Chicago, IL /
November 04, 2008
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 questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
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 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. (…)
The road
ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year
or even 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. (…)
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. (…)
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 Can.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.
