After I posted the video of Keith Olbermann on my blog, this comment war began on my Facebook...and lasted 37 hours. I won't comment much because the comments speak for themselves, but my favorite comment was when Jonathan decided to make light of the situation and quote a piece of the SNL skit from a couple weeks back with Ben Affleck impersonating Keith Olbermann...and posted the video too. He transcribed it by the way, which is even more impressive. I also got a few private emails from people asking who the hell one person on a tirade was. So, read on...very interesting...
VM Becerra at 9:14am November 17
Keith Obershithead must die, f-ing commie!
Gwyn Johnson at 2:33pm November 17
Yeah...not sure how he is a commie! He is not the one trying to rule others lives. Great VID Sarah!!
Stephen F. Johnson at 2:50pm November 17
Great video. To whoever made the other comment, really, seriously, did you actually listen to what he just said? I mean granted, all of these media talking heads are kind of tools, but really, on this post, on this issue?Eh, what's the use. Just go back to your dumb-as-we-want-to-be, SUV driving, fake conservative ignorant hole and dont bother the rest of us. After all, imposing your will on others just because you dont like them, or the person who controls your ideology for you says so, has a long history of success. It worked for Hitler, right?
Gwyn Johnson at 3:41pm November 17
OOWWCH!
Sarah Chait at 6:43pm November 17
I'd have to agree that Stephen and Gwyn are right on this one. Vic, I think Keith was very warranted on every word he uttered...wanting people to spread love and hoping for equal rights does not make one a Commie...I found Olbermann to be pure genius in this 'speech'...I almost cried because he didn't only hit on gay marriage...he hit on MUCH more than that. Stephen, love the boldness, LOVE IT!
VM Becerra at 7:56pm November 17
I never agree with Sir Elton John, but on this matter, he is dead on. Here is part of his quote.We're not married. Let's get that right. We have a civil partnership. What is wrong with Proposition 8 is that they went for marriage. Marriage is going to put a lot of people off, the word marriage."John and Furnish, and their two cocker spaniels, Marilyn and Arthur, were in town for Tuesday's annual benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. "I don't want to be married. I'm very happy with a civil partnership. If gay people want to get married, or get together, they should have a civil partnership," John says. "The word 'marriage,' I think, puts a lot of people off. "You get the same equal rights that we do when we have a civil partnership. Heterosexual people get married. We can have civil partnerships."
VM Becerra at 8:09pm November 17
Steve, ask Sarah about me, I am a Conservative, and I do drive a Jeep, and I am a card carrying member of the NRA! I also get to help the less fortunate and teach them how to survive on their own, as well as I get to shoot the bad people that want liberals like you dead. As for Obershithead being a commie, yes, sorry Keith, voters did what voters do, and voted. And I would like to thank the Black vote in California, because they saved marriage.
David Aguayo at 8:21pm November 17
What a weak opinion of marriage it must be that feels threatened by people different than yourself wanting to take part. Maybe we should question every person on how well they respect their marriages or marriage in general so we can better save the institution and save people from their fears.
Stephen F. Johnson at 8:31pm November 17
You are familiar with the concept of mccarthyism, right?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism A certain senator/political block who destoyed people's lives and careers, generally for no good reason other than personal gain, by calling them communists. I see no good reason at all why making an argument for giving people equal rights makes Olberman a communist. In fact, if history is any guide, ad hominem attacks against an indidvidal as opposed to a critique of their argument, combined with a threat to kill them, would be far more indicative of communist/totalitarian behavior then someone arguing for equal rights. There is another concept, on which this country was founded, that seems to me that it ought to be more applicable here: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Sarah Chait at 8:41pm November 17
Well said David and Stephen. Vic, I know we never agree on politics, but I have to say that this is clearly about more than politics. And while Elton John may be fine with a civil union, it's clear that many people, including myself, who can marry whichever man I please one day, thinks that everyone should have an equal shot at marriage. I've seen so many marriages go down in flames with infidelity, control, anger, and aggression that I can't justify we have anything to 'save' by making marriage exclusive to heterosexuals. There are fantastic marriages too, for sure...but if anything, I want more people to be able to have those fantastic marriages...even if they marry the same gender.
Stephen F. Johnson at 8:43pm November 17
Now, I know i was a little harsh in unleashing a broadside like that, but frankly it seems to me to be warranted, because right now all of the people out there fucking up this world are those who are intolerant of the views of others, and would rather silence/oppress/dominate them than just let them live thier lives in peace as long as they are not harming others. I dont really care to ask Sarah about you, because frankly you are fitting every blind "guns and Jesus" stereotype I can think of. if you ask her about me, you will find that I am very VERY far from a liberal. I am actually a lifelong conservative who is sick to death of the current political environment.I like guns too, even assault rifles, although the concept of someone bragging that they get to shoot people appauls me to a very deep level. It is unfortunate that that kind of action is ever necessary, but the world is not a safe or fair place. But to revel in it? i suspect in time you will reconsider those words.
Stephen F. Johnson at 8:56pm November 17
I am with David and Sarah here. Let people live thier lives and pursue thier happiness. The only institution threathened here is probably the Catholic Church. Marriage has existed since before the invention of the concept of government, law, or religion, and has survived far far worse than two people comitting thier lives to eachother in union before God Country and Family. The only people arguing that this will "destroy the institution" are those who seek to try and control and manipulate people through fear. These are the same people causing and or exascerbating the worst of the world's issues right now, as if they must use fear, then they are probably on the wrong side of truth and morality. You can choose to participate in that, or to make your own decisions and do what your own concience tells you, not what those in power (political or religious) would have you believe.
Stephen F. Johnson at 8:58pm November 17
Oh, and about the jeep thing, read this: http://www.energybulletin.net/primer.phpand then knock yourself out at the pump about a year from now. In the meantime, I will be busy helping people be able to get thier food from the field to the dinner table without having to shoot people to protect the fuels required to do it.
VM Becerra at 9:43pm November 17
Sorry Steve, I am a Atheist. I only believe in the Constitution. Also, Steve, I help people by teaching them to protect themselves. google army sf one day. I use to be a liberal, then I grew up. Try it one day. BTW Senator McCarthy was not to far off on communism in the US. Know your history read in to it more than just your Wacky Pedia. And i hope never to meet you, I might laugh because you fit my stereotype of the weak, self-hating liberal.
Jonathan Albright at 10:19pm November 17
"Dear Mr. Olbermann," the letter read, "the co-op board reviewed your letter in response to its no pets policy, in order to accommodate your cat, Miss Precious Perfect, regretfully conclude that such an exception is not possible at this time." Regards, Richard Leiberstein, co-op President.And there it was, all perfectly legal, like the 1942 internment of more than 100,000 Japanese Americans, or the forced relocation of the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears. Or the monstrous injustice of the Jim Crow laws. It was all perfectly legal and EVERY BIT AS WRONG, if not indeed more so.Mr Leiberstein, sir, you speak so eloquently of the rights of others. How dare you sir, how dare you. Where, sir in any of this were the rights of Miss Precious Perfect? See they not that horror to which the Leiberstiens have so willingly blinded themselves? This, sir, is a genocide...a feline genocide.
Sarah Chait at 10:25pm November 17
Thanks for lightening the mood Jonathan. Remember watching that a couple weeks ago and just cracking up!? This is why you are one of my favorite people. Ben Affleck did the best impression ever!
Gwyn Johnson at 6:04am November 18
Stephen is NOT self hating...or a liberal. The only hate I see is coming from you there Vic! I suggest if you can't back up your political view to keep atleast the "Hate and death" words to yourself. After all you are there to "PROTECT US " am I wrong??
Elizabeth Heuberger at 6:35am November 18
Amen!
VM Becerra at 9:30am November 18
Back what up Gwyn? Lets see the facts here, first, Cal voted not once but twice on this issue! Ok, so the courts reversed the Prop the first time. Then the voters had a signed referendum to bring it back to a vote in Nov. Then the voters said, hey lets pass it again, they did. 2x. What don't you people get? I voted for the other guy, but with BHO as pres, I will respect him because he is my new C in C, and the people voted on this. Now, everyone else should respect Cal's vote. Sorry gay folks, no marriage for you today, but I do agree with giving them a civil union. But hey we live in a democracy, so try again in 2 years.
Gwyn Johnson at 10:40am November 18
Well I don't think it's the end of it, looks like the BHO is likely to take it to the supreme court. My "backing it up" comment was referring to your shit flicking without any basis for your beliefs. I understand you are in the military and can't get into details its just nice to hear words that are constructive and not "DIE COMMIE" and calling my husband weak and self-hating. THat get's you no-where if you are looking for a political discussion I would say be constructive and argue your point- and lay of the "DIE COMMIE DIE" rhetoric :o)
David Aguayo at 1:01pm November 18
If we get to vote on who gets to get married and who does not, I say let people who espouse hatred have their rights withdrawn. I really do not want them taking part in the sanctity of my marriage. Oh and cat lovers. I hate them....soooo much ;-)
VM Becerra at 3:10pm November 18
No, look Gwyn Communism is the belief that Government knows what is right for its citizens and their vote does not matter. That is a Commie. Get it? Also, if BHO goes after this matter and supports it going to the supreme court for a reversal, then he loses his Black Community base. Remember, that in California, it was the Christian Blacks who voted for this in a big way.
Gwyn Johnson at 10:49pm November 18
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communism Sorry, that is no where close to the difinition of a communist. Granted in a communist government most don't have the right to vote. People are not "Commies" for having strong beliefs contrary to what was voted into law by the people?? If that were true you would be a "Commie for hating Obama"Oh....nice try on the black community base... that's not the only people that voted for that law and who really cares about that.... Obama is the first black US president I don't think he has to worry about an uprisal of black people hating him even if he did get this thrown out on the basis of Constitutional rights which it clearly contradicts. ""We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." -this one sound familiar
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Keith Olbermann is Awesome...
It's been two weeks since election night, and Prop 8 passing in California is still bothering me. I spent all of that evening flipping back and forth between election result websites for California and Oregon, thankful that most of the ballot measures in Oregon went my way, but irritated to no end that Prop 8 in California just kept collecting Yes votes. I know I devoted the majority of my last post to this...but I just don't get why anyone cares who can and can't marry. Who are we 'protecting' by denying anyone the right to marry? I don't need to really write anything more about it, but I hadn't seen this clip yet, and Keith Olbermann captures perfectly how the human race should think about this subject. Pay attention to it...if you don't support same sex marriage now, maybe one day you will change your mind...
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Stabbing At the Air
None of this may come out as it should, but I am stabbing at the air tonight and fine with whatever direction it goes. I will start by saying that the only real problems I have in my life right now are sore calves and not being able to wave a magic wand to take away grief for some of my friends who suffered a profound loss this past weekend...so clearly sore calves are nothing to bitch about. I am just worried about humanity a little bit at the moment.
A woman I know left this comment on a mutual friend's Facebook page today: THANK YOU for serving our country!! We are proud of you and all the others, even if the president isn't.
Maybe I am just in a bad mood, but this pissed me off, so I left him a comment that says: F that!!! The newly elected president is too proud of you! Maybe his views will be different than McCain's, but I still believe he will be coming into this with good intentions and is proud of you all. AND I QUOTE..."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." McCain and Obama are both noble men. McCain bowed out with class and dignity. His followers will hopefully do the same.
So, hopefully I don't get my ass kicked for mentioning this, but the same woman voted Yes on 8 in California. Welllll, I'm questioning why people continue to be comfortable hating others as discriminatory ballot measures in Florida, Arizona, and California were passed. In the news article discussing this, Ron Prentice said, "This is a great day for marriage. The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution." My God, yes, marriage is a GREAT INSTITUTION. But imagine if someone said, "Oh sorry, you can't marry your boyfriend because he is Hispanic and you are Peruvian," or "You are poor and he is rich. A marriage between you will never be legalized." Instead of banning marriages between two people of the same sex who truly love one another, I'd love to see us throw the book at every union between a man and woman that is riddled with infidelity or abuse. Or every marriage of the people who decided that their marriage is superior to the union of the ones they voted to ban yesterday. And, while I feel fine acknowledging a difference of opinion in some matters, deciding on someone else's civil liberties just does not seem right to me. PS...in 1992, I had a bright pink button that said "Fuck the OCA." I wore it to school all of fall until my freshman science teacher ordered me to take it off and said, "Maybe you need to learn to express yourself in a less aggressive manner." To this, I replied, "But Mr. Nunn, this is what I think!!!" I bizarrely had a lot of respect for the guy, and can ultimately see where he was coming from (ie...hate of any kind tends to only breed more hate), but still.
So, I hate to say this, because I have mentioned it before, but I was so excited watching Obama give his acceptance speech last night in front of a tearful crowd, but at the same time, I was terrified for his life. A PostSecret came in a couple months ago with clipped out pictures of Martin Luther King Junior, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, and Obama that reads: It's only a matter of time. I hope like hell this postcard's idea never comes true.
Alright, I can't end on a negative note, so let me tell you this story. Last Friday, we had a huge trick or treat festival at our work for all of our foster children. About 300 kids made their way through the building, gathering candy, pizza, and prizes. We all had candy outside our cubes, except one coworker...he had stuffed animals...tons of them. I walked to his cube and praised him for passing out stuffed animals to our kids, and asked how he managed to collect so many to give away. "Oh, these are my daughter's and we thought it was time to give them to new children who can enjoy them." This daughter passed away from cancer years ago, and as a child would come up to pick one, my coworker would say, "Oh, that is a great choice" and say the name of the toy as it was tucked away into the child's trick or treat bag.
I couldn't help but cry, and cry, and then cry some more. It was a great sign of the humanity I neglected to mention in the first three quarters of this post...and the reason that, even though life gets irritating at times, we all go marching on, even if it is on sore calves that don't deserve to be bitched about.
A woman I know left this comment on a mutual friend's Facebook page today: THANK YOU for serving our country!! We are proud of you and all the others, even if the president isn't.
Maybe I am just in a bad mood, but this pissed me off, so I left him a comment that says: F that!!! The newly elected president is too proud of you! Maybe his views will be different than McCain's, but I still believe he will be coming into this with good intentions and is proud of you all. AND I QUOTE..."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." McCain and Obama are both noble men. McCain bowed out with class and dignity. His followers will hopefully do the same.
So, hopefully I don't get my ass kicked for mentioning this, but the same woman voted Yes on 8 in California. Welllll, I'm questioning why people continue to be comfortable hating others as discriminatory ballot measures in Florida, Arizona, and California were passed. In the news article discussing this, Ron Prentice said, "This is a great day for marriage. The people of California stood up for traditional marriage and reclaimed this great institution." My God, yes, marriage is a GREAT INSTITUTION. But imagine if someone said, "Oh sorry, you can't marry your boyfriend because he is Hispanic and you are Peruvian," or "You are poor and he is rich. A marriage between you will never be legalized." Instead of banning marriages between two people of the same sex who truly love one another, I'd love to see us throw the book at every union between a man and woman that is riddled with infidelity or abuse. Or every marriage of the people who decided that their marriage is superior to the union of the ones they voted to ban yesterday. And, while I feel fine acknowledging a difference of opinion in some matters, deciding on someone else's civil liberties just does not seem right to me. PS...in 1992, I had a bright pink button that said "Fuck the OCA." I wore it to school all of fall until my freshman science teacher ordered me to take it off and said, "Maybe you need to learn to express yourself in a less aggressive manner." To this, I replied, "But Mr. Nunn, this is what I think!!!" I bizarrely had a lot of respect for the guy, and can ultimately see where he was coming from (ie...hate of any kind tends to only breed more hate), but still.
So, I hate to say this, because I have mentioned it before, but I was so excited watching Obama give his acceptance speech last night in front of a tearful crowd, but at the same time, I was terrified for his life. A PostSecret came in a couple months ago with clipped out pictures of Martin Luther King Junior, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy, and Obama that reads: It's only a matter of time. I hope like hell this postcard's idea never comes true.
Alright, I can't end on a negative note, so let me tell you this story. Last Friday, we had a huge trick or treat festival at our work for all of our foster children. About 300 kids made their way through the building, gathering candy, pizza, and prizes. We all had candy outside our cubes, except one coworker...he had stuffed animals...tons of them. I walked to his cube and praised him for passing out stuffed animals to our kids, and asked how he managed to collect so many to give away. "Oh, these are my daughter's and we thought it was time to give them to new children who can enjoy them." This daughter passed away from cancer years ago, and as a child would come up to pick one, my coworker would say, "Oh, that is a great choice" and say the name of the toy as it was tucked away into the child's trick or treat bag.
I couldn't help but cry, and cry, and then cry some more. It was a great sign of the humanity I neglected to mention in the first three quarters of this post...and the reason that, even though life gets irritating at times, we all go marching on, even if it is on sore calves that don't deserve to be bitched about.
Perfect...
"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."
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."
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