John F. Kennedy photo

Remarks on the Green in Waterbury, Connecticut

October 17, 1962

Mayor Bergin, Governor Dempsey, Senator Dodd, Congressman John Monagan, the next Congressman at Large Bernard Grabowski, members of the State ticket, ladies and gentlemen:

I must say, having been here at 3 o'clock, and now it's 6:30, that Waterbury is either the easiest city in the United States to get a crowd in, or it has the best Democrats in the United States. In any case, our meeting here 2 years ago at 3 o'clock in the morning was the high point of the 1960 campaign, and we will meet at 3 o'clock in the morning the last week of the 1964 campaign and see what's going to happen then.

All of the effort which we make all depends, of course, upon what function a political party is serving, and I come here to Connecticut and I come here to Waterbury to ask your support for the election of Democrats for the House of Representatives, John Monagan, your Congressman, Bernie Grabowski, who is running as Congressman at Large, Abe Ribicoff, who's running for the United States Senate, and John Dempsey, who's running for Governor of the State of Connecticut. I do that not merely because I am a Democrat, but because I believe the Democratic Party has a great function to fulfill for the State of Connecticut and the United States.

When I became President of the United States in January 1961, 1 out of every 10 workers in this city was out of work. That has been cut by 50 percent, and it's still too much, but it indicates what can be done. The average wage in this city a year and one-half ago was $91 a week. Now it's $105.

This country must go forward, and it only can go forward if we have a House, a Senate, a President, and a Governor all committed to progress as they are in this State and country. So I want to urge our Democrats here and all around to go out and do the job on November 6th, to provide education for our children, to provide jobs for our workers, to provide security for our older citizens. All these things can and must be done in this great country of ours, but they can only be done by a political party which recognizes the challenge of our times and is willing to do something about it, and that's what-the Democratic Party is willing to do in 1962.

I hope that all of you over there and all around this city and all around this State will elect a great Democrat as United States Senator, a former Governor, a former member of the Cabinet of the United States, and who has recognized, rightly, that these fights are won or lost in the Senate of the United States and in the House of Representatives-Abe Ribicoff, who will be the next United States Senator.

Every year in this country's history in the last 50 years the party in power of the majority has lost seats in the off year. Too many times I have seen fights won and lost by 1, 2, or 3 votes, on housing and medical care for the aged, and education, and farming, and all the rest, and I don't want to see the next 2 years spent with a Congress in the control of the Republicans and an Executive in control of the Democrats, and nothing being done which must be done if this country's going to move ahead.

This city, this State, this country can only find work for its 'people and a better chance and a stronger America by our moving together on November 6th to elect the Democrats who are candidates in this State for office. I ask your help for all of them. I want all of them to stand up now with you and commit ourselves on November 6th to vote "yes" for the United States, and "yes" for Connecticut.

Thank you very much.

Note: In his opening words the President referred to Edward Bergin, Mayor of Waterbury; John N. Dempsey, Governor of Connecticut; Thomas J. Dodd, U.S. Senator, and John S. Monagan, U.S. Representative,. From Connecticut; and Bernard F. Grabowski, Democratic candidate for U.S. Representative at Large from Connecticut. Later he referred to Abraham A. Ribicoff, Democratic candidate for U.S. Senator from Connecticut.

John F. Kennedy, Remarks on the Green in Waterbury, Connecticut Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/236308

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