Decker praises Dem accomplishments

Senate Majority Leader told the crowd why he's proud to be a Dem and said the party has worked to protect working families, create jobs and provide tax relief.

"We should concede nothing to the Republicans, nothing," Decker said.

He touted Dem efforts to close corporate loopholes through combined reporting, which the Legislature approved and the governor signed earlier this year as part of a stimulus bill, drawing applause when he said that big corporations were now paying "their fair share."

Decker also contrasted Dem efforts to ensure women equal pay for equal work with what happened under Republican administrations. Pointing out he's now in his fifth term, Decker said former GOP Gov. Tommy Thompson commissioned a study on how to break through the glass ceiling, but nothing happened. Likewise when former GOP Gov. Scott McCallum tried to tackle it.

But then Dems won the governor's office in 2002, the Senate in 2006 and the Assembly in 2008.

"We passed it and got it signed into law," Decker said.

Listen to the speech.

-- By JR Ross