I got to grow up with a mother who taught me to believe in me.

But I will say, I think there are some Democrats that don't want to address pension reform. I have taken on the issue of seniority and tenure. I think we have to address entitlements and the president has done that in his budget. I think we have to extend Medicare and the president has done that. But also reinvest in that program.

My father was predisposed to drunken rages. I would hide under the bed. My sister and I were talking just the other day about the terror a drunken man in a rage can create in a child.

So laying people off is not something I do lightly, it's not something I relish.

We stand with President Obama - love doesn't have a color, love doesn't care if you're gay or straight. Love doesn't discriminate.

You can't just trot out a brown face or a Spanish surname and expect people are going to vote for your party or your candidate.

We're not a homogeneous party, anymore than the Republicans are. But we are a party that I think has a plan to take us forward.