HELLO CHICAGO.
6/11/08 15:35![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
upsticksIf there is anyone out there who still doubts that America's a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretch around schools and churches, in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different - that their voices could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, native American, gay, straight, disabled, and not-disabled, Americans who send a message to the world, that we have never been just a collection of individuals, or a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those that have been told for so long, by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve, to put their hands on the arc of history, and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time comin', but tonight, because of what we did on this day; in this election, in this defining moment, change has come to America!
A little bit earlier this evening, I recieved an extraordinary gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved, and I look forward for working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I wanna thank my partner in this journey: a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke to the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Spranton, and rode home with on the train to Delaware: The Vice President Elect of the Unite States Joe Biden!
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady: Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Leah, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.
And Mall... she's no longer with us - I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure: to my sister Mya, my sister Homa, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support you've given me. I am grateful to them.
To my campaign manager: David Clough! The unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best political campaign - I think -in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist _____: Who has been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever, assembled in the history of politics. You made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you sacrificed to get it done.
Above all, I will never forget who this victory belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements; our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of the _____, the living rooms of _____, and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars, and ten dollars, and twenty dollars to the cause. It drew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay, and less sleep; it drew strength from the not-so-young people, who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organised, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, has not perished from the earth. This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. I know you didn't do it for me. you did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tommorow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans, waking up in the deserts of Iran, in the mountains of Afghanistan, willing to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who'll lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, pay their doctors' bills, or save enough for their child's college education. There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, respects to meet, alliances to repay. The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term. But America, I have never been more hopeful, than I am tonight, that we will get there. I promise you. We as a people will get there.
YES WE CAN
YES WE CAN
YES WE CAN
There will be set backs, and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. We know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. Above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for two hundred and twenty one years: block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. What began twenty-one months ago, in the depths of winter, cannot end on this Autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it's only the chance for us to make that change.
And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you. WIthout a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let's summon a new spirit. Of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but eachother. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it is that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street, while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same _____ and pettiness, an immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican party into the White House. A party founded on the values of self-reliance and indidivual liberty, and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to yield the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours: We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn: I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president too!
And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores - in parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled round radios in the forgotten corners of the world: our stories are singular but our destiny is shared. The new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those who would tear the world down: we will defeat you.
To those seek peace and security: we support you.
And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright tonight - we proved once more that the true strength of our country comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale of our wealthy, but from the enduring power of our ideals: Democracy. Liberty. Opportunity. And unyielding hope.
That's the true genius of America. That America can change. Our union can be perfect. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tommorow.
This election had many firsts. Many stories that will be told for generations, but the one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others, who stood in line to make thier voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery, a time when there were no cars on the road and no planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons: because she was a woman, and because of the colour of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't and the people pressed on with that American dream - yes we can; At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed - she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot - yes we can; When there was despair in the dust bowl, and depression across the land, she saw nation conquer fear itself with a new deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose - yes we can; When the bombs fell on our harbour, and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness, and democracy was saved - yes we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher in Atlanta who told the people who told the people that we shall overcome - yes we can. A man touched down on the moon; a wall came down in Berlin; a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after a hundred and six years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change - yes we can. America, we have come so far; we have seen so much, but there's so much more to do. So tonight let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters could be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment; this is our time, to put our people back to work, and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace. To reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those that tell us we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the people: Yes we can.
Thank you. God bless you.
And may God bless the United States of America.
It's the answer told by lines that stretch around schools and churches, in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different - that their voices could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, native American, gay, straight, disabled, and not-disabled, Americans who send a message to the world, that we have never been just a collection of individuals, or a collection of red states and blue states. We are and always will be the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those that have been told for so long, by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve, to put their hands on the arc of history, and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It's been a long time comin', but tonight, because of what we did on this day; in this election, in this defining moment, change has come to America!
A little bit earlier this evening, I recieved an extraordinary gracious call from Senator McCain. Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Governor Palin for all that they've achieved, and I look forward for working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.
I wanna thank my partner in this journey: a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke to the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Spranton, and rode home with on the train to Delaware: The Vice President Elect of the Unite States Joe Biden!
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady: Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Leah, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House.
And Mall... she's no longer with us - I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure: to my sister Mya, my sister Homa, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support you've given me. I am grateful to them.
To my campaign manager: David Clough! The unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best political campaign - I think -in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist _____: Who has been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever, assembled in the history of politics. You made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you sacrificed to get it done.
Above all, I will never forget who this victory belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you. I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements; our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of the _____, the living rooms of _____, and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars, and ten dollars, and twenty dollars to the cause. It drew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy, who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay, and less sleep; it drew strength from the not-so-young people, who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organised, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, has not perished from the earth. This is your victory.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election. I know you didn't do it for me. you did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tommorow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans, waking up in the deserts of Iran, in the mountains of Afghanistan, willing to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who'll lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, pay their doctors' bills, or save enough for their child's college education. There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, respects to meet, alliances to repay. The road ahead will be long, our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year, or even in one term. But America, I have never been more hopeful, than I am tonight, that we will get there. I promise you. We as a people will get there.
YES WE CAN
YES WE CAN
YES WE CAN
There will be set backs, and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. We know the government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. Above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for two hundred and twenty one years: block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. What began twenty-one months ago, in the depths of winter, cannot end on this Autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it's only the chance for us to make that change.
And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you. WIthout a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let's summon a new spirit. Of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but eachother. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it is that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street, while Main Street suffers. In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back on the same _____ and pettiness, an immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican party into the White House. A party founded on the values of self-reliance and indidivual liberty, and national unity. Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to yield the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours: We are not enemies, but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn: I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president too!
And all those watching tonight from beyond our shores - in parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled round radios in the forgotten corners of the world: our stories are singular but our destiny is shared. The new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those who would tear the world down: we will defeat you.
To those seek peace and security: we support you.
And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright tonight - we proved once more that the true strength of our country comes not from the might of our arms, or the scale of our wealthy, but from the enduring power of our ideals: Democracy. Liberty. Opportunity. And unyielding hope.
That's the true genius of America. That America can change. Our union can be perfect. What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tommorow.
This election had many firsts. Many stories that will be told for generations, but the one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others, who stood in line to make thier voice heard in this election, except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery, a time when there were no cars on the road and no planes in the sky, when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons: because she was a woman, and because of the colour of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we can't and the people pressed on with that American dream - yes we can; At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed - she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot - yes we can; When there was despair in the dust bowl, and depression across the land, she saw nation conquer fear itself with a new deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose - yes we can; When the bombs fell on our harbour, and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness, and democracy was saved - yes we can. She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher in Atlanta who told the people who told the people that we shall overcome - yes we can. A man touched down on the moon; a wall came down in Berlin; a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after a hundred and six years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change - yes we can. America, we have come so far; we have seen so much, but there's so much more to do. So tonight let us ask ourselves: If our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters could be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made? This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment; this is our time, to put our people back to work, and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace. To reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope; and where we are met with cynicism and doubt, and those that tell us we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of the people: Yes we can.
Thank you. God bless you.
And may God bless the United States of America.