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
first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their
voices could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black,
white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or 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’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and
fearful and doubtful about 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.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.
Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and
harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and
selfless leader. I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they’ve 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 the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady
Michelle Obama.
And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the
family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is
beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much
for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.
至若玛雅、艾玛二姐妹，以及吾家诸同胞，所惠我者，亦属良多，久沐恩德，此当拜谢。
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built
the best ― the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of
America.To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of
the way.To 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.
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 $5 and $10 and $20 to the 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.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching
heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and 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 the Earth.
