第3章 未来充满希望[2] Future Filled with Hope
米歇尔，我爱你！那天晚上，我知道全国人民共同见证了我的幸运。玛丽亚和萨沙，你们让我感到骄傲……但是不要打什么鬼主意，你们明天还是要去上课。乔·拜登，你是我一直梦寐以求的最好的副总统，我要衷心地感谢你。
主席女士，各位代表，我很荣幸能够被提名为总统的候选人。
2004年我第一次在民主党代表大会上演讲，那时我还是个年轻人——一个来自伊利诺伊州的参议员候选人，那次演讲谈到了希望——不是盲目乐观或者异想天开，而是面对困难时的希望；面对不确定的未来所持有的希望。对未来的那种顽强的信念将推动着这个国家向前，哪怕前路荆棘密布；哪怕道路是多么崎岖而漫长。
八年过去了，经过战争的代价、历史上最严重的经济危机的洗礼、政治上的僵局，这个希望经受了考验。于是我们想知道，这个希望是否仍然可以解决我们这个时代所面临的挑战。
我知道竞选看起来微不足道，甚至有些愚蠢。琐碎的小事也会造成很大的影响，严重的问题更是会成为新闻的头版头条。真相都被埋没于雪崩般的钞票和广告之中。也许你根本不想再去听这些信息，请相信我——我和你们一样感到厌倦。
当一切都已经说好做完——你们已经行使了选举的权力——你们所面临的选择将会前所未有地清晰明了。在未来的几年里，华盛顿将会针对就业和经济、税收和赤字、能源和教育等方面的问题做出重要的决策，做出能够对我们自己的生活，以及我们子孙后代几十年的生活产生巨大影响的决策。
对于每一个问题，你们所面临的都并非只是介于两个候选人，或者是两党之间的选择。
这将是一个为了美国在两条不同的路线之间做出的选择。
这将是一个使我们的未来面对两种截然不同前景的选择。
我们将一直致力于未来能够恢复建立最大的中产阶级群体，使美国成为世界上公认的经济强国；这一前景，绝对值得让我的祖父像巴顿将军麾下的士兵一样去捍卫；也绝对值得让我的祖母，在我的祖父去世后，仍然工作在轰炸机生产线上。
他们知道自己是为了国家的伟大事业而奋斗的一份子——这个国家曾经战胜了法西斯主义，平稳度过了低迷时期；这个国家曾经拥有能够生产出全世界最好的产品，具备最强创新力的企业。那时，从办公室到工厂，每个人都分享着自己的骄傲和成功。我的祖父母有机会上大学，有能力购买他们的第一套住房，这满足了所有美国生活的核心本质所包含的基本协定，这是一个承诺：只要努力工作就有回报；尽职尽责就有收获；机遇人人平等，每个人都得到公平的分配，每一个人都遵循着相同的准则，无论你是来自市井的普通大众，还是来自华尔街、华盛顿特区的高端白领。
我竞选总统，是因为我看到这些基本协定已经被违背淡忘。我开始我的职业生涯，旨在帮助那些活在关门停业的钢铁厂阴影中的人们，当时很多好的企业都开始拓展海外事业，使他们面临失业危机。到2008年，我们已经看到了10年来物价飞涨，但工资却不变而使每个家庭面临的挣扎；债台高筑可能只是为了抵押贷款或支付学费，甚至只是为了给车加油，或者为了餐桌上的食物。当失控的华尔街处于大萧条的时期，数百万无辜的美国人失去了他们的工作，他们的家，还有他们毕生的积蓄——这是一个悲剧，我们仍在为了恢复而努力拼搏。
但是从来没有人能说出怎么做才是对的。他们想要你们的选票，但却不想让你们知道他们的计划。那是因为他们只会说一些30年前的陈词滥调：
“实现盈余？减税试试。”
“赤字严重？试试别的。”
“还行不通？再减免两项税务。恢复部分规章，明早再议。”
现在，我要为那些有需要的人减税——那些中产阶级家庭和小型企业。但是，为那些百万富翁减免新一轮的税收，会增加商家提供出好的职位数量，或减轻我们的赤字吗？我不相信。解雇教师，或取消给学生的经济援助，就会使经济增长，或者能帮助我们与来自中国的科学家和工程师竞争？我不相信。毕竟我们都已经历过，我不相信在华尔街恢复部分规章，就能帮助小企业成长，或是帮助失业的建筑工人养家糊口。我们都曾深陷其中，这些方法也都已经试过了，我们不能重蹈覆辙，我们要向前进。
我不会假装自己好像能够提供给大家一个方便快捷的方法。我从来就没有什么捷径。你们也不会因为要听到你们想听到的话而选举我。你们选举我是因为你们想听到事实。而事实就是，要解决几十年累积下来的问题绝非一朝一夕就能完成。这需要我们齐心协力，分担责任，无所畏惧，还要有富兰克林·罗斯福在面临远比现在这种危机还要糟的境况下所秉持的坚持不渝的精神。顺便说一下，我们之中那些带有所在党派习惯性思维的人需谨记，并不是所有的问题都能依靠另一个政府计划，或者华盛顿的一条指令来解决。
但是，美国的同胞们，你们要知道：我们的问题是能够解决的，我们的挑战是可以完成的。我们所能提供的道路也许崎岖，但它会带领我们走向更好的处境。我希望你们去选择这样的未来。我希望你们能够为了你们的国家，团结在一组目标周围——一组围绕在制造业、能源、教育、国家安全和赤字方面的目标；（团结在）一个真正能带来新工作岗位、更多机遇的可行性计划，并且使我们的经济重振到一个更坚实的基础上。这就是我们未来4年要做的事情，这也是我要竞选连任美国总统的原因。
我们可以选择一个未来，一个能够出口更多产品、外包更少的工作的未来。10年后，我们会通过买卖和借贷的东西来定义自身。我们正在逐步返璞归真，并且做着一些美国一直以来都做得最好的事情：
我们又开始制造新事物了。
我曾在底特律和托莱多见过一些工人，他们害怕自己永远不能制造出新型的美国汽车。现在，他们害怕的是自己制造的汽车还不够快，因为委靡的汽车工业已经再次被振兴，甚至可以回到世界顶尖的位置。
我曾与那些把工作带回美国的企业领导人合作——并不是因为我们的工人薪资低，而是因为我们能生产出更好的产品。因为我们比任何人都更努力、更有智慧地工作。
我已经签署了能够帮助我们的公司卖更多产品给上百万新客户的贸易协议——那些商品都印有这4个让人骄傲的字：美国制造。
在这10年的低迷之后，这个国家在过去的两年半时间里创造了超过50万个制造业方面的就业机会。现在你们面临着一个选择：我们可以给往海外输出就业的企业减免更多的税务，或者我们可以奖励那些成立新工厂、培训新工人，以及在美国创造新就业机会的公司。我们可以帮助那些大、小型企业，使他们的出口量成倍增长，如果我们选择这条路，在未来的4年里，我们可以创造100万个新的就业岗位。你们可以创造奇迹。你们可以选择未来。
你们可以选择一条我们自己主宰更多能源的道路。倦怠了30年之后，我们的能源标准将在下个10年的中期有所提高，汽车和卡车将在同样的一加仑汽油的驱动下行走多一倍的路。我们的能源使用效率将翻倍增长，成千上万的美国人正在为制造风力涡轮机和持久的电力能源而工作。仅仅在去年一年，我国石油的进口量每天就能减少100万桶——数量远超过近期任何一个行政机构的时期。现如今，美国依赖国外的石油资源量，在近20年期间已经前所未有地大幅度降低。
现在你们面临着一个选择——在扭转这一发展的战略，和建立在这一进展上的战略之间做出一个选择。在过去3年里，我们新开辟了数百万英亩的土地开采石油和天然气，我们也将会开辟更多土地。但与我的对手不同的是，我不会让石油公司制定这个国家的能源计划，也不会危及我们的海岸线，更不会另外从纳税人身上收取40亿美元作为企业福利。
我们提供了一条更好的道路——一个在风能、太阳能和洁净煤的开发上继续投资的未来；一个农民和科学家利用新生物能源启动汽车和拖拉机的未来；一个建筑工人们在建造房屋和工厂时浪费更少能源的未来；一个我们可以开发脚下足以供应100年天然气的未来。如果你们选择这条道路，2020年，我们将缩减一半的石油进口量，而且仅仅在提供天然气方面就可以新增60多万新的就业岗位。
没错，我的计划将持续减少引起全球温室效应的碳污染——因为气候的变化不是一个骗局。更多的干旱、洪水和大火不是一个笑话。它们对于我们子孙的未来来说是一种威胁。在这次选举中，你们应该做些事情了。
你们可以选择一个未来，一个更多美国人有机会获得所需竞争技能的未来，无论他们多老、多穷。对我来说，教育就是机遇的入口。接受教育也让我能有这个机会结识米歇尔。现在尤为甚，教育可以为你们开启通向中产阶级生活的大门。
我们这一代第一次出现这种情况：几乎所有地区都在要求我们提高他们的教学标准。实际上，即使是最差的学校，在数学和阅读上也取得了不错的成绩。成千上万的学生现在支付给大学的（费用）越来越少，因为我们建立的这个系统终将浪费纳税人数十亿美元在银行和贷款人身上。
现在你们面临着一个选择——我们可以接受教育，或者我们可以做出决定，在美国，没有任何一个孩子会因为一个拥挤的教室，或者一所摇摇欲坠的教学楼而拖延他们的梦想；没有任何一个家庭会因为没有钱而将子女的大学录取通知书作废；没有任何一个企业会因为他们在自己的国土找不到合适的技术工人而去中国寻求员工。
政府在这里有着一定的作用。但是对于学生，老师一定要加以启发；校长一定要做好引导；父母一定要（向子女）灌输对学习的渴望；而学生自己，你们将要担负起这些重任。我们共同努力，我承诺——我们将给予你们比地球上任何一个国家都要好的教育和竞争。在未来10年内，请帮助我招聘10万名数学教师，以及科学教师，并提高早期幼儿教育水平。请帮助我提供机会给200万工人，让他们能在社区学院学习一项能直接找到工作的技能。请帮助我们与高专院校合作，让学费在未来10年的增长能够减少一半。我们一定可以一起实现那个目标。美国的未来，由你们来选择。
在这样一个充满新威胁和新挑战的世界，你们应该选择一名已经得到考验和证明的领袖。4年前，我承诺结束伊拉克战争。我们做到了。我承诺重新关注在“9·11”事件中攻击我们的恐怖分子。我们做到了。我们已经在阿富汗削弱了塔利班的势头；2014年，我们这场长期战争也将结束。一座新的防御塔在纽约的地平线上拔地而起，基地组织即将被打败，乌萨马·本·拉登也已经被击毙。
今晚，我们要赞扬那些牺牲小我、成就大我的美国人。他们的牺牲使我们的国家更加安定，备受尊重，这份恩情我们永远偿还不完。我们永远都会铭记于心。在我任职总司令期间，我保证我们将一直拥有这样一支曾被世界公认为最强大的军队。当你们退伍之后，我们会为你们服务，就像你们曾经为我们服务一样——因为没有任何一个为了国家奋斗的人，还需要为了一份工作，一处栖身之所，甚至是当他们回家时所需要的照料而拼搏。
在全球范围内，我们不但稳固了之前合作的联盟，还建立了防止核武器扩散的新联盟。为了工人们的利益，我们穿越了太平洋勇敢地面对中国，重申了我们的权利。从缅甸到利比亚，再到南部苏丹，我们提升了全人类的权利和尊严——无论男人，还是女人；无论是基督教徒、伊斯兰教信徒、还是犹太人。
虽然我们已经有了很大进步，但是挑战还在继续。我们务必要中断恐怖分子的阴谋。还有欧洲危机的威胁。关于以色列的安全，我们的承诺不会动摇，我们寻求和平的决心也不会动摇。伊朗政府必须面对因为反对它的核武器野心而团结起来的整个世界。席卷阿拉伯世界的历史巨变，不能通过独裁者的铁腕措施，或极端主义者的厌恶来界定，而是通过理想和希望——那些今天为了拥有同等权利而庆祝的普通人的理想和希望。
所以，现在我们面临着一个选择。我的对手和他的竞选搭档，对于外交政策来说都是新手，但是，根据我们的听闻，他们就是想让美国付出昂贵的代价，把我们带回到一个恐慌而浮躁的时代。
毕竟，我们不能把俄罗斯称为我们的头号敌人——也不是基地组织——除非你还停留在冷战时期的时差中。如果你们不能在参加奥运会的时候不侮辱我们最亲密的盟友，那么你们可能还没准备好与北京进行外交。我的对手说结束伊拉克战争是一个“悲剧”，但是他没有告诉我们他将如何结束阿富汗战争。我说了，而且我说到做到。我的对手准备花费更多的钱在军事硬件上，甚至超过参谋长联席会议的预算。我会将这些不再花费在战争上的钱，拿来还清债务，拿来让更多的人回到工作岗位上——重修道路和桥梁、重建学校和飞机跑道。两场战争，牺牲了我们成千上万的生命，损失了我们数以千亿的财富，现在，是时候开始开展国内建设了。
你们可以选择一个未来，一个让我们在中产阶级不受伤害的情况下减轻赤字的未来。独立分析表明，我的计划将减少我们的赤字近4万亿美元。去年夏天，我与共和党合作，在国会上削减了近1万亿美元的开支——因为我们都相信政府将会是一股善行的力量，它会比任何人都要努力地去改革它，使其更为精简，更有效率，更能适应美国人民。
我想改革税法，使它更简单，更公平，并让收入超过25万美元的富有家庭支付更高的税收——达到比尔·克林顿任总统当政时的税率；我们的经济可创造了近2300万个新工作，达到我们历史上最高时期的水平，并创造更多的百万富翁。
现在，我仍然渴望达成一份协议，一份建立在两党联合成立的债务委员会原则之上的协议，任何一方都不可能垄断智慧，任何一方的民主政体不妥协都难以运转。但是，当罗姆尼州长和他的同僚们在国会上告诉我们，要花费近万亿美元去施行减免新的税务（的政策），我们不管怎样都能降低赤字——好吧，你太会算了。我绝不会同意这一观点，只要我当总统一天，我就坚决不会同意。
我绝不会要求中产阶级家庭放弃因供房贷，以及抚养孩子所享有的税收减除额，去为另外那些百万富翁们的减税而买单。我也绝不会要求孩子们为上大学而支付更多的学费，或者因为没有付出足够的学费，而把孩子们排除在“尖子生启动计划”之外，更不会剥夺那些贫困户、老年人以及完全丧失生活能力的美国人的医疗保险——目的只是为了让那些拥有最多财富的人缴更少的税。
我也绝不会把医疗保险变成一张废纸，没有任何一个美国人需要在保险公司摇尾乞怜，虚度自己的金色年华。他们应该带着应得的关心和尊重退休。没错，我们将一直致力于改善和加强医疗保险制度——绝对不是通过要求老年人多支付几千美元。我们将通过采取更负责的措施来恪守社会保障的承诺——绝不是把责任推给华尔街。
这就是我们现在所面临的选择。这就是这次选举应该聚焦的问题。我的对手一遍又一遍地告诉我们：大规模减税和精简法规是唯一可行的道路，既然政府不是万能的，干脆就闲置算了；如果你付不起医疗保险费，那希望你最好不要生病；如果某个企业排放了有毒污染，而你们家的孩子呼吸了这种含有污染的空气，好吧，这就是发展所要付出的代价；如果你没钱创业，也没钱上大学，那么，还是听取我对手的建议吧——“向父母借点儿钱”。
你知道吗？我们不应该那样。国家也不应该干这种事。作为一个美国人，我们相信造物主赐予我们某些不可剥夺的权利，这种权利是任何人、任何政府都无权带走的。我们坚守自己的责任，我们赞美人类主观的选择，不成功，便成仁，哪怕我们并没有成功的特权。我们尊敬奋斗者、追梦者、冒险者，他们才是一直在背后驱动自由企业制度的动力——是世界发展和繁荣无法估量的、最伟大的引擎。
但是我们也相信公民权利这个词语——这个表明我们建设核心的词语，只有当我们承担对他人，以及未来后代的每种义务时，这个国家才能正常运转。
我们相信，当一个总裁支付给他的汽车工人的薪资，足以让他们购买自己生产的汽车时，他们的公司才能够运行得更好。
我们相信，当一个家庭不再被骗去签订一份他们根本无法支付的抵押贷款时，那个家庭便得到了保护，其他家庭的价值，乃至整个经济的良性运行都将受到保护。
我们相信，一个小女孩遇见一位优秀的教师，或者收到一份大学入学通知，就可能让她有机会成为下一个谷歌的创始人，或者成为一名能治愈癌症的科学家，甚至是成为美国的总统——这个机会就需要我们去给予她。
我们知道，教堂和慈善机构常常比政府的扶贫计划做得更好。但是我们不希望去帮助那些自暴自弃的废人，也不希望去援助那些打破规则的银行。我们从来不会认为政府可以解决我们的一切问题，但是我们也同样不会认为政府是我们所有问题的来源——不能让那些接受社会福利的个人、公司、工会、移民、同性恋或其他团体为我们的麻烦负责。
因为我们明白，这份民主是属于我们的。
我们美利坚合众国的人民，都认识到我们都拥有责任和权利，认识到我们命运与共，认识到那些仅徇一己之私，不关心他人的所谓自由，那些没有爱，没有慈悲，没有责任，没有爱国情操的所谓自由，都配不上那些先人为捍卫他们树立起的理想所作出的牺牲。
作为美国公民，我们知道，不是美国能为我们做什么，而是在经历过艰难，挫败，又是必要的自治过程后，我们在一起共同努力能做到什么。
因此，你们能看到，四年前的那场选举并不是关于我，你们才是主角。我的同胞们，你们才是“改变”本身。因为保险公司没有金额限制，才能够让一名来自凤凰城的小女孩接受治疗心脏病所需要的手术。是因为你们，我的同胞们，让这一切得以实现。是你们，让一个来自科罗拉多州，从未想过有朝一日能取得医学学位的年轻人，实现他的梦想，让这一切成为了可能。是你们，让一个在这里成长和学习的年轻移民，在对着我们的国旗宣誓时，知道自己不会被这世上唯一能被她称之为家的国度驱逐出境，知道士兵不会因为自己的（性）取向而被军队开除，知道为什么千万个家庭都能向为国家服役归来的至亲至爱们说一声“欢迎回家”。
如果你现在转头离开，如果你相信那些冷嘲热讽，说我们过去一直为之奋斗争取的“改变”并不可能，那么改变将不会发生。如果你认为你的意见不会造成任何改变，那么其他人的声音会填补这个机会，他们会是说客，会是特殊利益集团，会是手上拿着一千万美元支票要买下这场竞选的富翁，会是要让你的投票过程变得更艰难的人，会是能决定你结婚对象，或掌控着女性本该可以自主的医疗权益的华府政客。
只有你们能确保这一切不会发生，只有你们有推动我们前进的力量。
我意识到从我第一次在大会上演讲到现在的日子发生了许多变化。而我也变了。我不再是一名候选人，而是美国总统。我知道把年轻的战士派向战场意味着什么，因为我曾经把殉职战士的父母拥在怀里。我感受过来自丧失亲人的家庭的沉痛，也体会了失业工人们的沮丧之情。如果批判我“所作的一切决定是基于民意”是正确的声音，想必一定是因为我没有好好读懂它们。在我对我们共同取得的成就感到骄傲的同时，我更多的是留心自己的过失。林肯曾经说过：“每当我走投无路的时候，我就双膝跪下祈求上帝的指引，我自己拥有的智慧和才能永远不够。”如今，我更确切地明白了这番话的含义。
但正如我今晚站在这里，对美国充满了前所未有的希望，并不是因为我认为自己找到了所有的解答，也不是因为我对我们所面临的严峻挑战幼稚无知。
是因为你们，才让我满怀希望。
我在一个科技展览上遇见过一位年轻的女士，她因为自己的生物研究赢得了国家的认可，却和她的家人过着居无定所的生活。是她，给了我希望。
有一个汽车工人在他的工厂几近倒闭之后中了彩票大奖，但依然每天坚持上班，并且为整个镇子，还有一辆自造的汽车都买了国旗，而那辆汽车是他给妻子的惊喜。是他，给了我希望。
一个来自明尼苏达州沃罗德的家族企业，在这经济不景气的大环境下，即便是在竞争对手关闭了许多厂房，雇主甚至放弃了收益的情况下，旗下的四千名员工仍无人遭到解雇。因为他们明白，他们最大的资产就是这些工人群体，正是有了这个群体，才造就了企业的成绩。是他们，给了我希望。
我还想起在瓦尔特里德医院见过的一位年轻的水手，当时他仍在接受康复治疗。他因为遭手榴弹袭击而导致一条腿在膝部以上截肢。半年前，我看到他走进白宫参加一个为在伊拉克执行任务的战士们举办的宴会，并接受嘉奖。他当时穿着制服，看上去比在医院时重了20磅，高大英挺，神清气爽，脸上挂着大大的笑容。而那时，支撑着他笔挺站立的是他新的双腿。我也记得，在几个月后一个明媚的春日，我看到他骑着自行车，和他那些受过伤的战友们比赛，而这一幕，正激励着其他正在伤后康复的英雄们勇敢面对生活。是他，给了我希望。
我不知道这些人是什么党派，也不知道他们会否为我投票，但我知道他们的精神就是我们的定义。他们提醒着我，正如《圣经》里所说的，我们的“未来充满希望”。如果你和我一样坚守这同样的信念，那么我恳请你们今夜为此投上一票。如果你对“这个国家的前途持于少数人手中”的说法不予认可，那么这次选举，我们需要听到你的声音。如果你拒绝接受“政府始终听命于权贵”的说法，那么这次选举，我们需要你的挺身表态。
如果你相信新的厂房会点缀我们的大地，如果你相信新的能源会启动我们的未来，如果你相信新的学校会为我们这片梦想者的国度提供机遇的天梯，如果你相信这个国家会让人人都享有平等的机会，人人都公平劳动，并且遵循公平的法则，那么，在今年的11月，我需要你投上神圣的一票。
美国，我从未断言这会是一趟轻松的征程，到现在也不敢妄言。是的，我们的路途会更加艰难，但那指向的前方定然是更美之境。是的，我们的路途会更加漫长，但所幸我们结伴前往。我们会勇往直前，始终团结，不让任何一员离弃掉队。我们从胜利中赢得力量，在错误里学会改进。我们知道上帝与我们同在，所以眼光会一直锁定远方，也相信我们必然会得到神的眷顾，成为这世上最伟大国家里的一位公民。
谢谢。上帝保佑你们。上帝保佑美国。
附：英文原文
Michelle, I love you. The other night, I think the entire country saw just how lucky I am. Malia and Sasha, you make me so proud…but don't get any ideas, you're still going to class tomorrow. And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could ever hope for.
Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for President of the United States.
The first time I addressed this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope - not blind optimism or wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty;that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long.
Eight years later, that hope has been tested - by the cost of war; by one of the worst economic crises in history; and by political gridlock that's left us wondering whether it's still possible to tackle the challenges of our time.
I know that campaigns can seem small, and even silly. Trivial things become big distractions. Serious issues become sound bites. And the truth gets buried under an avalanche of money and advertising. If you're sick of hearing me approve this message, believe me - so am I.
But when all is said and done - when you pick up that ballot to vote - you will face the clearest choice of any time in a generation. Over the next few years,big decisions will be made in Washington, on jobs and the economy; taxes and deficits; energy and education; war and peace - decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children's lives for decades to come.
On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties.
It will be a choice between two different paths for America.
A choice between two fundamentally different visions for the future.
Ours is a fight to restore the values that built the largest middle class and the strongest economy the world has ever known; the values my grandfather defended as a soldier in Patton's Army; the values that drove my grandmother to work on a bomber assembly line while he was gone.
They knew they were part of something larger - a nation that triumphed over fascism and depression; a nation where the most innovative businesses turned out the world's best products, and everyone shared in the pride and success - from the corner office to the factory floor. My grandparents were given the chance to go to college, buy their first home, and fulfill the basic bargain at the heart of America's story: the promise that hard work will pay off; that responsibility will be rewarded;that everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules - from Main Street to Wall Street to Washington, D.C.
I ran for President because I saw that basic bargain slipping away. I began my career helping people in the shadow of a shuttered steel mill, at a time when too many good jobs were starting to move overseas. And by 2008, we had seen nearly a decade in which families struggled with costs that kept rising but paychecks that didn't; racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition; to put gas in the car or food on the table. And when the house of cards collapsed in the Great Recession, millions of innocent Americans lost their jobs, their homes, and their life savings - a tragedy from which we are still fighting to recover.
Now, our friends at the Republican convention were more than happy to talk about everything they think is wrong with America, but they didn't have much to say about how they'd make it right. They want your vote, but they don't want you to know their plan. And that's because all they have to offer is the same prescription they've had for the last thirty years:
“Have a surplus? Try a tax cut.”
“Deficit too high? Try another.”
“Feel a cold coming on? Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call us in the morning!”
Now, I've cut taxes for those who need it - middle-class families and small businesses. But I don't believe that another round of tax breaks for millionaires will bring good jobs to our shores, or pay down our deficit. I don't believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China. After all that we've been through, I don't believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. We've been there, we've tried that, and we're not going back. We're moving forward.
I won't pretend the path I'm offering is quick or easy. I never have. You didn't elect me to tell you what you wanted to hear. You elected me to tell you the truth. And the truth is, it will take more than a few years for us to solve challenges that have built up over decades. It will require common effort, shared responsibility, and the kind of bold, persistent experimentation that Franklin Roosevelt pursued during the only crisis worse than this one. And by the way - those of us who carry on his party's legacy should remember that not every problem can be remedied with another government program or dictate from Washington.
But know this, America: Our problems can be solved. Our challenges can be met. The path we offer may be harder, but it leads to a better place. And I'm asking you to choose that future. I'm asking you to rally around a set of goals for your country - goals in manufacturing, energy, education, national security, and the deficit; a real, achievable plan that will lead to new jobs, more opportunity, and rebuild this economy on a stronger foundation. That's what we can do in the next four years, and that's why I'm running for a second term as President of the United States.
We can choose a future where we export more products and outsource fewer jobs. After a decade that was defined by what we bought and borrowed, we're getting back to basics, and doing what America has always done best:
We're making things again.
I've met workers in Detroit and Toledo who feared they'd never build another American car. Today, they can't build them fast enough, because we reinvented a dying auto industry that's back on top of the world.
I've worked with business leaders who are bringing jobs back to America -not because our workers make less pay, but because we make better products. Because we work harder and smarter than anyone else.
I've signed trade agreements that are helping our companies sell more goods to millions of new customers - goods that are stamped with three proud words: Made in America.
After a decade of decline, this country created over half a million manufacturing jobs in the last two and a half years. And now you have a choice: we can give more tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, or we can start rewarding companies that open new plants and train new workers and create new jobs here, in the United States of America. We can help big factories and small businesses double their exports, and if we choose this path, we can create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. You can make that happen. You can choose that future.
You can choose the path where we control more of our own energy. After thirty years of inaction, we raised fuel standards so that by the middle of the next decade, cars and trucks will go twice as far on a gallon of gas. We've doubled our use of renewable energy, and thousands of Americans have jobs today building wind turbines and long-lasting batteries. In the last year alone, we cut oil imports by one million barrels a day - more than any administration in recent history. And today, the United States of America is less dependent on foreign oil than at any time in nearly two decades.
Now you have a choice - between a strategy that reverses this progress, or one that builds on it. We've opened millions of new acres for oil and gas exploration in the last three years, and we'll open more. But unlike my opponent, I will not let oil companies write this country's energy plan, or endanger our coastlines, or collect another $4 billion in corporate welfare from our taxpayers.
We're offering a better path - a future where we keep investing in wind and solar and clean coal; where farmers and scientists harness new biofuels to power our cars and trucks; where construction workers build homes and factories that waste less energy; where we develop a hundred year supply of natural gas that's right beneath our feet. If you choose this path, we can cut our oil imports in half by 2020 and support more than 600,000 new jobs in natural gas alone.
And yes, my plan will continue to reduce the carbon pollution that is heating our planet - because climate change is not a hoax. More droughts and floods and wildfires are not a joke. They're a threat to our children's future. And in this election, you can do something about it.
You can choose a future where more Americans have the chance to gain the skills they need to compete, no matter how old they are or how much money they have. Education was the gateway to opportunity for me. It was the gateway for Michelle. And now more than ever, it is the gateway to a middle-class life.
For the first time in a generation, nearly every state has answered our call to raise their standards for teaching and learning. Some of the worst schools in the country have made real gains in math and reading. Millions of students are paying less for college today because we finally took on a system that wasted billions of taxpayer dollars on banks and lenders.
And now you have a choice - we can gut education, or we can decide that in the United States of America, no child should have her dreams deferred because of a crowded classroom or a crumbling school. No family should have to set aside a college acceptance letter because they don't have the money. No company should have to look for workers in China because they couldn't find any with the right skills here at home.
Government has a role in this. But teachers must inspire; principals must lead;parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you've got to do the work. And together, I promise you - we can out-educate and out-compete any country on Earth. Help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers in the next ten years, and improve early childhood education. Help give two million workers the chance to learn skills at their community college that will lead directly to a job. Help us work with colleges and universities to cut in half the growth of tuition costs over the next ten years. We can meet that goal together. You can choose that future for America.
In a world of new threats and new challenges, you can choose leadership that has been tested and proven. Four years ago, I promised to end the war in Iraq. We did. I promised to refocus on the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11. We have. We've blunted the Taliban's momentum in Afghanistan, and in 2014, our longest war will be over. A new tower rises above the New York skyline, al Qaeda is on the path to defeat, and Osama bin Laden is dead.
Tonight, we pay tribute to the Americans who still serve in harm's way. We are forever in debt to a generation whose sacrifice has made this country safer and more respected. We will never forget you. And so long as I'm Commander-in-Chief, we will sustain the strongest military the world has ever known. When you take off the uniform, we will serve you as well as you've served us - because no one who fights for this country should have to fight for a job, or a roof over their head, or the care that they need when they come home.
Around the world, we've strengthened old alliances and forged new coalitions to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. We've reasserted our power across the Pacific and stood up to China on behalf of our workers. From Burma to Libya to South Sudan, we have advanced the rights and dignity of all human beings - men and women; Christians and Muslims and Jews.
But for all the progress we've made, challenges remain. Terrorist plots must be disrupted. Europe's crisis must be contained. Our commitment to Israel's security must not waver, and neither must our pursuit of peace. The Iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambitions. The historic change sweeping across the Arab World must be defined not by the iron fist of a dictator or the hate of extremists, but by the hopes and aspirations of ordinary people who are reaching for the same rights that we celebrate today.
So now we face a choice. My opponent and his running mate are new to foreign policy, but from all that we've seen and heard, they want to take us back to an era of blustering and blundering that cost America so dearly.
After all, you don't call Russia our number one enemy - and not al Qaeda -unless you're still stuck in a Cold War time warp. You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can't visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally. My opponent said it was“tragic”to end the war in Iraq, and he won't tell us how he'll end the war in Afghanistan. I have, and I will. And while my opponent would spend more money on military hardware that our Joint Chiefs don't even want, I'll use the money we're no longer spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work - rebuilding roads and bridges; schools and runways. After two wars that have cost us thousands of lives and over a trillion dollars, it's time to do some nation-building right here at home.
You can choose a future where we reduce our deficit without wrecking our middle class. Independent analysis shows that my plan would cut our deficits by$4 trillion. Last summer, I worked with Republicans in Congress to cut $1 trillion in spending - because those of us who believe government can be a force for good should work harder than anyone to reform it, so that it's leaner, more efficient, and more responsive to the American people.
I want to reform the tax code so that it's simple, fair, and asks the wealthiest households to pay higher taxes on incomes over $250,000 - the same rate we had when Bill Clinton was president; the same rate we had when our economy created nearly 23 million new jobs, the biggest surplus in history, and a lot of millionaires to boot.
Now, I'm still eager to reach an agreement based on the principles of my bipartisan debt commission. No party has a monopoly on wisdom. No democracy works without compromise. But when Governor Romney and his allies in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficit by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy - well, you do the math. I refuse to go along with that. And as long as I'm President, I never will.
I refuse to ask middle class families to give up their deductions for owning a home or raising their kids just to pay for another millionaire's tax cut. I refuse to ask students to pay more for college; or kick children out of Head Start programs, or eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor, elderly, or disabled - all so those with the most can pay less.
And I will never turn Medicare into a voucher. No American should ever have to spend their golden years at the mercy of insurance companies. They should retire with the care and dignity they have earned. Yes, we will reform and strengthen Medicare for the long haul, but we'll do it by reducing the cost of health care - not by asking seniors to pay thousands of dollars more. And we will keep the promise of Social Security by taking the responsible steps to strengthen it - not by turning it over to Wall Street.
This is the choice we now face. This is what the election comes down to. Over and over, we have been told by our opponents that bigger tax cuts and fewer regulations are the only way; that since government can't do everything, it should do almost nothing. If you can't afford health insurance, hope that you don't get sick. If a company releases toxic pollution into the air your children breathe, well, that's just the price of progress. If you can't afford to start a business or go to college, take my opponent's advice and“borrow money from your parents.”
You know what? That's not who we are. That's not what this country's about. As Americans, we believe we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights - rights that no man or government can take away. We insist on personal responsibility and we celebrate individual initiative. We're not entitled to success. We have to earn it. We honor the strivers, the dreamers, the risk-takers who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system - the greatest engine of growth and prosperity the world has ever known.
But we also believe in something called citizenship - a word at the very heart of our founding, at the very essence of our democracy; the idea that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another, and to future generations.
We believe that when a CEO pays his autoworkers enough to buy the cars that they build, the whole company does better.
We believe that when a family can no longer be tricked into signing a mortgage they can't afford, that family is protected, but so is the value of other people's homes, and so is the entire economy.
We believe that a little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or a grant for college could become the founder of the next Google, or the scientist who cures cancer, or the President of the United States - and it's in our power to give her that chance.
We know that churches and charities can often make more of a difference than a poverty program alone. We don't want handouts for people who refuse to help themselves, and we don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules. We don't think government can solve all our problems. But we don't think that government is the source of all our problems - any more than are welfare recipients, or corporations, or unions, or immigrants, or gays, or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles.
Because we understand that this democracy is ours.
We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which only asks what's in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.
As citizens, we understand that America is not 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.
So you see, the election four years ago wasn't about me. It was about you. My fellow citizens - you were the change.
You're the reason there's a little girl with a heart disorder in Phoenix who'll get the surgery she needs because an insurance company can't limit her coverage. You did that.
You're the reason a young man in Colorado who never thought he'd be able to afford his dream of earning a medical degree is about to get that chance. You made that possible.
You're the reason a young immigrant who grew up here and went to school here and pledged allegiance to our flag will no longer be deported from the only country she's ever called home; why selfless soldiers won't be kicked out of the military because of who they are or who they love; why thousands of families have finally been able to say to the loved ones who served us so bravely:“Welcome home.”
If you turn away now - if you buy into the cynicism that the change we fought for isn't possible…well, change will not happen. If you give up on the idea that your voice can make a difference, then other voices will fill the void: lobbyists and special interests; the people with the $10 million checks who are trying to buy this election and those who are making it harder for you to vote; Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry, or control health care choices that women should make for themselves.
Only you can make sure that doesn't happen. Only you have the power to move us forward.
I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention. The times have changed - and so have I. I'm no longer just a candidate. I'm the President. I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I have held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return. I've shared the pain of families who've lost their homes, and the frustration of workers who've lost their jobs. If the critics are right that I've made all my decisions based on polls, then I must not be very good at reading them. And while I'm proud of what we've achieved together, I'm far more mindful of my own failings, knowing exactly what Lincoln meant when he said, “I have been driven to my knees many times by the overwhelming conviction that I had no place else to go.”
But as I stand here tonight, I have never been more hopeful about America. Not because I think I have all the answers. Not because I'm naïve about the magnitude of our challenges.
I'm hopeful because of you.
The young woman I met at a science fair who won national recognition for her biology research while living with her family at a homeless shelter - she gives me hope.
The auto worker who won the lottery after his plant almost closed, but kept coming to work every day, and bought flags for his whole town and one of the cars that he built to surprise his wife - he gives me hope.
The family business in Warroad, Minnesota that didn't lay off a single one of their four thousand employees during this recession, even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants, even when it meant the owners gave up some perks and pay - because they understood their biggest asset was the community and the workers who helped build that business - they give me hope.
And I think about the young sailor I met at Walter Reed hospital, still recovering from a grenade attack that would cause him to have his leg amputated above the knee. Six months ago, I would watch him walk into a White House dinner honoring those who served in Iraq, tall and twenty pounds heavier, dashing in his uniform, with a big grin on his face; sturdy on his new leg. And I remember how a few months after that I would watch him on a bicycle, racing with his fellow wounded warriors on a sparkling spring day, inspiring other heroes who had just begun the hard path he had traveled.
He gives me hope.
I don't know what party these men and women belong to. I don't know if they'll vote for me. But I know that their spirit defines us. They remind me, in the words of Scripture, that ours is a“future filled with hope.”
And if you share that faith with me - if you share that hope with me - I ask you tonight for your vote.
If you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election.
If you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election.
If you believe that new plants and factories can dot our landscape; that new energy can power our future; that new schools can provide ladders of opportunity to this nation of dreamers; if you believe in a country where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same rules, then I need you to vote this November.
America, I never said this journey would be easy, and I won't promise that now. Yes, our path is harder - but it leads to a better place. Yes our road is longer - but we travel it together. We don't turn back. We leave no one behind. We pull each other up. We draw strength from our victories, and we learn from our mistakes, but we keep our eyes fixed on that distant horizon, knowing that Providence is with us, and that we are surely blessed to be citizens of the greatest nation on Earth.
Thank you, God bless you, and may God bless these United States.