Thank you, Virginia Democrats!

It’s great to be here with you today in Hampton, just one of the many communities throughout this great Commonwealth that is helping the Democratic Party change our state and our country for the better.

Elected officials, candidates for office, delegates, alternates and friends: Today we begin our march to Washington, D.C., to take our country back!

Our party is strong.

Our message of change and hope and a brighter day for Americans from all walks of life is resonating across this great nation of ours.

And, our ticket of candidates—from Barack Obama and Mark Warner to the strongest slate of contenders for the United States Congress in a generation—is united as we rally our troops and prepare for the coming battle this November.

My fellow Democrats, I am proud to stand with you today as we present a platform for our party that gives each and every Virginian hope for tomorrow.

Together, we speak not of platitudes and glaring generalities, but we offer real leadership; concrete solutions; and a commitment to work together that this commonwealth, this country and this world has not seen since John Kennedy put his hand on the Bible, took the oath of office and proclaimed:

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”

But, for the last eight years, the spirit of togetherness that binds us has been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency.

George W. Bush and John McCain have squandered the trust that each elected leader inherits as they assume an office of public service.

They have failed to provide for the common good: waging an unjust and immoral war in the heart of the Middle East; failing to respond to the devastation and horrors of Hurricane Katrina; choking our economy with the largest redistribution of wealth from the poor to the rich in the history of representative democracy.

We, however, are not the party of just saying “No.” That honor is reserved for the Republican leadership in Richmond that cares only for partisan advantage.

No. We are the party of saying “Yes, we can.”

Our candidates offer all of America hope because they offer change, leadership and vision.

Instead of cowboy diplomacy, we offer a strong foreign policy: we are not afraid to talk, nor act, nor defend ourselves in the face of violence.

Instead of voodoo trickle-down economics and a fiscal policy that always seems to work in theory—but never in practice, we offer opportunity for all: we believe every American deserves a quality education in world-class schools taught by world-class teachers.

Instead of questioning the patriotism of our fellow Americans while watching with blind indifference the atrocities at Walter Reed; we offer real support for our troops: we believe in a 21st Century GI Bill and right here in Virginia our very own Jim Webb is leading that charge.

Instead of more of the same, we offer a new direction for America, and Virginia Democrats, I couldn’t be more proud, that Barack Obama will be leading that new direction. Senator Obama knows that the real prize in every Presidential election is the 13 electoral votes awarded by the Commonwealth of Virginia. He’s a man who after winning the nomination last week made his first two campaign stops right here in the Old Dominion. We are a party united, but I could not take this stage today without saying thank you to a tireless advocate for the sick, the hungry, the downtrodden and the desperate—a leader with the strength to lead America in these challenging times and the judgment to reverse the damage of the last eight years.

Senator Hillary Clinton, my fellow Democrats, has done our country proud and we all owe her a debt of gratitude for the campaign she ran, her service in public office and private life. I know she has a bright future and will continue to be a leading voice in providing America with the change, the hope and the opportunity we all deserve.

Virginia Democrats, my friends, we are on the path to turning the Old Dominion Blue this November.

Because of the thousands of committed Democrats in this convention hall today, we elected Mark Warner as Governor in 2001. Because of the hard work and dedication of you, my friends, we elected Tim Kaine to continue that brand of leadership in 2005. Because you didn’t listen to the nay-sayers, the pundits and the press and you gave your blood, sweat, and tears, we sent Jim Webb to the United States Senate.

And, because you knew how important it was to give Tim Kaine—and me and my colleagues in the legislature—partners to keep Virginia moving forward, we took back control of the State Senate.

It’s made a real difference.

In the State Senate, seven of the committee chairs are women, four are African Americans. That, my friends, is the change we need and the change we deserve.

We fought back against the Republican attempts to gut our public schools and cut funding for cities and counties throughout Virginia. It wouldn’t have been possible without my good friends Ralph Northam, Chap Petersen, John Miller George Barker, and Donald McEachin.

You gave us Tim Kaine, and we’ve expanded pre-kindergarten to thousands of at-risk children and begun enacting important environmental reforms: setting aside land for conservation and taking further steps to clean up the Chesapeake Bay.

And you gave us Mark Warner, who turned a six billion dollar deficit into a one billion dollar surplus by reforming our budget while at the same time protecting important priorities.

We invested more than one billion dollars in education, eliminated the food tax, and put more police officers on the streets with the tools and the training they need to keep us safe.

Because of you, we’ve made a real difference for the hard-working families all across Virginia.

And because of you, we’ll turn Virginia blue this November.

Are you fired up? I know you are ready to go!

In November, we’re going to deliver Virginia for the next President of the United States, Barack Obama!

We’re going to send our friend and the next United States Senator from Virginia, Mark Warner, to clean up the mess in Washington!

He’s already got three good friends up there in Jim Moran and Rick Boucher and Bobby Scott and we’re going to keep them there!

We’re going to send Gerry Connolly and Judy Feder and Glenn Nye and Tom Perriello and Keith Hummell and Andrea Miller and Sam Rasoul and Anita Hartke too!

We’re going to take our country back. We’re going to change our country.

Yes, we can, Virginia Democrats! Yes, we can!

Thank you!