On Friday, April 11th, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of the late president John F. Kennedy, spoke to a nearly full Bomberger Auditorium at Ursinus College. Kennedy was there to speak in support of the Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. This event was organized by the Ursinus College Democrats and the Ursinus for Obama campaign.
Andrew Lane, head of the Ursinus for Obama campaign, introduced the first speaker, Representative Rosa DeLauro. DeLauro took the stage to thunderous applause. She spoke quickly and energetically, and drove home the point that youth vote is important to the Democratic primary. DeLauro expressed her opinion that “what our country needs is bold new policies, and the only way to get there is with bold new politics that are infused with the popular energy that is in this room!”
DeLauro spoke about issues that Obama has promised to take care of, such as “vanquish[ing] the special interests that are so dominant in Washington, D.C.” She supports Obama because she believes that he can renew the idealism that made America special and restore America’s morality. He also wants to make higher education and healthcare more accessible and affordable. DeLauro also expressed her support for Obama’s desire to protect and create jobs as well as ending the war in Iraq.
Representative DeLauro introduced Caroline Kennedy, who took the stage to a standing ovation. After the applause died down, she began to speak confidently about her decision to announce her support for Barack Obama for President of the United States. After hearing her children talk about him, she researched Obama and publicly announced her support for him in the New York Times on January 27th, 2008. Kennedy also emphasized the importance of getting involved in this election. She revealed that when her father was elected President, if one person in every precinct had voted for someone else, he would have lost. “One vote has power.”
She added that she still hears that people were so inspired by her father. “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans." She referred to a poll that had people vote for which former president they would like to see in office again. The top two were John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan. “They were able to articulate vision and inspire people to come together and believe in America.”
Kennedy said that Obama in the White House was not just desirable but necessary. “We need Barack Obama as our president. We need a president who will fight to give every child a first-class education, who will restore our commitment to civil rights, who will end the war in Iraq. Barack Obama is the person to do all those things.”
More than anything, Kennedy’s last words sum up the thrust of her speech. “It’s up to you.”
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