The West Wing (TV Series)

2162 Votes (2005)

Jimmy Smits: Matthew Santos

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• Matthew Santos : You know, I had hoped to be standing here tonight under very different circumstances, and I have been asked by people that I respect to take this opportunity to support one of the other fine candidates who have made this race with me to help decide who our nominee will be. But I can't do that. I can't do that because it's not my place to decide who our nominee should be. That decision is yours and yours alone. There's been a great deal made today of Governor Baker's decision not to disclose his wife's minor medical condition. Many people believe he should have. But I don't believe Governor Baker failed to disclose it because he was ashamed or embarrassed. I think he didn't disclose it because we're the hypocrites, not the Bakers. Because we're all broken, every single one of us. And yet we pretend that we're not. We all live lives of imperfection, and yet we cling to this fantasy that there's a perfect life and that our leaders should embody it. But if we expect our leaders to live on a higher moral plane than the rest of us, well, we're just asking to be deceived. It's been suggested to me this week that I should try to buy your support with jobs and the promise of access. It's been suggested to me that party unity is more important than your democratic rights as delegates. That's right. It's not. And you have a decision to make. Don't vote for us because you think we're perfect. Don't vote for us because of what we might be able to do for you only. Vote for the person who shares your ideals, your hopes, your dreams. Vote for the person who most embodies what you believe we need to keep our nation strong and free. And when you have done that, you can go back to Seattle and Boston, to Miami, to Omaha, to Tulsa and Chicago and Atlanta with your head held high and say, "I am a member of the Democratic Party."