A Plan For Change

A Plan For Change

As Prepared for Delivery - This speech was delivered October 11th, 2006 at Southern Connecticut State University

A Plan for Change

I am so pleased to be here today at Southern Connecticut State University, and particularly at a student center dedicated to the memory of President Michael J. Adanti.

The students at Southern represent all that is good about Connecticut and America. You are frequently the first in your family to go to college. You take seriously your responsibilities as citizens - Southern probably has more students deployed in Iraq than any other college in the Northeast. And President Adanti was the embodiment of all that is good about Southern students. Himself a graduate of Southern, he was dedicated to the advancement of Southern students, and he was dedicated to the advancement of his state and his region. There are many workers in my campaign who respected him greatly, and I want to express my respect for his memory as well.

In less than 30 days, the people of Connecticut will face a choice.

It's a choice that's bigger than party or politics - a choice that asks you to think hard about where this country has been and where you believe it should go.

America, after all, is a dream that does not happen on its own. It takes the hard work of its people, the concern of its citizens, and the courage of its leaders.

In my travels around this state, I have witnessed that hard work in the struggles of middle-class families trying to make ends meet, and I have seen that concern on the faces of full-time workers who still can't pay their bills, of parents who wonder why their children are fighting a war without end, and of people who don't understand why no one in Washington is listening.

Because for all the American people are doing to keep this country strong, it is only our leaders in Washington who seem to be missing in action. Health care costs skyrocket, gas prices rise, jobs disappear, terror spreads, but only Washington remains stubbornly still - or worse, going in the wrong direction.

This is the Washington of George Bush and Joe Lieberman. It is the Washington they have defended together, the Washington they have protected together, and the Washington they will settle for if you give them the chance.

If you like this Washington, if you think that it's serving you well - if you believe that this is the best America can do - then you have yourself an experienced candidate in Joe Lieberman who will give you six more years of the status quo.

But if you're tired of the same - the same broken promises, the same failed leadership, the same can't-do, small-time politics year after year after year, then you have another choice on November 7th.

I entered this race not because I'm a career politician looking for a job, but because I'm a concerned citizen looking for a change. I grew up listening to lively political debates at the dinner table, and it's led me to serve my community by standing up for what I believe and fighting for a different direction when things aren't going right.

. I may not have the experience that comes with sitting in Senate committee hearings or listening to lobbyists peddle their pet projects, and I'm proud that I've never taken a dime of their special interest money in my life.

But I do have the experience of building a business from scratch, working in my community, listening to my fellow citizens, and sharing your concerns that this country desperately needs leaders who will stop thinking about themselves and start thinking about the people they're supposed to represent. And that's the experience I'll bring to Washington if you give me the chance.

As a business owner, I know what it's like to balance a budget and provide health care for employees when the costs keep rising every day. I have seen the challenges facing our education system from a school that can't afford to provide after-hours programs for its kids. And I have looked into the eyes of a mother who has only asked why - why this war, why her son, why the same failed strategy that's taking more sons and daughters from more mothers with each passing day.

You know, Senator Lieberman likes to say that one of his best assets is bipartisanship. But what he doesn't realize is that bipartisanship isn't an end to itself - it's only valuable as a means to solve the real problems of ordinary Americans. Joe Lieberman, on the other hand, has joined with this Administration to support some of the very proposals that have hurt Connecticut the most.

Joe Lieberman was sent to the Senate to fight for the people of this state, but today it seems as if his only constituents are George Bush and Dick Cheney. At almost every place where they've taken this country in the wrong direction, he has been by their side, championing their policies and enriching their supporters at the expense of Connecticut families.

When gas prices were on the rise and Connecticut was hurting, Joe Lieberman was supporting Dick Cheney's energy bill that gives billions to oil companies, does little to break our dependence on fossil fuels, and eliminates Connecticut's ability to protect Long Island Sound. After Senator Lieberman voted for the bill, his thank you from the energy companies was $55,000 worth of campaign contributions from the energy companies - a contribution ten times larger than he had ever received from that industry in the past.

When seniors across Connecticut were worrying if they had saved enough for retirement, Joe Lieberman was saying that it might bes a good idea to privatize both Social Security and Medicare, the two most successful retirement programs in history.

When Connecticut was losing 40 percent of our manufacturing base and watching job after job being outsourced overseas, Joe Lieberman was doing nothing to keep them here. He even voted for a Bush bill that used your tax dollars to subsidize companies that were outsourcing, a giveaway John McCain called "disgraceful."

When health care costs were skyrocketing and Connecticut families and businesses were cutting coverage, Joe Lieberman was standing in the way of real reform for 18 years, and joined George Bush in refusing to ever support universal health care coverage.

My friends, this kind of record isn't bipartisan, it's Bush-partisan, and Connecticut deserves better.

Of course, if you really want to know why Joe Lieberman is part of the problem in Washington, there's no better symbol than his misguided view of Iraq. Today is the four year anniversary of the Senate vote on Senator Lieberman's resolution to go to war. In those four years, we've been mislead about the reasons for war, misguided about the execution of the war, and misinformed about the progress and its dangerous impact on our security. Tragically, instead of leveling with the American people, President Bush and his friend Joe Lieberman continue to tell us to "stay the course." Whether they are legitimately devoid of reality, or desperately covering up for their own failures, American troops deserve better from their Commander in Chief and anyone else who swears to uphold the Constitution and defend our country.

Reasonable people can disagree on what to do about the situation in Iraq, but most can agree on three things. It is immoral for old men to send young Americans to fight and die in a conflict without a strategy. It is wrong to cheerlead for a failed plan that places our troops in jeopardy. And it is unacceptable that a candidate for federal office would run for re-election without a real plan for our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Sixteen government intelligence agencies have now said that our presence in Iraq is hurting our efforts in the war on terror. The Republican Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, John Warner, one of the Bush Administration's staunchest allies, has now said we need to think about changing course. And Colin Powell, the man who made the case for war himself, said last week that "staying the course isn't good enough because a course has to have an end." James Baker said we need to think about a change in course. And, just yesterday, Maine Republican Senator Olympia Snowe said it's time for us to reassess the "stay the course" policy.

Recently, the President was quoted as saying that he would not withdraw from Iraq even if his dog was the only one left supporting him. And so the only question left is this:

Who will be the world's last supporter of George Bush's policy in Iraq - his dog Barney or his good pal Joe?

I don't know about you, but I don't feel like waiting around to find out the answer

Now, I'm sure that Joe Lieberman had the best intentions when he first arrived on Capitol Hill so many years ago. But when you're there long enough, the culture changes you.

Nearly two decades ago, it was the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in Connecticut who said it best when he told his opponent:

"You talked about the situation in Washington as if you were an observer. You have been there for the last 18 years. You're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

That candidate was Joe Lieberman, and, this time, it's he who has been in the Senate for 18 years.

He may be wrong on a lot of issues, but Joe Lieberman was right about one thing: Eighteen years in Washington is too long, and no one's proved that better than Joe.

The fact is, on nearly every issue that's critical to the well-being of our state and the future of our nation, Senator Lieberman has been out of sight or out of touch. And today, the questions are simple: how can Joe Lieberman solve Washington's problems when Joe Lieberman is a Washington problem?

How can Joe Lieberman do his job when he's skipped one out of every four votes in the last four years - breaking his pledge 18 years ago to never miss more than three hundred votes -- so he could attend fundraisers for himself? How can he look us in the eye when he promised 18 years ago that votes matter, and now has the third worst voting attendance record of any current Senator in the last 16 years?

How can he fight for us when he's skipped votes on prescription drug coverage, votes on Senator Dodd's legislation to provide armor for our troops, half of all the votes on Iraq, and a tie-breaking vote that would've sent homeland security money to Connecticut if only he'd shown up? How can he tell us that missing votes is ok if it doesn't impact the outcome, when he's managed to show up to rubberstamp every misguided and wrong policy of George Bush and Dick Cheney?

How can Joe Lieberman represent Connecticut's interests when he's taken nearly $4 million from special interests and has an Enron lobbyist leading his Washington fundraising operation? How can he stop scandal when he thinks that it's "partisan" to hold lawmakers accountable for putting their own political interests ahead of protectingour children?

How can Joe Lieberman clean up the fiscal mess in Washington when he's taken vote after vote to waste billions of your tax dollars on pork barrel politics - pet projects like the Bridge to Nowhere that go to other states to pay off lobbyists like Jack Abramoff? How can he trumpet his "experience" and ability to "get things done" when under his watch Connecticut has fallen to 49 out of 50 states in terms of return on our tax dollars?How can he brag about his "seniority" on the Homeland Security Committee when Connecticut gets the least amount of homeland security funding in the Northeast?

The truth is, he can't, and that's why cleaning up Washington has to start with change on November 7th.

This November, for the first time in a long time, we have the chance to end business-as-usual in Washington and set this country on a new course - a course that rebuilds the trust between a people and their government, reaffirms our commitment to the American Dream, and reclaims our nation's leadership in the world.

We have the opportunity to be a part of that new course here in Connecticut. I won't pretend it will happen over night, or that change will come easily, but what I will promise is that above all, I will be a people's Senator for Connecticut - someone who sees my office not as a job to keep or a seat to win, but a way to bring your voices and your hopes to the center of our nation's debate and the heart of our country's concern.

My door will always be open. I will always listen, and I will always do my best to act.

And so today I am laying out my compact with you - a Plan for Change - to let you know exactly what I plan on doing in the U.S. Senate to make this happen.

The first part of this Plan is to rebuild our shattered trust in Washington - to ensure that Capitol Hill is doing the people's business, not the lobbyist's. It's been months since the Abramoff scandals exposed the culture of corruption in our nation's capital, and Congress has yet to pass a single bill that would end pay-to-play politics for good. Instead, we've gotten half-measures and votes from Senator Lieberman against banning special interest gifts to lawmakers.

This is unacceptable. As your Senator, I will fight for ethics legislation with teeth, I will push a ban on lobbyist's gifts to lawmakers, and I will support proposals to end the earmarking process as we know it. It's not enough to decry earmarks in press releases, then do nothing stop them. These earmarks are the very currency of Washington's culture of corruption - billions in taxpayer-funded payoffs to lobbyists for projects that nobody wants and nobody needs. It's costly, it's wrong, and if I am your Senator, I will work my hardest until it ends.

I can also promise you that as long as I am in office, I will not to take a dime of special interest money from any PAC or any lobbyist - not now, not ever. I don't need their money and I don't want their money. The people of Connecticut are my only special interests.

And when I do meet with lobbyists, I will let you know who, I will let you know why, and I will let you know what they want, so that you always know where my priorities are. Finally, I will never disrespect my office and take your trust for granted by missing more than three hundred votes. In 1988, Senator Lieberman looked us in the eye and made this exact promise, only to go on and break it. But I am not a career politician like him - I am a business owner, which means I know the importance of showing up for work. and I'll remember that as your Senator too.

The second part of my Plan for Change is what I'll do to bring opportunity back to the people of this state - to help build an economy that works for the hardworking many, not just the fortunate few.

This starts by addressing the most crushing financial burden facing any family or business today - the cost of health care. One in ten Connecticut residents lack health care coverage, and with costs increasing five times faster than wages, businesses are being forced to cut even more coverage, while workers are forced to choose between income, health care, and tuition.

This is why on my very first day in the Senate, I will do what Joe Lieberman hasn't done in eighteen years - I will introduce a bill to make health care affordable and available to every single American. We'll bring down costs for small businesses, strengthen existing public programs, and increase efficiency so that we finally have a quality, affordable system that works.

I'll also fight for the retirement security of Connecticut's seniors by fighting against efforts to privatize two of the most successful programs in American history - Social Security and Medicare. And I'll work toward a real prescription drug program that gives generous discounts to seniors, not the pharmaceutical industry. When there's a vote on the Senate floor to put seniors ahead of the drug industry, I promise you I'll be there to vote.

Finally, I will always put the working people of Connecticut first, and do whatever I can to give them the best chance possible in a global economy. This means a world-class, affordable education from preschool to college. It means supporting a strong minimum wage and standing up for working people's right to organize. It means a system of job training and trade assistance for those who lose their jobs, and it means standing up for trade laws that level the playing field and allow American workers to compete with any workers in the world.

The last part of my Plan for Change is keeping Americans safe by reclaiming America's leadership in the world. In this new time of new threats from terrorists hostile toward our way of life and bent on our destruction, we need both the strength to face our enemies and the judgment to do it right.

It is now crystal clear that this Administration, cheered on by our own junior Senator every step of the way, has offered us neither. They have stretched our military to its breaking point and failed to implement the recommendations of the 9/11 commission that would strengthen our security. And they have chosen a war in Iraq based on trumped up intelligence that has isolated us from our allies, cost us thousands of lives and billions in treasure, and fueled the very terrorism we sought to extinguish.

As your Senator, I will stand up to these policies not because they are George Bush's or Joe Lieberman's, but because they are wrong for the safety and security of our people. Instead, I will take my cues from people like Colin Powell, who has said that practicing torture and taking away basic human rights ruins our moral standing to fight the war on terror. I will pay attention to our generals when they say that we can't win a war without the soldiers and the equipment needed to get the job done. And I will listen to our intelligence agencies when they say that our continued presence in Iraq is the best recruiting tool for Al Qaeda.

Joe Lieberman has said that the National Intelligence Estimate doesn't change his view of Iraq one bit. But these key findings support what Democrats, Republicans, generals, diplomats, and military experts have been saying for months now - that the war in Iraq is seriously hurting America's efforts to win the War on Terror. When George Bush and Dick Cheney call, Joe Lieberman hears them loud and clear. But, when these security experts, the majority of the American people, and the world say we must change course in Iraq, Joe Lieberman has only a tin ear.

And that is why to really prevail in the war on terror, we must get out of Iraq.

The Iraqis need to know that ours is not an open-ended commitment. The Iraqis need to take responsibility for their own future. But that will not happen unless we make it clear to the Maliki government that there is a timeline to redeploy our troops.

We must draw down our forces and make it clear that our role of maintaining internal security will soon end. American forces remaining in the region should be used only to sustain regional respect for Iraq's integrity, ongoing training of the Iraqi military, and special operations.

Once we do this, we must refocus on the real threat to Americans. Terrorists haven't taken their eye off of us, and we should never take our eye off of them.

To prevail , we must beef up our presence in Afghanistan so we can defeat the Taliban that George Bush has allowed to regroup and finally catch Osama bin Laden. We need to strengthen our Special Forces and enhance our equipment including predator drones to target the terrorists and helicopters to track them down. And we must rebuild our on-the-ground human intelligence capabilities and combine that intelligence with that of our allies so that we can capture terrorists.

To win this war, we also need to rebuild, retool, and strengthen our badly overstretched military, so we can fight the war on terror, be prepared for future threats, and protect our soldiers in battle.

It's also time to fully and finally implement the 9-11 recommendations. Five years after 9/11, we still have gaping holes in our homeland security. Last year, the bipartisan 9-11 Commission gave President Bush and Congress 10 C's, 12 D's and four F's on the vital measures needed to keep us safe.

We must stop squandering taxpayer dollars on wasteful earmarks and "bridges to nowhere" and finally invest in the programs that will keep us safe at home.

Finally, it's time for our leaders to realize that this war will not just be won with guns and tanks, but with the strength of our diplomacy and the power of our ideals - ideals that we may have fallen short of in the last few years, but ideals that I know in my heart we can live up to once more.

You know, when I started this campaign, there were a lot of can'ts. You can't beat a three-term incumbent, they said. You can't, you can't, you can't.

But I didn't listen, because I knew what we were doing is right. And thanks to the hard work and sacrifice of thousands and thousands of people - some who never participated in politics before - we won the Democratic nomination for the Senate.

And today I don't believe in "can'ts" anymore. And I tell my children not to believe in them either. Because when you look back in history at all the periods of great change in this country - whether it's been times of great war and depression or movements for civil rights and women's rights and worker's rights - there have always been those who've peddled in can'ts, who've defended the status quo, who've asked us to settle for what we have, instead of what we hope for.

And yet, victory always goes to those ordinary Americans who march on anyway. Who know that the time has come for change, and aren't afraid to reach for it. Who believe that we can.

One month from today, it will be our time. It will be our chance. And if we are unafraid to reach for it, a new day for Connecticut and a new course for America will be our victory. I look forward to meeting each and every one of you at the finish line. Thank you.

http://nedlamont.com/news/1742/a-plan-for-change