[Applause] oh [Applause] [Applause] yeah thank you thank you 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 [Music] 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 [Applause] 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 [Music] [Applause] 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 Lenor to their son mitt the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service and that is a legacy that we honor and
applaud [Applause] tonight in the weeks ahead I also look forward to sitting down with Governor 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 [Applause] and I wouldn't be the man I am today without the woman who agreed to marry me 20 years [Applause] ago say this publicly Michelle I have never loved you more I have never been proud of to watch the rest of
America fall in love with you too as our nation's first lady Sasha 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 to 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 who tell us that politics 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 our rallies and crowded along a rope line in a high school gym or or saw folks working late at 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 too because her
brother was finally hired when the local auto plant added another [Music] 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 that's why we do this that's what politics can be that's why elections matter it's not small it's big it's important democracy in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complic ated we have our own
opinions each of us has deeply held beliefs and when we go through tough times when we make big decisions as a country it necessarily stirs passions stirs up controversy that won't change after tonight and it shouldn't these arguments we have are a mark of our Liberty and we can never forget that as we speak people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter the chance to cast their ballots like we did today but despite all our differ differences most of us share certain hopes
for America's future we want our kids to grow up in a country where they have access to the best schools and the best teachers a country that lives up to its Legacy is the global leader in technology and Discovery and Innovation with all the good jobs and new businesses that follow we want our children to live in America that isn't burdened by debt that isn't weakened by inequality that isn't threatened by the destructive power of a warming planet we want to pass on a country that's safe and respected and admired around the world a nation
that is defended by the strongest military on earth and the best troops this this world has ever known but also a country that moves with confidence Beyond this time of War to shape a peace that is built on the promise of freedom and dignity for every human being we believe in a generous America in a compassionate America in a tolerant America open to the dreams of an immigrant's daughter who studies in our school and pledges to our flag to the young boy on the south side of Chicago who sees a life beyond the nearest street
corner to the furniture workers's child in North Carolina who wants to become a doctor or a scientist an engineer or an entrepreneur a diplomat or even a president that's the H that's the future we hope for that's the vision we share that's where we need to go forward that's where we need to go now we will disagree sometimes fiercely about how to get there as it has for more than two centuries progress will come in fits and starts it's not always a straight line it's not always a smooth path by itself the recognition that we
have common hopes and dreams won't end all the gridlock or solve all our problems or substitute for the painstaking work of building consensus and making the difficult compromises needed to move this country forward but that common bond is where we must begin our economy is recovering a decade of war is ending a long campaign is now over and whether I earned your Vote or not I have listened to you I have learned from you and you've made me a better president and with your stories and your struggles I return to the White House more determined
and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead tonight you voted for Action not Politics as Usual you elected us to focus on your J jobs not ours and in the coming weeks and months I am looking forward to reaching out and working with leaders of both parties to meet the challenges we can only solve together reducing our deficit reforming our tax code fixing our immigration system freeing ourselves from foreign oil we've got more work to do but that doesn't mean your work is done the role
of citizen in our democracy does not end with your vote America's never been about what can be done for us it's about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government that's the principle we were founded on this country has more wealth than any Nation but that's not what makes us rich we have the most powerful military in history but that's not what makes us strong our University our culture or the Envy of the world but that's not what keeps the world coming to our Shores what makes
America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse Nation on Earth the belief that our destiny is shared that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and the future Generations so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for comes with responsibilities as well as rights and among those are love and charity and Duty and patriotism that's what makes America great I am hopeful tonight because I've seen the spirit at work in America I've seen it in the family business whose owners would rather cut
their own pay than lay off their neighbors and in the workers who would rather cut back their hours than see a friend lose a job I've seen it in the soldiers who reinlist after losing a limb and in those seals who charged up the stairs into darkness and danger because they knew there was a buddy behind them watching their back I've seen it on the shores of New Jersey and New York where leaders from every party and level of government have swept aside their differences to help a community rebuild from the wreckage of a terrible
storm and I saw it just the other day in Menor Ohio where a father told the story of his 8-year-old daughter whose Long battle with leukemia nearly cost their family everything had it not been for healthcare reform pass just a few months before the insurance company was about to stop paying for her care I had an opportunity to not just talk to the father but meet this incredible daughter of his and when he spoke to the crowd listening to that father's story every parent in that room had tears in their eyes because we knew that
little girl could be our own and I know that every American wants her future to be just as bright that's who we are that's the country I'm so proud to lead as your president and tonight despite all the hardship we've been through despite all the frustrations of Washington I've never been more hopeful about our future I have never been more hopeful about America and I ask you to sustain that hope I'm not talking about blind optimism the kind of hope that just ignores the enormity of the tasks ahead or the roadblocks that stand in our
path I'm not talking about The Wishful idealism that allows us to just sit on the sidelines or Sherk from a fight I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists despite all the evidence to the contrary that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching to keep working to keep fighting America I believe we can build on the progress we've made and continue to fight for new jobs and new opportunity and new security for the middle class I believe we can keep the promise of
our founding the idea that if you're willing to work hard it doesn't matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like or where you love it doesn't matter whether you're black or white or Hispanic or Asian or Native American or young or old or rich or poor abled disabled gay or straight you can make it here in America if you're willing to try I believe we can seize this future together because we are not as divided as our politics suggests we're not as cynical as the pundants believe we are greater
than the sum of our individual Ambitions and we remain more than a collection of red States and blue States we are and forever will be the United States of America and together with your help and God's grace we will continue our journey forward and remind the world just why it is that we live in the greatest nation on Earth thank you America God bless you God bless these United States
