The candidate presents his vision of hope and values

The few short blocks that separate the Washington Convention Center from the White House seemed to shrink by the minute as Sen. John Kerry delivered a passionate plea for AFT grass-roots activists to join his fight for the presidency—an invitation that thousands of delegates gathered in the convention hall seemed more than eager to hear.

Chants of “Kerry! Kerry!” filled the hall as the Massa-chusetts Democrat took the podium to detail his vision for the nation’s future—one based on hope and a belief that values without deeds are no values at all.

“Politicians who talk about valuing morality and personal responsibility ought to start by keeping their own promises,” Kerry said to cheers from the crowd. “Values are not just talk. They’re about what we live. They’re about the choices we make, the causes we champion. And we believe that what matters most is not the narrow values that divide—it’s the shared values that unite all of us.”

“The example of every AFT member—from our nurses and healthcare workers to our public employees and paraprofessionals—shows us what it means to live by real American values: serving your communities, caring for our families, providing opportunity for our young people, and taking responsibility and giving them the best you have to offer,” Kerry said.

“These are the values that built America, and I am running for president because I believe it’s time our government stood for the same values you do.”

Prior to Kerry’s address, convention delegates overwhelmingly adopted a resolution endorsing his presidential bid. The policy statement hails Kerry’s 97 percent voting record supporting AFT positions in his 19-year U.S. Senate career. It details his progressive vision for dealing with the issues at the heart of this election, and commits the union and its affiliates to “tireless and resolute support” of the Kerry campaign.

Some of the strongest words in support of the resolution came from AFT labor leaders in Massachusetts who know Kerry best. His 30 years of public service show “John Kerry cares deeply about education and public services,” said Kathleen Kelley, president of the Massachusetts Federation of Teachers, noting that he seeks the opinions of those working inside these institutions for strengthening services.

The Kerry Pledge

“No broken promises on funding. No more empty rhetoric on reform. No privatizing public jobs that strengthen our communities. And no vouchers,” Kerry pledged.

It’s time, he said, to stop asking millions of families to look into an economic abyss when they lose health insurance, and start wringing out waste and greed under a new approach that recognizes healthcare as a basic American right.

It’s time to stop lavishing tax cuts on the few who don’t need them, and focus those precious resources on the millions of Americans who struggle to make ends meet.

In the international arena, the combat-decorated war veteran promised delegates that he will keep America secure. “But I pledge you this: We will never go to war because we want to; we will go to war only because we have to,” Kerry said.

“But this election is in your hands more than mine,” Kerry said. “Over the next four months, will you knock on doors? Will you be part of this effort? Will you talk to your neighbors? Will you bring America back?”