Stacey Abrams: ‘Together, We Are Coming For America, For A Better America’
Read the Full Transcript of Stacey Abrams' Rebuttal to President Trump's State of the Union
Full Transcript:
Good
evening, my fellow Americans. I’m Stacey Abrams, and I am honored to
join the conversation about the state of our union. Growing up, my
family went back and forth between lower middle class and working poor.
Yet,
even when they came home weary and bone-tired, my parents found a way
to show us all who we could be. My librarian mother taught us to love
learning. My father, a shipyard worker, put in overtime and extra
shifts; and they made sure we volunteered to help others. Later, they
both became United Methodist ministers, an expression of the faith that
guides us.
These were our family values – faith, service, education and responsibility.
Now,
we only had one car, so sometimes my dad had to hitchhike and walk long
stretches during the 30 mile trip home from the shipyards. One rainy
night, Mom got worried. We piled in the car and went out looking for him
– and eventually found Dad making his way along the road, soaked and
shivering in his shirtsleeves. When he got in the car, Mom asked if he’d
left his coat at work. He explained he’d given it to a homeless man
he’d met on the highway. When we asked why he’d given away his only
jacket, Dad turned to us and said, “I knew when I left that man, he’d
still be alone. But I could give him my coat, because I knew you were
coming for me.”
Our
power and strength as Americans lives in our hard work and our belief
in more. My family understood firsthand that while success is not
guaranteed, we live in a nation where opportunity is possible. But we do
not succeed alone – in these United States, when times are tough, we
can persevere because our friends and neighbors will come for us. Our
first responders will come for us.
It
is this mantra – this uncommon grace of community – that has driven me
to become an attorney, a small business owner, a writer, and most
recently, the Democratic nominee for Governor of Georgia. My reason for
running for governor was simple: I love our country and its promise of
opportunity for all, and I stand here tonight because I hold fast to my
father’s credo – together, we are coming for America, for a better
America.
Just
a few weeks ago, I joined volunteers to distribute meals to furloughed
federal workers. They waited in line for a box of food and a sliver of
hope since they hadn’t received a paycheck in weeks. Making their
livelihoods a pawn for political games is a disgrace. The shutdown was a
stunt engineered by the President of the United States, one that defied
every tenet of fairness and abandoned not just our people – but our
values.
For
seven years, I led the Democratic Party in the Georgia House of
Representatives. I didn’t always agree with the Republican Speaker or
Governor, but I understood that our constituents didn’t care about our
political parties – they cared about their lives. So, when we had to
negotiate criminal justice reform or transportation or foster care
improvements, the leaders of our state didn’t shut down – we came
together. And we kept our word.
It
should be no different in our nation’s capital. We may come from
different sides of the political aisle; but, our joint commitment to the
ideals of this nation cannot be negotiable.
Our
most urgent work is to realize Americans’ dreams of today and tomorrow.
To carve a path to independence and prosperity that can last a
lifetime. Children deserve an excellent education from cradle to career.
We owe them safe schools and the highest standards, regardless of zip
code.
Yet
this White House responds timidly while first graders practice active
shooter drills and the price of higher education grows ever steeper.
From now on, our leaders must be willing to tackle gun safety measures
and the crippling effect of educational loans; to support educators and
invest what is necessary to unleash the power of America’s greatest
minds.
In
Georgia and around the country, people are striving for a middle class
where a salary truly equals economic security. But instead, families’
hopes are being crushed by Republican leadership that ignores real life
or just doesn’t understand it. Under the current administration, far too
many hard-working Americans are falling behind, living paycheck to
paycheck, most without labor unions to protect them from even worse
harm.
The
Republican tax bill rigged the system against working people. Rather
than bringing back jobs, plants are closing, layoffs are looming and
wages struggle to keep pace with the actual cost of living.
We
owe more to the millions of everyday folks who keep our economy
running: like truck drivers forced to buy their own rigs, farmers caught
in a trade war, small business owners in search of capital, and
domestic workers serving without labor protections. Women and men who
could thrive if only they had the support and freedom to do so.
We
know bipartisanship could craft a 21st century immigration plan, but
this administration chooses to cage children and tear families apart.
Compassionate treatment at the border is not the same as open borders.
President Reagan understood this. President Obama understood this.
Americans understand this. And Democrats stand ready to effectively
secure our ports and borders. But we must all embrace that from
agriculture to healthcare to entrepreneurship, America is made stronger
by the presence of immigrants – not walls.
Rather
than suing to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, as Republican
Attorneys General have, our leaders must protect the progress we’ve made
and commit to expanding health care and lowering costs for everyone.
My
father has battled prostate cancer for years. To help cover the costs, I
found myself sinking deeper into debt – because while you can defer
some payments, you can’t defer cancer treatment. In this great nation,
Americans are skipping blood pressure pills, forced to choose between
buying medicine or paying rent. Maternal mortality rates show that
mothers, especially black mothers, risk death to give birth. And in 14
states, including my home state where a majority want it, our leaders
refuse to expand Medicaid, which could save rural hospitals, economies,
and lives.
We
can do so much more: take action on climate change. Defend individual
liberties with fair-minded judges. But none of these ambitions are
possible without the bedrock guarantee of our right to vote. Let’s be
clear: voter suppression is real. From making it harder to register and
stay on the rolls to moving and closing polling places to rejecting
lawful ballots, we can no longer ignore these threats to democracy.
While
I acknowledged the results of the 2018 election here in Georgia – I did
not and we cannot accept efforts to undermine our right to vote. That’s
why I started a nonpartisan organization called Fair Fight to advocate
for voting rights.
This
is the next battle for our democracy, one where all eligible citizens
can have their say about the vision we want for our country. We must
reject the cynicism that says allowing every eligible vote to be cast
and counted is a “power grab.” Americans understand that these are the
values our brave men and women in uniform and our veterans risk their
lives to defend. The foundation of our moral leadership around the globe
is free and fair elections, where voters pick their leaders – not where
politicians pick their voters.
In
this time of division and crisis, we must come together and stand for,
and with, one another. America has stumbled time and again on its quest
towards justice and equality; but with each generation, we have
revisited our fundamental truths, and where we falter, we make amends.
We
fought Jim Crow with the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act,
yet we continue to confront racism from our past and in our present –
which is why we must hold everyone from the very highest offices to our
own families accountable for racist words and deeds – and call racism
what it is. Wrong.
America
achieved a measure of reproductive justice in Roe v. Wade, but we must
never forget it is immoral to allow politicians to harm women and
families to advance a political agenda. We affirmed marriage equality,
and yet, the LGBTQ community remains under attack.
So
even as I am very disappointed by the president’s approach to our
problems – I still don’t want him to fail. But we need him to tell the
truth, and to respect his duties and the extraordinary diversity that
defines America.
Our
progress has always found refuge in the basic instinct of the American
experiment – to do right by our people. And with a renewed commitment to
social and economic justice, we will create a stronger America,
together. Because America wins by fighting for our shared values against
all enemies: foreign and domestic. That is who we are – and when we do
so, never wavering – the state of our union will always be strong.
Thank you, and may God bless the United States of America
