James Socas, Candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, Virginia, Speech Before the Democratic National Convention Thursday, July 29, 2004 BOSTON, July 29 /PRNewswire/ -- The following is a transcript of a speech by James Socas at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, July 29, 2004: "Thank you fellow Democrats and fellow Americans, special greetings to the delegation from my home state, the great state of Virginia. "My friends, this year we're going to make history and deliver our great commonwealth for John Kerry and John Edwards. But we're not going to do it just for them. We're doing it for Thomas Jefferson and George Washington and James Madison, and all the other Virginians and patriots who founded our great nation. "For this country is headed in the opposite direction of all the principles they stood for, fought for, and died for. So mark this election of 2004. This is the year we turn things around. This is the year Virginians will lead again. "It's time to return to a principle we've forgotten for the past four years, one at the heart of our nation and our state, the principle of a common wealth, the belief that we are all in this together with common responsibilities and a shared destiny. "But this White House believes Americans are consumers not citizens, prisoners of our pocketbooks tied only to our tax cuts. They sell us short. Every day, across our lands, Americans give to causes greater than themselves -- children, charities, and churches. Today, in foreign lands, our soldiers are fighting for our country and some are making the ultimate sacrifice. "With the right leadership, Americans will come together again for our common good. In the new America we'll build together, we'll end the politics of division, and unite around our shared values of liberty, freedom, and justice for all. "In the America we'll build together, every citizen, not just a lucky few, will have a future of opportunity, a chance to reach their own hopes and dreams. "In that new America, we will spend within our means. Our generation will not leave a legacy of debt. "In the America we'll build together, our leaders won't just talk about leaving no child behind -- we will turn the boat around and pick them up as John Kerry did for his men in Vietnam. "In our America, actions speak louder than words. Our history shows that when Americans stand together in a common cause, there is nothing we cannot achieve. "This year we can come together again and live up to our founding ideals. This year, with the leadership of John Kerry and John Edwards, my friends, we will. Thank you very much." Source: Democratic National Convention Committee CONTACT: Peggy Wilhide of the Democratic National Convention Committee, +1-617-366-3100 Web site: http://www.dems2004.org/