first, i would like to say a word about ron walters. many of you know of ron walters. he was a remarkable man, a true idealist, many of us when we attended his funeral didn't even have a clue of how many things he had done and accomplished in his lifetime. ron and i didn't always agree about the way things were or how things worked, but ron and i always agreed on the way things should end. and we're going to miss ron very much here at the joint center, and i'm going to miss him personally. at events like this, i could expect ron to walk in maybe a few minutes late and afterwards have a spirited discussion with him about what my research meant. so we're going to miss ron very much here. ok. the upcoming elections. there's no getting around it, it's going to be a bad year for the democrats. for two election cycles in a row the democrats have won about as much as they possibly could, in federal elections, and on top of it the economy is very bad right now. it's improved from a year, year and a half ago, but it's still very, very bad. the democrats control washington and w

i would like to say a word about a longtime friend of myself and and a senator who passed away, ron waltersmany of you may not know ron quilters. on was a remarkable -- ru welters. he was a remarkable man. many people who attended his future did not even know how much he had accomplished in his lifetime. we did not always agree about the way things were and how things worked but we always agreed on the way things should end. we are going to miss him very much here at the joint center, and i am going to miss him very much personally. at events like this, i expect him to walk again, maybe a few minutes late, and afterwards have a spirited discussion with him about what my research men. so, we are going to miss him very much here. ok, the upcoming elections. there is no getting around it, it is going to be a bad year for the democrats. for two election cycles in a row the democrats have won by as much as they possibly cut in federal elections. on top of that, -- possibly could in federal elections. on top of that, it is still a very bad economy. the democrats control washington, and when one p

walters, who would have been hit with us here. ladies and gentlemen, please, and moment of silence for one of the greatest political scientists, activists, politicians that this country has ever produced, dr. rondy been introduced, my main man, dick gregory. [applause] it is now my honor to introduce another giant who has been on the scene for it seems like forever. you only have to say two words. harry belafonte. [applause] >> thank you. i would like to start off by thinking all of my brothers and sisters in 1199, and the president of that union. thank you for inviting me to participate in today's ceremony. in 1963, martin luther king jr. stood on the steps of this memorial and declared that this nation should come together and to embrace its greater ideals. he said we should rally together and overcome in justice and racism and that all citizens should not only have the right to vote but that we should exercise that right and make america whole. that is part of why we are here today. we are also here to attend to other grievances. martin luther king jr. in his speech 47 years ago said that america would soon come to realize that the war that we were in at that time, that this nation waged in

walters, who would have been hit with us here. ladies and gentlemen, please, and moment of silence for one of the greatest political scientists, activists, politicians that this country has ever produced, dr. ronther. he has already been introduced, my main man, dick gregory. [applause] it is now my honor to introduce another giant who has been on the scene for it seems like forever. you only have to say two words. harry [unintelligible] [applause] >> thank you. i would like to start off by thinking all of my brothers and sisters in 1199, and the president of that union. thank you for inviting me to participate in today's ceremony. in 1963, martin luther king jr. stood on the steps of this memorial and declared that this nation should come together and to embrace its greater ideals. he said we should rally together and overcome in justice and racism and that all citizens should not only have the right to vote but that we should exercise that right and make america whole. that is part of why we are here today. we are also here to attend to other grievances. martin luther king jr. in his speech 47 years ago said that america would soon come to realize that the war that we were in at that time, t