Barack Obama's speech

 

 

President Barack Obama's speech in  Chicago after his re-election

Tuesday night

 

 

Thank you so much.

Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to

determine its own destiny, the task of perfecting our union moves

forward.

 

 

It moves forward because of you. It moves forward because you

reaffirmed the spirit that has triumphed over war and depression, the

spirit that has lifted this country from the depths of despair to the

great heights of hope, the belief that while each of us will pursue our

own individual dreams, we are an American family and we rise or fall

together as one nation and as one people.

 

 

Tonight, in  this election, you, the American people, reminded us that

while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we

have picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we

know in  our hearts that for the United States of America the best is

yet to come.

 

 

I want to thank every American who participated in this election,

whether you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very

long time. By the way, we have to fix that.  Whether you pounded the

pavement or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign

or a Romney sign, you made your voice heard and you made a

difference.

 

 

I just spoke with Gov. Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan

on a hard-fought campaign.  We may have battled fiercely, but it's

only because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly

about its future.  From George to Lenore to their son  Mitt, the.

Romney family has chosen to give back to America through puplic

service and that is the legacy that we honor and applaud tonight.  In

the weeks ahead, I also look forward to sitting down with Gov.

Romney  to talk about where we can work together to move this

country forward.

I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years,

America's happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever

hope for, Joe Biden.

 

 

And I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman  who agreed

to marry me 20 years ago.  Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have

never loved you more.  I have never been  prouder to watch the rest

of America fall in love with you, too, as our nation's first lady.  Sasha

and Malia, before our very eyes you're growing up to become two

strong, smart beautiful young women, just like your mom. And I'm so

proud of you guys.  But I will say that for now one dog's probably

enough.

 

 

To  the best campaign team and volunteers in  the history of politics.

The best.  The best ever. Some of you were new this time around,       

and some of you have been at my side since the very beginning.  But

all of you are family.  No matter what you do or where you go from

here, you will carry the memory of the history we made together and

you will have the lifelong appreciation of a grateful president.  Thank

you for believing all the way, through every hill, through every

valley.  You lifted me up the whole way and I will always be grateful

for everything that you've done and all the incredible work that you

put in.

 

 

I know that political campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly.

And that provides plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that

politics is nothing more than a contest of egos or the domain of

special interests.  But if you ever get the chance to talk to folks who

turned out at our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high

school gym, or saw folks working late in a campaign office in some

tiny county far away from home, you'll discover something else. 

 

 

You'll hear the determination in the voice of a young field organizer

who's working his way through college and wants to make sure every

child has that same opportunity.  You'll hear the pride in the voice of

a volunteer who's going door to door because her brother was finally

hired when the local auto plant added another shift. You'll hear the

deep patriotism in the voice of a military spouse who's working the

phones late at night to make sure that no one who fights for this

country ever has to fight for a job or a roof over their head when

they come home.

 

 

That's why we do this.  That's what politics can be.  That's why

elections matter.  It's not small,  it's big.  It's important.  Democracy in a

nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated.  We

have our own opinions.  Each of us has deeply held beliefs.  And when

we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a

 

 

 

 

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