Thank you so much.
Tonight, more than 200 years after a former
colony won the right to determine its own destiny, the task of
perfecting our union moves forward.
It moves forward because of
you. It moves forward because you reaffirmed the spirit that has
triumphed over war and depression, the spirit that has lifted this
country from the depths of despair to the great heights of hope, the
belief that while each of us will pursue our own individual dreams, we
are an American family and we rise or fall together as one nation and as
one people.
Tonight, in this election, you, the American people, reminded us that
while our road has been hard, while our journey has been long, we have
picked ourselves up, we have fought our way back, and we know in our
hearts that for the United States of America the best is yet to come.
I
want to thank every American who participated in this election, whether
you voted for the very first time or waited in line for a very long
time. By the way, we have to fix that. Whether you pounded the pavement
or picked up the phone, whether you held an Obama sign or a Romney sign,
you made your voice heard and you made a difference.
I just spoke
with Governor Romney and I congratulated him and Paul Ryan on a
hard-fought campaign. We may have battled fiercely, but it’s only
because we love this country deeply and we care so strongly about its
future. From George to Lenore to their son Mitt, the Romney family has
chosen to give back to America through public service and that is the
legacy that we honor and applaud tonight. In the weeks ahead, I also
look forward to sitting down with Gov. Romney to talk about where we can
work together to move this country forward.
I want to thank my
friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the
best vice president anybody could ever hope for, Joe Biden.
And I
wouldn’t be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me
20 years ago. Let me say this publicly: Michelle, I have never loved you
more. I have never been prouder to watch the rest of America fall in
love with you, too, as our nation’s first lady. Sasha and Malia, before
our very eyes you’re growing up to become two strong, smart beautiful
young women, just like your mom. And I’m so proud of you guys. But I
will say that for now one dog’s probably enough.
To the best
campaign team and volunteers in the history of politics. The best. The
best ever. Some of you were new this time around, and some of you have
been at my side since the very beginning. But all of you are family. No
matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory
of the history we made together and you will have the lifelong
appreciation of a grateful president. Thank you for believing all the
way, through every hill, through every valley. You lifted me up the
whole way and I will always be grateful for everything that you’ve done
and all the incredible work that you put in.
I know that political
campaigns can sometimes seem small, even silly. And that provides
plenty of fodder for the cynics that tell us that politics is nothing
more than a contest of egos or the domain of special interests. But if
you ever get the chance to talk to folks who turned out at our rallies
and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym, or saw folks working
late in a campaign office in some tiny county far away from home,
you’ll discover something else.
You’ll hear the determination in
the voice of a young field organizer who’s working his way through
college and wants to make sure every child has that same opportunity.
You’ll hear the pride in the voice of a volunteer who’s going door to
door because her brother was finally hired when the local auto plant
added another shift. You’ll hear the deep patriotism in the voice of a
military spouse who’s working the phones late at night to make sure that
no one who fights for this country ever has to fight for a job or a
roof over their head when they come home.