You're far with the fear, there's no perception
Too far, it's somewhere on my mind
Back into the dark, living in America
Out of eye, stay short, stay short
Living in America
Handy hand, a constant mission
And in America
I got you back for celebration
Walk my soul, yeah
Come on, let's go back
Right back, minute mile
A railroad track
Out of night
You're waiting on
Keep on runnin' through
You're rockin' a whole song
Out of night, stay short
Keep you awake
A black profit
And a high road
Out of eye, stay short
But everybody's workin'
All over time
Give me the love
Out of eye
Let's go to the station
Please stand if you are able
And welcome winners of
Thirteen Grammy Awards
And the biggest selling
U.S. female group of all time
The chicks
Oh, say can you see
By the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed
At the twilight's last gleaming
Whose broad stripes and bright stars
Through the perilous fight
For the ramparts we watched
Were so gallantly streaming
And the rockets' red glare
The bombs bursting in air
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there
Oh, say does that star-spangled
Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
And the home of the brave
Oh, say does that star-spangled
Banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free
And the home of the brave
Oh, say does that star-spangled
Welcome to the final night of the Democratic National Convention, the last three nights
have been extraordinary and tonight we hear from our next president Kamala Harris.
Now as I stand here, I know that there are folks on social media already saying,
go back to your TV show, shut up and act, but I am not here tonight as an actor.
I am here as a mother, as a daughter, as a proud union member.
I am here, I am here as the granddaughter of immigrants, as a black woman descended from enslaved people.
I am here tonight because I am an American and because I am a voter and because we the people
are stronger when all our voices are heard.
Look, I know that I am the one standing on this stage, but I am not the lead character in this story.
You are all of you, you are the messengers, you are the fixers.
Dare I say it, you are the Olivia Popes.
You are the superheroes saving this democracy.
It is you, not me, who have the greatest power to convince your loved ones to vote.
So, just like Michelle Obama told us, let's do something.
Let's make a video. Everybody take out your phones, everybody take out your phones,
we are going to make a moment. Can somebody bring me my phone?
I want to capture this historic moment and share it with the people that we love.
We are going to take this video, we are going to post it to social media, text your friends,
send this message out into the world. When I say when we fight, you are going to say
are you ready? Okay, let's record, we are recording, are you ready, Tony?
Yup, I am ready.
When we fight, when we fight, when we fight, are you ready for Kamala Harris to win?
Yes, good, because when Kamala wins, America wins.
We did it, we did it, Joe.
Thank you, Tony.
No, you got to go.
All right, everybody.
Tony Goldwin, ladies and gentlemen.
Okay, so listen, it's come to my attention that there are some folks who struggle or pretend
to struggle with the proper pronunciation of our future president's name.
So hear me out, confusion is understandable, disrespect is not.
So tonight, we are going to help everyone get it right.
Here to help me are some very special guests.
Thank you, ladies. Can you tell us your names?
Hello, everybody. My name's Amara.
And my name is Lila, her little sister.
And what are you here to do?
To teach you how to say your auntie's name.
Okay, so how do you pronounce it?
First you say comma, like a common sentence.
Then you say, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.
Put it together, and it's one, two, three, Kamala.
All right, so let's practice, let's practice.
Everybody on the, everybody over here say comma.
Everybody over here say la.
Together.
For president.
Thank you, everybody.
Thank you.
Please welcome Mina Harris, Ella Emhoff, and Helen Hudlin.
Hi, I'm Mina.
I'm Ella, and I'm Helena.
I grew up in Oakland, California.
And a house full of extraordinary women.
My mom, my grandma, and my auntie, who showed me the meaning of service,
helping her sister, a 17-year-old single mom,
fighting for justice for the American people,
and still cooking Sunday family dinner.
She guided me, now she's guiding my own children,
and I know she'll guide our country forward.
Kamala came into my life when I was 14,
famously a very easy time for a teenager.
Like a lot of young people, I didn't always understand what I was feeling,
but no matter what, Kamala was there for me.
She was patient, caring, and always took me seriously.
She's never stopped listening to me,
and she's not going to stop listening to all of us.
Kamala Harris is my godmother.
To me, her advice means everything,
whether it's pursuing my passions, making an impact,
or finding hope when the world doesn't feel so hopeful.
She taught me that making a difference means giving your whole heart
and taking action.
She's fighting for economic opportunity, LGBTQ plus equality,
and reproductive freedom, because we are not going back.
She's fighting for social justice, health justice, environmental justice,
and she isn't alone. We're all in this fight together.
So let's keep up the fight, let's keep up the joy,
and let's elect this extraordinary woman as our next president.
Thank you.
Please welcome actor and comedian D.L. Hughley.
Hey, now, hey Chicago, how y'all doing?
Was that in California?
No, wait, wait, wait.
Whittles, AKA's in, we're in.
You know what, in three months, ain't gonna be no living with y'all.
I can tell you this, I don't blame Donald Trump for not wanting to bake Kamala.
I've been married to a black woman for 40 years and I ain't won one debate.
I'm over 93,000.
Now, of course, Trump is saying that Kamala isn't black.
I guarantee you this, Kamala's been black a lot lower than Trump's been a Republican.
And if he keeps sliding in the polls the way he is, the only thing,
the only way he can keep Kamala out of the White House is if he buys it and refuses to rent it to her.
Of course, Kamala's getting broad support.
They got black men for Kamala, white men for Kamala, Latinos and Asians for Kamala.
They even have Republicans for Kamala.
Republicans for Kamala, I guess Donald Trump will finally know what it's like
when you get left for a younger woman.
But seriously, Kamala knows the truth about the American dream,
that hard work is not alone, hard work alone is not enough to succeed,
that you need access and information and opportunity.
And she knows that some folks are often denied those very things.
As president, she will give each and every one of us a fair shot in life.
But I have to admit, I didn't always believe that.
I mean, if you told me the 15 year old me would be on stage supporting a prosecutor and a teacher,
there is no way that I would have believed you.
But because of that, I made assumptions about Kamala's record.
And I often repeated them to a lot of people.
Then one day, Kamala invited me to her house, she put her hand on my shoulder
and she asked me to do some research, something I had never done,
something a lot of people I know had never done before.
Imagine attacking someone's character without a single Google search.
So I did what I should have done in the first place.
I learned that she had done for us exactly what she promised to.
I believe that your apology should be as loud as your accusation.
And I'm here apologizing from the whole damn world.
I was wrong and I'm so very glad I was wrong because Kamala,
you give me hope for the future or future where my grandchildren,
Nolan and Stevie had the freedom to control their own bodies.
Where they have the opportunity to go as far as their wits and their talents would take them.
That future, ladies and gentlemen, is possible.
But only if we let Kamala Harris as the 47th president of the United States of America.
I will say this to you, the best piece of advice I've ever gotten in my entire life
is you don't have to know what you will do, just know what you want.
And we won't go back.
The energy in this room is electric.
And you can feel it everywhere all over the country.
In the coming weeks, I want us to find ways to maintain
this energy and this joy and this commitment.
Because there will be days when the work ahead seems impossible.
And when that happens, I know what I do.
I get involved. I get engaged.
I ask myself, how can I be of service to my community?
Because community is why we do this, am I right?
Yes, we do this for our children, for our parents,
for our teachers and care workers who treat our loved ones like their own.
We do this for working families who make this country thrive.
We do this for the planet and for each other.
We do this for justice and for peace and for democracy.
And as we are about to hear, we do this for the safety of our communities.
Please welcome Genesee County, Michigan Sheriff Chris Swanson.
My job is to protect people, all people.
In 2020, righteous anger spilled over into the streets of Flint, Michigan.
One bad decision from either side and there would have been bloodshed.
But that didn't happen.
We laid down our riot gear and we embraced the community and instead of hate, we chose hope.
On January 6th, the opposite occurred.
That day was paved with division, deceit, and denigration.
Police officers were attacked that day.
It could have been stopped.
We need a leader who will embody what's affixed to all three sides of my Sheriff Patrol cars.
Protect, serve, and unify.
Kamala Harris is that leader.
As a prosecutor, Kamala Harris protected us by putting violent criminals and sex offenders
behind bars.
If I was in a courtroom, she's exactly the tough prosecutor that I'd want to see.
As vice president, she served America by keeping us safer.
And I can testify firsthand where I come from.
Crime is down and police funding is up.
As president, Kamala Harris will unify our country.
She will bring us together because our country needs a leader.
Who will go toe to toe with drug cartels and bullies.
One who has already taken the oath raised her right hand to advocate for the people.
I can tell you in 2020, we were able to turn a protest into a peaceful movement by walking together.
One city, one community, and one country.
America, let's walk, let's walk, let's walk together, and let's elect Kamala Harris
and turn hate in the hope yet again.
Thank you.
We were contemplating adopting and then I don't know where I got pregnant.
Jordan was so much fun as a child.
When all of a sudden,
through those rounds he aimed at Jordan.
Jordan didn't serve to die that way.
Reports of an active shooter at a high school.
These students have now lived through so many of these shootings since they were born almost.
We were praying and crying. I don't know how we're alive.
An active shooter with an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, multiple children have been killed.
Most of the body so mutilated that only DNA test, a green converse, could identify.
Trump did nothing on guns and was proud of it.
There was great pressure on me. We did nothing.
After a mass shooting in Iowa, Trump said,
I have to get over it.
You never get over it.
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden refused to get over it.
As district attorney, she got illegal guns off the street.
As attorney general, she took on transnational crime rings and stopped gun trafficking.
As vice president, she helped pass the most sweeping gun violence legislation in three
decades, keeping guns out of the hands of criminals, expanding background checks, closing loopholes.
We'll finally pass red flag laws, universal background checks, and an assault weapons ban.
Kamala understands the fight we're in.
The power is with the people.
And gives people like me survivors like me hope.
When I worked for every town.
Please welcome Georgia representative Lucy McBath.
When I worked for every town for gun safety and mom's demand action for guns since in America.
I saw firsthand the power of telling our stories.
You've just heard mine, but there are many more to tell.
On December 14th, 2012, I walked into Sandy Hook School.
I stopped at the office, chatted with my principal, then started my day with my second graders.
Suddenly, a loud crash, like metal folding chairs falling.
154 gunshots blaring.
Hiding in the coats, trying to sing with my students, trying to read to them, trying to drown out the sounds.
Terror, crying, running.
I carry that horrific day with me.
20 beautiful first grade children and six of my beautiful colleagues were killed.
They should still be here.
It's 10 30 a.m. at Rob Elementary in Uveldi.
The school is recognizing my 10 year old daughter Lexi for receiving all A's.
She receives a good citizen award and we pose for photos.
She wears a St. Mary sweatshirt and a smile that lights up the room.
30 minutes later, a gunman murders her, 18 classmates, and two teachers.
We are taken to a private room where police tell us she isn't coming home.
Uveldi is national news.
Parents everywhere reach for their children.
I reach out for the daughter I will never hold again.
My niece Sandy Patrice was 22.
She drove to Myrtle Beach for sun and fun and motorcycle parades.
Hours later, my phone rang, shooting on the beach.
No one can find Sandy.
I stayed calm.
You see, my mother Patrice Ann had been shot and killed by an abusive partner.
I was calm then too.
I got to handling business.
I called relatives, the police, hospitals, and I kept calling,
voice steady, heartbeat pulsing.
Then I was connected to the coroner.
10 years of waiting and Sandy's murder is still unsolved.
I'll keep calling and I'll keep fighting.
I was in high school when my classmates got shot.
It changed my story.
Instead of worrying about taking a test, I started worrying about living to take another test.
They say schools are for learning and I did learn a lot that day.
I learned how to run, how to hide and drop, that what happens in the news can happen to me.
But I learned something else too.
That we can write and must write a new story if we choose to.
Our are stories of loss, but make no mistake.
Our losses do not weaken us.
They strengthen our resolve.
We will secure safer futures that we all deserve.
We will organize.
We will advocate.
We will run for office.
And we will join with Americans from small towns and big cities to keep our communities safe.
And we will elect leaders like Kamala Harris who won't just empathize, but will act.
And we will join with Americans from small towns and big cities to keep our communities safe.
Please welcome former Arizona representative Gabby Giffords.
Thank you so much.
Hello, fellow Americans.
I'm Gabby Giffords.
I was born in the great state of Arizona!
I was born with grit.
I grew up racing motorcycles, mucking stalls, and exploring the beautiful desert.
I fell for an astronaut.
For five years, I served in Congress from a swing district.
Everybody called me a rising star.
Then on January 8th, two that led a man tried to assassinate me.
He shot 19 people.
He killed six.
Terrible, terrible day.
I almost died.
I fought for my life, and I survived.
I learned to walk again one step at a time.
I learned to talk again one word at a time.
So many people helped me as I worked hard to recover, including a decent man for Delaware
who always checked in.
He still does!
Thank you, Joe Biden.
Thank you for everything.
Joe is a great president.
My friend, Kamala, will be a great president.
She is tough.
She has grit.
Kamala can beat the gun lobby.
She can fight gun trafficking.
Kamala stood up to Wall Street and the drug company.
She will protect abortion access.
She will defend our field.
She saved lives.
Join me in voting for Kamala Harris!
Kamala!
Thank you!
I had the honor of meeting Vice President Harris when I got to introduce her when she
spoke at my high school about gun violence.
Harkeland happened, and all I could think about is that I wanted to keep my kids safe.
On July 4th, 2022, I was next in line to walk in the Highland Park Independence Day Parade
when gunshots erupted.
Seven before shot and killed and 48 more were injured.
Vice President Harris has been a gun-sense champion since she was our California AG.
We have two options in November.
We have Kamala Harris, who has already proven her leadership in the Biden-Harris administration.
They passed the first-ever comprehensive gun reform in 30 years.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has cozied up to the NRA and the gun lobby.
How full confidence in Vice President Harris that she's dedicated to and committed to
finding a solution to end the gun violence.
Please welcome three-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and global pop icon, Pink.
Williams of beautiful hearts.
We saw what was down the river too far.
What about us?
What about all the times you sent you at the answer?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love?
What about trust?
What about us?
We are problems that want to be solved.
We are children that need to be loved.
We are women.
We came when you called.
But many food eyes, enough is enough.
Oh, what about us?
What about all the times you sent you at the answer?
What about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
What about love?
What about trust?
What about us?
Sticks and stones, they may break these bones,
but then I'll be ready.
Are you ready?
I don't want control.
I want to let go.
I'll be ready.
Now it's time to let them know.
What about us?
What about all the times you sent you at the answer?
So what about us?
What about all the broken happy ever afters?
Oh, what about us?
What about all the plans that ended in disaster?
Oh, what about love?
What about trust?
What about us?
CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
Global Security
and global prosperity depend on the leadership of the United States of America.
And a strong America remains indispensable to the world. Our democratic ideals of freedom and
liberty inspire billions and our military is the strongest in the world.
Our military is a force that underwrites global stability and our national security.
Please welcome Arizona Senator Mark Kelly.
Hello Chicago. Hello Democrats.
So President Obama had a follow Michelle. I had a follow Gabby and Pink.
Gabby amazes me every single day.
She was able to walk out and address you tonight because she's a fighter.
And thanks to a team of doctors, nurses, and especially her speech therapist.
We all need a team. I've flown into space four times.
I've flown into combat nearly 40 times.
Not once did I do that by myself.
It took a team to accomplish a mission. It always does. I flew in the Navy during the first Gulf War.
America rallied our allies to kick out a tyrant who invaded a neighbor.
Today, Vladimir Putin is testing whether we're still that strong.
Iran, North Korea, and especially China watch closely.
What's Trump's answer? He invited Russia to do, and these are his words, not mine,
whatever the hell they want.
Vice President Harris has always championed America's support for NATO, for Ukraine,
and for the Ukrainian people.
On the Senate Intelligence Committee, she investigated Russian interference in our election.
She defends free and fair elections everywhere. You already know how Trump feels about those.
Donald Trump skipped his intelligence briefings.
He was too busy sucking up to dictators and dreaming of becoming one himself.
Trump thinks that Americans who have made the ultimate sacrifice are suckers and losers.
If we fall for that again and make him the commander in chief, the only suckers would be us.
Kamala Harris knows that standing with their allies means standing up for Americans.
She'll keep modernizing our military to support our troops,
and to support our veterans like our next vice president, Tim Walz.
The world laughs at Trump literally, but folks, it is not funny. When he was president,
that meant the world was laughing at us. The threats we face are too serious.
The sacrifices our service members make are too sacred. The alliances we've spent decades building
are too critical. That's what's at stake now. And the choice isn't even close.
But in Arizona and nationwide, this election will be.
We'll win in the same way we launch rockets into space and land fighter jets on an aircraft carrier
as one team on one mission.
State by state, voter by voter coming together. No country. No country is better than ours at
solving big problems. So on November 5th, let's prove that America is still the leader the world
needs today by the electing the leader we need right now, Kamala Harris.
Thank you, everybody. Thank you.
Please welcome former secretary of defense, Leon Panetta.
My fellow Americans, I'm proud to have served in the Army, the Congress, the White House,
Chief of Staff, CIA Director, and Secretary of Defense.
I've looked into the eyes of our warriors and deployed them into battle. I gave the order
to direct our special operations forces to fly two helicopters 150 miles into Abadabad
at night. And by the time the sun rose, Osama bin Laden was dead.
Because nobody attacks our country and gets away with it. Nobody.
That's what our warriors do. That's what our warriors do.
Our warriors need a tough, cool headed commander in chief to defend our democracy from tyrants
and terrorists. We need Kamala Harris behind the resolute desk.
She knows, she knows the tyrant when she sees one. And our allies know a leader when they see one.
On the Senate Intelligence Committee and his vice president, she worked with more than 150 world
leaders. She's looked our allies in the eye and said, America has your back. Trump would abandon
our allies and isolate America. We tried that in the 1930s. It was foolish and dangerous then,
and it's foolish and dangerous now. Listen to President Reagan. President Reagan.
Isolationism never was and never will be an acceptable response to tyrannical governments.
Never. Trump tells tyrants like Putin they can do whatever the hell they want.
Kamala Harris tells tyrants the hell you can not on my watch.
She's worked with President Zelensky to fight back against Russia. She knows that protecting
their democracy protects our democracy as well. Look, Donald Trump does not understand
the world. And he does not understand the service and sacrifice of our military.
Our fallen veterans are not suckers. They are not losers. They are our heroes.
Kamala Harris will honor our veterans. And in Tim Walts, we will have a vice president who has
served in uniform honorably for 24 years. Kamala Harris understands this moment. It is a moment
of danger and a moment of opportunity. She'll keep America's military the strongest in the world,
the strongest ever known. And she understands what our military is for. The role of our military
is to defend us from foreign enemies. It is not to threaten Americans and as sure as hell isn't
to put immigrants in camps. Every president, every president since World War II,
Republican and Democrat, has shared the belief that America must protect democracy in the world.
Every president has honored our veterans and their sacrifices. Every president but one, but one.
So we face a critical choice to vote for someone who stands with our military and stands up for
democracy or someone who will disrespect our heroes and undermine our democracy.
My fellow Americans, there is only one choice. One choice.
And let me tell you something. When she takes her oath of office as she will this January,
our allies will cheer, our enemies will fear, and we will have a commander in chief that we
can trust. God bless our veterans and God bless our country.
Please welcome Arizona Representative Ruben Gallego.
I'm a dad, husband, congressman, and the proudest ever zoden you'll ever meet.
But I am even prouder to be a Marine.
My mom raised us alone on a secretary's salary. I slept on the floor. I worked every job I could,
meat packing, construction, making pizzas. I made it to Harvard with no bunny or connections.
Other kids were happy because they were at Harvard. I was happy because I finally had a mattress.
Then I enlisted, fought alongside my brothers with Lima, 325 in Iraq. They called us
lucky Lima. But our luck ran out. We saw some of the heaviest combat of the war.
And when we got home, the government failed to help us readjust. We have a duty to care for our
patriots who serve our nation. For the Vietnam veteran and Buckeye who relies on the VA for his
medication. For the Afghan veteran in Pittsburgh who finally got treatment for his PTSD. For the
Marine in Milwaukee who relies on the benefits she earned. For my Navajo brothers and sisters
to serve the Marines with me, I remember you too. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are fighting for them.
Kamala Harris has delivered more benefits to more veterans than ever before. And she has achieved
the lowest veterans unemployment rate in history. Vice President Harris has stood up for us
and our families always. Tim Walz served for 24 years. His passion for veterans earned him
respect on both sides of the aisle. And he stands with us too. In fact, let me introduce you to
some of the many Democrats who understand what service means because we put country over politics.
We were proud to wear the uniform. And we're proud serving our countries in city halls,
state capitals, the U.S. House and the Senate.
These veterans represent the best of our country. We stand united as veterans, Democrats and
patriots to fight for everyone who serves.
But politicians, but politicians like Donald Trump, they don't stand with us.
They call patriots like Senator McCain losers.
John McCain was an American hero. Show some respects.
Trump's project 2025 will slash veteran benefits and force VA hospitals to close
across the nation. Show some respects.
So, for the 18-year-old who decides to enlist, for the families like mine who prayed every
night that their loved one would come home, for our troops stationed thousands of miles away,
for my Marines of Lima company, let's elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, who don't just respect
our service, but revere it because the veterans who defended this country
aren't just the reason we can sleep at night. They're the reason we can dream.
And together, together, we'll fight for our veterans and everyone who served our country.
Thank you.
Please welcome Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
I'm Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
In Lansing, they call me governor, but in Detroit, they call me Big Gretchen.
Donald Trump called me that woman from Michigan as an insult.
Being a woman from Michigan is a badge of honor.
Like women across America, we just GSD. Get stuff done.
At 29, I joined the sandwich generation, sandwiched between working and raising my newborn and caring
for my mom, who was dying from brain cancer. It was hard, but not extraordinary. It's life.
Those nights reminded me who I was fighting for. People just trying to make it. Kamala Harris knows
who she's fighting for, too. She took care of her mom, who also battled cancer. As president,
she'll fight to lower the cost of health care and elder care for every family.
She's lived a life like ours. She knows us. Donald Trump doesn't know you at all.
You think he understands that when your car breaks down, you can't get to work.
No. His first word was probably chauffeur.
You think he's ever had to take items out of the cart before checking out?
Hell, you think he's ever been to a grocery store?
That's what the chauffeur is for.
But Kamala Harris, she gets us. She sees us. She is us.
Look, we've all lived through a lot of history over the past few years.
Floods and fires, an attempted coup, a plot, and a pandemic. It's exhausting.
We don't know what the next four years will bring, but what we do know is this.
Through it all, your life won't stop. You're going to have to get to work,
pick up the kids, and pay your bills. And then one day, when you're just trying to get everyone
out the door, a news alert goes off. Something happened. Something hit the fan.
You'll ask, is my family going to be okay? And then you'll ask, who the hell is in charge?
What if it's him? What if it's that man from Maril Argo?
I know, in a crisis, we need someone strong enough to come up with a plan,
to tell the truth, and to bring people together.
Right now, before the crisis, is when we get to choose. Why wouldn't we choose the leader who's
tough, tested, and a total badass?
I know who I want, as our commander-in-chief, America, let's choose Kamala Harris.
Please welcome, actress, director, and philanthropist, Eva Longoria.
Hello Chicago. Yes, I am so excited to be here tonight. What an honor to be part of this historic
moment, and y'all are part of it. Look, I have known Kamala Harris for more than a decade,
and she comes from a family a lot like mine, and I'm sure a lot like yours. We were both raised
knowing that no one was going to hand us anything, especially as women, that we were going to have
to touch every wrong of the ladder to get ahead. We were going to have to work really hard.
Now, she worked at McDonald's, but I worked at Wendy's, and look at us now.
You see, Kamala and I were able to see beyond the horizon because our families supported our big
dreams. Well, guess what? As Americans, we're all part of one big family, so almost familia.
And as familia, we have to have each other's back. We have to support each other's dreams,
because Kamala's success is our success. And she supports us to dream big too. So let me tell you,
in the Latino community, in our community, we have a saying,
si se puede, which means yes. It means yes, we can, but tonight, I'm here to tell you, yes,
she can. So we're going to say, si se puede. So when someone asks you, is she ready to lead this
country forward? We're going to say, si se puede. When somebody says, is she qualified for the job?
We're going to say, si se puede. When somebody asks, is she going to be the first female president
of the United States? We're going to say, si se puede. Our voices, our vote, we're going to
decide this election. And let me tell you, the energy tonight isn't just here in Chicago,
it's all across the country. People are gathered at watch parties everywhere to celebrate Kamala
Harris. Say hello. Yeah. All right. We know how to work, so let's get to work.
Let's turn all of this enthusiasm and joy into action between now and November 5th. Let's go,
si se puede. Si se puede.
Please welcome former Illinois Republican representative, Adam Kinzinger.
Hey, good evening. Good evening. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I'm Adam Kinzinger,
and I am proud to be in the trenches with you as part of this sometimes awkward alliance that we
have to defend truth, defend democracy, and decency. I was just a kid when I was drawn to
the party of Ronald Reagan, to his vision of a strong America, the shining city on a hill.
I was a Republican for 12 years in Congress, and I still hold on to the label. I never thought
I'd be here, but listen, you never thought you'd see me here, did you? But I've learned something
about the Democratic Party, and I want to let my fellow Republicans in on the secret. The Democrats
are as patriotic as us. They love this country just as much as we do.
And they are as eager to defend American values at home and abroad as we conservatives have ever been.
I was relieved to discover that because I've learned something about my party too, something I couldn't
ignore. The Republican Party is no longer conservative. It has switched its allegiance from the principles
that gave it purpose to a man whose only purpose is himself. Donald Trump is a weak man pretending
to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He's a faithless man pretending to be righteous.
He's a perpetrator who can't stop playing the victim. He puts on, listen, he puts on quite a show,
but there is no real strength there. As a conservative and a veteran, I believe true strength lies in
defending the vulnerable. It's in protecting your family. It's in standing up for our constitution
and our democracy. That, that is the soul of being a conservative. It used to be the soul
of being a Republican, but Donald Trump has suffocated the soul of the Republican Party.
His fundamental weakness has coursed through my party like an illness,
sapping our strength, softening our spine, whipping us into a fever that has untethered
us from our values. Our democracy was frayed by the events of January 6th as Donald Trump's
deceit and dishonor led to a siege on the United States Capitol. That day, I stood witness to a
profound sorrow, the desecration of our sacred tradition of peaceful transition of power,
tarnished by a man too fragile, too vain, and too weak to accept defeat.
How can a party claim to be patriotic if it idolizes a man who tried to overthrow a free and fair
election? How, how can a party claim to stand for liberty if it sees a fight for freedom in Ukraine,
an attack pitting tyranny against democracy, a challenge to everything our nation claims to be?
And it retreats, it equivocates, it nominates a man who is weirdly obsessed with Putin.
And his running mate, his running mate who said, quote, I don't care what happens in Ukraine.
Yeah, he wants to be vice president. Yeah. How can a party claim to be conservative when
it tarnishes the gifts that our forebearers fought for? Men like my grandfather, who served
in World War II, who believed in a cause bigger than himself and he risked his life for it behind
enemy lines. To preserve American democracy, his generation found the courage to face down
armies. Listen, all we're asked to do is to summon the courage to stand up to one weak man.
Some, some have questioned, some have questioned why I've taken the stand I have. The answer is really
simple. Ladies and gentlemen, we must put country first.
And tonight, and tonight as a Republican speaking before you, I'm putting our country first.
Because the fact is I do belong here. I know Kamala Harris shares my allegiance to the rule of law,
the Constitution, and democracy. And she is dedicated to upholding all three in service
to our country. Whatever policies we disagree on pale in comparison with those fundamental
matters of principle, of decency, and of fidelity to this nation.
Listen, to my fellow Republicans, if you still pledge allegiance to those principles,
I suspect you belong here too. Because democracy knows no party.
It's a, it's a living, breathing ideal that defines us as a nation. It's the bedrock that
separates us from tyranny. And when that foundation is fractured, we must all stand together united
to strengthen it. If you think those principles are worth defending, then I urge you,
make the right choice. Vote, vote for our bedrock values, and vote for Kamala Harris. God bless you.