Obama Victory Speech

Highlight by: Ian Welsh Tuesday November 4, 2008 8:58 pm

Impressive: put his arms around all Americans, claimed a mandate for change, and put himself as part of the onrush of American history in which Americans defeat whatever obstacles they face.

Using a 106 year old black American to launch into a recital of all the things that America has overcome in the last hundred years. Getting chants of "yes we can".

Time to change by pulling together and making the country even better.

This is a speech about pulling everyone into his arms.

Heal the divides between Republicans and Democrats. Invoking Lincoln and the original Republican party of the 19th century.

Can't have a thriving Wall Street, when Main Street is suffering.

This is not the change we seek, but only the chance for the change we seek. Will need sacrifice from Americans.

Promising to be honest about challenges, and to listen, especially to those who disagree with him. Will rebuild the country, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

Speaking of America's challenges - two wars, economic problems. We will get there - we will fix these problems. Chants of "YES WE CAN".

Your victory - government for the people, by the people. I know you didn't do this for me.

Claiming that his campaign was born outside Washington and from the ground up.

Very large cheer for David Plouffe and a smaller one for Axelrod. Very gracious of Obama to name them.

New puppy for his girls. LOL

Huge cheers for Biden and, of course, Michelle Obama.

Cheering for "McCain's gracious call". What a difference in crowds. Even clapping when he calls McCain a great leader. Cheering at working with McCain and Palin.

Arc of history. Because of what WE did, Change Has Come to America.

Very gracious as well, giving the credit to those who turned out to vote for him. Noting that everyone voted - white, gay, black. Americans. Americans united.

Anything is possible! Historically huge turnout.

"Hello Chicago. " In that booming voice.

Waving to a huge crowd. The crowd is wild!

He has arrived at the field with Michelle

Remarks of President-Elect Barack Obama—as prepared for delivery

Election Night, Tuesday, November 4^th, 2008, Chicago, Illinois

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 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 America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.

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 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 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 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 they’ll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor’s bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

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.

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 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 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 Main Street suffers – in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

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 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, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

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 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 achieve tomorrow.

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 Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their 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 or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons – because she was a woman and because of the color 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 harbor 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 Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a 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 106 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 is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves – if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should 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 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.

以下是奧巴馬(Barack Obama)於獲勝後在芝加哥演講的講稿：

如果還有人對美國是否凡事都有可能存疑，還有人懷疑美國奠基者的夢想在我們所處的時代是否依然鮮活，還有人質疑我們的民主製度的力量，那麽今晚，這些問題都有了答案。

這是設在學校和教堂的投票站前排起的前所未見的長隊給出的答案；是等了三四個小時的選民所給出的答案，其中許多人都是有生以來第一次投票，因為他們認定這一次肯定會不一樣，認為自己的聲音會是這次大選有別於以往之所在。

這是所有美國人民共同給出的答案－－無論老少貧富，無論是民主黨還是共和黨，無論是黑人、白人、拉美裔、亞裔、原住民，是同性戀者還是異性戀者、殘疾人還是健全人－－我們從來不是“紅州”和“藍州”的對立陣營，我們是美利堅合眾國這個整體，永遠都是。

長久以來，很多人一再受到告誡，要對我們所能取得的成績極盡諷刺、擔憂和懷疑之能事，但這個答案讓這些人伸出手來把握曆史，再次讓它朝向美好明天的希望延伸。

已經過去了這麽長時間，但今晚，由於我們在今天、在這場大選中、在這個具有決定性的時刻所做的，美國已經迎來了變革。

我剛剛接到了麥凱恩參議員極具風度的致電。他在這場大選中經過了長時間的努力奮鬥，而他為自己所深愛的這個國家奮鬥的時間更長、過程更艱辛。他為美國做出了我們大多數人難以想像的犧牲，我們的生活也因這位勇敢無私的領袖所做出的貢獻而變得更美好。我向他和佩林州長所取得的成績表示祝賀，我也期待著與他們一起在未來的歲月中為複興這個國家的希望而共同努力。

我要感謝我在這次旅程中的夥伴－－已當選美國副總統的拜登。他全心參與競選活動，為普通民眾代言，他們是他在斯克蘭頓從小到大的夥伴，也是在他回特拉華的火車上遇到的男男女女。

如果沒有一個人的堅決支持，我今晚就不會站在這裏，她是我過去16年來最好的朋友、是我們一家人的中堅和我一生的摯愛，更是我們國家的下一位第一夫人：米歇爾•奧巴馬(Michelle Obama)。薩莎(Sasha)和瑪麗亞(Malia)，我太愛你們兩個了，你們已經得到了一條新的小狗，它將與我們一起入駐白宮。雖然我的外祖母已經不在了，但我知道她與我的親人肯定都在看著我，因為他們，我才能擁有今天的成就。今晚，我想念他們，我知道自己欠他們的無可計量。

我的競選經理大衛•普勞夫(David Plouffe)、首席策略師大衛•艾克斯羅德(David Axelrod)以及政治史上最好的競選團隊－－是你們成就了今天，我永遠感激你們為實現今天的成就所做出的犧牲。

但最重要的是，我永遠不會忘記這場勝利真正的歸屬－－它屬於你們。

我從來不是最有希望的候選人。一開始，我們沒有太多資金，也沒有得到太多人的支持。我們的競選活動並非誕生於華盛頓的高門華第之內，而是始於得梅因、康科德、查爾斯頓這些地方的普通民眾家中。

我們的競選活動能有今天的規模，是因為辛勤工作的人們從自己的微薄積蓄中拿出錢來，捐出一筆又一筆5美元、10美元、20美元。而競選活動的聲勢越來越大則是源自那些年輕人，他們拒絕接受認為他們這代人冷漠的荒誕說法；他們離開家、離開親人，從事報酬微薄、極其辛苦的工作；同時也源自那些已經不算年輕的人們，他們冒著嚴寒酷暑，敲開陌生人的家門進行競選宣傳；更源自數百萬的美國民眾，他們自動自發地組織起來，證明了在兩百多年以後，民有、民治、民享的政府並未從地球上消失。這是你們的勝利。

我知道你們的所做所為並不隻是為了贏得大選，我也知道你們做這一切並不是為了我。你們這樣做是因為你們明白擺在麵前的任務有多艱巨。因為即便我們今晚歡呼慶祝，我們也知道明天將麵臨我們一生之中最為艱巨的挑戰－－兩場戰爭、一個麵臨危險的星球，還有百年來最嚴重的金融危機。今晚站在此地，我們知道伊拉克的沙漠裏和阿富汗的群山中還有勇敢的美國士兵醒來，甘冒生命危險保護著我們。會有在孩子熟睡後仍難以入眠的父母，擔心如何償還按揭月供、付醫藥費或是存夠錢送孩子上大學。我們亟待開發新能源、創造新的工作機會；我們需要修建新學校，還要應對眾多威脅、修複與許多國家的關係。

前方的道路會十分漫長艱辛。我們可能無法在一年甚至一屆任期之內實現上述目標，但我從未像今晚這樣滿懷希望，相信我們會實現。我向你們承諾－－我們作為一個整體將會達成目標。

我們會遭遇挫折和不成功的開端。對於我作為總統所做的每項決定和政策，會有許多人持有異議，我們也知道政府並不能解決所有問題。但我會向你們坦陳我們所麵臨的挑戰。我會聆聽你們的意見，尤其是在我們意見相左之時。最重要的是，我會請求你們參與重建這個國家，以美國221年來從未改變的唯一方式－－一磚一瓦、胼手胝足。

21個月前那個寒冬所開始的一切不應該在今天這個秋夜結束。今天的選舉勝利並不是我們所尋求的改變－－這隻是我們進行改變的機會。而且如果我們仍然按照舊有方式行事，我們所尋求的改變不可能出現。沒有你們，也不可能有這種改變。

因此，讓我們發揚新的愛國精神，樹立新的服務意識和責任感，讓我們每個人下定決心全情投入、更加努力地工作，並彼此關愛。讓我們銘記這場金融危機帶來的教訓：我們不可能在金融以外的領域備受煎熬的同時擁有繁榮興旺的華爾街－－在這個國家，我們患難與共。

讓我們抵製重走老路的誘惑，避免重新回到令美國政治長期深受毒害的黨派紛爭和由此引發的遺憾和不成熟表現。讓我們牢記，正是伊利諾伊州的一名男子首次將共和黨的大旗扛到了白宮。共和黨是建立在自強自立、個人自由以及全民團結的價值觀上，這也是我們所有人都珍視的價值。雖然民主黨今天晚上贏得了巨大的勝利，但我們是以謙卑的態度和彌合阻礙我們進步的分歧的決心贏得這場勝利的。林肯在向遠比我們眼下分歧更大的國家發表講話時說，我們不是敵人，而是朋友……雖然激情可能褪去，但是這不會割斷我們感情上的聯係。對於那些現在並不支持我的美國人，我想說，或許我沒有贏得你們的選票，但是我聽到了你們的聲音，我需要你們的幫助，而且我也將是你們的總統。

那些徹夜關注美國大選的海外人士，從國會到皇宮，以及在這個世界被遺忘的角落裏擠在收音機旁的人們，我們的經曆雖然各有不同，但是我們的命運是相通的，新的美國領袖誕生了。那些想要顛覆這個世界的人們，我們必將擊敗你們。那些追求和平和安全的人們，我們支持你們。那些所有懷疑美國能否繼續照亮世界發展前景的人們，今天晚上我們再次證明，我們國家真正的力量並非來自我們武器的威力或財富的規模，而是來自我們理想的持久力量：民主、自由、機會和不屈的希望。

這才是美國真正的精華－－美國能夠改變。我們的聯邦會日臻完善。我們取得的成就為我們將來能夠取得的以及必須取得的成就增添了希望。

這次大選創造了多項“第一”，也誕生了很多將世代流傳的故事。但是今天晚上令我難忘的卻是在亞特蘭大投票的一名婦女：安•尼克鬆•庫波爾(Ann Nixon Cooper)。她和其他數百萬排隊等待投票的選民沒有什麽差別，除了一點：她已是106歲的高齡。

她出生的那個時代奴隸製度剛剛結束；那時路上沒有汽車，天上也沒有飛機；當時像她這樣的人由於兩個原因不能投票－－一是她是女性，另一個原因是她的膚色。

今天晚上，我想到了她在美國過去一百年間所經曆的種種：心痛和希望；掙紮和進步；那些我們被告知我們辦不到的世代，以及那些堅信美國信條──是的，我們能做到──的人們。

曾幾何時，婦女沒有發言權，她們的希望化作泡影，但是安•尼克鬆•庫波爾活了下來，看到婦女們站了起來，看到她們大聲發表自己的見解，看到她們去參加大選投票。是的，我們能做到。

當30年代的沙塵暴和大蕭條引發人們的絕望之情時，她看到一個國家用羅斯福新政、新就業機會以及對新目標的共同追求戰勝恐慌。是的，我們能做到。

當炸彈襲擊了我們的海港、獨裁專製威脅到全世界，她見證了美國一代人的偉大崛起，見證了一個民主國家被拯救。是的，我們能做到。

她看到蒙哥馬利通了公共汽車、伯明翰接上了水管、塞爾馬建了橋，一位來自亞特蘭大的傳教士告訴人們：我們能成功。是的，我們能做到。

人類登上月球、柏林牆倒下，世界因我們的科學和想像被連接在一起。今年，就在這次選舉中，她用手指觸碰屏幕投下自己的選票，因為在美國生活了106年之後，經曆了最好的時光和最黑暗的時刻之後，她知道美國如何能夠發生變革。是的，我們能做到。

美國，我們已經走過漫漫長路。我們已經曆了很多。但是我們仍有很多事情要做。因此今夜，讓我們自問－－如果我們的孩子能夠活到下個世紀；如果我們的女兒有幸活得和安一樣長，他們將會看到怎樣的改變？我們將會取得怎樣的進步？

現在是我們回答這個問題的機會。這是我們的時刻。這是我們的時代－－讓我們的人民重新就業，為我們的後代敞開機會的大門；恢複繁榮發展，推進和平事業；讓“美國夢”重新煥發光芒，再次證明這樣一個基本的真理：我們是一家人；一息尚存，我們就有希望；當我們遇到嘲諷和懷疑，當有人說我們辦不到的時候，我們要以這個永恒的信條來回應他們：

是的，我們能做到。感謝你們。上帝保佑你們。願上帝保佑美利堅合眾國。

Barack Obama