Ann Richards Keynote 1988

Looking for other things, I found the audio of the famous Ann Richards keynote address from 1988. It's most famous for the line "Poor George. He can't help it. He was born with a silver foot in his mouth." (Video of that line here.) But Ann was also famous for her invocation of her "nearly perfect" granddaughter, Lily as an inspirational representative of all future generations. Here's a snippet from the keynote, that could have been written for this election:

So, when it comes right down to it, this election is a contest between those who are satisfied with what they have and those who know we can do better. That’s what this election is really all about. It’s about the American dream -- those who want to keep it for the few and those who know it must be nurtured and passed along.

I’m a grandmother now. And I have one nearly perfect granddaughter named Lily. And when I hold that grandbaby, I feel the continuity of life that unites us, that binds generation to generation, that ties us with each other. And sometimes I spread that Baptist pallet out on the floor, and Lily and I roll a ball back and forth. And I think of all the families like mine, like the one in Lorena, Texas, like the ones that nurture children all across America. And as I look at Lily, I know that it is within families that we learn both the need to respect individual human dignity and to work together for our common good. Within our families, within our nation, it is the same.