美國總統奧巴馬(Barack Obama)勝選後在芝加哥發表演講﹐演講文字稿由Roll Call記錄。
非常感謝你們。
今夜﹐在當年的殖民地贏得了決定自己命運的權利200多年以後﹐讓美利堅合眾國更加完美的任務又向前推進了一步。
這一進程是因為你們而向前推進的﹐因為你們再次確認了那種使美國勝利克服了戰爭和蕭條的精神﹐那種使美國擺脫絕望的深淵並走向希望的最高點的精神﹐以及那種雖然我們每個人都在追求自己的個人夢想、但我們同屬一個美國大家庭、並作為一個國家和民族共同進退的信仰。
今夜﹐在此次選舉中﹐你們這些美國人民提醒我們﹐雖然我們的道路一直艱難﹐雖然我們的旅程一直漫長﹐但我們已經讓自己振作起來﹐我們已經發起反擊﹐我們在自己內心深處知道﹐對美利堅合眾國來說﹐最美好一切屬於未來。
我想感謝所有參加此次選舉的美國人﹐無論你是首次參加選舉還是為投票曾長時間排隊等候。順便說一句﹐我們需要解決這些問題。無論你是到投票站投票還是發傳真投票﹐無論你選的是奧巴馬還是羅姆尼﹐你都讓別人聽到了自己的聲音﹐你都讓美國因你而不同。
我要對羅姆尼州長說幾句話﹐我對他和保羅•萊恩在這次競爭激烈的選舉中的表現表示祝賀。我們可能爭奪得很激烈﹐但這僅僅是因為我們深愛著這個國家以及我們如此強烈地關心著它的未來。從喬治到勒諾到他們的兒子米特﹐羅姆尼家族選擇了通過公共服務來回報美國﹐那是一種我們今夜表示敬重和讚許的遺產。我期待著今後幾週能與羅姆尼州長坐下來討論一下我們可以從何處著手一起努力將美國推向前進。
我想對我在過去四年中的朋友和伙伴表示感謝。他就是美國的快樂戰士、無出其右的最佳副總統喬•拜登。
如果不是那位20年前同意嫁給我的女性﹐我不會成為今天的我。請讓我公開說出下面這段話：米切爾﹐我對你的愛無以復加﹐我無比驕傲地看到其他美國人也愛上了你這位我們國家的第一夫人。薩沙和瑪利亞﹐在我們所有人的見證下你們正成長為兩個堅強、聰明和美麗的年輕女性﹐就像你們的媽媽一樣。我十分以你們為榮。不過我要說的是﹐眼下家裡養一條狗或許已經夠了。
在這個有史以來的最佳競選團隊和有史以來的最佳志願者隊伍中﹐你們有些人是這次新加入進來的﹐有些人則是一開始就在我身邊。但你們所有人都屬於一個大家庭。無論你的工作是什麼﹐無論你從哪裡來﹐你們都將獲得我們共同創造的歷史記憶﹐你們都將被一位充滿感激之情的總統終生感激。感謝你們始終充滿信心﹐無論是在高峰還是在低谷。你們鼓舞著我走完整個選舉過程﹐我對你們所做的每件事、你們所做的每項不可思議的工作將一直充滿感激。
我知道政治角力有時會顯得小家子氣甚至愚蠢。它為憤世嫉俗者提供了足夠的口實﹐他們告訴我們政治不過是自負者之間的競爭﹐是特殊利益集團的地盤。但如果你曾經有機會與參加我們集會的那些人以及高中體育館內擠在隔離繩外的那些人攀談﹐或者看到那些在遠離家鄉的偏遠小縣的競選辦公室內加班工作的人﹐你會發現一些別的東西。
你將從一位年輕的活動現場組織者的聲音里聽到他的決心﹐他邊在大學里學習邊從事助選工作﹐他希望確保每個孩子都能擁有同樣的機會。你將從一位志願者的聲音里聽到她的驕傲﹐她挨門動員選民是因為她哥哥終因當地一家汽車製造廠增加了一個班次而有了工作。你將從一對軍人夫婦的聲音里聽到深深的愛國情懷。他們深夜時還在接聽選舉電話﹐以確保那些曾經為這個國家作戰的人不會返回家園時還要為得到一份工作或棲身之所而苦苦爭鬥。
正因為如此﹐我們要進行選舉。這是政治所能夠實現的。正因為如此﹐選舉很重要。這不是小事﹐而是大事﹐是至關重要的事。在一個有三億人口的國家實行民主制度可能嘈雜不堪、一團混亂、情況複雜。我們有自己的觀點。我們每個人都有自己深信的信仰。當我們經歷艱難時期﹐當我們作為一個國家做出重大決定時﹐這必然會激發熱情﹐也必然會引發爭議。
今晚過後﹐這都不會改變﹐也不應該改變。我們進行的這些爭論恰恰體現了我們的自由。我們永遠不應忘記﹐就在我們講話之際﹐遙遠國度的人們現在正冒著生命危險﹐僅僅是為了獲得一個能夠對重要問題進行爭論、像我們今天這樣投票的機會。
不過﹐儘管我們存在這樣那樣的分歧﹐我們大多數人都對美國的未來有著某些共同的希望。我們希望我們的孩子成長的國家能夠讓他們上最好的學校、接受最好老師的教導。一個無愧於全球技術、探索和創新領袖光輝歷史的國家﹐倘能如此﹐各種好工作和新企業將隨之而來。
我們希望我們的孩子能夠生活在一個沒有債務之累、沒有不公之苦、沒有全球變暖帶來的破壞之虞的美國。我們希望留給後代一個安全、受到全球尊重和讚賞的國家﹐一個由全球有史以來最強大的軍事力量和最好的部隊保衛的國家﹐一個滿懷信心走過戰爭、在人人享有自由和尊嚴的承諾之上構建和平的國家。
我們堅信一個慷慨的美國、一個富有同情心的美國、一個寬容的美國。美國向一位移民的女兒的夢想打開了大門﹐讓她有機會在我們的學校學習、對著我們的國旗宣誓﹔美國向芝加哥南部地區的一個小男孩打開了大門﹐讓有機會他看到一個最近街角以外的遠大人生﹔美國向北卡羅來納州的一位家具工人的孩子打開了大門﹐讓他有機會實現自己當醫生或科學家、工程師或企業家、外交官甚至是總統的夢想﹐這是我們希望的未來。這是我們共同的願景。這是我們奔赴的方向﹐向前的方向。這是我們需要實現的目標。
現在﹐我們對如何實現這一目標存在分歧﹐有時分歧還很嚴重。正如兩個多世紀以來一樣﹐進展的取得將是斷斷續續﹐並非總是一條直線﹐並非總是一帆風順。
承認我們擁有共同的希望和夢想﹐僅憑這一點不會結束所有的僵局﹐或解決我們所有的問題﹐或代替推動這個國家向前所需的達成共識和做出艱難讓步的辛苦努力。不過﹐這一共同的紐帶是我們必須開始的地方。
我們的經濟正在好轉。長達10年的戰爭即將結束。一場漫長的競選現已落幕。無論我是否贏得了你們的選票﹐我一直在傾聽你們的故事﹐向你們學習﹐是你們使我成為一位更好的總統。聽過你們的故事和困難經歷﹐我在重返白宮時對今後需要做的工作和未來將懷著比以往更堅定的決心和更大的熱情。
今晚你們把票投給了行動﹐而不是像以往投給了政治。你們選舉我們來專注於你們的工作﹐而不是我們的工作。在未來的幾週和幾個月內﹐我將期待與兩黨領袖接觸並合作﹐以便麵對我們團結一致才能解決的問題。減少赤字﹐改革稅法﹐修改移民制度﹐擺脫對外國石油的依賴。我們還很更多工作要做。
但這並不意味著你們的工作就此結束。民主國家公民的角色並不隨著投票完結而結束。美國看重的從來都不是能夠為我們個人做些什麼﹐而是我們團結一致通過自治這一艱難、令人倍感挫折但必要的工作能夠實現什麼。這正是我們的立國之本。
美國的財富多於世界上任何其他國家﹐但真正讓我們富有的並非金錢﹔我們擁有有史以來最強大的軍力﹐但真正讓我們充滿力量的並非軍隊﹔我們的大學和文化為全世界所艷羨﹐但美國真正吸引各國人踏上這片土地的魅力也不在於此。
真正讓美國與眾不同的﹐是將這個地球上最多元化的國家的人民團結到一起的那些紐帶。是我們共命運的信念﹐是只有當我們肩負某些對彼此以及對後代的責任美國才能走下去的信念﹐是無數的美國人前赴後繼為之奮鬥的自由──它既賦予了我們權利﹐也給我們帶來了責任﹔是愛、慈善、義務和愛國。正是這些讓美國變得偉大。
今晚﹐我滿懷希望﹐因為我已經看到美國精神正在得以發揚。我看到有些家族企業﹐所有者寧可減少自己的薪酬也不願讓鄰居丟掉工作﹔我看到有些工人寧願縮減自己的工時也不願看到朋友沒有活幹﹔我看到有些士兵在失去一條腿或胳膊之後又選擇再次入伍﹔我看到海豹突擊隊員不避危險沖上樓梯、沖入黑暗﹐因為他們知道有一個兄弟在做他的後盾。
在新澤西和紐約的海岸﹐我也看到了美國精神。每一個政黨和各級政府的領導者都捐棄分歧﹐為在駭人風暴過後的廢墟上重建社區各盡己力。就在不久前的一天﹐在俄亥俄的門托﹐我看到一位父親在講述他8歲女兒的故事。這個女孩與白血病進行了長期的鬥爭﹐如果不是因為幾個月前通過的醫改法案﹐保險公司就會停止支付醫療費用﹐他們的家庭就將失去一切。
我曾有機會與這位父親攀談﹐不僅如此﹐我還見到了他的女兒﹐這個非常了不起的小姑娘。當這位父親向傾聽他的故事的人講述時﹐每一位在場的父母的眼裡都含著淚水﹐因為我們知道﹐我們自己的孩子也有可能遇到這種狀況。而且我知道﹐每一位美國人都希望這位小女孩的未來能像所有人的未來一樣光明。這就是美國人﹐這就是美國﹐我為自己能夠成為這個國家的總統、帶領這個國家前行感到無比光榮。
今晚﹐儘管我們遭遇了很多困難﹐儘管華盛頓有諸多不盡人意之處﹐我仍從未像現在這樣對未來充滿希望。我從未像現在這樣對美國充滿希望。我請大家也保持這樣的希望。我所說的並非盲目的樂觀主義﹐不是那種看不到眼前的任務有多麼艱巨、看不到前行的路上有什麼樣的障礙的希望﹔我所說的並非作壁上觀或是臨戰退縮的一廂情願的理想主義。
我一直相信﹐所謂希望就是我們內心倔強地堅持的力量﹐相信不管有多少相反的證據﹐都要相信有更好的東西在等著我們﹐只要我們有勇氣不斷前行、不懈工作、不停戰鬥。
國民們﹐我相信我們有能力在已經取得的進步的基礎上再進一步﹐繼續為了給中產階級創造新的工作、新的機遇、新的保障而戰鬥。我相信我們有能力信守開國者們許下的諾言﹐信守這樣一種理念﹐那就是不管你是誰﹐不管你來自哪裡﹐不管你長相如何﹐不管你愛著哪個地方﹐你所需要做的就是努力工作。不管你的膚色是黑是白﹐不管你是拉美裔、亞裔還是美國原住民﹐不管你年輕還是年老﹐富有還是貧窮﹐身體健全或是殘障﹐同性戀還是異性戀﹐只要你願意努力﹐就能夠在美國大有作為。
我相信我們有能力共同握住這樣的未來﹐因為美國人民並不像政界那麼嚴重分歧。美國人民不像某些飽學之士所認為的那樣憤世嫉俗。美國的抱負並不是每一個美國人的抱負的簡單加總﹐美國也不是紅州和藍州的簡單聯合。我們是美利堅合眾國﹐我們將永遠是美利堅合眾國。
有你們的幫助﹐有上帝的仁慈﹐我們將繼續攜手前行﹐讓全世界知道我們生活在全球最偉大的國度的原因到底是什麼。
謝謝你﹐國民們﹐上帝保佑你們﹐上帝保佑美國。
President Barack Obama's speech in Chicago after his re-election Tuesday night, as transcribed by Roll Call:
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.
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