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"
OnbehalfoftheEmpireStateandthefamilyofNewYork,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"ShiningCityonaHill."
Maybe,maybe,Mr.President,ifyouvisitedsomemoreplaces.MaybeifyouwenttoAppalachiawheresomepeoplestillliveinsheds,maybeifyouwenttoLackawannawherethousandsofunemployedsteelworkerswonderwhywesubsidizedforeignsteel.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.Butnowtheprimariesareoveranditistimewhenwepickourcandidatesando