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Obama's 2004 DNC keynote speech – Transcript
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Summary
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- The speaker shares his family history, noting his father came to America from Kenya and his mother from Kansas in search of opportunity.
- The speaker asserts that there is not a liberal America and a conservative America, but the United States of America.
- The speaker urges the audience to choose a politics of hope and supports John Kerry for president.
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Transcript
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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 hurting ghosts 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 shown 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 a 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 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 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're both passed away now
And yet i know that on this night they looked down on me with great pride They stand here and 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 200 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 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're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearers and the promise of future generations And fellow americans democrats republicans independence. I say to you tonight. We have more work to do more work 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 we're 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 and diners In 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 collard 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 in 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 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 light
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 carrey
John carrey 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 state senate He's 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 carrey 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 carrey believes in an america where all americans can afford the same health coverage Our politicians in washington have for themselves John carrey Believes in energy independence So we aren't held hostage to the profits of oil companies or the sabotage of foreign oil fields
John carrey 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 carrey 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 A while back. I met a young man named shamus in a vfw hall in east moline illinois He was a good-looking kid six two six three clear-eyed with an easy smile He told me he joined the marines and was heading to iraq the following week And as I listened to him explain why he didn't listen 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 ever hope for in a child But then I asked myself Are we serving shamus as well as he's 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 still lack 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 are 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 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'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 their prescription drugs and having 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 oppose the war in iraq and they're 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
In the end 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 carrey 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