Matt Gonzalez Victory Speech

Matt Gonzalez SF Green Candidate for Mayor Victory Speech
http://www.mattgonzalez.com/

Today is an important day for the Green Party and Progressive Politics.
Matt Gonzalez candidate for SF Mayor made it into the runoff election.
A historic moment in SF and the U.S. politics.

Matt Gonzalez election night party was at the Minna Gallery, SF.
It was an extraordinary energizing night.
The attendance was as diverse the art on the walls.

A new generation of savvy citizens filled the place.
The night was full of great music and tremendous enthusiasm and hope that
Matt Gonzalez and the Green Party represent.

When the results came in and made public that Matt had made it into the runoff,
it was history in the making.
The crowd reacted in a euphoric explosion of Cheers.

Matt Gonzalez got onto the stage and
gave his victory speech to a sheering, energizing and
highly enthusiastic crowd of several hundred.

"Let me just say, [Matt started by saying] really, it is a really a great honor to have folks come out to the polls and select me from so many good candidates to be in the runoff....
(Crowd Cheered)

You know, I think that there are a lot of people that when they think about this city they often think that we are out of step with sort of what the nation is doing or what the state is doing...
(I Hope So! -someone shouted -HA, HA, HA Crowd Cheered)

Let me say this, I think that this city has some great American values, fundamental core values and when we show that they can be implemented in SF they end up being adapted in the state and the nation.
We really need...
(Crowd Cheered)

I think this is a city that values diversity.
It value working class ethics, we were able to pass minimum wage...
(Crowd Cheered)

And let me say, my opponent I this race is someone that has been running for two years. He is someone that spent over two million dollars in this race
(Crowd Booed!)
He spent more per vote that Arnold Schwarzenegger...
(HA, HA, HA, Cheered, Laughter)

I think it is going to be worked out to something like, you know, $35 dollars per vote, compared to us, $5 dollars per vote.. .
(Cheers)

And I think the differences between he and I cannot be greater, I mean, I think in a lot of ways the progressive community made the right decision.
Now it's going to be Newsom vs. Gonzalez and you'll get to see....
(Loud Cheers)

You know what, I was a primary supported of the minimum wage law
Proposition L. And really, maybe up to a week ago, supervisor Newsom hadn't decided weather he was going to supported or not.
And the difference between us is, he waited until all the polls indicated that the measure will pass and he decided he didn't want to get labeled as a guy against working people. And he couldn't keep running with his compassion message unless he got behind it.
& let me tell you, it's not the kind of mayor you want...

(The audience exploded with Cheers)

Let me say that, you know, we are going to go in to some very hard economic times, in the words of a friend of mine earlier today, a former mayor of the city. He said, Willie Brown is already picked the low hanging fruit, meaning, we patched our budget problem with quick fixes, is now going to take a Mayor that is willing to go into hard places to really secured our priorities, being public health, being public works.
The fundamental things is the city that we care about. Now it's not the time for the city of SF to elect a mayor for the primary propose of ribbon cutting...
(Cheers)

Let me say, I want you to get ready for the run off, it's going to be five great weeks you are going to hear a lot about me, much of it untrue...
(Laughter!)

I don't mind being attacked for the things I've done or for the things I believe in.
& that's all I ask of my opponent.
When you attack me, when you send out mail, just tell the truth about me & I'm OK with that., because I can defend the positions I've taken and the positions I want
to take in the future...
(Cheers)

I appreciated that all the candidates decided not to put up street signs. I think that's great, but really, those gigantic mini bill boards, and we can, let me say, we can put them up to. We don't want to and if he takes them down we won't put ours up.
No really, if he thinks (Newsom) we can't afford it, I'll put the money in escrow just to show him we have the money....
(Cheers)

Let's clean up the city and let's start by getting out these terrible looking political signs...
(Euphoric Cheers)

This should be a contest of ideas, I think my ideas are better than his...
(Cheers)

Let's debate them. Let's have debates....
(Cheers)

You are going to see a campaign by Supervisor Newsom, he can spend $100,000
dollars a day, it's not going to be enough. We are going to spend $5,000 a day, spend it better, it's going to go further and we are going to win this race...
(Euphoric Cheers)

If you elect me Mayor, you are going to have an honest government,
we are going to distain corruption and you are never going to be embarrassed by what is happening..."(Euphoric Cheers with Applause)

End.

-disclaimer, there may be some words that were difficult to understand due to the crowd euphoria

Guillermo Kühl
gkuhl3 [at] aol.com
http://www.geocities.com/kuhlthoughts/
http://geocities.com/womenvive
P O Box 143
Daly City, CA 94016-0143