Barack Obama: Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention

▪ Primary Source

      By the time of the 2004 election campaign, political pundits routinely divided the United States into red and blue states, whose color not only indicated which political party was locally dominant but also signified the supposed prevalence of a set of social and cultural values. According to the received wisdom, the Republican red states—generally located in the South, West, and lower Midwest—were conservative, God-fearing, pro-life, opposed to big government and same-sex marriage, small-town and suburban, and enamored of NASCAR. The Democratic blue states—found mostly on the coasts, in the Northeast, and in the Upper Midwest—were liberal, secular, politically correct, pro-choice, urban, and connoisseurs of wine, cheese, and latte. Though the symbolic palette dated only to the 2000 election and reversed the colors theretofore generally used to represent the Democratic and Republican parties, it was firmly established when Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts, a decorated Vietnam veteran who later prominently opposed the war, was chosen by the Democrats to face Republican incumbent George W. Bush in one of the most partisan and polarizing presidential elections in recent American history. The keynote address at the Democratic Convention (printed below) in Boston was delivered by Barack Obama (Obama, Barack), who was about to become only the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate. The child of an estranged Kenyan father and white Kansan mother and raised mostly in Hawaii, Obama—a one-time community organizer, law professor, and author—became an instant national figure with his eloquent address, in which he debunked the country s artificial red-blue division and offered ‘‘the audacity of hope,” a phrase that would become the title of the book he published shortly before becoming a candidate for the 2008 presidential election.

      On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, 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 herding goats, 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 shone 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, 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 G.I. Bill, bought a house through FHA, and later moved west 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 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. Yet, I know that, on this night, they look down on me with great pride.

      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 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.”

      That is the true genius of America, a faith in the simple dreams of its people, 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 or hiring somebody s son. 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 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, Independents—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 are 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 dollars 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.

      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 by the Pentagon. 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 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 slight 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.

      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 Kerry. John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and sacrifice 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 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.

      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 sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

      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 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 that any of us might ever hope for in a child. But then I asked myself: Are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us? I thought of the more than 900 service 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 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 nerves shattered, but 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.

      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 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 is 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 is 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 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.”

      Yet 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 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 have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are 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.

      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 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!

      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 that 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!

      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.

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