第一篇：奧巴馬當(dāng)選演講

Hello, Chicago.您好，芝加哥。

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.如果還有人仍在懷疑美國是否是一個一切皆有可能的國度的話，如果還有人仍在疑慮我們美國的締造者的夢想是否還存在于我們這個時代的話，如果還有人仍在質(zhì)疑

我們民主的力量的話，今晚你就可以得到答案。

It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.它的答案告訴延伸線，圍繞學(xué)校和教堂的人數(shù)這個民族從未見過的，等待三個小時，四個小時的人們，許多第一次在他們的生活，因?yàn)樗麄冋J(rèn)為，這次一定是不同的，他們的聲音可能是不同的。

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.不管你是年輕人還是老年人，是富人還是窮人，是民主黨人還是共和黨人，是黑人還是白人，也不管你是拉丁美洲人或亞洲人還是本土美國人，更無論你是否為同性變者、是否是殘疾人，這是美國人共同的答案。美國人向全世界傳遞一個聲音，那就是我們的選舉從不分紅州或藍(lán)州。We are, and always will be, the United States of America.我們屬于，而且永遠(yuǎn)只屬于美利堅合眾國。

It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.它的答案，導(dǎo)致這些誰一直在說這么長時間這么多的是玩世不恭和恐懼和懷疑是我們能夠?qū)崿F(xiàn)把他們手中的弧的歷史和彎曲再次向希望一個更美好的一天。

It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.雖然等待了很長時間，但在今晚的這一決定性時刻，由于我們在這次選舉中的努力，美國終于迎來了變革。A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen.McCain.今天傍晚稍早的時候，我接到麥凱恩參議員一個特別親切的電話。

Sen.McCain fought long and hard in this campaign.And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.在競選過程中，他堅持不懈，努力了很長時間，而且他還會為他所熱愛的國家繼續(xù)更加努力。他已經(jīng)為美國奉獻(xiàn)了太多，以到于我們許多人都無法想象。我們必須要更好地服務(wù)于我們的祖國，以補(bǔ)償這位勇敢而無私的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人。

I congratulate him;I congratulate Gov.Palin for all that they've achieved.And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.我祝賀他以及佩林此前取得的所有成績，而且我希望能夠與他們合作，重申數(shù)月前我們對國家所做的承諾。

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.我要感謝在這個征途上我的合作伙伴，一名男子從誰競選他的心，并以對男性和女性，他成長起來的街道上騎著頓和同在火車上家美國特拉華州，副總統(tǒng)當(dāng)選美國，喬-拜登。

And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.在過去16年間，如果沒有我最好朋友的堅定支持，沒有我家庭成員的強(qiáng)力支撐，沒有我妻子，也就美國未來的第一夫人米歇爾-奧巴馬無私的愛，今晚我不可能站在這里。Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine.And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.馬莉婭和薩莎，我也非常愛你們，你們肯定也沉浸在即將入住白宮的喜悅之中。And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am.I miss them tonight.I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.然而，我的外祖母已永遠(yuǎn)離開了我們，但我知道她也正和所有支持我的家人一樣在看著我。我今晚非常想念他們，而且知道我欠他們的太多。

To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me.I am grateful to them.我的妹妹瑪雅，我的妹妹阿爾瑪，我的所有其他的兄弟姐妹們，感謝你們給了我這么多的一切支持，我感謝他們。And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best--the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.和我的競選顧問大衛(wèi)-Plouffe，此次競選的無名英雄，我認(rèn)為，是他打造了美利堅合眾國歷史上最好的-最好的政治運(yùn)動。To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.我的首席策略師大衛(wèi)——阿克塞爾羅德，在一個合作伙伴與我的每一步。

To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.最好的競選團(tuán)隊以往任何時候都聚集在歷史上的政治你這一點(diǎn)，我永遠(yuǎn)感謝您什么犧牲得到工作要做。

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to.It belongs to you.It belongs to you.但最重要的是，我永遠(yuǎn)不會忘記這場勝利的所有者，勝利屬于你們，勝利屬于你們。

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.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.我從來沒有對可能的候選人，這個辦公室。我們沒有開始多少錢或許多簽注。我們的運(yùn)動是不能孵化的大廳華盛頓。它開始在后院得梅因和客廳的和諧與前面門廊的查爾斯頓。這是由工作男性和女性誰挖成小儲蓄，他們不得不放棄5美元和10美元和20美元的事業(yè)。

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.它成長的力量的年輕人誰拒絕他們神話一代人的冷漠誰離開他們的家園和他們的家屬就業(yè)提供一點(diǎn)工資和少睡覺。It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.它提請強(qiáng)度從不那么誰年輕人冒著嚴(yán)寒和酷暑敲門，門完美的陌生人，并從數(shù)以百萬計的美國人誰自愿組織和證明，兩個多世紀(jì)后，人民的政府由人民，為人民還沒有滅亡的地球。This is your victory.這是你們的勝利。And I know you didn't do this just to win an election.And I know you didn't do it for me.我知道你們沒有這樣做只是為了贏得大選。我知道你們因?yàn)槎喽鴽]有這樣做。

You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead.For even as we celebrate tonight, we know 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.你這樣做，是因?yàn)槟忝靼灼D巨性的任務(wù)擺在面前。即使在我們慶祝的今晚，我們知道，明天的挑戰(zhàn)將是最大的我們的有生之年-兩場戰(zhàn)爭，地球處于危險，最嚴(yán)重的金融危機(jī)的一個世紀(jì)。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.即使我們今晚站在這里，我們知道有勇敢的美國人起床在沙漠伊拉克和阿富汗山區(qū)冒著生命危險為我們。

There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.有父親和母親誰將躺在清醒后的孩子入睡和不知道他們會作抵押或支付其醫(yī)生的法案或儲存足夠的孩子的大學(xué)教育。

There's new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.有新能源可以利用，新的工作崗位要建立，新的學(xué)校建設(shè)，和威脅去處理，聯(lián)盟要修理。

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.未來的路還很長，而且我們正在艱難地攀登在陡峭的山坡之上。我們未必能夠在一年或是在一個總統(tǒng)任期之內(nèi)達(dá)到目標(biāo)，但美國肯定可以。我們肯定可以達(dá)到目標(biāo)，此前我從未有今天晚上的如此信心。

I promise you, we as a people will get there.我向你們承諾，我們肯定可以。

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 the government can't solve every problem.當(dāng)然，這一過程肯定還會出現(xiàn)挫折，甚至是不成功的開始。我作為總統(tǒng)所做出的決策，肯定也會有許多人并不贊同。我們知道政府并不能解決所有問題。

But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.I will listen to you, especially when we disagree.And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America for 221 years--block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.但我也會向你們誠懇地交待我們所面臨的挑戰(zhàn)。我會認(rèn)真聽從你們的建議，尤其是意見不一致的時候。總之，我邀請你們加入到國家再建的工作之中。221年來，我們的國家就是這樣一磚一瓦，一點(diǎn)一滴地建造起來的。

What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.我們開始于21個月前深冬，不會結(jié)束在今年的這個秋天的夜晚結(jié)束。This victory alone is not 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.這僅僅是勝利而不是我們所尋求的變化。這是唯一的機(jī)會，我們做出的改變。并能不會發(fā)生，如果我們回到這樣的。

It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.沒有你，沒有一種新的服務(wù)精神，新的犧牲精神，它不能發(fā)生。So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.因此，讓我們拿出一個新的愛國主義精神，責(zé)任感，在我們每個人都決心在球場和努力，并期待后，不僅自己，而且對方。

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.讓我們記住，如果此次金融危機(jī)告訴我們什么，那就是我們不可能擁有一個蓬勃發(fā)展的華爾街，當(dāng)主街受到影響時。

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.在這個國家，我們的興衰，作為一個民族，作為一個人。讓我們抵制誘惑，回到屬于同一黨派和雞毛蒜皮的小事和不成熟有毒害我們的政治這么久。

Let's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.讓我們銘記，是這個州的人第一次將共和黨的旗幟扛進(jìn)了白宮，(共和黨)是一個將價值觀建立在自信、個人自由以及國家團(tuán)結(jié)基礎(chǔ)上的政黨。

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.我們所有人都信奉這一價值。民主黨今晚獲得了巨大的勝利，但我們未來將用謙卑和決心來彌補(bǔ)競選過程中產(chǎn)生的裂痕。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.正如林肯所說，我們不是敵人，而是朋友。我們決不能成為敵人，盡管目前的情緒有些緊張，但決不能容許它使我們之間的親密情感紐帶破裂。And to those Americans 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.對于那些支持我的美國人，以及那些沒有將選票投給我的人，我傾聽到了你們的聲音，我需要得到你們的幫助，而我也同樣是你們的總統(tǒng)。

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.和所有觀看今晚從超出了我們的海岸，來自議會和宮殿，那些誰是圍著收音機(jī)中被遺忘的角落的世界，我們的故事是獨(dú)特的，但我們的命運(yùn)是共同的，新的曙光美國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)在手。To those--to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you.To those who seek peace and security: We support you.And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.那些-那些誰將世界撕裂了：我們將打敗你。這些誰尋求和平與安全的：我們支持你。對于所有那些疑惑美國的燈塔是否還會繼續(xù)明亮燃燒的人，今夜我們將再次證明，我們國家的力量并不是來源來我們的胳膊的臂力，也不是來源于我們的財富，而是源自于我們理念的持久力量。這些理念包括：民主、自由、機(jī)會以及堅貞不屈的希望。

That's the true genius of America: that America can change.Our union can be perfected.What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.這是真正的天才合眾國：美國會發(fā)生變化。我們的工會可以完善。我們已經(jīng)取得了讓我們希望我們能夠而且必須實(shí)現(xiàn)的明天。This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.這次選舉有許多優(yōu)勢，許多故事，會被告知幾代人。但是，這在我腦海今晚的約一個女人誰投她的選票在亞特蘭大。她就像數(shù)以百萬計的其他人誰站在線，使他們的聲音在這次選舉中除一件事：尼克松安庫珀是106歲。She was born just a generation past slavery;a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky;when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons--because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.她出生的一代剛剛過去的奴役;當(dāng)時有沒有汽車在道路上或飛機(jī)在天空中;當(dāng)有人能像她一樣不參加表決的原因有兩個-因?yàn)樗且幻?，由于她的顏色皮膚。

And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America--the heartache and the hope;the struggle and the progress;the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.今晚，我想所有的，她在整個看到她在美國的世紀(jì)-在心痛和希望;的斗爭和取得的;的時候，我們被告知，我們不能，和人民誰壓上與美國的信條：是我們能夠做到。

At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.Yes we can.當(dāng)時婦女的聲音被壓制和他們的希望被駁回，她活著看到他們站起來，說出并達(dá)成的選票。是我們能夠做到。

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose.Yes we can.當(dāng)有絕望中的塵埃和抑郁一碗全國的土地，她看到一個民族征服恐懼本身的新政，新的就業(yè)機(jī)會，一個新的共同使命感。是我們能夠做到。

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.Yes we can.當(dāng)炸彈落在我們的港口和暴政威脅世界，她在那里目睹了一代產(chǎn)生的偉大和民主是保存。是我們能夠做到。

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.她在那里的巴士蒙哥馬利，軟管在英國伯明翰，橋梁塞爾瑪和傳教士從亞特蘭大誰告訴人民，“我們克服?！笔俏覀兡軌蜃龅?。A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.一名男子降落在月球上，墻上下來在柏林，世界是連接我們自己的科學(xué)和想象力。

And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.今年，在這次選舉中，她談到她的手指到屏幕上，她和演員投票，因?yàn)?06年后，在美國，通過最好的時候和最黑暗的時間，她知道怎樣可以改變美國。Yes we can.是我們能夠做到。

America, we have come so far.We have seen so much.But there is so much more to do.So tonight, let us ask ourselves--if our children should live to see the next century;if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?美國，我們來到迄今。我們已經(jīng)看到這么多。但有這么多事情要做。因此，今夜，讓我們反問一下我們自己，如果我們的孩子能夠活到下個世紀(jì)；如果我的女兒能夠幸運(yùn)地活得像安-尼克森-庫珀那樣長，他們將會看到什么樣的變化？我們那時將會取得什么樣的進(jìn)步？

This is our chance to answer that call.This is our moment.這是我們來回答問題的機(jī)會，這是我們的時刻。

This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace;to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one;that while we breathe, we hope.And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.這是我們的時代，要使我們的人民重新工作并將機(jī)會留給我們的子孫；重新恢復(fù)繁榮并促進(jìn)和平；回歸我們的美國夢想并重申一個基本事實(shí)--在眾人之中，我們也是其中一個；當(dāng)我們呼吸，當(dāng)我們充滿希望的時候，我們遭遇冷嘲熱諷和質(zhì)疑，那些人認(rèn)為我們無法做到。我們將用一句話來做出回應(yīng)：不，我們可以！

Thank you.God bless you.And may God bless the United States of America.謝謝您。上帝保佑你。愿上帝保佑美利堅合眾國。

mp3下載地址：http://download.guardian.co.uk/audio/kip/standalone/world/1225874746775/2943/gdn.new.081105.ad.Obama-victory-speech.mp3

Hello, Chicago.If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.We are, and always will be, the United States of America.It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen.McCain.Sen.McCain fought long and hard in this campaign.And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.I congratulate him;I congratulate Gov.Palin for all that they've achieved.And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine.And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am.I miss them tonight.I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me.I am grateful to them.And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best--the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly 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.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 doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.This is your victory.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 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 will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.There's new energy to harness, 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 there.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 the 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.And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America 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 not 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.So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder 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's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values 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.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.And to those Americans 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.And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.To those--to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you.To those who seek peace and security: We support you.And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.That's the true genius of America: that America can change.Our union can be perfected.What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.She was born just a generation past slavery;a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky;when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons--because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America--the heartache and the hope;the struggle and the progress;the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.Yes we can.When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose.Yes we can.When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.Yes we can.She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.Yes we can.America, we have come so far.We have seen so much.But there is so much more to do.So tonight, let us ask ourselves--if our children should live to see the next century;if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call.This is our moment.This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace;to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one;that while we breathe, we hope.And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.Thank you.God bless you.And may God bless the United States of America.中文翻譯：http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_5c70e2670100b6wi.html

下面就是巴拉克-奧巴馬所做的2008年總統(tǒng)候選人就職演講全文：

美國是一個任何事情都有可能發(fā)生的國家，對于這一點(diǎn)如果還有任何人心存懷疑，對民主的力量還表示疑慮的話，今晚就是對這一問題的最好回答。

這個答案早已經(jīng)印在了到處懸掛在學(xué)校和教堂的競選條幅上，人們隨處可見；這些人們已經(jīng)等待了三四個小時，對于他們當(dāng)中的大多數(shù)，這是有生以來第一次經(jīng)歷這樣的過程，因?yàn)樗麄儓孕胚@一時刻注定與眾不同，而這種不同便有可能源自他們所發(fā)出的聲音。

這個答案出自這些人之口，無論是青年還是老年，窮人還是富人，民主黨還是共和黨，黑人還是白人，拉丁裔、亞裔還是美國本土人，同性戀者還是異性戀者，殘疾人還是非殘疾人——他們向世界發(fā)出了這樣的信息——我們從來不分紅色之州和藍(lán)色之州，我們永遠(yuǎn)都是美利堅合眾國。

這個答案告訴了那些一直以來充滿焦慮、恐懼和懷疑的人們，我們可以將雙手放在歷史的轉(zhuǎn)折點(diǎn)上，將它再次帶向充滿希望的美好明天。

這一刻我們已經(jīng)等待了太久，但是今晚，由于我們在這一決定性的時刻所作出的選擇，美國便迎來了它嶄新的一刻。

我剛剛接到了來自麥凱恩議員的電話。他在這場漫長而艱難的選舉中一直努力著，而他為他所熱愛的國家所付出的努力甚至更加艱辛而久遠(yuǎn)?？赡芪覀儺?dāng)中的很多人甚至都無法想象，麥凱恩議員從何時便開始為我們的國家奉獻(xiàn)自己，而我們卻早已享受到了這位勇敢無私的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者為國家所做出的貢獻(xiàn)。對于他和佩林所付出的努力，我表示衷心的感謝，同時我也期待著，能夠和他們一同努力，共同實(shí)現(xiàn)我們這幾個月來所做出的承諾。

我要感謝我的競選伙伴，新當(dāng)選的美國副總統(tǒng)喬·拜登，這一路走來，他始終遵循著自己內(nèi)心深處的那個聲音，他始終代表著那些和他一起在斯克蘭頓街邊長大，一起坐著火車回到故鄉(xiāng)特拉華州的人們的聲音。

如果沒有過去這16年來摯友的支持，沒有穩(wěn)定的家庭和對生活的愛，沒有我們國家的下一位第一夫人，米歇爾·奧巴馬，今晚我將不可能站在這里。薩莎和瑪麗亞，我愛你們，你們已經(jīng)得到了一只新的小狗，它將和我們一起入住白宮。還有我的祖母，雖然她已經(jīng)不能和我們一起分享這一刻，但是我知道，她正和我的家人一起，注視著我，陪我經(jīng)歷著這一刻。我不會忘記，是他們養(yǎng)育我成人，今晚我是如此的想念他們，我知道，我所虧欠他們的，是永遠(yuǎn)無法報答的恩情。

對我的競選負(fù)責(zé)人大衛(wèi)·普羅菲，我的首席戰(zhàn)略家大衛(wèi)·亞克瑟羅德以及有史以來最優(yōu)秀的競選團(tuán)隊，我想對你們說的是——是你們成就了今天的一切，我將永遠(yuǎn)感激你們所付出的這一切。

但是，最重要的是，我將永遠(yuǎn)不會忘記，這個勝利是真正屬于你們的！

我一直都不是最有希望的那個候選人，一開始的時候我們便沒有那么多的資金或支持。我們的競選之路并不是從華盛頓的高樓禮堂中開始的，它從德梅因的后院、協(xié)和酒店的客廳以及查爾斯頓的門廊中邁出了第一步。

它由那些需要從自己有限的存款中拿出5美元、10美元和20美元的工人們建立起來；那些摒棄了他們那一代人冷漠神話的年輕人，那些遠(yuǎn)離家鄉(xiāng)親人在外打拼卻只能賺得微薄工資的人們，那些抵抗著刺骨的寒冷和灼人的炎熱敲響了陌生人家大門的人們，是你們給了它成長的力量；數(shù)以百萬計的美國人民自愿組織起來，他們想要去證明兩個多世紀(jì)之后，一個由人民組成的政府，一個屬于人民的政府，一個為了人民的政府是不會從地球上消亡的，這就是屬于你們的勝利！

我知道，你們這樣做并不只是想贏得一場選舉，我也知道，你們這樣做并不是為我一個人。你們這樣做，是因?yàn)槟銈兞私馇胺降娜蝿?wù)是如何的艱巨。甚至就在我們慶祝的同時，我們也清楚地明白，明天將要面臨的挑戰(zhàn)是多么巨大——兩大戰(zhàn)爭，一個處于危險中的星球，本世紀(jì)最嚴(yán)重的經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)。就在我們站在這里的同時，我們清楚地知道，還有許多勇敢的美國人正在伊拉克的沙漠和阿富汗的群山中醒來，為了我們而冒著生命的危險。還有許許多多的父母們，只有在自己的孩子入睡后才能躺下，他們?yōu)榉孔拥馁J款和醫(yī)院的賬單還有孩子們的學(xué)費(fèi)而發(fā)愁。放心，我們會注入新的能量，創(chuàng)造新的就業(yè)機(jī)會，建設(shè)新的學(xué)校，面對威脅與挑戰(zhàn)，修復(fù)我們的聯(lián)盟。

前方的道路還很漫長。我們所面臨的山峰是險峻的?；蛟S一年甚至很長一段時間我們都無法攀上峰頂，但是美國——我從來沒有像今晚這樣堅信，我們最終一定會到達(dá)。我向你保證——我們的民族最終會到達(dá)山頂?shù)摹?/p>

也許會有挫折坎坷，作為總統(tǒng)我所做出的決定和政策必定會遭到一些人的反對，而我們也知道政府不能夠解決所有問題。但是我將會誠實(shí)地告訴你們我們所面對的挑戰(zhàn)。我會耐心傾聽你們的心聲，尤其是在遇到分歧的時候。而最重要的是，我將會讓你們加入到重建我們國家的隊伍當(dāng)中來，沿著美國這221年來一直所走的那條道路——一塊塊磚瓦，一雙雙手，一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)堆砌出我們的家園。

21個月之前的那個冬天所開始的，不會在這個秋天的夜晚結(jié)束。這個勝利本身并不是我們所要找尋的改變——這只是一個改變的機(jī)會。如果我們回到老路上，那么一切都不會得到改變。沒有你們，這一切也不會得到改變。

那么，就讓我們重新召喚起愛國主義、公仆之心以及國家責(zé)任的精神來，每個人都參與其中，一起努力，不單只是關(guān)心自身，而是互相照顧。讓我們記住這場經(jīng)濟(jì)危機(jī)所教會我們的一點(diǎn)，如果主街道遭受了打擊，那么華爾街也不可能幸免——在這個國家，我們作為一個民族，一個整體，同存亡共榮辱。

讓我們摒棄掉那些長久以來一直危害我們的政治生活的那些幼稚瑣碎的黨派之爭。讓我們記住，是這個國家的人第一次將共和黨的橫幅掛在了白宮之上，而共和黨的建立便是基于對自力更生、獨(dú)立自由和國家統(tǒng)一價值的肯定。這一價值是我們所共享的，即便民主黨今晚贏得了大選，我們也會懷著謙虛的心態(tài)，去消除這一分歧和隔膜。在面臨著比今天更嚴(yán)重的國家分裂時，林肯說過，“我們不是敵人，而是朋友。。我們友情的紐帶，或會因情緒激動而繃緊，但決不可折斷。”而對于那些我還沒有贏得支持的選民們——也許我還沒有贏得你們的選票，但是我聽到了你們聲音，我需要你們的幫助，而我也同樣是你們的總統(tǒng)。

對于那些遠(yuǎn)在大洋彼岸的，在國會和皇宮中，在我們這個世界被遺忘的角落中圍在收音機(jī)旁關(guān)注著大選之夜的人們——我們的故事是不同的，但是我們的命運(yùn)卻是緊緊連在一起的，美國領(lǐng)袖新的一天的黎明即將到來。對于那些會將世界四分五裂的人們，我們將打敗你們，對于那些渴求和平和安全的人們，我們將支持你們。而對于所有那些想知道，自由女神像手中的火炬是否還會依舊閃耀光芒的人們，今晚我們再次證明了，我們民族的真正實(shí)力并不只是來自于武力和財富，而是來自于我們理想的力量:民主，自由，機(jī)遇以及永不屈服的希望。

美國真正的天賦在于，它懂得改變。我們的聯(lián)盟會不斷完善自己。而我們已經(jīng)取得的成就給了我們希望，讓我們堅信我們能夠并且即將取得成功。

這次選舉擁有許多故事和數(shù)不清的第一次，它們將被世世代代流傳。但是今晚在我腦海中一直浮現(xiàn)的，是亞特蘭大一位女性選民。她就像成千上萬的其他選民一樣，排在隊伍中喊出自己的心聲，唯一不同的是——安·尼克松·庫伯已經(jīng)106歲了。

她出生的時候正是奴隸制度解除之后；那時候還沒有汽車和飛機(jī)；像她一樣的人那個時候是沒有選舉權(quán)的，因?yàn)樗桥?，還因?yàn)樗つw的顏色。

但是今晚，我思考著她所經(jīng)歷的這一個世紀(jì)的美國——心痛和希望；斗爭與進(jìn)步；我們被告知我們不能做什么的時代，以及美國人的信條:是的，我們可以！

在那個女性不能發(fā)出聲音的時代，在那個女性的希望被剝奪的時代，她看著她們站了起來，大聲說出自己的想法，投出了自己的選票。是的，我們可以！

當(dāng)絕望和大蕭條襲來的時候，她看到了一個民族通過新政、新的工作和新的共同目的感戰(zhàn)勝了恐懼。是的，我們可以！

當(dāng)炸彈在珍珠港爆炸，當(dāng)暴政威脅這個世界的時候，她見證了一代人的強(qiáng)大，見證了民主得到了捍衛(wèi)。是的，我們可以！

她見證了蒙哥馬利汽車暴動，見證了塞爾瑪大橋事件，遇到了那位來自亞特蘭大的牧師，他告訴人們“我們終將會克服一切?！笔堑?，我們可以！

人類登上了月球，柏林墻倒塌了，世界由于我們自身的科學(xué)和想象力被連接到了一起。而在這一年，在這次選舉中，她的手指觸摸到了屏幕，她投出了自己的一票，因?yàn)樵诿绹?jīng)歷了106年的變遷，經(jīng)歷了最好的與最壞的時代后，她了解美國是如何變化的。是的，我們可以！

美國，我們已經(jīng)走了這么遠(yuǎn)，我們已經(jīng)看到了這么多，但是仍然有許多事情等待著我們?nèi)プ?。那么今晚，讓我們捫心自問——如果我們的孩子看到了下一個世紀(jì)；如果我的女兒也能夠和安·尼克松·庫伯一樣幸運(yùn)地活到了106歲，那么他們將會看到怎樣的變化？我們又將會取得什么樣的進(jìn)步？

對于我們來說，這正是一個對這一疑問給出回答的機(jī)會。這是我們的時刻，這是我們的時代——讓我們的人民重新回去工作，為我們的孩子打開機(jī)會的大門；積累財富，促進(jìn)和平；重拾美國夢，重申基本的真象——相對于大多數(shù)而言，我們是獨(dú)一無二的；當(dāng)我們呼吸時，我們希望，在我們面對譏笑、懷疑以及別人對我們說我們不能的時候，我們將會用凝聚了人類精神的永恒信條作出回應(yīng):

是的，我們可以！

謝謝你們，愿上帝保佑你們，愿上帝保佑美利堅合眾國。

第二篇：奧巴馬當(dāng)選演講 中英文

《奧巴馬當(dāng)選后演講全文》（中文版）

芝加哥的公民們，大家好！

如果現(xiàn)在仍然有人懷疑在美國是不是真的任何事情都可能發(fā)生，懷疑我們開國之父們的夢想是否還留存在這片土地上，懷疑美國民主的力量，今夜，就是你的答案。

在這個國家的學(xué)校和教堂中人們曾焦急地等待著答案，一些人甚至從未像今天一樣——等待了3～4個小時，但是他們知道這一時刻非同一般，他們的聲音也同樣非同一般。

在美國的土地上，無論是年輕人還是老人；窮人還是富人；無論是共和黨人還是民主黨人；無論是黑人、白人、西班牙裔、亞裔、美國原住民、同性戀、異性戀、殘疾人還是非殘疾人都發(fā)出同一種信息，我并非孤身一人。

我們是，而且永遠(yuǎn)都是美利堅合眾國！

這一天我們等得太久了，但是今晚，因?yàn)槲覀冊谶@場競選中、在這個地點(diǎn)、在此時此刻所做的一切，改變已經(jīng)降臨美國。

在今天晚上，我很榮幸地接到了麥凱恩參議員打來的電話。麥凱恩參議員在這場競選中進(jìn)行了長久、艱難的努力。而且，為這個他熱愛的國家，他奮斗了更久、付出了更多的努力。他為美國做出了超乎我們大多數(shù)人想象的犧牲，因?yàn)檫@個無畏無私的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人所付出的努力，我們才有了更好的生活。我對他表示祝賀，也對佩林州長所取得的成果表示祝賀。同時，我也期待著能在接下來的幾個月內(nèi)，和他們共同努力履行對這個國家的諾言。

我想感謝我在這個旅程中的搭檔，一個全心全意參加競選的男人，一個為同他一起在斯克藍(lán)頓(賓夕法尼亞東北部城市)街道長大、一起坐火車到特拉華州的人們發(fā)言的男人，美國未來的副總統(tǒng)，喬〃拜登。

在過去的16年里如果沒有朋友們的支持和鼓勵，那么我今晚將不會站在這里……我的家庭的支持、關(guān)愛，美國的下一位第一夫人米歇爾〃奧巴馬，還有薩沙和瑪麗雅，我對你們的愛甚至超出你們的想象，你們將得到新的爸爸，和你們一起到新的白宮。

我卻再也不能陪伴我的外祖母了，但我知道她一直在守望著我們。我也十分想念我的家人和親戚，我知道自己虧欠他們太多，太多。我要感謝馬婭，阿爾瑪，以及我所有的兄弟姐妹，感謝你們對我無私的支持，對此我深表感激。還有，感謝我的競選經(jīng)理大衛(wèi)〃普勞夫。還有那些在競選活動中的無名英雄們，他們表現(xiàn)的很棒，是他們給美國帶來了一場最完美的大選，我想，這在美國歷史上是絕無僅有的。還有我的首席戰(zhàn)略師大衛(wèi)〃阿克塞爾羅德。他是我的伙伴，在我競選的每個階段都給我極大的幫助，為我打造了美國大選史上最棒的競選團(tuán)隊。是你讓這一切發(fā)生了，我將永遠(yuǎn)對你為這一切做出的犧牲心存感激。但是最重要的，我將 永遠(yuǎn)無法忘記這場勝利真正的主人，這屬于你們，這屬于你們。

我曾經(jīng)是最不可能贏得白宮的候選人。在剛開始的時候，我們沒有多少錢，也沒有多少支持者，我們的競選不是從華盛頓的大廳開始的，而是開始于艾奧瓦州得梅因的后院、康科德的客廳、查爾斯頓的前廳。是辛勤勞作的男人、女人捐給了我們他們微薄的積蓄，5塊錢、10塊錢、20塊錢。我們從年輕人那里得到了力量，他們拒絕服從同齡人冷漠的神話。為了工作，他們離開了自己的家鄉(xiāng)，并與親人分別，可是他們拿很少的報酬，甚至連睡覺的時間也少的可憐。

那些并不年輕的志愿者卻擁有一顆火熱的心，為了大選他們在寒風(fēng)中敲開善良的陌生人家的門，這就是為什么兩個世紀(jì)以來，我們?nèi)祟悾覀兊恼疀]有從地球上消亡的原因。

我想說，這同樣也是你們的勝利！我知道，你們不僅僅是為了贏得一個大選，也不僅僅是為了我。你們這樣做，是因?yàn)橹牢覀兠媲叭蝿?wù)的艱難。即使我們今晚在這里歡慶，我們?nèi)匀恢烂魈鞂砦覀兤缴畲蟮奶魬?zhàn)——兩場戰(zhàn)爭，一個處于危險邊緣的星球、一個世紀(jì)來最嚴(yán)重的金融危機(jī)。

在孩子們熟睡后依然醒著的父親母親在擔(dān)心，他們怎樣才能還清醫(yī)生的賬單，攢夠足夠的錢供孩子的大學(xué)教育。

新的能源要去開發(fā)，新的工作崗位要去創(chuàng)造，新的學(xué)校要去建造，新的威脅要去面對，新的盟友關(guān)系要去修復(fù)。

前面的路會很長。我們的攀巖會很陡峭。我們甚至不會在一年、一個任期內(nèi)達(dá)到這個目標(biāo)。但是，美國，我從未比今夜更加相信，我們會達(dá)到這個目標(biāo)。

我承諾，作為一個人，我們會達(dá)到這個目標(biāo)。

以后我們還會面對挫折和謊言，我成為總統(tǒng)以后，也許有人無法認(rèn)同我的每一項政策和方針。并且我們也知道政府并非能解決一切問題。但是我會忠誠地和你們并肩奮斗，共同面對挑戰(zhàn)。我依然會傾聽你們的聲音，尤其是我們之間存在分歧的時候。最重要的是，我會真誠地邀請你參與國家的重建，就像美國建國221年以來的歷史那樣——靠我們的雙手把國家建設(shè)地更為強(qiáng)大。

我們從21個月以前的冬天開始了奮斗的征程，但是我們的努力不會在這個秋天的夜晚結(jié)束。這次勝利并不會改變我們的探索之路，這對于我們來說是一個難得的機(jī)遇，我們決不能后退。我們不會退縮，因?yàn)槲覀儞碛型⒌木蜔o畏犧牲的精神。

讓我們重振愛國主義精神，承擔(dān)起自己的責(zé)任，我們將努力奮斗，互幫互助。

讓我們牢記金融危機(jī)給美國帶來的傷痛，我們再也不會讓華爾街繁榮的同時，讓別的街受罪。

在這個國家里，我們與祖國的命運(yùn)緊密相連。讓我們自覺抵制黨派爭端和過于污穢的政治斗爭。

讓我們牢記在這條街道上高舉共和黨旗幟入主白宮的那個人(林肯)，是他宣揚(yáng)了獨(dú)立和自主的精神，完成了國家的統(tǒng)一。

這些價值觀應(yīng)該得到繼承和發(fā)揚(yáng)，今晚民主黨取得了勝利，我們必須保持謙虛的心態(tài)，并下定決心完成后面的征程。就像很久以前，林肯對一個比現(xiàn)在分裂得更嚴(yán)重的民族所說的那樣，我們不是敵人，是朋友。

雖然熱情已經(jīng)被沖淡，我們的友愛紐帶沒有破裂。

同時，對于我沒有贏得支持的民眾，我或許沒有得到你們的投票，但是我聽到了你們的聲音。我需要你們的幫助。我也會是你們的總統(tǒng)。

對于那些在另外一個海岸，從國會到王宮、到在被世界遺忘的角落擺弄收音機(jī)、關(guān)注美國今夜的人們，我們的故事并非只有一個，但是目標(biāo)是共同的，美國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)力的新的黎明已經(jīng)到來。

美國應(yīng)該變化，我們的社會應(yīng)該更完美。我們已經(jīng)取得的成果給了我們明天取得更大成果的希望。

這次大選有很多首創(chuàng)和許多故事，這些故事將代代相傳。但今天晚上我腦子里能想起來的就是一個女人，她剛剛在亞特蘭大城投了票。她跟成千上萬在這次大選中排隊發(fā)出自己聲音的人一樣，唯有一點(diǎn)例外：安〃尼克松〃庫珀已經(jīng)106歲高齡了。她出生在奴隸制剛剛廢除后的那一代，那時路上沒有汽車，天上沒有飛機(jī)。像她那樣的人仍不能投票，這因?yàn)閮蓚€方面的原因：一是她是女性；二是因?yàn)樗哪w色。

可今晚，我想她看透了一個世紀(jì)的美國——頭疼與希望；掙扎與發(fā)展。有人告訴我們，美國不行了，可美國人的自信卻回答：不，我們行！她曾經(jīng)生活在女性發(fā)不出聲音、希望破滅的時代，可她卻活著看到女性們站起來，發(fā)出自己的聲音，并且投下自己的票。是的，我們行！

當(dāng)饑餓來到，衰退發(fā)生時，她看到了這個國家是如何以新政，新工作，和全新的共同目標(biāo)來戰(zhàn)勝恐懼的。

當(dāng)炸彈落到我們的港口，獨(dú)裁者威脅世界的時候，她親眼見證了一代人的崛起和民主得以挽救。是的，我們行！她去蒙哥馬利搭乘公共汽車，她去伯明翰面對水龍頭，她去塞爾瑪占橋……她聽來自亞特蘭大的牧師告訴大家：“我們能打破種族障礙”，沒錯，我們行！

今年，在這次大選中，她投下了自己的一票。因?yàn)樵诿绹盍?06個年頭，經(jīng) 歷了最好的時光與最難的歲月，所以她知道美國一定能改變。是的，我們行！

美國已經(jīng)經(jīng)歷了太多，我們看夠了太多，但我們還得做更多的事。今晚，讓我們問自己：如果我們的孩子們要活著看到新世紀(jì)，如果我們的女兒們能像安〃尼克松這樣活到106歲，我們應(yīng)該有哪些進(jìn)步？我們應(yīng)該回答這個問題，這是我們的時代。

現(xiàn)在是我們一起開始工作，為我們的孩子打開機(jī)遇之門，恢復(fù)我們的繁榮，促進(jìn)和平，重回美國夢，恢復(fù)基本信任，以及其它許多事的時候了。我們應(yīng)該團(tuán)結(jié)如一人。我們應(yīng)該堅定地回應(yīng)那些說我們不行的人，我們將以無窮的力量來回應(yīng)他們，然后說：是的，我們行！

感謝大家，上帝保佑你們，上帝保佑美利堅！《奧巴馬當(dāng)選后演講全文》（英文版）

Hello, Chicago.If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled.Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.We are, and always will be, the United States of America.It's the answer that led those who've been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen.McCain.Sen.McCain fought long and hard in this campaign.And he's fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves.He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine.We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.I congratulate him;I congratulate Gov.Palin for all that they've achieved.And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation's next first lady Michelle Obama.Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine.And you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the new White House.And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother's watching, along with the family that made me who I am.I miss them tonight.I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you've given me.I am grateful to them.And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best--the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.To my chief strategist David Axelrod who's been a partner with me every step of the way.To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly 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.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 doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.This is your victory.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 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 will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage or pay their doctors' bills or save enough for their child's college education.There's new energy to harness, 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 there.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 the 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.And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it's been done in America 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 not 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.So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder 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's remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values 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.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.And to those Americans 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.And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.To those--to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you.To those who seek peace and security: We support you.And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.That's the true genius of America: that America can change.Our union can be perfected.What we've already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations.But one that's on my mind tonight's about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta.She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.She was born just a generation past slavery;a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky;when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons--because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America--the heartache and the hope;the struggle and the progress;the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot.Yes we can.When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose.Yes we can.When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved.Yes we can.She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.Yes we can.America, we have come so far.We have seen so much.But there is so much more to do.So tonight, let us ask ourselves--if our children should live to see the next century;if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call.This is our moment.This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids;to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace;to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one;that while we breathe, we hope.And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.Thank you.God bless you.And may God bless the United States of America.9

第三篇：奧巴馬當(dāng)選演講

奧巴馬當(dāng)選演講(全文)2008年11月05日18:11

中國日報網(wǎng)環(huán)球在線消息：

美國是否暗藏一切皆有可能的巨大潛力？美國是否已經(jīng)實(shí)現(xiàn)開國者鍛造的美國夢？民主信仰是否具有強(qiáng)大力量？如果還有人對此報以懷疑，那么今晚這里發(fā)生的一切就是答案。學(xué)校旁、教堂邊，無數(shù)人都在排隊投票，這一情景我們已經(jīng)多年未見；3個小時、4個小時，他們?yōu)榇硕群蛄季?，這是很多同胞有生以來的第一次。因?yàn)樗麄兿嘈?，這一次，將不同以往；這一次，因?yàn)樗麄兊暮袈暥兴煌?/p>

無論老少貧富，無論共和黨抑或民主黨，不管是黑皮膚、白種人、拉丁后裔、亞裔子孫還是本土美國人；無論性向如何，不管健康抑或殘疾，所有的美國人民都向全世界傳遞出這樣一條信息：我們從來都不是紅藍(lán)陣營的政治堆砌，我們是，而且永遠(yuǎn)是，美利堅合眾國。

長期以來，很多人缺乏信心，對自己所能取得的成就畏首畏尾、疑心重重。如今，我們走在歷史的長河里，挺起胸膛，勾勒出美好明天的光輝畫卷。

此情此景，等待尤長。然而，就在今晚，在這個大選的日子，在這個具有歷史性意義的時刻，由于你們的付出，美國終于迎來了變革。

剛剛，我接到了麥凱恩參議員禮貌得體的祝賀電話。為了此次競選，他奮戰(zhàn)良久、竭盡所能；為了他所深愛的美國，他曾作出了更長久、更努力的奉獻(xiàn)。麥凱恩參議員為美國所作出的犧牲是大部分人難以想象的，他這種英勇無私的奉獻(xiàn)改善了我們的生活。對于麥凱恩參議員和佩林州長所取得的成就，我對他們致以祝賀。在接下來的幾個月里，以重振美國為目標(biāo)，我期待著與他們的合作。

在此，我想感謝一路陪伴我的競選搭檔，他就是我們即將上任的副總統(tǒng)，喬-拜登。為了讓美國廣大的工人階層發(fā)出自己的聲音，他毫無私心地全身心投入競選，因?yàn)樗湍切┵e夕法尼亞州斯克蘭頓城街頭的人們一樣，出生平凡，一切白手起家。

如果沒有米歇爾-奧巴馬，這一準(zhǔn)美國第一夫人的堅定支持，今晚，我就不會站在這兒了。我們相伴走過了16個春秋，她是我們整個家庭的頂梁柱，我一生的摯愛。還有，薩沙和瑪利亞，我愛你們，你們姊妹倆終于可以帶著你們的新寵物狗入主白宮了。我知道，就像我的其他已故親屬一樣，外祖母一定也在某處注視著我，雖然她已經(jīng)不在人世。是他們造就了今天的我。今晚我很想念他們，我對他們的虧欠無以計量。

我想對我的競選經(jīng)理大衛(wèi)-普勞夫、首席戰(zhàn)略師大衛(wèi)-阿克塞爾羅德以及我們這個史上最佳的競選團(tuán)隊說，是你們讓這一切成為了現(xiàn)實(shí)，對于你們?yōu)榇怂龅臓奚透冻鑫矣肋h(yuǎn)感懷在心。

然而，有一點(diǎn)是最重要的，那就是我永遠(yuǎn)都不會忘記，真正擁有這個勝利的是你們，你們所有人！對于入主白宮，我從來都不是最熱候選人。競選伊始，我們的資金并不充裕，獲得的支持也不多。我們的競選班子并非始于華府，而是一路從艾奧瓦州的得梅因酒店后院、輾轉(zhuǎn)北卡羅萊納州的康克酒店客房，后來會首在西弗吉尼亞州查爾斯頓酒店的主廳??

我們的勝利來自于廣大工薪階級，正是他們從僅有的微薄存款里掏出5美元、10美元

或者20美元來支持我們的競選。我們的力量來自于摘下冷漠面罩的年輕一代，來自于夜以繼日奮力工作以維持生計的下層百姓，來自于冒著嚴(yán)寒酷暑、戶戶敲門宣傳的團(tuán)隊中流砥柱，更來自于成千上萬的大選志愿者。他們用出色的奉獻(xiàn)精神和組織能力證明了一個民有、民治、民享的政府在兩百年后仍然保持著生命力。這就是你們的勝利！

我明白，你們所做的這些，并不僅僅是為了贏得這次競選，也不單單只是為了我本人。你們之所以這么做，是因?yàn)槟銈兌们胺饺蝿?wù)的艱巨。即使我們今晚沉浸于慶祝的喜悅之中，我們也深知明天將會面臨的將是我們這輩子最為艱巨的挑戰(zhàn)：兩場戰(zhàn)爭、瀕臨危險的地球和百年一遇的金融危機(jī)；即使今晚我們安然站在此處，我們也深知那些深陷伊拉克沙漠和阿富汗山區(qū)的英勇美國戰(zhàn)士，是為了我們而冒著生命危險。還有那些孩子早已熟睡、自己卻輾轉(zhuǎn)反側(cè)的人父人母，他們夜不能寐，想著如何還清房貸、如何支付醫(yī)藥費(fèi)以及給孩子存下大學(xué)經(jīng)費(fèi)。我們要掌握新能源，創(chuàng)造就業(yè)崗位，建造新校舍，正視存在的威脅，并修復(fù)與盟友的關(guān)系。

前方的道路很漫長，我們將步履維艱。我們也許無法在一年內(nèi)，甚至是（我的）一個任期內(nèi)，達(dá)成我們的目標(biāo)。但是，今晚，我比任何時候都對此更有信心。我承諾，我們所有人將作為一個整體順利的到達(dá)目的地。

我們將不可避免地遭遇許多挫折，也許開頭并不會一帆風(fēng)順。我們需要弄明白一點(diǎn)，那就是政府無法解決所有的問題，也許有很多人不會同意我上臺執(zhí)政后制定的政策。不過，我將坦誠地接受各方的批評，直面我們的挑戰(zhàn)。我將傾聽你們的意見，尤其是不同的政見?？傊?，我邀請各位一同投入到國家的建設(shè)中來，用我們勤勞的雙手堆砌建設(shè)這個國家所需的磚瓦。正是這一方式，使美國在221年的建國道路上不斷前行。

我在21個月前的深冬開始為競選做出的努力并不會在今晚畫上句號。我們所追求的并不是這場選舉的勝利，這僅僅是為我們提供了一個做出變革的機(jī)會。如果回到過去的老路，我們將無法做出任何改變。當(dāng)然，如果沒有你們，一切都無法發(fā)生。

所以，讓我們一同喚醒自己的愛國心，喚醒為國效力的責(zé)任感，我們將一道披星戴月，披荊斬棘向前行進(jìn)，我們需要照顧的不再只有我們自己，而是每一個人。這次的金融危機(jī)讓我們認(rèn)識到一個事實(shí)，如果大眾受苦受難，華爾街就不可能繁華似錦。我們必須攜手與共、共同經(jīng)歷這個國家的榮辱興衰。

長期以來，兩黨隔閡以及不成熟的狹隘主義造成了我們現(xiàn)在的失敗政策，所以讓我們一同抵制住這種傾向，避免回到那條老路。請記住，這個國家有一個民主黨人將手扛民主和共和兩黨旗幟邁向白宮。充滿自信，崇尚個人自由，維護(hù)國家團(tuán)結(jié)將是我們共同追求的價值觀。盡管民主黨在今晚取得了壓倒性的勝利，但是我們將繼續(xù)帶著謙卑前行，愈合這個國家因分裂受到的創(chuàng)傷。社會的分裂曾經(jīng)阻礙我們國家前行的腳步。正如林肯總統(tǒng)在1861年的反國家分裂的演說中說到，“我們不是敵人，而是朋友。我們決不能成為敵人。盡管目前的情緒有些緊張，但決不能容許它使我們之間的親密情感紐帶破裂?！蔽乙嬖V那些沒有將選票投給我的朋友，也許我沒有贏得你們的選票，但我將聆聽你們的聲音，我需要你們的幫助，因?yàn)槲彝瑯訉⒊蔀槟銈兊目偨y(tǒng)。

我要告訴那些在美國大陸以外關(guān)注今晚選舉的人們，也許你們在一個被世界遺忘的角落

通過收音機(jī)了解今晚的選舉，盡管我們的國情不一樣，但是我們的命運(yùn)是緊緊聯(lián)系在一起的。一個全新的美國領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層即將呼之欲出。我要告訴那些試圖破壞這個世界的人們，我們將打敗你們！我要告訴那些追求和平和安全的人們，我們將全力支持你們！我要告訴那些對美國的未來持懷疑態(tài)度的人們，今晚，我們再次證明了一個事實(shí)，那就是這個國家擁有強(qiáng)大的力量，這并不是因?yàn)槲覀儞碛斜姸嗟奈淦骱拓敻弧Ｃ裰?、自由、機(jī)遇、堅定不屈的希望才是這個國家保持強(qiáng)大的持久力量！

美國強(qiáng)大的真諦在于它能夠做出改變，我們的國家可以變得更加完美。我們過去所達(dá)到的成就讓我們看到了前進(jìn)的希望。

本屆選舉創(chuàng)造了多項歷史之最，有許多故事將代代相傳。但此時此刻，我腦海中想起的是一名來自亞特蘭大的選民，這位名叫安妮-尼克松-庫珀的女性和千千萬萬的選民一樣，靜靜地站在投票隊伍之中，投出自己的選票，表達(dá)自己的聲音。不過，與眾不同的是，她已經(jīng)106歲高齡了。在她出生的年代，公路上沒有汽車，天空中沒有飛機(jī)。像她一樣的人僅僅因?yàn)槟w色和性別就被擋在參與投票的大門之外。

今晚，我由此聯(lián)想到了她一個世紀(jì)以來，在美國見證的一切：困苦與希望，奮斗與進(jìn)步，那是一個讓人無能為力的年代，但人們必須不斷告訴自己美國的偉大信條：“是的，我們可以！”曾經(jīng)，女性無法表達(dá)自己的意見，她們的希望成為幻影。如今，她終于見證了這一幕，和她一樣有著悲慘遭遇的人們成功地投出了自己的選票。是的，我們可以！

當(dāng)整個美國大陸都籠罩在經(jīng)濟(jì)大蕭條的絕望之中時，她見證了一個國家戰(zhàn)勝自身恐懼，重新崛起，羅斯福總統(tǒng)推行的“新政”不僅給美國帶來了新的就業(yè)機(jī)會，更給美國人民帶來了共同的價值觀。是的，我們可以！

當(dāng)日本的原子彈投向我們的港口，當(dāng)世界被暴政所威脅，她見證了一個崛起的民族，民主重獲新生。是的，我們可以！

她目睹了發(fā)生在蒙哥馬利巴士上、伯明翰的高壓水龍頭下、塞爾瑪大橋上的種族歧視??而后，來自亞特蘭大民權(quán)先驅(qū)告訴人們，“我們可以戰(zhàn)勝這一切”。是的，我們可以！

而后，人類登月，柏林墻倒塌，世界重新集結(jié)在科學(xué)和想象力的號角下?，F(xiàn)在，在這場選舉中，她終于用自己的指尖觸碰到投票屏幕，鄭重地投下選票。飽經(jīng)106年的滄桑變化，穿越歲月的風(fēng)云變遷，她知道美國能做出怎樣的改變。是的，我們可以！

美國，我們風(fēng)雨兼程，一路走來。我們經(jīng)歷了太多，但前方仍有許多夢想等待著我們?nèi)?shí)現(xiàn)。今晚，讓我們大聲地問自己，我們的孩子是否還能看到下一個世紀(jì)；我可愛的女兒是否能和安妮-尼克松-庫珀一樣幸運(yùn)，享受漫長的人生。他們將看到怎樣的變革？我們將取得怎樣的進(jìn)步？

這是我們給出答案的機(jī)會。這是屬于我們的時刻。這是我們的時代：讓人們有事可做；為我們的孩子打開機(jī)遇之門；推動世界和平與繁榮；再次鍛造美國夢，重申這一不可動搖的事實(shí)——雖然我們每個人不盡相同，但我們是一個整體，只要我們呼吸尚存，希望就永不磨滅。我們將用那歷經(jīng)時間考驗(yàn)的不朽信條擲地有聲地直面質(zhì)疑：“是的，我們可以！”

謝謝！上帝保佑你們，保佑美利堅合眾國！

第四篇：奧巴馬演講

奧巴馬演講

Hello, everybody.In the State of the Union, I laid out three areas we need to focus on if we're going to build an economy that lasts: new American manufacturing, new skills and education for American workers, and new sources of American-made energy.These days, we're getting another painful reminder why developing new energy is so important to our future.Just like they did last year, gas prices are starting to climb.Only this time, it's happening earlier.And that hurts everyone – everyone who owns a car;everyone who owns a business.It means you have to stretch your paycheck even further.Some folks have no choice but to drive a long way to work, and high gas prices are like a tax straight out of their paychecks.Now, some politicians always see this as a political opportunity.And since it's an election year, they're already dusting off their three-point plans for $2 gas.I'll save you the suspense: Step one is drill, step two is drill, and step three is keep drilling.We hear the same thing every year.Well the American people aren't stupid.You know that's not a plan – especially since we're already drilling.It's a bumper sticker.It's not a strategy to solve our energy challenge.It's a strategy to get politicians through an election.You know there are no quick fixes to this problem, and you know we can't just drill our way to lower gas prices.If we're going to take control of our energy future and avoid these gas price spikes down the line, then we need a sustained, all-of-the-above strategy that develops every available source of American energy – oil, gas, wind, solar, nuclear, biofuels, and more.We need to keep developing the technology that allows us to use less oil in our cars and trucks;in our buildings and plants.That's the strategy we're pursuing, and that's the only real solution to this challenge.Now, we absolutely need safe, responsible oil production here in America.That's why under my Administration, America is producing more oil today than at any time in the last eight years.In 2010, our dependence on foreign oil was under 50% for the first time in more than a decade.And while there are no short-term silver bullets when it comes to gas prices, I've directed my administration to look for every single area where we can make an impact and help consumers in the months ahead, from permitting to delivery bottlenecks to what's going on in the oil markets.But over the long term, an all-of-the-above energy strategy means we have to do more.It means we have to make some choices.Here's one example.Right now, four billion of your tax dollars subsidize the oil industry every year.Four billion dollars.Imagine that.Maybe some of you are listening to this in your car right now, pulling into a gas station to fill up.As you watch those numbers rise, know that oil company profits have never been higher.Yet somehow, Congress is still giving those same companies another four billion dollars of your money.That's outrageous.It's inexcusable.And it has to stop.A century of subsidies to the oil companies is long enough.It's time to end taxpayer giveaways to an industry that's never been more profitable, and use that money to reduce our deficit and double-down on a clean energy industry that's never been more promising.Because of the investments we've already made, the use of wind and solar energy in this country has nearly doubled – and thousands of Americans have jobs because of it.And because we put in place the toughest fuel economy standards in history, our cars will average nearly 55 miles per gallon by the middle of the next decade – something that, over time, will save the typical family more than $8,000 at the pump.Now Congress needs to keep that momentum going by renewing the clean energy tax credits that will lead to more jobs and less dependence on foreign oil.Look, we know there's no silver bullet that will bring down gas prices or reduce our dependence on foreign oil overnight.But what we can do is get our priorities straight, and make a sustained, serious effort to tackle this problem.That's the commitment we need right now.And with your help, it's a commitment we can make.Thank you.

第五篇：奧巴馬演講

Thank you.(Applause.)Thank you very much.Everybody, please have a seat.Well, Madam President, that was an outstanding introduction.(Laughter.)We are so proud of Donae for representing this school so well.And in addition, I also want to acknowledge your outstanding principal, who has been here for 20 years--first as a teacher, now as an outstanding principal--Anita Berger.Please give her a big round of applause.(Applause.)I want to acknowledge, as well, Mayor Gray is here--the mayor of Washington, D.C.is here.Please give him a big round of applause.(Applause.)And I also want to thank somebody who is going to go down in history as one of the finest Secretaries of Education that we’ve ever had--Arne Duncan is here.(Applause.)

Now, it is great to be here at Benjamin Banneker High School, one of the best high schools not only in Washington, D.C., but one of the best high schools in the country.(Applause.)But we’ve also got students tuning in from all across America.And so I want to welcome you all to the new school year, although I know that many of you already have been in school for a while.I know that here at Banneker, you’ve been back at school for a few weeks now.So everything is starting to settle in, just like for all your peers all across the country.The fall sports season is underway.Musicals and marching band routines are starting to shape up, I believe.And your first big tests and projects are probably just around the corner.I know that you’ve also got a great deal going on outside of school.Your circle of friends might be changing a little bit.Issues that used to stay confined to hallways or locker rooms are now finding their way onto Facebook and Twitter.(Laughter.)Some of your families might also be feeling the strain of the economy.As many of you know, we’re going through one of the toughest economic times that we’ve gone through in our lifetime--in my lifetime.Your lifetime hasn’t been that long.And so, as a consequence, you might have to pick up an after-school job to help out your family, or maybe you’re babysitting for a younger sibling because mom or dad is working an extra shift.So all of you have a lot on your plates.You guys are growing up faster and interacting with a wider world in a way that old folks like me, frankly, just didn’t have to.So today, I don’t want to be just another adult who stands up and lectures you like you’re just kids--because you’re not just kids.You’re this country’s future.You’re young leaders.And whether we fall behind or race ahead as a nation is going to depend in large part on you.So I want to talk to you a little bit about meeting that responsibility.It starts, obviously, with being the best student that you can be.Now, that doesn’t always mean that you have to have a perfect score on every assignment.It doesn’t mean that you’ve got to get straight As all the time--although that’s not a bad goal to have.It means that you have to stay at it.You have to be determined and you have to persevere.It means you’ve got to work as hard as you know how to work.And it means that you’ve got to take some risks once in a while.You can’t avoid the class that you think might be hard because you’re worried about getting the best grade if that’s a subject that you think you need to prepare you for your future.You’ve got to wonder.You’ve got to question.You’ve got to explore.And every once in a while, you need to color outside of the lines.That’s what school is for: discovering new passions, acquiring new skills, making use of this incredible time that you have to prepare yourself and give yourself the skills that you’re going to need to pursue the kind of careers that you want.And that’s why when you’re still a student you can explore a wide range of possibilities.One hour you can be an artist;the next, an author;the next, a scientist, or a historian, or a carpenter.This is the time where you can try out new interests and test new ideas.And the more you do, the sooner you’ll figure out what makes you come alive, what stirs you, what makes you excited--the career that you want to pursue.Now, if you promise not to tell anybody, I will let you in on a little secret: I was not always the very best student that I could be when I was in high school, and certainly not when I was in middle school.I did not love every class I took.I wasn’t always paying attention the way I should have.I remember when I was in 8th grade I had to take a class called ethics.Now, ethics is about right and wrong, but if you’d ask me what my favorite subject was back in 8th grade, it was basketball.I don’t think ethics would have made it on the list.But here’s the interesting thing.I still remember that ethics class, all these years later.I remember the way it made me think.I remember being asked questions like: What matters in life? Or, what does it mean to treat other people with dignity and respect? What does it mean to live in a diverse nation, where not everybody looks like you do, or thinks like you do, or comes from the same neighborhood as you do? How do we figure out how to get along?

Each of these questions led to new questions.And I didn’t always know the right answers, but those discussions and that process of discovery--those things have lasted.Those things are still with me today.Every day, I’m thinking about those same issues as I try to lead this nation.I’m asking the same kinds of questions about, how do we as a diverse nation come together to achieve what we need to achieve? How do we make sure that every single person is treated with dignity and respect? What responsibilities do we have to people who are less fortunate than we are? How do we make sure that everybody is included in this family of Americans?

Those are all questions that date back to this class that I took back in 8th grade.And here’s the thing: I still don’t always know the answers to all these questions.But if I’d have just tuned out because the class sounded boring, I might have missed out on something that not only did I turn out enjoying, but has ended up serving me in good stead for the rest of my life.So that’s a big part of your responsibility, is to test things out.Take risks.Try new things.Work hard.Don’t be embarrassed if you’re not good at something right away.You’re not supposed to be good at everything right away.That’s why you’re in school.The idea, though, is, is that you keep on expanding your horizons and your sense of possibility.Now is the time for you to do that.And those are also, by the way, the things that will make school more fun.Down the road, those will be the traits that will help you succeed, as well--the traits that will lead you to invent a device that makes an iPad look like a stone tablet.Or what will help you figure out a way to use the sun and the wind to power a city and give us new energy sources that are less polluting.Or maybe you’ll write the next great American novel.Now, to do almost any of those things, you have to not only graduate from high school,--and I know I’m just--I’m in the “amen” corner with Principal Berger here--not only do you have to graduate from high school, but you’re going to have to continue education after you leave.You have to not only graduate, but you’ve got to keep going after you graduate.That might mean, for many of you, a four-year university.I was just talking to Donae, and she wants to be an architect, and she’s interning with a architectural firm, and she’s already got her sights set on what school she wants to go to.But it might, for some other folks, be a community college, or professional credentialing or training.But the fact of the matter is, is that more than 60 percent of the jobs in the next decade will require more than a high school diploma--more than 60 percent.That’s the world you’re walking into.So I want all of you to set a goal to continue your education after you graduate.And if that means college for you, just getting into college is not enough.You also have to graduate.One of the biggest challenges we have right now is that too many of our young people enroll in college but don’t actually end up getting their degree, and as a consequence--our country used to have the world’s highest proportion of young people with a college degree;we now rank 16th.I don't like being 16th.I like being number one.That’s not good enough.So we’ve got to use--we’ve got to make sure your generation gets us back to the top of having the most college graduates relative to the population of any country on Earth.If we do that, you guys will have a brighter future.And so will America.We’ll be able to make sure the newest inventions and the latest breakthroughs happen right here in the United States of America.It will mean better jobs, and more fulfilling lives, and greater opportunities not only for you, but also for your kids.So I don’t want anybody who’s listening here today to think that you’re done once you finish high school.You are not done learning.In fact, what’s happening in today’s economy is--it’s all about lifelong learning.You have to constantly upgrade your skills and find new ways of doing things.Even if college isn't for you, even if a four-year college isn't for you, you’re still going to have to get more education after you get out of high school.You’ve got to start expecting big things from yourself right now.I know that may sound a little intimidating.And some of you may be wondering how you can pay for college, or you might not know what you want to do with your life yet.And that’s okay.Nobody expects you to have your entire future mapped out at this point.And we don't expect you to have to make it on your own.First of all, you’ve got wonderful parents who love you to death and want you to have a lot more opportunity than they ever had--which, by the way, means don’t give them a hard time when they ask you to turn off the video games, turn off the TV and do some homework.You need to be listening to them.I speak from experience because that’s what I’ve been telling Malia and Sasha.Don’t be mad about it, because we’re thinking about your future.You’ve also got people all across this country--including myself and Arne and people at every level of government--who are working on your behalf.We’re taking every step we can to ensure that you’re getting an educational system that is worthy of your potential.We’re working to make sure that you have the most up-to-date schools with the latest tools of learning.We’re making sure that this country’s colleges and universities are affordable and accessible to you.We’re working to get the best class--teachers into the classroom as well, so they can help you prepare for college and a future career.Let me say something about teachers, by the way.Teachers are the men and women who might be working harder than just about anybody these days.(Applause.)Whether you go to a big school or a small one, whether you attend a public or a private or charter school –-your teachers are giving up their weekends;they’re waking up at dawn;they’re cramming their days full of classes and extra-curricular activities.And then they’re going home, eating some dinner, and then they’ve got to stay up sometimes past midnight, grading your papers and correcting your grammar, and making sure you got that algebra formula properly.And they don’t do it for a fancy office.They don’t--they sure don’t do it for the big salary.They do it for you.They do it because nothing gives them more satisfaction than seeing you learn.They live for those moments when something clicks;when you amaze them with your intellect or your vocabulary, or they see what kind of person you’re becoming.And they’re proud of you.And they say, I had something to do with that, that wonderful young person who is going to succeed.They have confidence in you that you will be citizens and leaders who take us into tomorrow.They know you’re our future.So your teachers are pouring everything they got into you, and they’re not alone.But I also want to emphasize this: With all the challenges that our country is facing right now, we don’t just need you for the future;we actually need you now.America needs young people’s passion and their ideas.We need your energy right now.I know you’re up to it because I’ve seen it.Nothing inspires me more than knowing that young people all across the country are already making their marks.They’re not waiting.They’re making a difference now.There are students like Will Kim from Fremont, California, who launched a nonprofit that gives loans to students from low-income schools who want to start their own business.Think about that.So he’s giving loans to other students.He set up a non-for-profit.He’s raising the money doing what he loves--through dodgeball tournaments and capture-the-flag games.But he’s creative.He took initiative.And now he’s helping other young people be able to afford the schooling that they need.There is a young man, Jake Bernstein, 17 years old, from a military family in St.Louis, worked with his sister to launch a website devoted to community service for young people.And they’ve held volunteer fairs and put up an online database, and helped thousands of families to find volunteer opportunities ranging from maintaining nature trails to serving at local hospitals.And then last year, I met a young woman named Amy Chyao from Richardson, Texas.She’s 16 years old, so she’s the age of some of you here.During the summer, I think because somebody in her family had an illness, she decided that she was interested in cancer research.She hadn’t taken chemistry yet, so she taught herself chemistry during the summer.And then she applied what she had learned and discovered a breakthrough process that uses light to kill cancer cells.Sixteen years old.It’s incredible.And she's been approached by some doctors and researchers who want to work with her to help her with her discovery.The point is you don’t have to wait to make a difference.You’re first obligation is to do well in school.You’re first obligation is to make sure that you’re preparing yourself for college and career.But you can also start making your mark right now.A lot of times young people may have better ideas than us old people do anyway.We just need those ideas out in the open, in and out of the classroom.When I meet young people like yourselves, when I sat and talk to Donae, I have no doubt that America’s best days are still ahead of us, because I know the potential that lies in each of you.Soon enough, you will be the ones leading our businesses and leading our government.You will be the one who are making sure that the next generation gets what they need to succeed.You will be the ones that are charting the course of our unwritten history.And all that starts right now--starts this year.So I want all of you who are listening, as well as everybody here at Banneker, I want you to make the most of the year that’s ahead of you.I want you to think of this time as one in which you are just loading up with information and skills, and you’re trying new things and you’re practicing, and you’re honing--all those things that you’re going to need to do great things when you get out of school.Your country is depending on you.So set your sights high.Have a great school year.Let’s get to work.Thank you very much, everybody.God bless you.God bless the United States of America.(Applause.)