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| Election Night, John French Sloan (1907) |
Cut and paste the following text into a Word document. Bring to class.
President Obama’s Keynote Address at the DNC--July 27, 2004
(Par. 1) On behalf of the great state of Illinois,
crossroads of a nation, land of Lincoln, let me express my deep 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.
(Par. 2) 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 which stood 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 he signed up for duty, joined Patton’s army and 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 GI Bill,
bought a house through FHA, and moved west in search of opportunity.
(Par. 3) 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. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me
with pride.
(Par. 4) I stand here today, grateful for the
diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my 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.”
(Par. 5) That is the true genius of America, a
faith in the simple dreams of its people, the insistence on small miracles.
That we can tuck in our children at night and know 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 or hiring somebody’s son. That we can participate
in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will
be counted — or at least, most of the time.
(Par. 6) This year, in this election, we are
called to reaffirm our values and 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
to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, 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 I met who was losing his job and choking back tears, wondering how
he would pay $4,500 a month for the drugs his son needs without the health
benefits 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.
(Par. 7) 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 the
Pentagon. Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that
government alone can’t teach kids to learn. They know that parents have to
parent, 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. No, people don’t expect government to solve all their
problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a 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.
(Par. 8) 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. That man is John Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community,
faith, and sacrifice, because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service
in Vietnam to his years as 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.
(Par. 9) John Kerry believes in an America where
hard work is rewarded. So instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping
jobs overseas, he’ll offer 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,
but it should never be the first option.
(Par. 10) A while back, I met a young man named
Shamus at the VFW Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a
good-looking kid, six-two or six-three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told
me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. As I
listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, his absolute faith in our country
and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was
all any of us might hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we
serving Shamus as well as he was serving us? I thought of more than 900 service
men and women, sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors,
who will not be returning to their hometowns. I thought of families I had 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 with 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.
(Par. 11) Now 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 it’s not
enough for just some of us to prosper. For alongside our famous individualism,
there’s another ingredient in the American saga.
(Par. 12) A belief that we are connected as one
people. If there’s 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 her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the
rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an
Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due
process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief — I am
my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’ keeper — that makes this country work.
It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as
a single American family. “E pluribus unum.” Out of many, one.
(Par. 13) Yet even as we speak, there are those who
are preparing to divide us, the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who
embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not
a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of
America. There’s not a black America and white America and Latino America and
Asian America; there’s the United States of America. 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 our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the
Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who
opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all
of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the
United States of America.
(Par. 14) In the end, that’s what this election is
about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or 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 talk about it, or the health care
crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. No, 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. The audacity of
hope!
(Par. 15) In the end, that is God’s greatest gift
to us, the bedrock of this nation; the belief in things not seen; the belief
that there are better days ahead. I believe 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 as we stand on
the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the
challenges that face us. America!
(Par. 16) Tonight, if you feel the same energy I
do, the same urgency I do, the same passion I do, the same hopefulness I do —
if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt 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 and God
bless you.
