[Peace] Barack Obama's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention

[Kranich, Kimberlie]

Good speech!  Inspiring and hopeful even as I have critiques of it.

Kimberlie




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Barack Obama's Remarks to the Democratic National Convention

July 27, 2004
 


 

The following is the text of Barack Obama's keynote address
to the Democratic National Convention, as recorded by The
New York Times. 

BARACK OBAMA. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank
you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all
proud. 

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a
nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest
gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention. 

Tonight is a particular honor for me because - let's face
it - my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My
father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small
village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school
in a tin-roof shack. His father - my grandfather - was a
cook, a domestic servant to the British. 

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through
hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to
study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon
of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before. 

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born
in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her
father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the
Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather
signed up for duty; joined Patton's army, marched across
Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised their baby and
went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they
studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A.,
and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of
opportunity. 

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common
dream, born of two continents. 

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared
an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They
would give me an African name, Barack, or "blessed,"
believing that in a tolerant America your name is no
barrier to success. They imagined me going to the best
schools in the land, even though they weren't rich, because
in a generous America you don't have to be rich to achieve
your potential. 

They are both passed away now. And yet, I know that, on
this night, they look down on me with great pride. 

I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my
heritage, aware that my parents' dreams live on in my two
precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is
part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all
of those who came before me, and that, in no other country
on earth, is my story even possible. 

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation -
not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power
of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is
based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration
made over two hundred years ago: 'We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all men are created equal. That they
are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable
rights. That among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness.' 

That is the true genius of America - a faith in simple
dreams,, an insistence on small miracles. That we can tuck
in our children at night and know that they are fed and
clothed and safe from harm. That we can say what we think,
write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the
door. That we can have an idea and start our own business
without paying a bribe. That we can participate in the
political process without fear of retribution, and that our
votes will be counted at least, most of the time. 

This year, in this election, we are called to reaffirm our
values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard
reality and see how we are measuring up, to the legacy of
our forbearers, and the promise of future generations. 

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents
- I say to you tonight: we have more work to do. More work
to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Ill., who are
losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that's moving
to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own
children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour. More to do
for the father that I met who was losing his job and
choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay $4,500 a
month for the drugs his son needs without the health
benefits that he counted on. More to do for the young woman
in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the
grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn't have the
money to go to college. 

Now don't get me wrong. The people I meet - in small towns
and big cities, in diners and office parks - they don't
expect government to solve all their problems. They know
they have to work hard to get ahead - and they want to. 

Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will
tell you they don't want their tax money wasted, by a
welfare agency or by the Pentagon. 

Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell
you that government alone can't teach our kids to learn -
they know that parents have to teach, that children can't
achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the
television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black
youth with a book is acting white. They know those things. 

People don't expect government to solve all their
problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with
just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that
every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that
the doors of opportunity remain open to all. 

They know we can do better. And they want that choice. 

In
this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a
man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to
offer. And that man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands
the ideals of community, faith, and service because they've
defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to
his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through
two decades in the United States Senate, he has devoted
himself to this country. Again and again, we've seen him
make tough choices when easier ones were available. 

His values - and his record - affirm what is best in us.
John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is
rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies
shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies
creating jobs here at home. 

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can
afford the same health coverage our politicians in
Washington have for themselves. 

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren't
held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the
sabotage of foreign oil fields. 

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that
have made our country the envy of the world, and he will
never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a
wedge to divide us. 

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must
be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first
option. 

You know, a while back, I met a young man named Shamus
[Seamus?] in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Ill.. He was a
good-looking kid, six two, six three, clear eyed, with an
easy smile. He told me he'd joined the Marines, and was
heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to
him explain why he'd enlisted, the absolute faith he had in
our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and
service, I thought this young man was all that any of us
might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we
serving Shamus as well as he is serving us? 

I thought of the 900 men and women - sons and daughters,
husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won't be
returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families
I've met who were struggling to get by without a loved
one's full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a
limb missing or nerves shattered, but who still lacked
long-term health benefits because they were Reservists. 

When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we
have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade
the truth about why they're going, to care for their
families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon
their return, and to never ever go to war without enough
troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the
respect of the world. 

Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies
in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be
pursued - and they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this.


And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his
life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam,
President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our
military might to keep America safe and secure. 

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it's not
enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our
famous individualism, there's another ingredient in the
American saga. A belief that we're all connected as one
people. 

If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can't
read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child. If
there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their
prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and
the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my
grandparent. If there's an Arab American family being
rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process,
that threatens my civil liberties. 

It is that fundamental belief, it is that fundamental
belief, I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper
that makes this country work. It's what allows us to pursue
our individual dreams and yet still come together as one
American family. 

E pluribus unum. Out of many, one. 

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to
divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who
embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them
tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative
America - there is the United States of America. There is
not a Black America and a White America and Latino America
and Asian America - there's the United States of America. 

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country
into Red States and Blue States; Red States for
Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news
for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue
States, and we don't like federal agents poking around in
our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in
the Blue States and yes, we've got some gay friends in the
Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq
and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. 

We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the
stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of
America. In the end, that's what this election is about. Do
we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we
participate in a politics of hope? 

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to
hope. 

I'm not talking about blind optimism here - the almost
willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if
we just don't think about it, or the health care crisis
will solve itself if we just ignore it. That's not what I'm
talking about. I'm talking about something more
substantial. It's the hope of slaves sitting around a fire
singing freedom songs. The hope of immigrants setting out
for distant shores. The hope of a young naval lieutenant
bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta. The hope of a
millworker's son who dares to defy the odds. The hope of a
skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has
a place for him, too. 

Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of
uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is
God's greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A
belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better
days ahead. 

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and
provide working families with a road to opportunity. I
believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the
homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America
from violence and despair. I believe that we have a
righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the
crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and
meet the challenges that face us. 

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if
you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same
passion I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do -
if we do what we must do, then I have no doubts that all
across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington
to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John
Kerry will be sworn in as president, and John Edwards will
be sworn in as vice president, and this country will
reclaim its promise, and out of this long political
darkness a brighter day will come. 

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.


http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/27/politics/campaign/27TEXT-OBAMA.html?ex=109
2021285&ei=1&en=938bf126cb4ed349


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