From the Steps of Springfield

Over 16 months ago, from the steps of the old capitol in Springfield, Illinois...Senator Barack Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States, and his desire to bring true change to Washington. Now, as all the votes have been counted, and Senator Obama has reached the delegate of 2,118 that guaranteed him the nomination of the Democratic Party...we must reflect on the 16 months that have brought us the first African American who is the nominee of a major political party.

Only 232 years ago, as revolutionaries fought for independence against the oppressive British Empire, those same founding fathers allowed slavery to continue. By the 1860's, the U.S. had moved beyond the horrors of enslaving African Americans, but now...the country was divided North and South. By the 1960's, there was a King who brought change and who inspired millions to fight for equality. At the end of an era that brought us voting rights, educational equality, a woman on a bus, and a dream from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial....our nation moved towards equality for all, and opened the doors for the sight that we see today.

16 months ago, the political pundits and party leaders were ready to anoint Hillary Clinton as the presumptive nominee. They never thought that an African American man named Barack Hussein Obama could ever come close to winning over the votes of millions of Americans. It took people like you and I to stand up to these pundits and force them to listen. Through raising 58 million dollars by June 2007, Barack Obama was no longer the oddball in the field. Through moving from state to state and city to city Sen. Obama introduced himself to the American people. He spoke of his mother from Kansas and his father from Kenya. He discussed his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia and he showed the American people that he believed in them...he believed in the ability of all of us to stand up to the divisions that harm us and fight for unity and progress. In front of thousands of people he discussed health care and foreign policy and inspired a generation of youth to care about politics. Sen. Barack Obama knew that this election wasn't going to be about who knew the game better, or who had been in Washington longer. Sen. Obama knew that this time, the American people wanted something different...they wanted to stand and say "not this time" to the pundits of division, they wanted to stand tall and say "YES WE CAN" to change and hope for America. Sen. Obama realized that this election was not about him, or Hillary Clinton or John McCain...it was about the American people who are struggling to pay their mortgage, fill their tanks and insure their families. Through addressing these issues, Sen. Obama became a political "rock star" and began to reshape American politics.

I have a part of this campaign since February of 2007. I have been inspired by Sen. Obama since his unity speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. Through watching the Senator progress throughout this campaign, I have never been more proud or thankful for a politician in this country. From the beginning, I realized that this election was not like all the rest...The election was going to bring change to this country. The past 16 months have been tough, and there have been moments of disappointment and sadness, but now looking back...I can say that it was worth it. It was worth the division of Hillary vs. Obama, it was worth the Wright scandal and the losses in Ohio, Texas, California and many others. It was worth it...because this country looked past the color of a man's skin...and looked into his character. Through all the talk of running mates and Obama's future...I think the importance of this moment for our country has been lost. An African American man is one of two possible candidates for the Presidency of the United States. 40 years ago, even Martin Luther King Jr. would have laughed at this thought, that our country, the United States of America could be this close to electing an African American to the White House. I feel like we must all pause and be thankful for this moment in our history...this is more than a political campaign, this is a victory for equality. Our country progressed so that we can now look past color or gender when discussing political leaders, its not longer about "she's a woman" or "he's black" as reasons of defeat...this generation, my generation has been able to move beyond the divisions of the 1950s and 1960s. My generation accepts the differences between individuals and embraces those differences and benefits to our society. Barack Obama has inspired my generation, and has made this campaign about more than votes or victory in an election.

It is not often a political leader is able to inspire millions to join their cause. The crowds of support for Senator Obama have never been seen in history before. The 75,000 that attended an Obama rally in Portland, Oregon...the consistent 15,000-30,000 person turnout around the nation...Barack Obama has a power to energize the American People, and energize a movement towards change. His campaign is not only about being the Democrat against John McCain, his campaign is about more than Change from Bush policies, his campaign is about bringing people together with a common purpose to build a movement to make a difference in America. This difference is not only about policy...Senator Obama has brought together rich and poor, black and white, young and old, republican and democrat, gay and straight, christian and atheist....this campaign is about working together for America. It is about returning to the era where hope and dreams were the center of daily life. It is about restoring opportunity and reviving the American Dream so that ALL Americans can experience success. This campaign is about giving affordable health care to all so that 46 million Americans can be healthier. It is about bringing an end to war that has caused the loss of thousands of U.S. troops and more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians. This campaign strives to restore U.S. credibility in the International Community, and bring America back to the Humanitarian leader of the world where is never allowed, because it is not OK, and where diplomacy brings our friends and enemies to the table to create real solutions. This campaign stands to change the way politics are waged...no more 527 attack ads, no more mudslinging that clouds the debate...this campaign has been run without the help of lobbyists or PACs...this campaign has been funded by the American People and has organized a movement for this change. As we look forward to the fall, and as the GOP machine is sure to try and derail our movement...we must not forget where we came from. We must not forget the 16 months of change that we have fought for. We must not forget why we are doing this, why it is important and why we must win. We cannot forget, we cannot lose sight of our goals and we cannot give up until we win this election and bring change to this country.

From the Steps of Springfield, this nation witnessed the beginning of a movement...and now, as we move towards the November 4th, we must stand as Sen. Obama did on those steps...and we must make our voices heard. From West to East, Florida to Michigan, from the slums of LA to the mansions of the Hamptons, from the desert of Arizona to the corn fields of Iowa, from the porches of the deep south to the beaches of the Northwest...we must stand and say "YES WE CAN!" Together, WE CAN change this country. Together, WE CAN unify. Together, WE CAN make a difference. Together, WE CAN provide health care to all. Together, WE CAN end this war and bring our troops home. Together, WE CAN restore the American Dream. Together, WE CAN bring Hope back into the Hearts of Millions. And Together, WE CAN elect Barack Obama as our next President of the United States and create true CHANGE we can BELIEVE IN.

Obama 2008 - Hope, Change, and Unity for America.