Era il 1984, prendeva il via la Convention Democratica che avrebbe incoronato, come candidato alla carica presidenziale, Walter Mondale. Purtroppo per lui e i democratici, la sconfitta sarà drammatica, ma in quella convention, il governatore dello Stato di New York, Mario Cuomo (morto il 1° gennaio 2015), aveva fatto la storia, con un discorso che influenzerà, di lì a 30 anni, la politica americana e, soprattutto, i Democrats.
Thank you very much.
On behalf of the great Empire State and the whole family of New York, let me thank you for the great privilege of being able to address this convention. Please allow me to skip the stories and the poetry and the temptation to deal in nice but vague rhetoric. Let me instead use this valuable opportunity to deal immediately with the questions that should determine this election and that we all know are vital to the American people.
Ten days ago, President Reagan admitted that although some people in this country seemed to be doing well nowadays, others were unhappy, even worried, about themselves, their families, and their futures. The President said that he didn’t understand that fear. He said, “Why, this country is a shining city on a hill.” And the President is right. In many ways we are a shining city on a hill.