Obama's Election Night Speech

U.S. President Barack Obama Victory Speech

FULL TEXT:

November 4, 2008

PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA: 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.

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 very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

Its 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.

Its 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.

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.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes 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 nations 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 nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. 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 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 youve 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 didnt 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 generations 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 didnt do this 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 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 theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors 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 wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that 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 join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its 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, 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.

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 Americas 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 thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes 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 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 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 cant, 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.

奥巴马当选演讲全文（转）

2008-11-05 19:32:00　来源: 国际在线(北京)

新当选美国总统奥巴马11月4日晚在家乡芝加哥发表胜选感言。他说，“我曾经是最不可能赢得白宫的候选人。”“美国的变革时代已到来”。

全文如下：

芝加哥的公民们，大家好！

如果现在仍然有人怀疑在美国是不是真的任何事情都可能发生，怀疑我们开国之父们的梦想是否还留存在这片土地上，怀疑美国民主的力量，今夜，就是你的答案。

在这个国家的学校和教堂中人们曾焦急地等待着答案，一些人甚至从未像今天一样——等待了3～4个小时，但是他们知道这一时刻非同一般，他们的声音也同样非同一般。

在美国的土地上，无论是年轻人还是老人；穷人还是富人；无论是共和党人还是民主党人；无论是黑人、白人、西班牙裔、亚裔、美国原住民、同性恋、异性恋、残疾人还是非残疾人都发出同一种信息，我并非孤身一人。

我们是，而且永远都是美利坚合众国！

这一天我们等得太久了，但是今晚，因为我们在这场竞选中、在这个地点、在此时此刻所做的一切，改变已经降临美国。

在今天晚上，我很荣幸地接到了麦凯恩参议员打来的电话。麦凯恩参议员在这场竞选中进行了长久、艰难的努力。而且，为这个他热爱的国家，他奋斗了更久、付出了更多的努力。他为美国做出了超乎我们大多数人想象的牺牲，因为这个无畏无私的领导人所付出的努力，我们才有了更好的生活。我对他表示祝贺，也对佩林州长所取得的成果表示祝贺。同时，我也期待着能在接下来的几个月内，和他们共同努力履行对这个国家的诺言。

我想感谢我在这个旅程中的搭档，一个全心全意参加竞选的男人，一个为同他一起在斯克蓝顿(宾夕法尼亚东北部城市)街道长大、一起坐火车到特拉华州的人们发言的男人，美国未来的副总统，乔·拜登。

在过去的16年里如果没有朋友们的支持和鼓励，那么我今晚将不会站在这里……我的家庭的支持、关爱，美国的下一位第一夫人米歇尔·奥巴马，还有萨沙和玛丽雅，我对你们的爱甚至超出你们的想象，你们将得到新的小狗，和你们一起到新的白宫。

我却再也不能陪伴我的外祖母了，但我知道她一直在守望着我们。我也十分想念我的家人和亲戚，我知道自己亏欠他们太多，太多。我要感谢马娅，阿尔玛，以及我所有的兄弟姐妹，感谢你们对我无私的支持，对此我深表感激。还有，感谢我的竞选经理大卫·普劳夫。还有那些在竞选活动中的无名英雄们，他们表现的很棒，是他们给美国带来了一场最完美的大选，我想，这在美国历史上是绝无仅有的。还有我的首席战略师大卫·阿克塞尔罗德。他是我的伙伴，在我竞选的每个阶段都给我极大的帮助，为我打造了美国大选史上最棒的竞选团队。是你让这一切发生了，我将永远对你为这一切做出的牺牲心存感激。但是最重要的，我将永远无法忘记这场胜利真正的主人，这属于你们，这属于你们。

我曾经是最不可能赢得白宫的候选人。在刚开始的时候，我们没有多少钱，也没有多少支持者，我们的竞选不是从华盛顿的大厅开始的，而是开始于艾奥瓦州得梅因的后院、康科德的客厅、查尔斯顿的前厅。是辛勤劳作的男人、女人捐给了我们他们微薄的积蓄，5块钱、10块钱、20块钱。我们从年轻人那里得到了力量，他们拒绝服从同龄人冷漠的神话。为了工作，他们离开了自己的家乡，并与亲人分别，可是他们拿很少的报酬，甚至连睡觉的时间也少的可怜。

那些并不年轻的志愿者却拥有一颗火热的心，为了大选他们在寒风中敲开善良的陌生人家的门，这就是为什么两个世纪以来，我们人类，我们的政府没有从地球上消亡的原因。

我想说，这同样也是你们的胜利！我知道，你们不仅仅是为了赢得一个大选，也不仅仅是为了我。

你们这样做，是因为知道我们面前任务的艰难。即使我们今晚在这里欢庆，我们仍然知道明天将会带来我们平生最大的挑战——两场战争，一个处于危险边缘的星球、一个世纪来最严重的金融危机。

在孩子们熟睡后依然醒着的父亲母亲在担心，他们怎样才能还清医生的账单，攒够足够的钱供孩子的大学教育。

新的能源要去开发，新的工作岗位要去创造，新的学校要去建造，新的威胁要去面对，新的盟友关系要去修复。

前面的路会很长。我们的攀岩会很陡峭。我们甚至不会在一年、一个任期内达到这个目标。但是，美国，我从未比今夜更加相信，我们会达到这个目标。

我承诺，作为一个人，我们会达到这个目标。

以后我们还会面对挫折和谎言，我成为总统以后，也许有人无法认同我的每一项政策和方针。并且我们也知道政府并非能解决一切问题。但是我会忠诚地和你们并肩奋斗，共同面对挑战。我依然会倾听你们的声音，尤其是我们之间存在分歧的时候。最重要的是，我会真诚地邀请你参与国家的重建，就像美国建国221年以来的历史那样——靠我们的双手把国家建设地更为强大。

我们从21个月以前的冬天开始了奋斗的征程，但是我们的努力不会在这个秋天的夜晚结束。这次胜利并不会改变我们的探索之路，这对于我们来说是一个难得的机遇，我们决不能后退。我们不会退缩，因为我们拥有旺盛的精力和无畏牺牲的精神。

让我们重振爱国主义精神，承担起自己的责任，我们将努力奋斗，互帮互助。

让我们牢记金融危机给美国带来的伤痛，我们再也不会让华尔街繁荣的同时，让别的街受罪。

在这个国家里，我们与祖国的命运紧密相连。让我们自觉抵制党派争端和过于污秽的政治斗争。

让我们牢记在这条街道上高举共和党旗帜入主白宫的那个人(林肯)，是他宣扬了独立和自主的精神，完成了国家的统一。

这些价值观应该得到继承和发扬，今晚民主党取得了胜利，我们必须保持谦虚的心态，并下定决心完成后面的征程。就像很久以前，林肯对一个比现在分裂得更严重的民族所说的那样，我们不是敌人，是朋友。虽然热情已经被冲淡，我们的友爱纽带没有破裂。

同时，对于我没有赢得支持的民众，我或许没有得到你们的投票，但是我听到了你们的声音。我需要你们的帮助。我也会是你们的总统。

对于那些在另外一个海岸，从国会到王宫、到在被世界遗忘的角落摆弄收音机、关注美国今夜的人们，我们的故事并非只有一个，但是目标是共同的，美国领导力的新的黎明已经到来。

美国应该变化，我们的社会应该更完美。我们已经取得的成果给了我们明天取得更大成果的希望。

这次大选有很多首创和许多故事，这些故事将代代相传。但今天晚上我脑子里能想起来的就是一个女人，她刚刚在亚特兰大城投了票。她跟成千上万在这次大选中排队发出自己声音的人一样，唯有一点例外：安·尼克松·库珀已经106岁高龄了。她出生在奴隶制刚刚废除后的那一代，那时路上没有汽车，天上没有飞机。像她那样的人仍不能投票，这因为两个方面的原因：一是她是女性；二是因为她的肤色。

可今晚，我想她看透了一个世纪的美国——头疼与希望；挣扎与发展。有人告诉我们，美国不行了，可美国人的自信却回答：不，我们行！她曾经生活在女性发不出声音、希望破灭的时代，可她却活着看到女性们站起来，发出自己的声音，并且投下自己的票。是的，我们行！

当饥饿来到，衰退发生时，她看到了这个国家是如何以新政，新工作，和全新的共同目标来战胜恐惧的。当炸弹落到我们的港口，独裁者威胁世界的时候，她亲眼见证了一代人的崛起和民主得以挽救。是的，我们行！她去蒙哥马利搭乘公共汽车，她去伯明翰面对水龙头，她去塞尔玛占桥……她听来自亚特兰大的牧师告诉大家：“我们能打破种族障碍”，没错，我们行！

今年，在这次大选中，她投下了自己的一票。因为在美国生活了106个年头，经历了最好的时光与最难的岁月，所以她知道美国一定能改变。是的，我们行！

美国已经经历了太多，我们看够了太多，但我们还得做更多的事。今晚，让我们问自己：如果我们的孩子们要活着看到新世纪，如果我们的女儿们能像安·尼克松这样活到106岁，我们应该有哪些进步？我们应该回答这个问题，这是我们的时代。

现在是我们一起开始工作，为我们的孩子打开机遇之门，恢复我们的繁荣，促进和平，重回美国梦，恢复基本信任，以及其它许多事的时候了。我们应该团结如一人。我们应该坚定地回应那些说我们不行的人，我们将以无穷的力量来回应他们，然后说：是的，我们行！

感谢大家，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美利坚！(落晖/徐冰川)