Below is transcript of remarks made by U.S. Rep. Joe Baca (D-San Bernardino) at the Democratic National Convention Monday evening, as prepared for delivery.
Growing up the youngest of 15 children in a poor New Mexico household, I never would imagine I would one day have the opportunity to speak at such an historic event! It is truly an honor to be here today.
As a boy, I shined shoes, and later I worked as a laborer on the railroads and as a janitor to help my family survive. The struggles I went through grounded me in my Catholic faith and taught me the value of hard work. As a husband, father and grandfather, my faith and my family are my greatest source of strength and guidance. They have also taught me to never forget who I am.
As chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, I represent the interests of the 49 million Hispanics in the United States and Puerto Rico. The Latino community is growing rapidly in both numbers and influence. Our vote, the Latino vote, will be critical in November's elections. As a Latino, I am here to say our community is proud to support Barack Obama as the next President of the United States of America!
Barack Obama knows our struggles. His modest upbringing as someone born to a single mother and raised with help from his grandparents instilled in him the values of family, faith, hard work and dedication.
He knows we need change, because the last eight years have not been good for us. With the economy in shambles, we cannot afford another term of President Bush's failed policies.
Barack Obama has hands-on, grassroots experience in creating the kind of change we need. He is the only candidate who represents our views on the issues that matter most to us. On the economy, we need a president who will create jobs here in the U.S. and allow people to put food on the table. On education, we need a president who will provide opportunities for all children. On the Iraq war, we need a president who will bring a responsible end to this war, which was started under false pretenses and has crippled our economy and cost us too many precious American lives. On health care, we need a president who knows that no child living in America should be without health insurance. We need a president who agrees that it is morally wrong to have 12 million uninsured children and 45 million uninsured adults living in the United States. And on immigration, we need a president who will fix our nation's broken system with a comprehensive solution that respects not only the letter of the law, but also America's proud history as a nation of immigrants.
So our choice in November is clear. We can vote for four more years of the same disastrous policies that have greatly diminished our hopes and dreams, or we can vote for someone who will fix America's broken health care and immigration systems, and work to end this war and get our economy moving in the right direction.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and Latinos throughout the nation, knows that Senator Barack Obama is the candidate who will deliver the change our nation needs. He is the right person for the job. As president, Barack Obama will be a fighter, not only for the Latino community, but for all Americans.
Si se puede con Barack Obama!
