At the National Conventions, the Words They Used
by Democrats
by Republicans
by Democrats and Republicans
Excerpts from Democrats
Democrats mentioned various topics
some number of times per 25,000 words
It had just shrunk 9 full percent of GDP. We were losing 750,000 jobs a month. Are we doing better than that today?
(Cheers, applause.) The president's energy strategy, which he calls "all of the above," is helping too.
It will gobble up a bigger and bigger percentage of the federal budget we'd rather spend on education and health care and science and technology. It — we've got to deal with it.
— if they stay with their $5 trillion tax cut plan — in a debt reduction plan? — the arithmetic tells us, no matter what they say, one of three things is about to happen.
He said, if I have bin — if we have bin Laden in our sights, we will — we will take him out.
And — and because — because of all the actions he took, because of the calls he made, because of the determination of American workers and the unparalleled bravery of our special forces, we can now proudly say what you've heard me say the last six months: Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.
And we're not going back. And we have no intention of downsizing the American dream. (Extended cheers, applause.) Never. Never a good bet.
That ideal is written into our laws, the rules of the road that create a level playing field in this country. Those are the rules I became attorney general to uphold.
Doing nothing while the middle class is hurting — that's not leadership. Loose regulations and lax enforcement — that's not leadership.
(Cheers, applause.) That's leadership. That's what President Obama did. And that's why we need to give him another four years.
He added years to Medicare's life by cutting waste and fraud and abuse while preserving services for seniors. He got us out of Iraq. He got bin Laden.
In Minneapolis, President Obama's leadership has helped us train 500 unemployed workers in clean energy jobs, and in Denver, hundreds more are working on the commuter line.
President Obama learned that value from his Kansan family, and that's why he believes that an America where women get equal pay for equal work — (cheers, applause) — where every person, in the words of that great Minneapolis mayor, Hubert Humphrey, said, can walk out of the shadows and into the bright sunlight of equal rights, where you can serve the country you love without hiding who you love and where, in the country of the Statue of Liberty, every child — every child can live the American dream.
But when Governor Romney and his friends in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficits by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy, well — (boos)
— I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, "I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go." , for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return.
Governor Romney says he's against same-sex marriage because every child deserves a mother and a father.
(Applause.) Without his leadership, we wouldn't be here. President Obama is fighting for our families, all our families.
So the president and first lady's commitment to our service people, to our veterans and their families, it's personal to me.
Let me tell you about my American story. Growing up on military bases I learned like most families that they were just like mine, no matter what their background.
What Romney and Ryan don't understand is that neither is opportunity. We have to invest in it. (Cheers, applause.) Republicans tell us that if the most prosperous among us do even better that somehow the rest of us will too.
It's a choice between a country where the middle class pays more so that millionaires can pay less, or a country where everybody pays their fair share so we can reduce the deficit and create the jobs of the future.
They homesteaded the Montana prairie with nothing more than the clothes on their backs and faith in God, and the hope in their hearts that their kids and grandkids would have a better future.
Let us go from this place, lighting candles all across this great country, and re-elect President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden so they can continue lighting candles and moving this country forward.
— and after those risky schemes brought our economy to its knees, I fought to make Wall Street play by the same rules as Main Street. (Cheers, applause.)
And we do them together, that's called government. So that's why Mitt — (cheers, applause)
(Cheers, applause.) We have worked for our Medicare, we have paid for our Medicare and we have earned our Medicare. (Cheers, applause.)
Growing up, I learned from my mama and my neighbors and my church members a certain set of values: Respect your elders; help your neighbors; honor your commitments; stand up for education.
(Cheers, applause.) President Obama gets it because he's spent his life fighting for the middle class. And now he's fighting to level that playing field because we know the economy doesn't grow from the top down but from the middle class out and the bottom up.
(Cheers, applause.) In Tampa last week, we heard all about job creators. But at our company, we recognize that job creation requires time and investment and commitment to the long term.
He voted against the plan. And last week Paul Ryan criticized the president for not acting on the bipartisan plan that he himself opposed.
Within a decade, the debt kept growing and was so large the company was forced into bankruptcy.
This November, America faces a clear choice about what kind of country we want to be.
(Cheers, applause.) Thank you. On immigration, Governor Romney's views — this really freaked me out — his views could not be more extreme.
That didn't just save the car companies; it helped prevent a domino effect that would have taken down everything in the auto industry, from factories that manufactured auto parts to the dealers who sold the cars. He also launched targeted efforts that helped ordinary people buy cars again.
From day one, President Obama has made small business a top priority in his White House, giving them the tools they need to turn their dreams into small businesses and their small businesses into world-class companies, giving them help and then getting out of their way.
— the promise of an America that always moved forward. That's the America we believe in; that's the future we'll be voting for this November.
He fought to expand the Pell Grants so nearly 10 million young Americans can have that opportunity. Even better, he doubled the (size ?) of Pell Grants so that someone like me can afford tuition and pay for books too.
And we will stand with leaders who strengthen and protect Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid, not those who plan to cut benefits the working people paid for, earned and are counting on.
(Cheers, applause.) Thank you. God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much.
There is something essential in the human spirit that always searches for hope. We are driven by hope. President Barack Obama has been lampooned for speaking of hope — hope for a better America.
(Cheers, applause.) He took the reins of our economy when we were losing 800,000 jobs a month and pulled us back from the edge.
(Boos.) Instead of standing up for small businesses, they spent all of their time trying to shut down Planned Parenthood.
And when they deny women access to birth control so that we can plan to have our children, it hits women and families right in the pocketbook. (Cheers, applause.) Reproductive freedom means economic freedom. (Cheers, applause.)
That bill would give immigrant children who've never pledged allegiance to any flag but ours the chance to earn their citizenship.
So the good news is, being a mother is no longer a liability and being a woman is no longer a pre-existing condition. (Cheers, applause.)
Knowing we have that net below us to catch us if we fall or if, God forbid, Zoe needs a heart transplant, "Obamacare" provides my family security and relief.
— but, my fellow traditional conservatives, my fellow moderates, my fellow independents, there is a candidate who shares our values, a candidate who shares our belief in environmental protection, personal liberties, smart and responsible American leadership, growing the middle class and fiscal discipline. That candidate is our president, Barack Obama.
He had always told his daughters how important education was, but now he was showing them with his example.
Four years ago, America imported nearly 60 percent of its oil. President Obama recognized that that path was unsustainable and dangerous.
And one month later Rosalynn and I will enter a voting booth in our hometown of Plains and cast another vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
You see, today's Republican Party believes in two sets of rules: one for millionaires and billionaires, and another for the middle class.
He said — he said he'd try something that Teddy Roosevelt first talked about, reforming health care system, and he did. (Cheers, applause.)
There is something else the Republicans left out of their convention: Any explanation of why they call Mitt Romney Governor Romney. We already know that this extreme conservative man takes some pretty liberal deductions.
And please listen to this, because when your country is in a costly war with our soldiers sacrificing abroad and our nation is facing a debt crisis at home, being asked to pay your fair share isn't class warfare.
He knows — President Obama knows that education is the difference-maker for every child and it's the pathway for this country to succeed in a global economy. So from education to broadband, from building roads and bridges to supporting the military, Barack Obama is delivering for North Carolina, and he is delivering for America.
— while at the same time, someone earning $3 million a year would get a quarter- million dollar tax cut. (Boos.) The Romney-Ryan budget would cut education up to 20 percent while protecting tax loopholes for companies who send jobs overseas.
Excerpts from Republicans
Republicans mentioned various topics
some number of times per 25,000 words
Four years ago I know that many Americans felt a fresh excitement about the possibilities of a new president. That choice was not the choice of our party, but Americans always come together after elections.
He led a great — (cheers, applause) — he led a great automobile company and became governor of the great state of Michigan.
You know, if every children could drift asleep feeling wrapped in the love of their family, and God's love, this world would be a far more gentle and better place. (Cheers, applause.) My mom and dad were married for 64 years.
I'm running for president to help create a better future — a future where everyone who wants a job can find a job — (cheers, applause) — where no senior feels for the — fears for the security of their retirement, an America where every parent knows that their child will get an education that leads them to a good job and a bright horizon.
First, by 2020, North America will be energy-independent by taking full advantage of our oil, our coal, our gas, our nuclear and our renewables.
And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of health care by repealing and replacing "Obamacare." (Cheers, applause.)
Every American was relieved the day President Obama gave the order and Seal Team 6 took out Osama bin Laden. (Cheers, applause.) On another front, every American is less secure today because he has failed to slow Iran's nuclear threat.
(Cheers, applause.) They lived and died under a single flag, fighting for a single purpose. They pledged allegiance to the United States of America.
(Laughter.) Those were very tough days, and any fair measure of his record has to take that into account.
I learned a good deal about economics and about America from the author of the Reagan tax reforms, the great Jack Kemp. (Cheers, applause.)
And look at me today. I've become, as the press like to label me, a failed candidate. Oh, it's true. I have fallen from the high perch of politics and now I wallow in the mud of the media.
Of the four people on the two tickets, the only self-professed evangelical is Barack Obama, and he supports changing the definition of marriage, believes that human life is disposable and expendable at any time in the womb, even beyond the womb, and he tells people of faith that they have to bow their knees to the god of government and violate their faith and conscience in order to comply with what he calls health care.
Let's begin by talking about something the Democrats love to demonize: Mitt Romney's success in the private sector. He built a company from the ground up, created lots of jobs, and yes, he made money.
Contrast this to Joe Biden. Vice President Biden has told people out of work to, quote, just hang in there.
He talks about giving us more control over health care decisions but instead grants that power to government bureaucrats. He claims that government is responsible for private-sector success, but the only thing he is building is bigger government.
The court agreed that the Constitution does not allow the federal government to force states to adopt a budget-busting expansion of Medicaid.
And that man is our next vice president, Paul Ryan. (Cheers, applause.) But most of all, we can't afford to abandon the cause of human freedom.
(Cheers, applause.) For the sake of the cause of freedom, for the sake of people who are willing to give their lives so their fellow citizens can determine their own futures and for the sake of our nation, the nation founded on the idea that all people everywhere have the right to freedom and justice, we must return to our best traditions of American leadership and support those who face down the brutal tyranny of their oppressors and our enemies.
We're taking our country back because we are the great-grandchildren of men and women who broke their backs in the name of American ingenuity, the grandchildren of the "Greatest Generation," the sons and daughters of immigrants, the brothers and sisters of everyday heroes, the neighbors of entrepreneurs and firefighters, teachers and farmers, veterans and factory workers and everyone in between who shows up, not just on the big days or the good days, but on the bad days and the hard days, each and every day, all 365 of them.
We all must share in the sacrifice. And any leader that tells us differently is simply not telling the truth.
(Cheers, applause.) And not too long ago, The Wall Street Journal said anyone still thinking the U.S.
(Applause.) We deserve a president who will strengthen our military, not destabilize them. (Applause.) America deserves better than what we have today.
(Cheers, applause.) This election is about restoring the American dream. That dream led my grandfather, a poor farm boy, to leave Ireland a hundred years ago and come to Ellis Island to begin his journey of freedom in America.
Republican governors lead seven of the 10 states with the lowest unemployment rates. And 12 of the 15 states that have been ranked best for business have Republican governors.
My concern is that President Obama is making very difficult for small businesses to get started, to create jobs and to survive.
He'll work to eliminate job-killing red tape. And he will roll back "Obamacare" starting on day one. (Cheers, applause.)
(Cheers, applause.) And times are bad under Barack Obama and his leadership. The labor force participation is at its lowest level in 30 years, 23 million Americans are unemployed, underemployed or have stopped looking for work.
We are ready for government to get out of the way so our job creators can actually create jobs. We are ready for leadership that leads from the front.
And where has that gotten us? We have almost $16 trillion of debt. And this White House believes in a tax-and-spend philosophy.
We'll talk about protecting Medicare and Social Security for this generation of seniors and the next. Ladies and gentlemen, we can do better.
(Boos.) We have a president that has bypassed the Senate confirmation process in order to appoint unaccountable czars to make and enforce policies on America's citizens, a president that by his executive action has changed immigration laws, imposed unconstitutional burdens on our states and issued overreaching regulations. We know the problem, America. Their names are Obama, Biden, Pelosi and Holder.
My fellow members, this fight is not just about an election, and it's not about our party.
And when they succeed, they hire more people who invest or spend their money in the economy, helping others start a business or create jobs.
And though I wasn't a big supporter, I was watching that night when he was having that thing and they were talking about hope and change, and they were talking about "Yes, we can." And it was dark and — outdoors.
(Cheers, applause.) Before Governor Romney took office in 2003, women were significantly underrepresented among top roles in government, with 52 percent of the population but just 30 percent of the jobs.
We embraced Christ's admonition, "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Cheers, applause.) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, of which we are members, has an unpaid lay clergy.
You see, all kids can learn. Governor Romney believes it, and the data proves it. While he was governor, Massachusetts raised standards, and today their students lead the nation in academic performance.
When I traveled the country these past few years, I met Americans from all different walks of life. If you ask middle-class Americans about their hopes and their dreams, they'll share their heart but also their concerns.
But they are concerned, worried that Washington will continue to punish them with more taxes, more red tape and more government control. Give them the freedom to grow, and you'll see how many jobs they create.
My husband and I have been married for 35 years, and during that time, we have worked hard, we've played by the rules, we've done everything right.
So he ignores them time and again. He promises to rescue our economy and environment by investing in green jobs but instead funnels your tax dollars into campaign donors' pockets.
So, Mr. President, don't go telling the Tring (ph) family, you didn't build that. (Cheers, applause.)
And for those with dedication, character, faith and conviction, sometimes that lonely path paves the way forward for millions. Ron Paul. Twenty-two years in Congress, he's never voted for a tax increase, never voted for a debt ceiling increase, never wavered, never backed down.
(Cheers, applause.) Michigan. (Chuckles.) There he started the business, one he built by himself, by the way. (Chuckles.)
It is a success story of fiscal responsibility, controlled government spending, lower taxes and pro-growth policy. But it is also one of caring and compassionate attention to a social and faith-based agenda of unprecedented reach and consequence.
And like Republicans all across this nation, I chose to make the tough decisions on issues like economic development, education reform and redesigning how state government operates, on job creation and reducing state spending and eliminating red tape.
My dad was an old-school guy, a former drill sergeant, blue-collar worker his whole life. He taught us to work hard but think big.
Mitt's jobs plan will build a stronger middle class through energy independence, schools where our kids, not the teachers unions, come first, free trade, the path to a balanced budget and an end to the uncertainty and the tax hikes that threaten small businesses.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women lost 92 percent of all the jobs lost under the Obama administration. If there is a war against women, it is President Obama who has waged it.
With over 4 million Americans living overseas, it is often a challenge to convince overseas voters that their vote matters. But consider the 2000 election: it was the overseas voters from right here in Florida that determined the outcome of that election.
(Cheers, applause.) My parents — my parents immigrated to the valley from India and Africa with only their love for each other, a strong work ethic and the enduring desire to pursue their American dream.
And no matter what path we take to save Medicare, the very first step is to repeal "Obamacare." (Cheers, applause.)
We are curing diseases on the cutting edge of science and health care. And Tampa remains proud to be home of MacDill Air Force Base, the headquarters of United States Central Command and United States Special Operation Command.