Obama Victory speech.docx

1、Obama Victory speechObamas Victory SpeechSENATOR BARACK OBAMA: (Cheers, applause.) Hello, Chicago. (Cheers, applause.) If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our Founders is alive in our time, who still q

2、uestions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. (Cheers, applause.) Its 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 first time in their lives, because they believ

3、ed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference. Its 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 - (cheers) - Americans who sent a message to the w

4、orld 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. (Cheers, applause.) Its the answer that - that led those whove been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful

5、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. Its 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. (Cheers, applause.) A little

6、bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Senator McCain. (Cheers, applause.) Senator McCain fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin

7、 to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. (Applause.) I congratulate him, I congratulate Governor Palin for all theyve achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead. (Cheers, applause.) I want to t

8、hank 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 the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden. (Cheers, applause.) And I would not be standing here

9、 tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family, the love of my wife, the nations next first lady, Michelle Obama. (Cheers, applause.) Sasha and Malia, I love you both more than you can imagine, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming wi

10、th us to the White House. (Cheers, applause.) And while shes 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 sister Maya, my sister Auma, all my other brothers and sisters,

11、thank you so much for all the support that youve given to me. I am grateful to them. (Cheers, applause.) And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe - (cheers, applause) - the unsung hero of this campaign who built the best - (cheers) - the best political campaign I think in the history of the United

12、States of America - (cheers, applause) - to my chief strategist, David Axelrod - (cheers, applause) - who has been a partner with me every step of the way, to the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - (cheers) - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve

13、sacrificed to get it done. (Cheers, applause.) But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. (Cheers, applause.) It belongs to you. (Cheers.) I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campa

14、ign was not hatched in the halls of Washington; it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause. (Cheers, applause.) It

15、 grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy - (cheers) - 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 doo

16、rs of perfect strangers, and 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 the Earth. This is your victory. (Cheers, applause.) Now, I know you didnt do th

17、is just to win an election, and I know you didnt 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 financ

18、ial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mor

19、tgage or pay their doctors bills or save enough for their childs college education. Theres new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in

20、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. (Cheers, applause.) AUDIENCE: Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! Yes, we can! MR. OBAMA: There will be setbacks and false starts. There are m

21、any who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know the government cant 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 to join in the work of remaki

22、ng this nation the only way its been done in America for 221 years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand. What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek; it is only the chance for us to make

23、that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cant happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not on

24、ly ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its 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. Lets resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship an

25、d pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Lets 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 and individual liberty and national unity. Those are values

26、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. (Cheers, applause.) As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends - thou

27、gh 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. (Cheers, applause.) And to all those watching tonight from

28、 beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. (Cheers, applause.) To those - to those who would tear the world down:

29、 we will defeat you. (Cheers, applause.) To those who seek peace and security: we support you. (Cheers, applause.) And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright: tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the

30、 scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals - democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope. (Cheers, applause.) Thats the true genius of America, that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must a

31、chieve tomorrow. This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonights about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She is a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election, except for one thi

32、ng: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old. (Cheers, applause.) 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 couldnt vote for two reasons, because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin. And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America: the heartache and the hope, the struggle and the progress, the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed, yes we can. At a time when womens voices were silenced and their