And we're back. Each Dem will give a 3-minute opening statement.
Sen. Hillary Clinton walks out first. Then Sen. John Edwards. Then Congressman Dennis Kucinich from Ohio. Followed by Congressman Mike Gravel. Gov. Bill Richardson from Mexico. From Illinois Sen. Barak Obama. The noise is deafening for Obama. At least a good 20-seconds of clapping. Sen. Christopher Dodd. And Sen. Joseph Biden.
Sen. Hillary Clinton speaks first. She thanks the NAACP for hosting the forum and thanks a few supporters by name such as Hazel Dukes, an NAACP leader from New York. She begins by thanking and remembering Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the 36th U.S. President Lyndon Johnson. "We're falling behind." Clinton starts. "That's because our president [Bush] doesn't see what you and I see." "He refuses to see the...families still living in FEMA trailers...the 9 million children without an adequate education...Their problems are not invisible to us and they will not be available to the next president of the U.S."
Sen. John Edwards: Thanks the chairman, and mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Detroit's young black mayor. Begins by talking about "two Americas." "We see it all over this country," he says. At the beginning of next week, he says, he will be creating a "spotlight" on the poverty that exists in the U.S. He's starting in New Orleans and traveling through Kentucky, Pennsylvania and other states. America should understand what's happening here and working toward solutions. Talks about the "two public school systems in America" and the two healthcare systems and the two voting systems. "We can do what's necessary..." He goes over a little and Russ interjects. Edwards wraps up quickly.
Next is Rep. Dennis Kucinich. "What happens to a dream deferred," he asks repeating the words Langston Hughes wrote during the Harlem Renaissance. He begins talking about the fast that he lives in the same home he purchased in 1971, referencing home ownership. He talks about ending the war in Iraq. "I'm talking about a shift in thinking here...a shift in policy." "We need to be talking about a domestic agenda here, not war." He says one of his first orders of business when he gets in office is to cancel NAFTA and the WTO. He's about universal health care for all.
Sen. Mike Gravel is next. He begins by saying, "I am not much of a cheerleader for the Democratic Party or the NAACP Convention..." "I am not here to tell you what you want to hear, I'm here to tell you what you need to know!" He talks about the legislation he's introduced and how he believes it's helped the American people. His theme seems to rest on putting power back in the hands of the people. Ends by encouraging attendees to go to thenationalinitiative.us.
Gov. Bill Richardson. Lists the accomplishments of the NAACP: dismantling Jim Crow, rallying against racism and disparity. Says we're divided by "race, immigration, Iraq, incarceration." "Polarization is not going to bring universal health care." He goes local and talks about the public school woes in Detroit, then to the Iraq War "I believe the U.S. Congress should go back and have no more timetables or resolutions...De-authorize this war and bring them home."
Sen. Barak Obama. People stand and cheer. Acknowledges Rep. John Conyers, who was given one of the NAACP's highest honors -- the Spingarn Medal -- at this convention. Begins telling about a riot in Springfield, Illinois, that served as the ground through which the NAACP was formed. It's the same place where he began his work as a politician. "Despite all the progress that has been made, we still have more work to do...We have more work to do when more black men are in prison than are in college...when Scooter Libby doesn't get jail time." He talks about being inspired by the civil rights movement to become a community organizer and a state rep and now a Senator. closes with soliciting the help of Americans to transform the country.
Sen. Christopher Dodd. Starts with a joke thanking the NAACP for allowing him to follow Obama. "Politics is local as well." Thanks the Connecticut delegation for their leadership in leading the NAACP to bury the "N-word". But let's bury other words he continues; words like neglect. "When someone tells me where we're going to go, I have more confidence when they tell me where they're going as well." He talks about how his father prosecuted KKK members in the South. He learned his "civil rights while growing up as a child." He talks about passing the Family & Medical Leave Act, reforming the disparity in voter's rights with John Conyers. He goes over and is also interrupted by Russ Mitchell, who calls him a "bad boy," which gets some chuckles from the crowd.
Last Sen. Joseph Biden. "This is the most critical election that any of you will ever vote in." He talks about ending the war; the Supreme Court. "This is a vicious self-sustaining war," he says, and says there's a need for immediate withdrawal from Iraq and points out that he is the only Dem candidate that has laid out a detailed plan for withdrawal. He is interrupted as well and quickly finishes.
Next up, Q&As.