Charlie's speech (transcript) Part 1

Let me just start this afternoon or this evening by answering the question that almost every candidate gets asked by almost every person first. And that is "Why are you running for office?" And the answer I give is actually quite simple: We are in trouble. This nation, this state, this county, this community is in real trouble.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there is a war going on. And I don't mean the war in Iraq. I mean the war for the future, and for the meaning of our country. A war that is taking place in Washington D.C., across this country, and right here in your back yards.

Two hundred and thirty years ago last week, we celebrated our nation's declaring independence from a tyrannical government. Yesterday's patriots stood up--they were called "troublemakers", and they fought for what they believed in, and they fought for what was right. And they established in this country what was intended to be a democratic form of government where we the people rule.

Today's patriots are not those who will defer, as in a deferential society, to your corrupt or influential "betters"--those who claim to be your rulers. We are not subjects in this nation, we are citizens. (Applause and cheers.) We have to be active participants. We have to be treated equally and fairly and we *must* have a voice in the process.

Today's patriots are those who will stand up and fight to restore what this country did 230 years ago. In this country, the *citizen* is the highest political office. (Applause). That's why I'm running. Because I take the role of citizen--I take the duties of citizenship--to right for our rights, to fight for *others'* rights, to defend what we have established. Our rights, and our freedom, must be struggled for eternally, or else we will lose them.

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