It is a pleasure to be with you tonight and it is an honor to be given the opportunity to offer remarks to you, my closest of friends. It goes without saying that the Cobb County Democrats have been a key source of strength and inspiration for me and I owe all of you a debt of gratitude for your support over the years. Together, you and I have worked so closely and looking across this room, I see countless friends who not only made it possible for me to run a strong race in 1996, but will undoubtedly be the key to our victory in November. This past Saturday, I had the privilege to address the graduates of Kennesaw State University at their Commencement Ceremonies. Although the speech was very nonpolitical, the message that I offered is one that I feel we all must carry. And that is... you have to believe. For the new graduates of Kennesaw State, that message was offered to inspire and to motivate them to follow their dreams and never give up. They now face new challenges as they enter into a larger world, and it is their belief in their own actions that will carry them through adversity, toward success. For all of us, that message of believing is equally important for it is essential that we continue to believe in the values that we all share as Georgians and as Americans. Our beliefs are rooted in values… Georgia values... a commitment to family… a rock solid belief in the value of hard work… and a belief that in America… and especially in Georgia… anything... absolutely anything is possible. These are the values that have led us to great success here in Georgia. They are also the values we must continue to carry as we face the ongoing challenges that come with success and opportunity. For me, having an opportunity to run for the United States Senate is a victory in itself when you consider where I come from and what it has taken for me to get here. My story is about believing. I come from a family that didn’t have much. I went to work when I was 11 and worked two jobs through junior high and high school to help support my family. In 1977 I founded the Great American Cookie Company with an initial investment of $8000. Six weeks after that, I woke up in Northside Hospital after a near-fatal motorcycle accident with doctors telling me that I would never walk again unaided. However, with the support of family and friends, and through a self-styled rehabilitation program, I was able to rehabilitate and eventually go on to set three world records bicycling across this great country. People ask me why I am running for the United States Senate; the answer is simple. Georgia deserves better. Although I am sure that many of you have heard my story, I speak of it because it is important for people to know that the individuals they elect will have the integrity, strength and tenacity to do the hard work it will take to move this country forward. I am running for the United States Senate to serve as a strong voice for Georgia’s hardworking families -- A voice that represents the values of those families. And I am committed to taking Georgia values with me every day to the United States Senate. Our campaign for the United States Senate has already taken me across this great state from Dalton to Thomasville, Savannah to Columbus. In the week following my announcement alone, we drove over 1500 miles speaking to supporters and strangers alike about this campaign, and I continue to speak to thousands of Georgians in an effort to raise support and interest in this important race. And although much of the focus in the news has been on the Governor’s race, our campaign is already working seven days a week with the singular goal of winning in November because Georgia deserves better. For all of us, it is essential to understand the magnitude of the 1998 elections, for come November, we will be choosing those who will lead us into a new millennium filled with new challenges. As I stand before you today, I believe we are on the threshold of enormous change and opportunity. Our economy is strong, technology is taking us to levels never seen before and this great state of Georgia continues to serve as a shining example to others -- as a state enjoying incredible growth and economic opportunity. Yet, although we stand in the midst of success, the future is not certain. All of us face a certain responsibility to one another if we are to expect that the successes of today will be the successes of tomorrow. This race for the United States Senate is about the beliefs and values we share as Georgians, and I am running for the United States Senate to fight for Georgia’s hardworking families because I believe Georgia deserves better. I have learned that Georgia families want and need a voice in Washington to fight for those issues they hold dear. In this era of global markets, there is nothing more important than giving our children a world-class education. And that means there is nothing more important than supporting public education and the more than 90% of children who attend public schools. I will work to improve our public schools, by raising standards for both students and teachers, and by making kindergarten more available and college and technical schools more affordable. We all know that strong families teach the best values, but we must help families protect their children from guns and gangs and school-yard drug pushers. Our juvenile court system has to send clear messages that age is no excuse for crime. Paul Coverdell has not been that kind of Senator. Paul Coverdell has voted time and time again to gut Head Start, student loans, school construction, and safe and drug-free school programs. Georgia deserves better. Part of our responsibility to ensure a bright future for all Georgians is to keep the promises that have been made to our older generations. That is why I will fight to protect Medicare, our people’s pensions, veterans’ health benefits, and our Social Security. Paul Coverdell has voted to cut Medicare and to allow companies to raid their workers’ pension funds. And he voted to cut funding for our nations’ heroes -- our veterans. Paul Coverdell has broken the promises that were made to our hardworking families. Georgia deserves better. And if we are going to protect social security, by ensuring that the promises we made will be the promises we keep, we must do so on a firm financial footing. That is why I will vote, as your United States Senator, to use the federal budget surplus to protect the Social Security Trust Fund. Because I share with you the belief that we have a basic responsibility to our families’ health, I will fight for a health care bill of rights that includes that right to choose your own doctor. And I will fight for the right to sue your insurance company or HMO if it won’t let you get the treatment you need. Paul Coverdell has not taken this stand and has opposed all efforts to provide this basic right to Georgia’s hardworking families. When it comes to the protecting our citizens’ basic health, Georgia deserves better. Understanding the belief in the value of work, I will vote to raise the minimum wage. When we speak of the importance of providing an alternative to welfare and a means to encourage savings, let’s begin by ensuring that Georgia’s hardworking families are given every opportunity to succeed. Paul Coverdell has not only voted against raising the minimum wage; he has opposed having a minimum wage. For our families’ sake, Georgia deserves better. And as we work to ensure continued growth and economic prosperity, we have a responsibility to protect the water we drink and the air we breathe. Paul Coverdell has voted against every major piece of environmental legislation that has come before the Senate in the past three years -- 23 anti-environmental votes and still counting. We must not turn our back on Georgia’s environmental legacy. For our children, Georgia deserves better. To succeed as a state and as a nation, we all have to believe. We must continue to believe in the values that have made this state great. My life has taught me to never give up, to always believe. The beliefs and values that guide our lives are unquestionable. When it comes to Paul Coverdell’s votes and to taking Georgia values to the Senate, I believe Georgia deserves better. I have lived here my entire adult life… raised a family here…built a business here. I’ve worked closely with Governor Miller to expand educational opportunity…with the American Heart Association, I’ve been in the front ranks of the fight for health care. I’ve been proud to be a Riverkeeper, fighting to save precious drinking water. I’ve been in private business, but I also like to think I’ve been in public service. Make no mistake about it. I have no misconceptions about what this job is all about. This job is not about partisan politics… it’s about people. It’s about doing what is right for the hardworking families of Georgia. It’s about taking Georgia values to the United States Senate every day. Paul Coverdell has not been that kind of Senator. Paul Coverdell will never be that kind of Senator. But with your help… I will. |
