth.WeDemocratsmustunite.

  WeDemocratsmustunitesothattheentirenationcanunitebecausesurelytheRepublicanswon'tbringthiscountrytogether.Theirpoliciesdividethenation-intotheluckyandtheleft-out,intotheroyaltyandtherabble.TheRepublicansarewillingtotreatthatdivisionasvictory.Theywouldcutthisnationinhalf,intothosetemporarilybetteroffandthoseworseoffthanbefore,andtheywouldcallthatdivisionrecovery.

  Weshouldnot,weshouldnotbeembarrassedordismayedorchagrinediftheprocessofunifyingisdifficult,evenwrenchingattimes.Rememberthat,unlikeanyotherparty,weembracemenandwomenofeverycolor,everycreed,everyorientation,everyeconomicclass.InourfamilyaregatheredeveryonefromtheabjectpoorofEssexCountyinNewYork,totheenlightenedaffluentofthegoldcoastsatbothendsofthenation.Andinbetweenistheheartofourconstituency.Themiddleclass--thepeoplenotrichenoughtobeworry-free,butnotpoorenoughtobeonwelfare.Themiddleclass,thosepeoplewhoworkforalivingbecausetheyhaveto,notbecausesomepsychiatristtoldthemitwasaconvenientwaytofilltheintervalbetweenbirthandeternity.Whitecollarandbluecollar.Youngprofessionals.Menandwomeninsmallbusinessdesperateforthecapitalandcontractsthattheyneedtoprovetheirworth.

  Wespeakfortheminoritieswhohavenotyetenteredthemainstream.WespeakforethnicswhowanttoaddtheirculturetothemagnificentmosaicthatisAmerica.Wespeak,wespeakforwomenwhoareindignantthatthisnationrefusestoetchintoitsgovernmentalcommandmentsthesimplerule"thoushaltnotsinagainstequality,"arulesosimple--Iwasgoingtosay,andIperhapsdarenotbutIwill,it'sacommandmentsosimpleitcanbespelledinthreeletters--E.R.A.!

  Wespeakforyoungpeopledemandinganeducationandafuture.Wespeakforseniorcitizenswhoareterrorizedbytheideathattheironlysecurity-theirSocialSecurity-isbeingthreatened.Wespeakformillionsofreasoningpeoplefightingtopreserveourenvironmentfromgreedandfromstupidity.Andwespeakforreasonablepeoplewhoarefightingtopreserveourveryexistencefromamachointransigencethatrefusestomakeintelligentattemptstodiscussthepossibilityofnuclearholocaustwithourenemy.Theyrefuse.Theyrefuse,becausetheybelievewecanpilemissilessohighthattheywillpiercethecloudsandthesightofthemwillfrightenourenemiesintosubmission.

  Nowwe'reproudofthisdiversityasDemocrats.We'regratefulforit.Wedon'thavetomanufactureitthewaytheRepublicanswillnextmonthinDallas,byproppingupmannequindelegatesontheconventionfloor.Butwhilewe'reproudofthisdiversityasDemocrats,wepayapriceforit.Thedifferentpeoplethatwerepresenthavedifferentpointsofview.Andsometimestheycompeteandevendebate,andevenargue.That'swhatourprimarieswereallabout.Butnowtheprimariesareoveranditistimewhenwepick