During the height of the 1992 Campaign, State Speaker Craig Peachtree welcomes Governor Long to his own district, where supporters and curious Nebraskans alike, many of whom are college students, gather at the University of Nebraska's Bob Devaney Sports Complex in Lincoln...
As the crowd now fills the gymnasium, Speaker and Congressional Candidate Craig Peachtree takes the podium...
"My beloved Nebraska! We are here today, at America’s greatest university, THE University of Nebraska, to talk about the man who has inspired America, the vision that has inspired America, the progressive, populist promise that will, finally, remind the Reagan-Bush machine that the owners of our great nation are first, foremost, and exclusively, its people! It seems that Washington has forgotten that America’s lifeline stems from the denisons of our democracy, the hard-working, freedom-striving, neighbor-loving citizens of these United States. President Bush lies about taxes and doesn’t dare remind us of the failure of his economic record. No, instead the President thinks that a war, fought half a world away is enough to silence the ever-growing, ever-dissenting voice of the American people. Well, Mr. President, today, here in the golden heart of America, our voice remains Loud and Clear! The good hearted people of Nebraska trusted you with 60% of their vote in 1988, but now we must say No More! You sir, have harmed the sacred trust of the people, the citizens, the voters of Nebraska. And we reiterate, No More! No more shall the Nebraskan place our innocent, well-meaning trust in your hands. Mr. President, I know you likely haven’t had to drive for yourself in a very, very long time, but here in Nebraska… regular Americans have to drive themselves to get somewhere. Here in Nebraska, we rely on our own transportation and under your watch, Oil Prices have skyrocketed and the good people of Nebraska are suffering, struggling to cope and adjust with higher gas prices coupled with the economic recession fostered by you, Mr. President. And we reiterate, No More! No more shall the Nebraskan willfully put the economy and therefore their livelihoods in your hands.
So, today I am here to introduce the man who has a new vision. A man whose last name evokes just as much respect as that of … Bush… but this man, this is a man who has earned his name, the Long name. J.R. Long has no family complex in Maine, J.R. Long has no powerhouse dynastic wealth. No, J.R. Long has a legacy, a legacy to uphold that is so much more than a name. It is a legacy of service, it is a legacy of American companionship. The America J.R. Long fights for is an America where one hurting American is one hundred too many.
And let me tell you somethin’ else. J.R. Long… he won’t blink in the face of the Conservative attack machine. The “Era” of Reagan doesn’t faze J.R. The Roger Ailes propaganda machine doesn’t faze J.R. And that is why, for the first time in a generation, Liberal will NOT be a bad word in this nation. No, J.R., he wears it proudly, like a pin on his lapel. The pride of the liberal, the pride of the populist, the pride of the progressive.
Let me tell you, the foundations of the Bush Administration will tremble as we declare the words… Mr. President, we do not fear you. We the People are proud to declare ourselves Liberal! We are Proud of our Progressivism. We the People are with Governor J.R. Long! This is the man who has revitalized the American dream, for the everyday American, this is the man who earned his name, won in Louisiana and won in the Primaries! This is the man who fights for the core principles of E Pluribus Unum! This is the man who will be the 42nd President of the United States of America! Nebraskans, I give you America’s champion, J.R. Long!"
Long stepped up at that moment, and patted Peachtree on the back, then gave him an enthused handshake before taking command of the podium.
“Good folks of the Cornhusker State, it is an honor to stand before you as the people’s candidate for the Presidency of the United States of America. I look out, and my love and faith in my Nation is only strengthened, for among you I see many of our future generations, young minds already eager to make positive change.
A well-managed education system is vital to the principles of an informed public, to our American way of life which heralds individualism over authoritarianism. Our schools and universities stand as the frontline against tyranny and economic stagnation, and yet I feel that some in Washington have not given the topic its due attention. Just as the middle-class has been ignored, so too have the tools that directly benefit the middle-class and the poorer segments of our Nation been left without reform and expansion, necessary changes to promote a vibrant growth on the national scale.
Under President Bush, we have seen reduced investment into our future, the waste of billions for initiatives that simply did not have what America needs - a strong economic foundation. Without an educated, informed, and supported people, we are setting ourselves to a path of decline in a time where we should be strong, powerful in the face of global uncertainty, where the fall of Communism could either promise an expansion of the Free World, or instability.
I can promise the American people that I will do what is needed to ensure the tools required to follow the American Dream are available to everyone, regardless of what you look like; I can promise that some ten million people who are currently without employment can provide for themselves and their families; I can promise that millions won’t have to settle for declining wages; and I can promise that America will be for the Many, not the Few!
Thank you all, God Bless Nebraska, and God Bless the United States of America!”
