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Barack Obama, victory speech held in Chicago
If there is anyone out there who still
doubts that It's the answer told by lines that
stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen;
by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time
in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that
their voice could be that difference. It's the answer spoken by young and old,
rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native
American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled – Americans who sent a
message to the world that we have never been 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 who have
been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of
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 coming, but tonight,
because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining
moment, change has come to America. I just received a very gracious call from
Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought
even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices
for I want to thank my partner in this journey,
a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew
up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to
Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. 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 and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle
Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new
puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer
with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made
me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond
measure. To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my
chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in
the history of politics – you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for
what you've sacrificed to get it done. But above all, I will never forget who this
victory truly belongs to – 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 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 this cause. It grew 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; from the
not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on
the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who
volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a
government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished
from this Earth. This is your victory. I know you didn't do this just to win an election
and 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 tomorrow 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 The road ahead will be long. Our climb will
be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but There will be setbacks and false starts. There
are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President,
and we know that 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. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking
this nation the only way it's been done in What began twenty-one months ago in the
depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not
the change we seek – it is 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. So let us summon a new spirit of
patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch
in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us
remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we
cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Let us resist the temptation to fall back
on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has
poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from
this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White
House – a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty,
and national unity. Those are values 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 heal the divides that have held back our progress. As And to all those watching tonight from
beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled
around radios in the forgotten corners of our world – our stories are
singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is
at hand. To those who would tear this world down – we will defeat you. To
those who 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 nation comes not from our the might of our
arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals:
democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope. For that is the true genius of This election had many firsts and many
stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight
is about a woman who cast her ballot in She was born just a generation past
slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or 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 who pressed on with that American creed: 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 a nation conquer fear itself with a New
Deal, new jobs and 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 a democracy was saved. Yes we can. She was there for the buses in A man touched down on the moon, a wall came
down in 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 who tell us that we
can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a
people: Yes We |