National Chair of the Voting Rights Institute Donna Brazile

Donna Brazile is a person who truly has her finger on the pulse of American politics. She is an author, educator, and political activist and strategist that has been involved with a number of presidential campaigns including Carter/Mondale in 1976, Mondale/Ferraro in 1984 and with the Clinton/Gore campaign in 1992 and 1996. Born the third of nine children to Lionele and Jean Brazile of New Orleans, she became interested in politics when she was just nine years old when a local politician promised to build a neighborhood playground. These days she is busy as the National Chair of the Voting Rights Institute, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, is a writer for the publications Roll Call and Ms Magazine and serves as a political analyst for CNN’s Inside Politics and American Morning.

“It is good to be back with my friends at the UAW,” Ms. Brazile stated. “I was here with you two years ago and it is good to be invited back. People ask me “how are you going to vote this year?” and I tell them I am voting Katrina. I was rasied in New Orleans and most of my family still live there. It was six days before my father was rescued from what was left of our house. It is a shame that the people of New Orleans had to endure failure at all levels of the government during Hurricane Katrina. There were some who played the race card during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but I tell you race didn’t play a part. There were white people who drowned and black people who drowned. The government built levees broke and resulted in the devastation that occurred.
People ask me “what can I do to make a difference in America?” I tell them to hold their elected officials accountable on both sides of the asiles. When you go to the Democrates with a problem, you shouldn’t have to hear about what the polls say. We need them to stand up for pensions, we need them to stand up for budgets that include all Americans. We need a plan for finishing the job in Iraq and bringing our service men and women home. Then we need a plan for making certain they have a job when they return.

We are no longer working people, but rather worried people. We are worried about this great country of ours. Worried about pensions, worried about jobs and worried about health care. The powers that be want to blame working people for everything. Take United Airlines for example. While in bankruptcy they cut wages and benefits for pilots, mechanics and other airline workers. Then, turned around and gave bonuses to the executives. But I don’t have to tell you about that, because you are seeing that at Delphi and GM and Ford. We can do better than this and we must.

I tell people that in 2006 we have got to elect people to go to Capital Hill that will talk to workers once the election is over. We don’t need candiadates that will forget about us once the votes are counted. All it takes is a strong heart and desire to see this great nation could be even better than it is. Too many fathers work two jobs to make ends meet and still don’t have health care coverage for their families. Too many families spend what little savings they have or their children’s college funds to live. Too many workers are losing their pensions and benefits that were promised after years of service. Tell your elected officials both Democrates and Republicans that you expect them to look out for working families on the hill. We can take back this country and we must to build a better future and way of life for each and every American.”

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