President Barack Obama's Victory Speech 2012:
Election Remarks From Chicago Illinois (ZT)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddx8t6zGWxA
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 public 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 country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.
That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.
But despite all our differences, most of us share certain hopes for America’s future. We want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers. A country that lives up to its legacy as the global leader in technology and discovery and innovation, with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow.
We want our children to live in an America that isn’t burdened by debt, that isn’t weakened by inequality, that isn’t threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet. We want to pass on a country that’s safe and respected and admired around the world, a nation that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this — this world has ever known. But also a country that moves with confidence beyond this time of war, to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being.
We believe in a generous America, in a compassionate America, in a tolerant America, open to the dreams of an immigrant’s daughter who studies in our schools and pledges to our flag. To the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street corner. To the furniture worker’s child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist, an engineer or an entrepreneur, a diplomat or even a president — that’s the future we hope for. That’s the vision we share. That’s where we need to go — forward. That’s where we need to go.
/>Now, we will disagree, sometimes fiercely, about how to get there. As it has for more than two centuries, progress will come in fits and starts. It’s not always a straight line. It’s not always a smooth path. By itself, the recognition that we have common hopes and dreams won’t end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward. But that common bond is where we must begin.
Our economy is recovering. A decade of war is ending. A long campaign is now over. And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.
/>Tonight you voted for action, not politics as usual. You elected us to focus on your jobs, not ours. And in the coming weeks and months, I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together. Reducing our deficit. Reforming our tax code. Fixing our immigration system. Freeing ourselves from foreign oil. We’ve got more work to do.
But that doesn’t mean your work is done. The role of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote. America’s never been about what can be done for us. It’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating, but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on.
This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. Our university, our culture are all the envy of the world, but that’s not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on earth. The belief that our destiny is shared; that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and to future generations. The freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for come with responsibilities as well as rights. And among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.
I am hopeful tonight because I’ve seen the spirit at work in America. I’ve seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut their own pay than lay off their neighbors, and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job. I’ve seen it in the soldiers who reenlist after losing a limb and in those SEALs who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back.
I’ve seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York, where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible storm. And I saw just the other day, in Mentor, Ohio, where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter, whose long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for health care reform passing just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care.
/>I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father, but meet this incredible daughter of his. And when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father’s story, every parent in that room had tears in their eyes, because we knew that little girl could be our own. And I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright. That’s who we are. That’s the country I’m so proud to lead as your president.
And tonight, despite all the hardship we’ve been through, despite all the frustrations of Washington, I’ve never been more hopeful about our future. I have never been more hopeful about America. And I ask you to sustain that hope. I’m not talking about blind optimism, the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our path. I’m not talking about the wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or shirk from a fight.
/>I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting.
America, I believe we can build on the progress we’ve made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class. I believe we can keep the promise of our founders, the idea that if you’re willing to work hard, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor, able, disabled, gay or straight, you can make it here in America if you’re willing to try.
I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests. We’re not as cynical as the pundits believe. We are greater than the sum of our individual ambitions, and we remain more than a collection of red states and blue states. We are and forever will be the United States of America.
And together with your help and God’s grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you, America. God bless you. God bless these United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/
转载:奥巴马演讲全文 来源: 中新网 & 文学城 于 2012-11-07 07:49:14/>
谢谢,非常感谢。
200多年前,美国第一个殖民地掌握了自己的命运,开始了这个国家的前进之旅。
美国的前进都是因为你们。因为你们不断重申那种帮助我们在过去战胜了战事及经济颓势的精神。这种精神将我们的国家拖出绝望的深渊,将其推向希望的彼岸。我们始终相信:每一个人都可以追求自己的梦想;美国是一个大家庭;团结起来我们就能胜利,分裂只能导致我们失败。
今夜,在这场选举中,你们提醒我们:尽管我们的道路漫长而艰巨,但是我们已经重塑信心,予以反击。我们在内心中深深的知道最棒的美国将要来临。
我想感谢每一位参与选举的美国民众。不管你是从第一天就投票了,还是一直等待了很长的时间才投的票(当然了,我们要解决这个排队投票的问题);不管你是自己去投票点投的票,还是打电话投的票;不管你是投了给我,还是投给罗姆尼;你的声音都被大家听到了,并且你对我们国家做出了某些改变。
刚刚我跟罗姆尼通了电话,我祝贺他和保罗在这个艰苦卓绝的战役中所取得的胜利。我们这场战役十分激烈,但是这正是因为我们深爱着这个国家,并且我们十分在意它的未来。罗姆尼的整个家庭,孙子辈,孩子辈,都通过公共服务在支持着美国。我们应该在今晚对这种精神表示尊敬和赞扬。未来这几周我也希望和罗姆尼一起来讨论怎样使我们的国家不断前进。
我要感谢我过去四年的朋友和搭档——美国的快乐战士、美国历史上最好的副总统:乔-拜登。
当然,如果没有20年前跟我结婚的妻子,今天我就不会站在这里。我要跟大家说,米歇尔,我比以前更加爱你,我更加自豪,因为我看到全国人民也十分热爱你这位第一夫人,我感到十分自豪。
萨沙,玛利亚,在我们大家的眼里,你们一天天在成长,如今已经出落成了像你们妈妈一样坚强、美丽、有才华的年轻人,我也为你们感到骄傲。
但是目前我觉得给你们养一条宠物狗就够了。我还要感谢我的竞选团队和志愿者,你们是历史上最棒的。你们当中有的人是新来的,有的人从一开始就一直伴我左右。你们都是我的家人。不管你们做了什么,不管你们来自哪里,你们一定会记得今天晚上我们所创的历史。你们会一直记得有一个总统,他一直心怀感激。谢谢你们一路以来对我的相信,不管我们路上遇到的是山峦还是低谷,是你们让我坚持了下来。你们所做的一切我都心怀感激,并将永远鸣谢。
我知道政治竞选有时候看起来可能很琐碎,甚至愚蠢。不少批评家借此攻击政治不过是利益集团冲突或是用来自我炫耀。但要是你们真有机会,去和参加竞选集会的人们聊一聊,去和体育场排队投票的选民聊一聊,或是亲眼看一看那些远离家人彻夜工作的志愿者们,你们的印象定会有所改观。
一个大学生竞选活动组织者,话语满是坚韧决心,他付出艰辛努力读完大学,而现在希望每一个孩子都能享有和他一样的机会。一名志愿者,言辞中藏不住骄傲,她挨家挨户助选拉票只因哥哥终于找到工作,附近的汽车厂增加了班次给了他机会。
一名军嫂谈话中洋溢着爱国之情,她为助选打电话直到深夜,只是为了确保那些曾经为国家抛头颅撒洒血的军人回家之后,无需再为一份工作,一个住处,再次走上“战场”。
这才是我们行动的理由。这才是政治的真谛。这才是大选如此重要的原因。选举绝不渺小,它至关重要,举足轻重。在一个拥有3亿国民的国家,民主有时候会有些吵闹、混乱和繁复。只因我们每个人都有自己的主张,都有深信的信仰。当我们经历艰难时刻,当我们要作为一个国家做出重大决定,自然会有争议,会有情感的表达。这不会在一夜之间改变,也不应改变。这些争论正是我们自由的明证。我们绝不应忘记,就在此时此刻,在遥远的国度无数人正为这“争论”的权利舍身赴险,他们想要的正是像我们这样投票的权利。
尽管我们有许多不同,但我们中的大多数对美国的未来却有着共同的期望。
我们期望在这个国家,孩子们能上最好的学校,有最好的老师,我们期望这个国家能继承她的光荣传统,在技术和创新领域培养世界范围的领导者。(零星欢呼,鼓掌)而这些将伴随着好工作,新生意。
我们绝不希望孩子们未来生活在一个受困于债务、不平等以及气候变暖的美国。
我们希望传承的是一个安全而备受尊重的美国。这个国家拥有世界上有史以来最强大的军事力量,但同样也有信心为这个战乱时代带来和平,许诺为每一个人带去自由和尊严。
我们相信美国应该是一个慷慨、富有同情心而包容的国家,欢迎每一个心怀梦想的移民。不管是在我们的学校接受教育对我们的国旗宣誓效忠的移民儿女,还是梦想改变自己命运的街头男孩,亦或是希望成为医生、科学家、企业家、外交官或者美国总统的木匠家孩子。
这才是我们想要的未来。这才是我们共同的愿景。这才是我们前进的方向。
然而关于如何完成这段旅程我们时常产生分歧,甚至会激烈冲突。正如两百年来的历史,这一过程并非一蹴而就,更不是一帆风顺。怀有共同的希望和梦想并不能解决全部问题和僵局,也不能代替国家前进所需要的艰苦工作——建立共识,作出妥协。
但是这些共识是我们的起点。经济正在逐渐恢复,十年战争也正要告一段落,漫长的竞选也将走到终点。不管你是否曾投票与我,我都愿意聆听你们的声音。我从你们身上受益良多,是你们让我成为更好的总统。正是因为你们奋斗和故事,我才能满怀对未来工作的坚定决心和振奋之情,重回白宫。(欢呼,鼓掌)
今晚不同与往常,你们并不是为政治而投票,你们是在为改革与实际行动而投票。你们的选票意味着给予机会让政府为你们的工作岗位而服务,而非为政府自身服务。而在未来的日子里,我期待着与两党领袖共同应对挑战,解决难题——努力减少赤字,改革税收制度,完善移民政策,减轻对石油进口的依赖……还有许多难题在我们面前。(鼓掌)
但你们的职责也还未完成。在美国民主制度之下,身为一个公民的职责并不单纯意味着为选举而投票。而对此,公民职责并不在于“美国能为我做什么”,而是在于“我能为美国做什么”,在于如何齐心协力战胜困难和挫折,服务自我。这也正是美国的思想根基。
美国是全球拥有最多财富的国家,但这并不是美国人民富有的真正原因。我们拥有最强大的军队,但这并不是我们强壮的真正原因。我们拥有最优秀的高等教育和文化成果,但这并不是吸引世界各国人民涌向美国的真正原因。美国之所以与众不同,是因为能够包容多元化的纽带将我们联系在一起,是因为我们相信彼此拥有共同的命运,是因为我们相信,只有为他人付出,互相帮助才能实现国家的进步,才能为后代创造更美好的未来。前人曾为自由奋斗甚至是献出生命,而只有责任与权利的结合,只有爱、宽容、责任感及爱国之情能使我们更好地实现、维护这份来之不易的自由。这才是美国的伟大之处。
在今晚,我的内心充满希望,因为我见证了美国的这一种精神。我看到商人们宁可给自己减薪也绝不解雇员工,我看到工人们宁可减短工时也绝不让同事下岗。还有那些在战事中接受截肢后仍然坚持延长服役的士兵们,还有那些因拥有同伴的支持而义无反顾冲向黑暗与危险的海豹突击队战士们,还有那些放下成见与分歧为桑迪飓风救灾重建而忙碌在东海岸的领袖们——我在他们身上看到了美国的精神。
不仅如此,我还记得俄亥俄州一位为了给8岁女儿治疗白血病而倾尽所有的父亲,全赖医疗改革使得他能够获得医疗保险的援助。我曾经与这位父亲交谈,还有幸去看望了这位8岁的小女孩。当这位父亲向人们叙述着与病魔斗争的故事,已为人父母的在场观众都湿了眼眶——因为我们都知道,他的女儿也可能是我们自己的女儿。而我确信,每位父母都真心祝福着这个小女孩能够拥有明媚的未来,美国因此而自豪。而作为美国总统,我为这个国家自豪。
尽管我们历尽艰辛,尽管我们的政府并不完美,但此时此刻,对于未来,对于美国,我的内心却从未如此充满希冀——而在此我请求你们坚守住这份希冀。这一份希冀并不是盲目乐观,并不是无视艰难,并不是逃避责任。我也并不想鼓吹过度的理想主义,并不是鼓励无动于衷或是一味逃避。我一向坚信,只有守住这份希望,美国才能有勇气向前迈进,全力奋斗。
我坚信,美国能够继续巩固自我,争取更多的工作岗位和机遇,让中产阶级的生活状况得到改善。我坚信,我们能够延续伟大的前人们的承诺——无论你是谁,无论你来自哪里,无论你拥有什么肤色,只要努力奋斗便能够实现自我,无论你是黑人或是白人、西班牙裔、亚裔或是印第安人,无论年少或年长,无论贫穷或富有,无论健全或残疾,无论是同性恋或是非同性恋——只要你愿意去尝试,你就能够实现自我。
我坚信,美国人民仍然把握着自己的未来,即使政见分歧严重,我们仍然拥有共同的心愿,我们并没有在冷嘲热讽中失去希望。美国并不只是个人雄心壮志的简单总和,美国并不只是民主党和共和党两个阵营的简单总和。我们现在是,并将在未来永远都是美利坚合众国。
而在此,在你们的辛勤付出和上帝的引导之下,我们将继续前行并告诉世界为何美利坚合众国是最伟大的国家。感谢你们,上帝保佑你们,上帝保佑美国。
http://www.wenxuecity.com/news/2012/11/07/2068944.html
C-SPAN: President-Elect Barack Obama Victory Speech 2008 (Full Video) ZT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJfGx4G8tjo