The Dream Shall Never Die
| Date | August 12, 1980 |
|---|---|
| Venue | Madison Square Garden |
| Location | New York City, New York |
"The Dream Shall Never Die" was a speech delivered by U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy before the Democratic National Convention on August 12, 1980. In the address, Kennedy defended post-World War II liberalism, advocated for a national healthcare insurance model, criticized former actor and Republican presidential nominee Ronald Reagan, and implicitly rebuked incumbent President Jimmy Carter (to whom he had conceded the Democratic nomination only the night before) for his more moderate political stances. It has been remembered by some as Kennedy's best speech, and one of the most influential orations of the era.
August 12 was devoted to platform debate. It began in the morning with social issues, and contentiously shifted to economic policies. Both the Carter delegate majority and the Kennedy delegate minority had six speakers to propose policies and counter the others' arguments. The final majority spokesman was United States Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young. Young's words were drowned out by increasingly intense pro-Kennedy chants, which didn't stop until Representative Barbara Mikulski introduced Kennedy, who himself was to make the minority's final economic comments.
The first draft of the speech was created by Carey Parker and Bob Shrum. Kennedy made additions, which were taken by Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. and Ted Sorenson and made into the final draft. Kennedy rehearsed the speech with a teleprompter twice, once in his hotel and again at the convention site.
Kennedy remembered the process somewhat differently, stating in a 2005 interview that the original speech was continuously altered, starting from before the convention when Carter declined to participate in a debate and instead suggested that differences be expressed during the platform committees. That night Kennedy and his sisters Jean, Pat, and Eunice began piecing together a new speech, with Shrum filling in where necessary. This supposedly continued every night until the platform arguments.
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