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
And by 2008 we had seen nearly a decade in which families struggled with costs that kept rising but paychecks that didn't, folks racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition, put gas in the car or food on the table.
And we will keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it, not by turning it over to Wall Street. (Cheers, applause.) This is the choice we now face.
You're the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she's ever called home — (cheers, applause)
I'm hopeful because of you. The young woman I met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter — she gives me hope.
They want to get rid of those pesky financial regulations designed to prevent another crash and prohibit future bailouts.
And instead of raiding Medicare, he used the savings to close the doughnut hole in the Medicare drug program — (cheers, applause) — and — you all got to listen carefully to this; this is really important — and to add eight years to the life of the Medicare trust fund so it is solvent till 2024.
One, assuming they try to do what they say they'll do, get rid of — pay — cover it by deductions, cutting those deductions, one, they'll have to eliminate so many deductions, like the ones for home mortgages and charitable giving, that middle-class families will see their tax bills go up an average of $2,000 while anybody who makes $3 million or more will see their tax bill go down $250,000.
And if you think — if you think the president was right to open the doors of American opportunity to all those young immigrants brought here when they were young so they can serve in the military or go to college, you must vote for Barack Obama.
— my dad respected Barack Obama — would have respected Barack Obama, had he been around, for having had the guts to stand up for the automobile industry when so many others just were prepared to walk away.
When he was asked about bin Laden in 2007, here's what he said. He said, it's not worth moving heaven and earth and spending billions of dollars just to catch one person.
And after more than — after more than 10 years without justice for thousands of Americans murdered on 9/11, after Mitt Romney said it would be naive to go into Pakistan to pursue the terrorists, it took President Obama, against the advice of many, to give that order and finally rid this earth of Osama bin Laden.
And then he said the world was a better place because the intervention succeeded. Talk about being for it before you were against it!
— let me tell you how we get 'er done in Montana. (Cheers, applause.) Clinton arithmetic. Clinton arithmetic. (Cheers, applause.)
This election is about their education, their health care, their freedom, their dignity, their hope and their future. Are we going to deliver?
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. (Cheers, applause.)
(Cheers, applause.) Republicans say they don't believe in government. Sure they do. They believe in government to help themselves and their powerful friends.
(Cheers, applause.) I grew up — I grew up in the Methodist church and taught Sunday school. And one of my favorite passages of scripture is, "In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me," Matthew 25:40.
(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.
They'll tell you America needs to be a nation with the best education system so that workers — (applause) — so that workers can get the training they need to join or stay in the middle class.
However, his opponent believes very differently. Under the Romney-Ryan budget, education would be cut, cut by as much as 20 percent.
In order to cut taxes for millionaires and billionaires, Governor Romney will cut education for our nation's children.
Mitt Romney — Romney spends a lot of time in this campaign talking about the business experience, about how, if elected, he'll create lots of jobs.
The choice is clear. It's time to keep moving forward.
That's how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again, jobs you can raise a family on, good jobs, right here in the United States of America.
(Cheers, applause.) When it comes to the health of our families, Barack refused to listen to all those folks who told him to leave health reform for another day, another president.
Our platform states that America faces a clear choice: Move forward as a nation where everyone has a chance to get ahead or go back to the same failed ideas that created the crisis in the first place — in the first place.
And they'll shred the safety net and gut vital investments in education, innovation and infrastructure in order to help the wealthiest avoid doing their fair share. (Boos.) And they'll allow insurance companies to once again deny health care to working families and interfere with women's health care decisions.
(Cheers, applause.) One business leader — one business leader who has been referenced a few times tonight said, let them go bankrupt.
And the plant had employed over the years thousands of middle-class men and women in neighborhoods near and worlds away from the place where Mitt Romney was raised.
The first bill he signed was to make sure women can fight for equal pay for equal work. (Cheers, applause.) His commitment to women is about even more than economic rights.
(Cheers, applause.) We should not run from the term "Obamacare." I am glad Obama cares. (Cheers, applause.)
Chairman, it's my great honor to place into nomination for the office of vice president of the United States my father, my hero, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.) I move to suspend the rules and nominate by acclamation Joe Biden as the Democratic vice presidential candidate.
— and fought alongside of this country's bravest soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. And like all veterans, I swore an oath and promised to defend this great country.
Then came two wars, two tax cuts tilted to the wealthy and a new entitlement.
(Cheers, applause.) Thank you. On immigration, Governor Romney's views — this really freaked me out — his views could not be more extreme.
And the valley is thriving again. (Cheers, applause.) President Obama has the same work ethic and values as my co- workers at GM, my neighbors in Ohio. (Cheers.) And he knows we're all in this together.
That's abandoning our middle class. Here's what President Obama did. President Obama won Wall Street reform to prevent any more tax-funded bailouts.
In January 2009, when the president took office, our economy lost more than 800,000 jobs in January. This past July, the economy added 172,000 jobs — the 29th consecutive month of private sector job gains.
And President Obama has a detailed plan for a new rural economy — more support for small businesses making, creating and innovating; more investment in the production of biofuels and other biomaterials; and more trade and more markets.
(Cheers, applause.) God bless you. God bless the United States of America. Thank you all very much.
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.
It is our hope and faith that moves us to action. (Cheers, applause.)
Governor Romney's road to the future will lead to dirty air and increasing climate volatility, uncertainty over energy prices and less security, not more. President Obama's road to the future will lead us to energy independence, true energy security, a safer and cleaner environment and countless new jobs that can never be outsourced.
(Boos.) They believe in this failed approach so deeply that they will cut anything, from student loans to health care for seniors, to give the wealthiest Americans an even bigger break.
(Cheers, applause.) He knew what many Americans know today: the dream that war bond was intended to protect is at risk.
(Cheers, applause.) The American dream is why President Obama has enacted 18 small- business tax cuts and numerous measures to help these businesses access the credit they need to invest, hire and grow.
Our pathway to victory is to fight for everyone to have the opportunity to live their American Dream; to fight for our proud national tradition of ensuring that our children always enjoy more opportunities than their parents had; to fight to ensure that every person has the opportunities that come with being treated with dignity, respect and equality in the eyes of the law.
My grandmother spent her whole life working as a maid, a cook and a baby sitter, barely scraping by but still working hard to give my mother, her only child, a chance in life so that my mother could give my brother and me an even better one. (Cheers, applause.) As my grandmother got older, she begged my mother to give her grandchildren.
Roads and bridges were crumbling. Business taxes were up, and business confidence was down.
But here's the thing. Here's the thing. If we don't register, if we don't vote, it won't be. I volunteered in Iowa in 2007 because, like you — (cheers)
The America I love is a place where when we say freedom, we mean my freedom to make decisions about my life, not someone else's freedom to make them for me.
Under President Obama's leadership, the United States moved forward with an all-of-the-above energy strategy. Oil and gas, nuclear, hydro, biofuels, wind, geothermal, solar — all of it.
This is about leveling with the American people and creating a level playing field for them. If we don't know how Mitt Romney would benefit from the policies he proposes, how can we know if he's looking out for us or just himself?
When I was governor during the worst recession since the Great Depression, Virginia maintained one of the lowest unemployment rates in America. We kept our AAA bond rating.
But that didn't stop Romney and Ryan from telling the American people that their plan won't hurt seniors. The fact is, it will. And President Obama's plan will protect Medicare and protect our seniors.
Excerpts from Republicans
Republicans mentioned various topics
some number of times per 25,000 words
— freedom to speak their mind — (applause) — freedom to build a life and yes, freedom to build a business with their own hands.
But driving home late from that second job or standing there watching the gas pump hit $50 and still going, when the realtor told you that to sell your house, you'd have to take a big loss, in those moments you knew that this just wasn't right.
(Cheers, applause.) My mom and dad were married for 64 years. And if you wondered what their secret was, you could have asked the local florist — (laughter)
That's what this president doesn't seem to understand. Business and growing jobs is about taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always striving.
And it means that we must rein in the skyrocketing cost of health care by repealing and replacing "Obamacare." (Cheers, applause.)
(Cheers, applause.) I will begin my presidency with a jobs tour. President Obama began his presidency with an apology tour.
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.
And the biggest, coldest power play of all in "Obamacare" came at the expense of the elderly. You see, even with all the hidden taxes to pay for the health care takeover, even with the new law and new taxes on nearly a small businesses, the planners in Washington still didn't have enough money.
So they just took it all away from Medicare — $716 billion funneled out of Medicare by President Obama. (Boos.) An obligation we have to our parents and grandparents is being sacrificed all to pay for anew entitlement we didn't even ask for.
The issue is not the economy that Barack Obama inherited, not the economy that he envisions but this economy that we are living. (Cheers, applause.) College graduates should not have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms, staring up at fading Obama posters and wondering when they can move out and get going with life.
We give some kids a chance, but not all. That failure is the great moral and economic issue of our time, and it is hurting all of America.
Let me introduce you to Frantz Placide. Because we gave him a choice, he got a great election. (Cheers, applause.)
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.
It reminds us of all — what America has been, a place a man or a woman can come to for freedom. Hung and Twan Tring (ph)
Mr. President, you say the rich must pay their fair share. But when you seek to punish the rich, the jobs that are lost are those of the poor and the middle class.
Tell it to you this way: In the automobile of life, dad was just a passenger. Mom was the driver.
And I'm still her son today, as governor, following the rules she taught me: to speak from the heart and to fight for your principles. You see, mom never thought you'd get extra credit just for speaking the truth.
(Cheers, applause.) And we could not raise taxes because we were not competitive. So you know how we did it?
Folks, I want to tell you this: Joe Biden disputes a lot of those facts, but Joe Biden told me that he was a good golfer, and I've played golf with Joe Biden; I can tell you that's not true, as well as all the other things that he says.
Unlike President Obama, I know that small businesses are the true engine of our economy, not big government. (Cheers, applause.) And what businesses need to grow and create jobs is less taxes and less regulation, not more.
They will tell us how their job creators in their communities aren't found in the statehouse; they're found on Main Street.
We make umpire vests for Little Leagues, products for the men and women that serve our country, restaurant seats for pizza chains and protective gear for our allies in the Israeli military. (Cheers, applause.) We're actually taking work away from Chinese and Mexican competitors and bringing it back to Delaware.
This administration has imposed 106 new regulations, major regulations. They're on track to create 109 million new paperwork burden hours, and by year's end, $110 billion worth of new regulatory costs will be laid on the back of business owners and taxpayers.
And I know in the — I know you were against the war in Iraq, and that's OK. But you thought the war in Afghanistan was OK.
As the opening ceremonies got under way and the flag-bearing athletes and I gathered backstage, we were standing with the Port Authority officers whose job it was to oversee the flag.
(Cheers, applause.) Mitt was always a hands-on leader. When one of Boston's tunnels collapsed, tragically killing a passenger in her car, Mitt didn't blame others.
Being a church- going family, we looked for the nearest chapel and soon found ourselves in a congregation led by a clearly bright and capable man named Mitt Romney.
He sought to involve everyone so everyone could grow. Mitt taught faith in God, personal integrity, self-reliance and service to our fellow men.
who really pushed for a choice in my education. I'm glad she did. Her devotion to my future has given me a chance to succeed.
And for the values — the values that make America great, the justice that is our right, the freedom to unleash the greatness within each of us and the liberty that God endowed every American — for that, I will never give up.
Unnecessary regulations and mandates imposed on business make our products more expensive to make and less competitive to sell. We need a Romney administration to ensure our country's competitiveness and give our companies the opportunities to expand and hire again.
No more excuses, no more blaming others, no more waiting. We need Romney-Ryan, and we need them now. (Cheers, applause.)
Ladies and gentlemen, energy powers everything we do, and America depends on reliable and affordable energy. This is a simple concept, but the Obama administration does not get it.
When they reached the shores of America, the only English words they knew were the words "apple pie" and "coffee," which, evidently, they had plenty of on the way over. The immigration officials at Ellis Island determined that their name, Gjelsvik, which was spelled G-J-E-L-S-V-I-K, was too difficult to spell and pronounce, so they asked them to change it.
(Cheers, applause.) We need leaders who will invest in defense — not abandon it. (Cheers, applause.)
I decided then and there to dedicate to my life to racing and coaching other injured veterans. Being a gold medal paralympian gives me a whole new way to honor and serve my country.
— children, connect with the elderly and engage workers at a farmers market with such ease, heart and purpose that made people wonder who was that handsome gentleman next to her.
(Cheers.) When you hear the party that glorified Occupy Wall Street blast success, when you hear them minimize the genius of the men and women who make jobs out of nothing, is that what you teach your children about work?
Unfortunately, President Obama's campaign is trying to divide America, to separate us into groups, telling seniors Medicare will be taken away, telling Hispanics that we're not welcome here and sending the vice president to preach a message of division.
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. It hasn't been easy, and we're not through it yet.
On June 5th, voters in Wisconsin were asked to choose between going backwards to the days of double-digit tax increases, billion- dollar budget deficits and record job loss, or moving forward with reforms that lowered the tax burden, balanced the budget and helped small businesses create more jobs.
He'll fight to lower and simplify taxes. He'll work to eliminate job-killing red tape. And he will roll back "Obamacare" starting on day one.
Boy, am I glad to have you as a champion of small business for New Hampshire. (Cheers, applause.) Governor Sununu.
Yes, like grow the government to unbelievable and unsustainable heights, and accumulate historic and catastrophic debt. Patrick Henry said, "give me liberty, or give me death." (Applause.)
If you believe the next generation deserves a shot at the American dream, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan stand with you.
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.
You'll find them in church at any given Sunday and after that watching a Packers or a Brewers game or swapping hunting and fishing stories with family.
We have 23 million Americans unemployed or underemployed because Barack Obama cannot figure out what makes free enterprise work.
We are working to build our own businesses, struggling to pave our own way, only to learn that, according to this president, we didn't build it. But there is the hope for the change of a new day. Governor Mitt Romney has a plan to get this country back on track, and the Young Republicans are excited.
But Republicans living and working abroad also play a critical role in electing and supporting candidates through voting and fundraising. As global chair of Republicans Abroad, I live in Singapore and work with 50 chapters overseas.
Lower taxes, less government means more opportunity and better job creation for a brighter future for generations to come. We can do better. With Mitt Romney, we can do better as our president.
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.
The America I know is grounded in the determination found in patriots and pioneers, in small businesses with big ideas. It's found in the farmers who work in the beauty of our landscape and our heroic military.