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Obama: the victory speech

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William Crawley | 20:37 UK time, Thursday, 6 November 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."

That's how Barack Obama began an extraordinarily inspirational speech, responding to John McCain's remarkably gracious concession speech, in the early hours of Wednesday morning. I stayed up very late, in the end, to hear this speech delivered live to a global audience. This oration must surely earn a place in the history of American rhetoric; it is one of the most moving speeches I've ever heard. Perhaps you will be moved to rank it in comparison with other great political speeches of the past half-century or so. I suspect it will bear comparison.

Read on for the full text of the speech. Or watch the speech in this clip.


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.

Comments

  • Comment number 1.

    Amazing talk, very well balanced. He also did not emphasize about his near future plans indicating it is time to do rather than talk!

  • Comment number 2.


    An incredible speech in every way. Combined with the historic nature of the event, this was enough to give me goosebumps.


  • Comment number 3.

    You have to admit, Obama`s election is historic, as it would have been if he`d stood for the republicans. I was impressed with McCain`s generous and gracious speech accepting defeat. As before in his campaign he has gone out of his way to promote decency in the treatment of his opponent and demonstrates that he, and many of his generation, has adapted to the idea of a truly pluralistic America. Perhaps the most important thing this election does is to make clear that skin colour or race is no longer a barrier to advancement in America. One day America will have a Presidential candidates of Hispanic or Asian descent and it will be considered unimportant and unremarkable, all that will matter will be that persons character, policies and record.

    Once Obama`s Presidency begins America will have truly crossed over this watershed and it will be business as usual. Could we do the same in the UK? After all we elected one of the first women Prime ministers.

    Obama exudes confidence and certainly can articulate a national mood. In many ways that is the most important thing that popular American leaders such as Kennedy and Reagan provided, leadership in emotional buoyancy and optimism. I doubt Obama can fulfil a fraction of the the great expectations he has raised, but he seems able to promote a hope for a better future and a feeling one it is possible; particularly important following the recent years of bad news, uncertainty and pessimism.

    This election renews the promise of America as a land of freedom and equality and a land of opportunity. Obama is also likely to release the Americans spirit of `can do`, the potential of its people is America`s greatest resource.

    For those too young to know (or forgetful of why) race has been such a big issue in American politics here's al little reminder from the 1960s.

  • Comment number 4.

    I don't know which stirred me the most between the first time election of a black man to the American Presidency, or the remarkable speech which followed. I suppose that it has to be the former, it is truly history making, and signals an outstanding landmark in American politics and says much about the shift in social integration of ideas and commitment towards greater common purpose amongst the electorate.
    The gap between McCain and Obama was substantial by American standards, and therefore has to be regarded as a remarkable victory. But the support gained by McCain was anything but insubstantial and still remains to haunt the minds of those of us who were dreading the possibility of a McCain victory and what consequences that would have had for the world.
    Fortunately(?) or ironically, that surge (not the Iraqi one, but the one which shoved the G8 over the financial precipice) pretty well put paid to McCains chances and helped to secure the Obama victory. The silver lining on the cloud you might say. Not the kind of luck you might want to count on every day, but perhaps significant in that with all that is stacked against his presidency, being landed with two wars, a broken economy comparible only to the nineteen thirties depression at the crisis end of the list of many problems inherited, an injection of the same measure of good luck instead would not go wrong.
    At the outset of his presidency President Elect Obama will have a good wind behind him judging by the breadth and age profile of his support. Amongst the crowds supporting him it appeared that he had a rainbow coalition of all ages, but notably of younger people, many of whom were positively youthful. That compared favourably with the McCain caucus amongst which considerably more white peaks were evident, and a distinct lack of ethnic diversity in comparison seemed obvious.
    The American people have voted for change and want to see change in the domestic situation at home. No doubt they also want to see change in foreign policy also, especially of a sort that is going to redeem them in the face of the world, primarily by rectifying the terrible blunders in the Middle East and seeking in future to consult and co-operate with the international community in international matters, abandoning the gung-ho mentality one size fits all unilateral decision making politics of G.W.B., albeit supported sadly by our own homegrown selection of supine Blairite lickspittles.
    So we can expect to share in this victory for sanity, I can only give President Elect Obama the benefit of the doubt at this stage, and I am tempted to offer up for a badly needed buffing, that sadly tarnished refrain, "Things Can Only Get Better"!

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