As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours:
"We are not enemies, but friends... though passion may have strained,
it must not break our bonds of affection."
To those Americans who, whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight,
but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president, too.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of responsibility
where each of us resolves to pitch in and work hard and look after not only ourselves,
but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything,
it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers ― in this country,
we rise or fall as one nation; as one people. Let's resist the temptation to fall back
on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics
for so long.
Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the
Repulbican Party to the White House ― a party founded on the value of self-reliance,
and individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values that we all share, and
while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure
of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree
with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve
every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.
I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.
Above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation for 221 years ―
block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
This victory alone is the change we seek, it is only the chance for us to make that change.
And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you,
without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
And I know you didn't do this just to win an election
and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand
the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight,
we know that the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest
of our lifetime ― two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis
in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up
in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives
for us. There are mothers and fathers who lie awake after their children
fall asleep and wonder how they make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's
bills, or save enough for their child's college education.
There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build
and threats to meet, alliances to repair. The road ahead will be long.
Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term,
but America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will
get there. I promise you. We as a people will get threre.
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 the doors of perfect strangers;
and from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from the Earth. This is your victory.
Above all, I will never forget who this victory belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
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.
