Today was a red-letter day for Democrats here in Springfield, Missouri. Today was the day of our annual labor day parade and from what previous participants told me, it was one of the largest turnouts ever.
I volunteered to march in the parade with the Democratic nominee for state representative of the 137th district, Charlie Norr, where I live. As I walked to meet the group I was marching with I was amazed at the number of union workers that had turned out. There were workers from the Teamsters, numerous building trades, UPS, and Roadway just to mention a few. This is addition to all the Democratic candidates that participated in the parade.
The parade route was only a couple of miles long and although the sides of the streets weren't overly packed it was when I reached the end of the route, a local park, that I was truly amazed at the turnout. There had to be between four and five thousand people.
I was treated to a host of speakers. A couple of union representatives from Kansas City, Doug Harpool who is running for the state Senate and Susan Montee running for State Auditor. They were all good and Harpool and Montee both talked about returning ethics to the state capitol.
Next, Claire McCaskill spoke, and did I mention that I got to shake her hand? I'm really impressed with what she had to say. But, more importantly, I don't think if she wins against Jim Talent that she will be at the beck and call of the lobbyists in Washington.
John Edwards was the keynote speaker and I was impressed with him more than ever. Edwards spoke at length about the problems of poverty in America and what we could do about it. One of the things he said that really resonated with me was "I love the Democratic Party, but I'm an American first and a Democrat second."
Edwards also spent time discussing America's role in the world, how we have lost our respectability under Bush's lack of leadership, and the shame of ignoring the genocide in Darfur. I'm glad to see Edwards spend more time discussing foreign policy, something that lends him more credibility for a future presidential run.
All-in-all, when I think of the Democrats that are seeking my vote in the upcoming election I'm glad that such a capable group of people are willing to dedicate themselves to public service and give the citizens of my state a voice.