What's It Gonna Take? Words from Mario Cuomo.

What is it going to take to counter voter apathy - to rally Democrats to vote - to inspire Democrats to support their candidates with their dollars, their energy and their votes. What came to mind was a person that could persuade me. So I listened to Mario Cuomo's speech at the 1984 Convention in San Francisco.

I was in tears. He was passionate, exuded honesty, and made clear sense -- with a poet's sense of integration, timing and color.

His speech had great one-liners (for which I'm quite jealous):

• "The lucky and the left out" referring to rich Republicans and the trickle-down (or supply-side) theory of economics for the rest of us.


• "Divide and cajole" about their campaigning tactics. Certainly Rowe and Bush are graduates of this one.

I excerpted three of his comments from that speech which are as relevant today as they were then.

• About Iraq and our relationship with our allies.
  Click the arrow to listen.      


• About what it means to be a Democrat.
  Click the arrow to listen.      


• And finally, the question that I think should become the question asked from every podium during this campaign cycle.
  Click the arrow to listen.      

Let's all ask that question: Are we safer, stronger or better off than we were before George W. Bush became president?

No? Than let's change the players, election by election, candidate by candidate.