2012Obama 接受民主党总统提名演讲稿

第一篇：2012Obama 接受民主党总统提名演讲稿

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, DC.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 naï ve 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.

第二篇：演讲文稿奥巴马在民主党代表大会接受总统提名的演讲

演讲文稿:奥巴马在民主党代表大会接受总统提名的演讲

Remarks of President Barack Obama at the 2012 Democratic National Convention

Charlotte, N.C.September 5, 2012

Thank you!Thank you.Thank you.Thank you so much.Thank you.Thank you very much, everybody.Thank you.Michelle, I love you.A few night nights ago, everyone was reminded just what a lucky man I am.Malia and Sasha, we are so proud of you.And yes, you do have to go to school in the morning.And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could have ever hope for, and being a strong and loyal friend.Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for President of the United States.Now, 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 even possible to tackle the challenges of our time.I know campaigns can seem small, and even silly sometimes.Trivial things become big distractions.Serious issues become sound bites.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, the economy;taxes and deficits;energy, education;war and peace, decisions that will have a huge impact on our lives and our children’s lives for decades to come.And 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 that pride and success, from the corner office to the factory floor.My grandparents were given the chance to go to college, buy their own--their--their own 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.And 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;folks racking up more and more debt just to make the mortgage or pay tuition;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, their life savings, a tragedy from which we are still fighting to recover.Now, our friends down in Tampa, 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 had 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, 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 have been there, we’ve tried that, and we’re not going back.We are moving forward, America.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’ll 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;real, achievable plans 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.And 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 the last two decades.So, 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.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--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.It was the gateway for most of you.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 overseas because they couldn’t find any with the right skills here at home.That’s not our future.That is not our future.A government has a role in this.But teachers must inspire;principals must lead;parents must instill a thirst for learning, and students, you’ve gotta do the work.And together, I promise you, we can out-educate and out-compete any nation on Earth.Help me recruit 100,000 math and science teachers within 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.That’s our future.You know, 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.And 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.And 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 here 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, not Al Qaeda, Russia, unless you’re still stuck in a Cold War mind warp.You might not be ready for diplomacy with Beijing if you can’t visit the Olympics without insulting our closest ally.My opponent--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.Well 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 will 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 and schools and runways.Because 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 sticking it to the middle class.Independent experts say that my plan would cut our deficits by $4 trillion.And last summer, I worked with Republicans in Congress to cut billion 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, and 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 whole 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.I want to get this done, and we can get it done.But when Governor Romney

and his friends in Congress tell us we can somehow lower our deficits by spending trillions more on new tax breaks for the wealthy, well, what’d Bill Clinton call it? You do the arithmetic, 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, to eliminate health insurance for millions of Americans who are poor, and elderly, or disabled, all so those with the most can pay less.I’m not going along with that.And I will--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 the 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.

第三篇：克林顿 1992年民主党全国代表大会上接受总统候选人提名的演讲

1992年民主党全国代表大会上接受总统候选人提名的演讲

威廉·杰弗逊·克林顿 1992.7.16.于纽约

理查兹州长、布郎主席、狄更斯市长——我们热情的东道主、我的代表伙伴们、我的美国同胞们、我为之骄傲的阿尔·戈尔：

戈尔他说今晚他来到这里，是因为在电视直播之前他总是要做些“热身运动”。而我今年参加总统竞选有一个而且只有一个原因：我希望回到这个大会并且完成我四年前开始的那个演讲。

昨天晚上，马里奥·柯默教给我们应怎样作一个真正的接受总统候选人提名的演讲，他也让我们明白为什么我们必须使我们国家的航船驰向新的航道。今晚，我要跟你们谈谈我对于未来的希望，我对于美国人民的信念，以及我对于我们将共同建设的那种国家的憧憬。

我要向我在竞选活动中的杰出的同事们致敬：汤姆·哈金、鲍勃·克里、堂·怀尔德、杰里·布郎和保罗·桑贾斯。

悬在我们共同搭建的讲台上的那名话表明了一切：美国所能采取的政策——最重要的家庭政策、城市政策、劳工政策、少数民族政策、以及外交政策，必然是促使那能带来更多高技术高报酬的就业机会的自由经济进一步扩展的政策。因此，以所有那些劳作纳税、养育子女、奉公守法的人民的名义，以所有那些构成了我们被遗忘的中产阶级的勤奋工作的美国人的名义，我骄傲地接受美国总统候选人的提名。

我是中产阶级的产儿，当我成了美国总统，你们将不再被遗忘。

我们——你们和我——相逢在一个特殊的历史时刻：冷战已经结束，苏维埃共产主义已经崩溃；我们的价值观——自由、民主、人权、自由竞争——已取得全球性的胜利。然而，就在我们于海外赢得冷战的同时，我们却输掉了在国内创造平等的经济机会和争取社会正义的战役。

既然我们已经改变了世界，是时候了——让我们改变美国。

我要告诉那些贪婪的势力和现状的维护者：你们的时代曾经到来但已经过去，现在是改变美国的时代！

今天晚上，我的数以千万计的美国同胞没有工作，数千万的人们更辛苦的工作只能换来更低廉的报酬。我们的现任总统说，在经济复苏开始之前，失业人数总会有些增加。我想，失业人数必须再增加一个，真正的经济复苏才能开始。那个人就是你，总统先生！

这次选举就是要把权力交还到你们的手中，就是要使政府站回到你们一边，就是要把人民放在第一位。

你们知道，这些话我说遍全国。无论何时，只要我这么说，总有人靠进我——就像本周在曼哈顿东区亨利街住宅区的一次社区会议一个年轻人所做的那样。

他说：“那些听起来不错，比尔。但是，你是政客，我为什么要相信你呢？

今晚，我要尽可能坦率地告诉你们，我是谁，我信仰什么，我要把美国引向何方。我从未见过我父亲。在我出生前三个月，他驾车从芝加哥赶往阿肯色去看望我妈妈，一路上下着雨，他在汽车失事时丧生。

那以后，妈妈必须独自抚养我们。因此当她返回路易斯安那州学习护理专业时，我们只能同外祖父外祖母住在一起。直到今天，我依然清晰地记得透过当时只有三岁的眼睛所目睹的情形：妈妈她跪在站台上，哭着把我交给坐在开往阿肯色的列车上的外祖母，妈妈忍受了那痛苦，因为她知道，只有做出牺牲才能给我更好的生活。是妈妈教育了我。她教我懂得家庭、勤奋工作和牺牲的真谛。她镇定地承受一次又一次灾难的打击，她领着全家——我哥哥和我——共同渡过艰苦的岁月。

作为孩子，我曾目睹她每天离家上班，而那时代对一个在职妈妈来说并不总是那么容易。作为成人，我又目睹她战胜乳腺癌，在如何保持勇气方面再给我上了一课，她总是，总是要我去奋斗。

这就是为什么，我将为之奋斗以创造高收入的工作机会，使今天的父母能支付抚养子女的费用。

这就是为什么，我为之奋斗以确保每一个美国人都能得到那拯救了我母亲生命的医疗保障，确保妇女在医疗保障上能得到和男子一样的重视。

这就是为什么，我决心为之奋斗以确保妇女在这个国家享有尊严，受到尊重——不管她们是操持家务、外出工作，还是身兼二任。

你们想知道我的战斗精神从何而来？它全都源自我的妈妈。谢谢你，妈妈。我爱你！每当我想起全体美国人的机会平等，我就想起我的外祖父。他经营我们霍普小镇的一家乡村杂货店。那时还没有政府发放的食品票，所以当他的顾客——不管他们是白人或黑人，只要他们努力工作尽其所能——他们身无分文走进小店，呃，他总是给他们食物，他只是随便记上一笔。遇到此类情况，我也是照此办理。

还在我长大到足以独力照看柜台之前，我已从他那里学会如何去尊重那些通常被人蔑视的人们。

我外祖父只念了高中——普通高中，然而在那乡村杂货店里，关于什么是上帝眼中的平等，他比乔治城大学所有的教授教给我的还要多；关于每一个体的基本价值，他比牛津大学所有的哲学家教给我的还要多；关于法律下公平审判的必要性，他教给我的比耶鲁法学院所有的法学家还要多。

如果你想知道，我那要不分种族把全体人民团结起来的承诺的热情从何而来。它全都源自我的外祖父。

从另一个人身上，我也获益良多。有这么一个人，她勤奋工作逾二十年来帮助我们的孩子们：她牺牲大量的时间以确保我们的学校不会误人子弟；她用一年时间走遍全国，倾听、学习、研究，出席家庭教师协会、学校董事会以及市政厅的有关会议，推出了得到各地区验证的学校改革的一揽子计划。同时她在律师界奠定了良好的事业基础，她又是一位了不起的充满爱心的母亲。

那个人就是我妻子。

希拉里告诉我，她告诉我，所有的孩子都能学习，我们每个人都有义务帮助他们。因此，如果你们想知道为什么我如此关心我们的孩子们我们的未来，这一切都源自希拉里。我爱你。

坦白说，我对那些向我们宣讲家庭价值的华盛顿的政客们感到厌倦。我们的家庭是有价值的，但我们的政府却一钱不值。

我要这样一个美国，在那里，家庭的价值活在我们的行动中，而不只是停留在我们的演说里。我要这样一个美国，她包容每一个家庭——每一个传统的大家庭，每一个双亲的或单亲的家庭，每一个收养的家庭，所有这些家庭。

对我们国家中那些选择放弃他们的孩子，忽视对孩子的抚养义务的父亲们，我想说几句话：担负起抚养孩子的义务来，否则我们将强迫你们这样做。因为政府不能抚养孩子，而父母却能，你们责无旁贷，今晚，我要告诉美国的每一个孩子——那些失去父亲或母亲正在长大成人的孩子——我了解你们的感受，你们也是独一无二的。

你们对美国很重要。你们不能听任别人告诉你们，说什么你们不能成为你们所希望成就的那种人。如果别的政治家让你们觉得你们不属于他们的家庭，来吧，成为我们之中的一员。

过去十二年的所有错误中最让我愤怒的莫过于我们的政府将我们所珍视的价值弃如敝 2 屣，而我们的政治家却把它们挂在嘴上喋喋不休，我烦透了这个。

我从小就相信，“美国梦”应该建立于“努力工作，必有回报”的基石之上。我们看到的却是华盛顿的家伙把这一道德信条抛诸脑后。

太久了，那些奉公守法保持信仰的人得到的是不公正的待遇，那些投机取巧弄虚作假的人却往往好处占尽。

人们工作得比以往更辛苦，他们陪伴孩子的时间比以往更少。以往参加家庭教师协会或童子军活动的时间被挤占，取而代之的是夜间和周末的加班。他们的收入不断下降，他们的税负持续上升，而医疗保健、住宅和教育的开支更是涨上了天。

与此同时，越来越多的最优秀的人正在陷入贫困，尽管他们每周工作四十个小时。我们的人民呼唤改革，但政府却挡在道上——它已经被特权阶层的私利所劫持。它忘了就站在这里的那些真正为政府“埋单”的人们。我们必须超越华盛顿那僵化的政见，给人民一个他们应得的政府，一个为他们服务的政府。

总统，一个总统应该是推动进步的强大力量。但只是在今天，我才体会到林肯总统的感受——内战期间，当麦克莱将军不愿进攻时，林肯问他：“如果你不用你的军队，我能借用它吗？”

同样地，我说，乔治·布什，如果你不用你的权力来帮助美国，站一边去，让我来吧！我们的国家正在落后。总统成了一种失败的经济理论的俘虏。自从罗纳尔多·里根和布什执政以来，我们的工资收入已从世界第一滑落到第十三。

四年前，总统候选人布什说：“美国是一个特殊的地方，不是在联合国的名册处于阿尔巴尼亚和津巴布韦之间的随随便便的一个什么国家。”今天，在现任总统布什的领导下，我们的经济已然可悲地落到了德国和斯里兰卡之间。

对绝大多数美国人而言，总统先生，比起你的政府执政以前，生活变得更少仁爱，更少温暖。

听听他们的呼声，在这方面多一些努力！

我们的国家滑落得如此之远，如此之快，以致几个月前，日本首相竟然说，他“同情美国”。“同情”？当我成了你们的总统，这世界上其他地方，其他地方的人们将不再怜悯地俯视美国，而是再一次怀着敬意仰视我们。

为解决我们的经济问题，乔治·布什做了什么呢？

呃，四年前今天，他许诺要带来一千五百万新的就业机会，现在他却造成了超过一千四百万的职位短缺。阿尔·戈尔和我能做得更好。

他增加那些驾驶皮卡货车的人们的税负，却为那些乘坐豪华轿车的人们减税。我们能做得更好。

他承诺要平衡预算，却始终光说不练。事实上，他向国会提交的预算案使我们的负债翻了将近一番。更糟的是，他浪费数十亿美元并削减我们在教育以及创造就业机会方面的投资。我们能做得更好。

因此，如果你厌恶并倦怠于一个不努力创造就业机会的政府，如果你厌恶并倦怠于一个机关算尽来对付你的税收系统，如果你厌恶并倦怠于债务的急剧增长和对未来投资的持续削减；或者，像人权先驱范尼·娄·哈默所说，你只是厌恶并倦怠于总是“厌恶并倦怠”，那么，加入我们，让我们一同工作一同胜利，我们能够使我们的国家成为真正意义上的国家。

眼下，乔治·布什正在谈论一个美妙的“竞赛”，可他却没有任何“竞赛”计划来重建美国——从城市到郊区到乡村——以使我们能够参与全球经济的竞争并再次赢得胜利。但是，我有。

他不敢同庞大的保险公司、官僚机构较量以控制医疗保健的成本，给我们一种所有美国人都支付得起的保健服务。但是，我敢。

他甚至不愿采纳他自己的艾滋病防治委员会的建议；但是，我愿。

他不会提高政府效率改变其工作方式，裁减十万官员给美国城市的街道增加十万新警官；但是，我会。

他从未平衡过政府预算，但是我已经平衡了十一次。

他不想打破特殊利益集团对选举的束缚，不想排除各种游说团体对政府的干扰；但是，我想。

他不愿让父母们有起码的机会在他们的孩子出生或他们的双亲患病时享受带薪假期；但是，我让。

我们正在以惊人的速度失去我们的农庄，但他却不肯承诺让家庭保住他们的农庄；但是，我承诺。

关于毒品他说了很多，他却不肯帮助第一线的人们发动缉毒灭罪的战役；但是，我肯。他不能带头保护环境并利用环保科技为二十一世纪创造新的工作机会；但是，我能。你们知道吗？他没有阿尔·戈尔；但是，我有。我怕，我怕你们没注意到——“戈尔”的最后一个字母是“E”。

并且，乔治·布什，乔治·布什不愿保证妇女选择的权利；但是，我保证。听我说，我并不赞成“流产”；我只是坚决赞成“选择”。我相信那艰难而痛苦的选择应该留给美国的妇女去做。

我希望个人的隐私权能够得到保护而且我们无须在政治论坛上再来讨论这个问题。然而我的年龄足以让我记得罗伊·佛·威德以前的情形，我不想回到那把人工流产的妇女和她们的医生看作罪犯的时代。

就业机会、学校教育、医疗保健，这些不是挂在我嘴上的承诺，而是我毕生的工作。“何者优先”必须清楚——我们将再次把人民放在第一位。然而这种“优先”若无清晰的行动计划就只是空洞的言辞。要将美丽的言辞变成现实，我们就必须彻底改变政府的处事方式。否则，我们将继续把数十亿美元扔进下水道。

共和党人反对大政府的选战已经持续了一个时代。但是你们注意到没有，他们竟然将这个政府运行了整整一个时代而未作任何改变！他们不想稳定政府，他们还是要发动选战来反对它，这就是全部事实。

但是，我的民主党伙伴们，是时候了，让我们明白我们也必须做出某些改变。政府并没有一个解决所有问题的万全之策。如果我们要让政府帮助人民，我们就必须让它再次运转起来。

因为我们承诺在这次大会在这个讲坛上做出这些改变。用罗斯·佩罗自己今天的话来说，我们是新生的民主党，新生的民主党人。

我十分清楚，数十万人正聚集在罗斯·佩罗的旗帜周围，组成了一支要求变革的爱国者的大军。今晚，我要对他们说，加入我们吧，让我们一起使美国获得新生。

眼下，我还没有全部的答案，然而我确信老一套行不通。积极投资的经济理论已经破产。庞大的官僚体系——无论是私营的还是公立的——都失败了。

这就是为什么我们要给政府找一条新的途径。一个更多授权而非集权的政府；一个给在校的——在公立学校的——年轻人更多的选择，给接受长期保健的老年人和残疾人更多的选择的政府；一个更像引导者而非定义者的政府；一个增加机会而非扩充官僚机构的政府；一个明了就业机会只能来自活泼的生机勃勃的自由企业体系的政府。

我把这条新的途径叫做“新的契约”——一个人民和政府之间的庄严的协议，它并不简单地立足于我们能从国家索取什么，更立足于我们必须向国家奉献什么。

我们提供基于传统价值之上的新的选择。我们提供机会，我们要求责任。我们将重建美国社会。我们提供的选择，既不是保守主义的，也不是自由主义的；从更丰富的层面看，甚 4 至既不是共和主义的也不是民主主义的。它是截然不同的，它是全新的。它将有效。它所以有效，因为它深深地植根于美国人民所信守的价值和美国人民对未来的憧憬之中。

乔治·布什说过的话中我不能同意的，可能也是最让我厌烦的，是他对美国人民寻求和探索更美好的未来这一传统的嘲笑和贬低。他嘲笑这憧憬是“泡影”。

然而，我们只要想想圣经的教谕：“没有憧憬，人民便趋于灭亡。”

我希望，我希望，今晚，在这个大会堂，在我们这个可爱的国家，没有谁在迈向明天时心里没有憧憬。我希望没有谁在养育子女时心里没有憧憬。我希望没有谁在开始自己的事业或在地里种植庄稼时心里没有憧憬。因为，“没有憧憬，人民便趋于灭亡。”

这个国家如此多的孩子在如此多的方面陷入如此多的麻烦，原因之一，便是他们看到的是如此少的机会，如此少的责任心，如此少的充满爱和关怀的社区。以致他们甚至无法想象我们召唤他们去过的那种新的生活。

因此，我要重申：没有憧憬，美国将趋于灭亡。

那么，我们和未来的新的契约中包含怎样的憧憬呢？

一个有着数百万新的就业机会的有着十多个新兴产业的，自信地迈向二十一世纪美国。一个这样的美国，她向企业家和生意人宣告：我们将提供比以前更多的激励和机会让你们提高工人的技能，在全球经济中为美国创造更多的就业机会更多的财富；但是你们必须做好你们的本分，你们必须尽自己的责任。美国的公司必须再次像美国公司那样行动——输出我们的产品而不是就业机会。

这就是新契约的应有之意。

一个这样的美国，在那里，高校的大门将再次为速记员和炼钢工人的子女们敞开。我们将宣布：每个人都可贷款进入高校，但是你们必须尽你们的本分：你们必须偿还，用你们未来的薪金——或者更好一些——回到你们的家乡服务于你们的社区。

只要想想，想想这样一幅图景：千千万万精神充沛的青年男女服务于他们的国家——维护治安，教育儿童，看护病人照顾老人残疾人，或帮助年青人使他们远离毒品和帮派。它必然给我们所有人一种感觉，一种充满无限可能和希望的感觉。

这就是新契约的应有之意。

一个这样的美国，在那里，医疗保健是基本权利而非特权；在那里，我们要告诉我们的人民：“你们的政府终于有勇气挑战医疗保健行业的奸商，提供每个家庭能够支付得起的医疗服务。” 但是你们必须尽你们的本分。做好预防工作——搞好妊娠卫生，搞好儿童免疫；珍惜生命，节约金钱，避免家庭悲剧的发生。

这就是新契约的应有之意。

这样一个美国，中产阶级的收入而非他们的税负将持续增长。这样一个美国，是的，在那里少数最富的人那些年收入超过二十万美元的人将被要求承担公平的税负。这样一个美国，在那里富人不只是湿湿鞋，中产阶级也不会淹死——责任必须从最上层开始。

这就是新契约的应有之意。一个这样的美国，在那里我们将如根据我们的了解为社会福利规定限度。我们要对那些依靠福利的人说：你们将享有，你们也应该享有——机会，完备的训练和教育，完善的儿童抚育和医疗保障以充分发掘你们的潜能。但是那以后，只要可能你就必须工作，因为社会福利只是辅助的手段，而不是生活方式。

这就是新契约的应有之意。

一个这样的美国，它拥有世界上最强大的防卫力量，必要时它能够并且愿意使用武力。一个这样的美国，它站在维持和保护我们公共环境增加全球植被的最前线。一个这样的美国，它不会纵容暴君——从巴格达到北京。一个这样的美国，它支持自由和民主的事业——从东欧到南非，在我们自己所在的半球 5 在海地在古巴。

冷战的结束，允许我们在保持世界最强大的防卫力量的同时削减国防开支，但是我们必须把削减下的每一个美元都用于在国内创造就业机会。我深知世界需要一个强大的美国，但是我们都认识到力量源自国内。

然而，这个新的契约不仅涉及你们和你们家庭的机会和责任，它更涉及我们共同的社会。今晚，你们每一个人都深知我们有太多的分歧。是时候了，让美国“痊愈”。

因此，我必须告诉每一个美国人，超越那些使我们盲目的陈腐偏见。我们彼此需要——我们所有人——我们彼此需要。我们没有一个多余的人。但是太久了，政客们总是说我们中的多数都做得不错，真正对美国有害的只是剩下的那些人——他们。

他们，少数族裔；他们，自由主义者；他们，穷人；他们，无家可归者；他们，残疾人；他们，同性恋者。

我们已经快要被“他们”置于死地。他们，他们，他们！但是，这里是美国，这里没有“他们”，只有“我们”！

“上帝庇佑之下，一个不可分割的国家，自由正义属于所有的人。” 这就是我们的《效忠誓言》，这就是新契约的应有之意。

为何我知道我们能聚合起来让变革发生？因为我已看到它发生在我自己的州。在阿肯色，我们同心协力并取得了进展。不，没有什么阿肯色奇迹，只有许多奇迹般的阿肯色人。因为他们，我们的学校更好，我们的工资更高，我们的工厂更忙，我们的水源更清，而且我们的预算平衡。我们正在稳步向前。

我希望能对现任总统治下的美国说同样的话。他领导了世界上最富有的国家却让她走了下坡路。我们接管的是美国最穷的州，但是我们让她向上走。

所以我要对那些在这选战正酣的时节试图批评阿肯色的人们说：住口！尤其对那些来自华盛顿的家伙，我要说，住口！的确，你们将看到我们正在努力奋斗以解决一些尚未解决的问题，你们也将看到那么多杰出的人正在从事令人惊讶的工作，从中你们也许可以学到一些东西。

说到底，我的美国同胞们，这个新的契约只是要求我们再次成为真正的美国人，新时代的传统的美国人——机会、责任、社会。

只要我们团结起来，就将推动美国向前。回顾这个国家的全部历史，我们一次又一次地看到，只要我们万众一心，我们前进的步伐就无可阻挡。

我们能够抓住这个时刻，让作为美国人再次成为令人激动精神焕发无上光荣的事情。我们能够重建我们的信念，我们能够重建举国一致的认识。

正如圣经所说：“我们所能成就的，非我们的眼睛所曾见过，非我们的耳朵所曾听闻，非我们的头脑所能想象。”

然而，我不能单打独斗，没有哪个总统能。我们必须同心协力。它并不轻松，也不会很快完成。我们不是一夜之间陷入困境的，我们也不可能一夜之间摆脱困境。凭着承诺、创造、多样性和无穷的动力，我们能够完成。

我们能够完成。我们能够完成。我们能够完成。

我要求这个会场的每一个人，这个国家的每一个人，伸出手来，和我们一起开始新的伟大的冒险，勇敢地描绘我们辉煌的未来。

作为十几岁的少年，我曾聆听约翰·肯尼迪呼唤公民权利义务的演讲。那以后，作为乔治城大学的学生，我又聆听了卡罗尔·奎格利教授对此所做的阐释。他告诉我们，美国是历史上最伟大的国家，因为我们的人民坚信两条：

一、明天会比今天更好；

二、我们每一个人 6 都在道德上都有责任让它成为现实。

那样，那样一种未来，在我们的女儿切尔西降生之时走进了我的生命。当我站在产房之中，我被一个想法所压倒：上帝给了我一个我父亲不能领会的祝福——把自己的孩子抱在怀里。

此刻，在美国的某个地方一个孩子正在降生。让它成为我们的事业：给那孩子一个幸福的家园，一个健康的家庭，一个充满希望的未来。让它成为我们的事业：给那孩子一个机会，实现上帝赋予她的全部潜能。

让它成为我们的事业：看护那孩子，让他健壮、安全，让他在家庭和朋友的支持下迎接生活的挑战而从不单枪匹马，让他树立一个信念——在美国，没有谁被遗弃，没有谁落在后面。

让它成为，让它成为我们的事业：只要那孩子能够，她将做出回报，回报她的孩子、她的社区、她的国家。让它成为我们的事业：给那孩子一个日益团结而不是趋于分裂的国家，一个充满无限希望无穷梦想的国家，一个再次振奋人民激励世界的国家。让它成为我们的事业我们的承诺我们的新的契约。

我的美国同胞们，今晚我在这里结束我的演讲，一切将从这里开始。我始终相信一个地方——它就是希望。

上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。

第四篇：奥巴马接受民主党第二次总统候选人提名的演讲(四)

奥巴马接受民主党第二次总统候选人提名的演讲

（四）2012年9月6日发表于北卡罗来纳州夏洛特市

张少军

译、校

Barack Obama

Second Democratic Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech

delivered 6 September 2012, Charlotte, North Carolina And I will never--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 the dignity that 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.我决不会把医疗保险制度变成优惠购物券，没有任何美国人应该在保险公司的怜悯之中度过他们的金色年华，他们应该带着他们自己挣来的关心与尊严退休。是的，我们应该持续地改善和加强医疗保险制度——通过降低医疗保健的价格，而不是要求长者多付几千美元。我们将恪守社会保障的承诺——采取更负责的措施，而不是把它推给华尔街。This is the choice we now face.This is what the election comes down to.Over and over, we've 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 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.这就是我们面对的选择，这就是这次选举所为何来。一遍又一遍，我们的对手告诉我们，说大规模减税和简化规则是唯一的道路，说既然政府不能包打天下，干脆就让它清静无为。如果你付不起医疗保险，那只好希望你从不生病。如果一家企业在你们的孩子呼吸的空气里排放了有毒污染，那只是发展的代价。如果你没钱创业或上大学，那么，听从我对手的建议，问你们的父母借钱去吧。

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, the entrepreneurs who have always been the driving force behind our free enterprise system, the greatest engine of growth and prosperity that the world's ever known.你知道吗，我们不是那种人，那也不是这个国家应该干的事。作为美国人，我们相信，我们的造物主赐给我们某些不可让渡的权利，那任何人任何政府都不能剥夺的权利。我们坚持个人的责任，我们赞美人的主观能动性，我们并没有成功的特权，我们必须赢得成功。我们尊敬奋斗者、追梦者、冒险家，企业家，他们永远是我们自由企业制度背后的原动力，这个世界曾经见识过的增长与繁荣的最伟大的发动机。

But we also believe in something called “citizenship”--citizenship, a word at the very heart of our founding, a word 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.但是我们也相信某种东西，它叫公，民权力——公，民权力，一个表明我们建国核心理念的单词，一个表明我们民，主政，体本质属性的单词，它表明这样一种观念——只有我们承担对彼此以及对未来时代的某种义务，这个国家才能运转。

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's protected, but so is the value of other people's homes--and so is the entire economy.我们相信，当一个公司的首席执行官付给汽车工人的工资足够让他们买得起他们自己生产的汽车时，整个公司会运转得更好。我们相信，当一个家庭能够不再被骗去签一个他们无法支付的抵押贷款时，那个家庭便得到了保护。这也意味着其他人的房屋的价值得到了保护，这也意味着整个经济得到了保护。

We believe the little girl who's offered an escape from poverty by a great teacher or a grant for college could become the next Steve Jobs or the scientist who cures cancer or the President of the United States--and it is in our power to give her that chance.我们相信，一个小女孩遇见一位伟大的老师或得到大学入学通知，就意味着得到逃离贫穷的机会，她就有可能成为下一个史蒂夫·乔布斯或治愈癌症的科学家或美国总统。而给她那样一个机会是我们力所能及的事情。

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 certainly don't want bailouts for banks that break the rules.我们知道，教堂和慈善组织常常能使情形变得比光有政府的扶贫计划更好。但是我们不希望把救济品发给懒汉，我们肯定不会救济那些违规操作的银行。

We don't think the government can solve all of our problems, but we don't think the government is the source of all of our problems--any more than our welfare recipients or corporations or unions or immigrants or gays or any other group we're told to blame for our troubles--because--because America, we understand that this democracy is ours.我们不认为政府能够解决我们所有的问题，但我们更不会认为政府是我们所有问题的来源——更甚于我们不相信有人告诉我们的那样，那些接受社会福利的个人、团体，或工会或移民或同性恋或其他团体应该为我们的麻烦负责——因为，因为美国啊，我们明白，这个民，主政体是我们自己的。

We, the people, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights;that our destinies are bound together;that a freedom which asks only, 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.That's what we believe.我们人民承认我们在拥有权利同时，也承担着义务；我们的命运是联在一起的；在承担义务的前提下为自己，是自，由唯一的要求。那种没有对他人的承诺的自，由，那种没有爱没有仁慈没有责任没有爱国精神的自，由，是与我们的建国理念以及那些为捍卫这些理念而献身的人们不相称的。作为公民，我们明白，美国不意味着它能为我们做些什么，而是意味着我们能做些什么——大家一起，通过艰苦，屡遭挫败然而又是必不可少的自我管理工作。这就是我们所相信的。So you see, the election four years ago wasn't about me.It was about you.My fellow citizens: You were the change.因此你们看，四年前的选举并不是为我，而是为你们自己。我的公，民伙伴们，你们就是“改变”。

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.你们就是原因，为何菲尼克斯市那个心率紊乱的小女孩能得到她需要的外科手术，即便保险公司也不能限定她的保险范围？是你们做到了这一点。

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.你们就是原因。为何科罗拉多州的那个从来不敢梦想能够支付学费赢得一个医学学位的小伙正要得到那个机会？是你们让它成为可能。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.” Welcome home.You did that.You did that.You did that.你们就是原因。为何一个在此长大在此上学对国旗宣誓效忠的年轻移民不再被驱逐出这个他称为家的唯一国度？为何那些忘我的战士不会因为他们的身分（指非法移民——译者猜）和性取向（指同性恋——译者注）而被逐出军队？为何成千上万的家庭终于能对曾如此勇敢地为我们服役的心爱的人说，欢迎回来，欢迎回家？是你们做到了这一点，是你们做到了这一点！

If you turn away now--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--the lobbyists and special interests, the people with the 10 million dollar checks who are trying to buy this election and those who are trying to make it harder for you to vote, Washington politicians who want to decide who you can marry or control health care choices that women should be making for themselves.Only you can make sure that doesn't happen.Only you have the power to move us forward.如果你们现在转身走开，如果你们现在转身走开，如果你们接受犬儒主义，相信那些我们为之奋斗的改变不可能发生，好，改变将不会发生。如果你放弃“你的声音会让形势有所不同”的信念，那么别的声音就会填满你留下空间：那些职业说客和特殊利益集团，那些手持1000万美元的支票试图买断这场选举并竭力使你们投票变得困难的人，那些试图决定你能与谁（异性或同性——译者注）结婚或试图控制你采用哪种医疗手段（堕胎或不堕胎——译者注）——这本该由妇女自己决定——的华盛顿的政客。只有你们能确定这种情况不会发生。只有你们拥有让我们继续前进的力量。

You know, I recognize that times have changed since I first spoke to this convention.Times have changed, and so have I.I'm no longer just a candidate.I'm the President.你们知道，我承认，自从我第一次在这个大会上发言后时代已经改变。时代改变了，我也改变了。我不再是候选人，我是现任总统。And...that means I know what it means to send young Americans into battle, for I've held in my arms the mothers and fathers of those who didn't return.那意味着，我明白，那意味着把年轻的美国人送上战场，因为我曾拥抱过许多父母——他们的孩子永不能回家。

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.我曾经分担过那些失去自己住房的家庭的痛苦，以及那些失去工作的工人的挫败感。如果那些说我的所有决策都基于民意测验的批评是正确的，那么我肯定没有很好地阅读那些测验。

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.”

在我为我们共同取得的成就骄傲的同时，我更念念不忘我本人的失误，从而真正理解当林肯说出下面一番话时，它意味着什么。他说：“多少次，我被那压倒性的再也无路可走的想法逼得跪下来祈求上苍。” 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 naive about the magnitude of our challenges--I'm hopeful because of you.然而当我站在这里，我从来不曾像今晚那样对美国怀有更多的希望。不是因为我自认掌握了所有的答案，不是因为面对巨大的挑战我过于天真，我是因为你们而满怀希望。

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.是那个我在科技展览上遇见的那个年轻女人，她在全家居无定所的境况下做出了获得国家赞誉的生物学研究，是她给了我希望。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.是那个汽车工人，工厂几乎关闭后他中了彩票，可他仍然坚持每天上班，为镇上每一户人家买了一面国旗一辆他自己造的汽车，让他的妻子感到惊讶，是他给了我希望。

The family business in Warroad, Minnesota, that didn't lay off a single one of their 4,000 employees when the recession hit, even when their competitors shut down dozens of plants, even when it meant the owner gave up some perks and some pay, because they understood that their biggest asset was the community and the workers who had helped build that business--they give me hope.是那个在明尼苏达州沃罗德市的家族企业，他们在经济衰退袭来的时候没有解雇4000名员工中的任何一名——即使他们的竞争者关闭了几十家工厂，即使那意味着企业主要放弃一些排场与利益——因为他们知道他们最大的资产是社区以及那些曾经帮助建设了这个企业的工人，是他们给了我希望。

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.And six months ago we would watch him walk into a White House dinner honoring those who served in Iran [Iraq], tall and 20 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.He gives me hope.我想起我在沃尔特·里德医院会见的那个正从一次手榴弹攻击中恢复的年轻的水兵，那次攻击导致腿部切除——切在膝盖之上。六个月之前，我们看见他走进白宫，参加为款待在伊拉克服役的军人而举行的 晚宴，高个，胖了20多磅，仿佛要撑破他的军装，脸上是灿烂的笑容，坚定地站在他的新腿之上。我还记得几个月之后，一个阳光明媚的春日，我怎样看见他骑在自行车上与他的伤员伙伴们竞赛，鼓励那些刚走上他已然经历的痛苦道路的英雄伙伴。是他给了我希望，是他给了我希望！

I--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.我不知道这些男男女女属于哪个政党，我不知道他们会否为我投票；但是我知道是他们的精神定义了我们，定义了我。用圣经的话说，我们所拥有的，是一个充满了希望的未来。如果你们与我共享那个信念，如果你们与我共享那个希望，今晚我请求你们，为我投票。If you reject the notion that this nation's promise is reserved for the few, your voice must be heard in this election.如果你们拒绝这个国家的承诺只为少数人保留的观念，你们一定要在这次选举中让人们听到你们的声音。

If you reject the notion that our government is forever beholden to the highest bidder, you need to stand up in this election.如果你们拒绝我们的政府永远属于出价最高者的观念，你们必须在这次选举中挺身而出。

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.如果你们相信新的车间和工厂能成为新的风景，新能源可以驱动我们的未来，新学校能为我们这个梦想之国提供机遇的阶梯；如果你们相信有这样一个国家，那里人人享有公平的机会，人人得到公平的份额，人人遵守同样的规则，我要求你们在十一月前去投票。

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.美国啊，我从未说过这个旅程会一路顺风，现在我也不能保证。是的，我们的道路尽管艰难，但是它会把我们引向更好的地方。的确，我们的路途虽然漫长，但是我们会并肩行进朝着共同的方向。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.我们不会回头。我们不会让一人落下。我们要互相扶持。我们从胜利中获得力量，从失败中汲取教训，然而我们的目光始终凝望着遥远的地平线，坚信上帝与我们同在，坚信我们的确是被祝福的，地球上最伟大国家的公民。

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless these United States.谢谢你们，上帝保佑你们，上帝保佑美国。

第五篇：奥巴马在民主党代表大会上接受总统候选人提名的演讲字幕

Live From Denver: Big Night By KATHARINE Q.SEELYE Senator Barack Obama accepted the presidential nomination of the Democratic Party in front of 80,000 people Thursday night at Invesco Field in Denver.(Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)12 a.m.| Wrap Up: Well, there’s no denying it was a spectacular show.The speech featured all the big themes that Mr.Obama has been highlighting on the campaign trail.Here he expanded on them and wove them together, not so much in a new way but in a more emphatic way.He has been casting himself as an economic populist in the last few weeks, and it was no surprise that he continued to do that here.But it was striking the degree to which he did so, focusing on the economy almost exclusively for the first two-thirds of his speech — a measure both of how central it is for many voters but also of how much he wants to appeal to Reagan Democrats.That was evident, too, in his references to the hot-button social issues that have alienated many older, blue-collar, Catholic voters.Those references were brief and sought common ground:

* “We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.”

* “The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than they are for those plagued by gang violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.”

* “I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in a hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.” The red meat came in his assault on John McCain.He was more in his face than he often has been, and in a more sustained way.He even painted him as a bit of a wimp: “John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin-Laden to the gates of hell — but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives.” But did he succeed in erasing the doubts about him? The polls have showed a stubborn problem for Mr.Obama, in that voters see Mr.McCain as a more plausible commander-in-chief.Mr.Obama made an interesting allusion to that, weaving in an issue — Mr.McCain’s temper — that hurt him in the Republican primaries in 2000 but has been less of a factor so far this year.Mr.Obama put it this way: “If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next commander-in-chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have.” On the campaign trail, he usually limits his challenge to debating Mr.McCain’s judgment, not his temperament.The presidential debates — the next big opportunity for Mr.Obama to reach millions of listeners — start Sept.26.Between now and then, of course, Mr.McCain will pick his vice president, and his own convention starts in a few days, giving him the chance to crush all too quickly the good vibes and stunning optics from Denver.11:30 p.m.| Clinton’s Statement: Hillary Rodham Clinton just released the following statement: “Barack Obama’s speech tonight laid out his specific, bold solutions and optimistic vision for our nation and our children’s future.“His speech crystallized the clear choice between he and Senator McCain.Four more years of the same failed policies or a leader who can tackle the great challenges we face: revitalizing our economy and restoring our standing in the world.I am proud to support Senator Obama, our next President of the United States and Joe Biden, our next Vice President of the United States.” Yes We Can: Kate Phillips reports from outside Invesco that crowds of people are climbing over barriers as police are closing a gate.People are shouting “Yes we can!” as they break through another part of the fence.11:20 p.m.| Emotion at Invesco: Michael Powell sends this dispatch from Invesco Field: Crouching amid the Tennessee delegation on the floor of the stadium, I noticed him, this tall black man standing behind me.His face was as broad as his shoulders.And as Barack Obama finished his speech, as fireworks shot off and red white and blue confetti fell, tears rolled down his cheeks.What emotions are running barreling through right now? “So much, I see so many things,” replied Keith Norman in a rich baritone.“I see my earliest dreams as a child.I see a man being given a fair chance because of his talent.”

His chest heaves;he is looking at the stage and the Mr.Obama hugging his wife and his two daughters.“I see his faith in God.And I see the hand of God,” he said, “And it makes my heart glad.”

A friend, a barrel chested black man in a black Obama beret comes over and puts his arm around the midsection of Mr.Norman and asks another man to take a picture of them together.Both men are crying and smiling.11 p.m.| Fireworks: Mr.Obama wraps it up at about 46 minutes.Truck-driving, country music is playing as the Michelle Obama and the girls take the stage.The sound of fireworks exploding shook us out of our seats!The Obama and Biden families are gathering on stage with red, white and blue streamers spilling out of the sky.The McCain campaign has already issued its rebuttal.From spokesman Tucker Bounds: “Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama.When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm’s way.The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be President.” From outside Media Pavillion Four at the Pepsi Center, a short distance away from Invesco, we can see the fireworks streaming over the stadium, which is lit up like a flying saucer.The fireworks are still exploding, soaring up into the sky, the music an intensifying symphony.The the transcript of Mr.Obama’s speech.10:56 p.m.| King Reference: Now, 45 minutes in, Mr.Obama makes a reference to race — but it is that, a reference when he mentions the “promise that 45 years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln’s Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.” 10:55 p.m.| It’s Not Me, It’s You: The McCain campaign has been doing its best to make this election a referendum on Mr.Obama, not a choice between the two of them, and Mr.Obama here is resisting that characterization: “What the nay-sayers don’t understand is that this election has never been about me,” he says.“It’s been about you.” Mr.Obama can only hope that is how voters see it.10:50 p.m.| Verb.That’s What’s Happening: Mr.Obama’s speech is full of strong active verbs.“I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan,” he says, not quite describing how he will pursue that goal.“I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression.”

And this: “I’ve got news for you, John McCain.We all put our country first.”

All the Republican talk about his “celebrity” status hasn’t inhibited his high-wattage smile.10:45 p.m.| National Security: Now, 30 minutes in, he turns to Iraq and terrorism, saying that “while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face.”

And this crowd-pleaser: “John McCain likes to say that he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell – but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives.”

10:44 p.m.| Responsiblity: Mr.Obama, who has said in the past that black men need take more responsibility for their families, he omits the racial reference here.“Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair.But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents;that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework;that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.”

10:37 p.m.| More on the Economy: Addressing the concern that his campaign has been all lofty rhetoric, he now focuses on his economic program: stop tax breaks for corporations;cut taxes for 95 percent of working families;and in 10 years, “end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.” “Washington’s been talking about our oil addiction for the last 30 years, and John McCain has been there for 26 of them.In that time, he’s said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels.And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.”

That’s not all Mr.McCain’s fault, of course, but Mr.Obama makes his point.And now, more than 26 minutes into the speech, Mr.Obama has scarcely mentioned the issue that propelled his candidacy in the primaries — the war in Iraq.10:34 p.m.| Workers and the Economy: The speech so far, and we are more than 17 minutes into it, has been focused almost exclusively on workers and the economy and his humble, all-American, family background.“I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree;who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.”

“I don’t know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine.These are my heroes.Theirs are the stories that shaped me.And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.”

From Michael Powell: “Let me explain exactly what I will do, Mr.Obama says.“There you go, there you go,” whispers a man from Kansas.They are now passing out extra size American flags.This is a place awash in red, white and blue, a visible attempt at inoculation against charges that Democrats are not patriotic enough.(Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)10:26 p.m.| He Just Doesn’t Know: Mr.Obama uses the McCain campaign as a foil to emphasize his message.He cites a quote from Phil Gramm, who said America was “a nation of whiners,” and then Mr.McCain himself, who albeit half-jokingly defined “rich” as someone making more than $5 million a year.Mr.Obama exploits both in this speech.“I don’t believe that Senator McCain doesn’t care what’s going on in the lives of Americans,” Mr.Obama says.“I just think he doesn’t know.” 10:23 p.m.| 10 Percent Chance on Change: Mr.Obama: “John McCain has voted with George Bush 90 percent of the time.Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than 90 percent of the time? I don’t know about you, but I’m not ready to take a 10 percent chance on change.”

10:22 p.m.| The Set: For all of the “Temple of Obama” talk from Republicans, the tight shots of Mr.Obama as he is speaking don’t give that impression at all.Instead, you see a backdrop that looks like windows on a home, with intimate, soft-glowing light emanating through.As they say in Hollywood, lighting is everything.10:14 | Accepts the Nomination: The opening applause goes on for two minutes and 20 seconds.He accepts the nomination at 10:14 p.m., the first African-American in the nation’s history to become the nominee of a major party.Mr.Obama opens with yet another nod to the Clintons.Here’s what he says: “Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest — a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours — Hillary Rodham Clinton.To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it.” He then thanks Senator Edward M.Kennedy and then Mr.Biden.He pays homage to his family.“To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia – I love you so much, and I’m so proud of all of you.” Mrs.Obama flashes him a thumbs up.10:12 p.m.| Obama Takes the Stage: As U2’s City of Blinding Light plays, Mr.Obama walks on stage.He is clapping along with the audience and soaking it all in.Camera lights are flashing.He almost looks misty-eyed.10 p.m.| Roll Film: The video about Barack Obama’s life is airing now.The movie opens with a picture of his mother and what she once said.“My son, he’s an American, and he has to understand what that means.” This film, like much of the convention, is meant to underscore that theme — he’s an American, as Michelle Obama said in her speech, just like everyone else.Michael Powell describes the scene during the film: It’s like being at a drive-in movie, the lights are dim, the breezes cool.Considering this is a story told over and over again to the party faithful, the rapt attention the audience is paying to the video is striking.At the mention of Kansas in the Obama video, the group erupts, waving flags.In the delegation, a black man wearing a Reject Obama button on his cap, tears up.9:59 p.m.| Obama’s Journey: Here’s an excerpt from the pool report, the small group of reporters who are accompanying Mr.Obama to the field.At 7:16 p.m.(Mountain Time), the motorcade began to roll, pulling out onto the streets and heading toward Invesco.The city was all but shut down by this point, all traffic cleared for the candidate to make his dramatic entrance.The stadium came into view at 7:20 p.m., and he pulled in via a back entrance of the stadium at 7:26 p.m.Obama was whisked out of the cars into the backstage area, senior aides and officials waiting in the halls.The pool was brought out onto the floor.9:58 p.m.| Introducing Obama: Senator Dick Durbin, Mr.Obama’s colleague from Illinois, is up now.He introduced Mr.Obama to the 2004 convention in Boston and is introducing him again tonight.We hear that the stadium is vibrating as people chanted “Yes We Can!” at Mr.Durbin’s urging.9:57 p.m.| While You Wait: We know the Obama campaign is trying to build excitement for the big speech, but having video of the candidate delivering previous speeches to big crowds could be stealing some of his thunder when he actually appears.But let’s just say right here, thank heaven for C-SPAN!At least we can see those videos.C-SPAN is showing the entire program as it unfolds, unlike some other channels, which are preoccupied with their own talking heads.And by the way, beautiful camera work too, especially those aerial views that show the rocking, neon-lit stadium against the Rockies and the flaming night sky.9:49 p.m.| Bruuuuce: The sound system is blaring Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA,” reminding us of the rumors that he would make and appearance at the stadium tonight.(Wouldn’t that have been something?)It also reminds us of when Ronald Reagan had tried to claim the song as his blue-collar anthem, much to the Boss’s dismay.Whatever, the crowd is waving flags, a bit of useful imagery the Democrats have learned from the Republicans, and the sky is turning scarlet.9:34 p.m.| Running IntoWolfson: Kate Phillips sends the following dispatch: We literally just walked into Howard Wolfson, who marveled at the huge crowd at the stadium.“We would never have been able to do this,” he said smiling, and raised his arms to point upward.Asked why, he said “I think for the reasons why he’s the nominee.He tapped into people’s desire for hope and change.”

Of the Clintons, he said they did a lot this week to try to bring the party together.The story line going in had been one of division but he said should be unity heading out.He said for some people the healing is still “a work in progress.” But, he said former President Clinton hit it out of the park last night.9:25 p.m.| Predictions: Joel Benenson, Mr.Obama’s pollster, as predicted to our colleague, Kate Phillips, who is at Invesco, that the TV audience tonight may reach 30 million.Of course, that audience will be available to Mr.McCain, too, who has been running an uncharacteristically positive ad tonight here on local Denver TV and in Des Moines.9:24 p.m.| Faces in the Crowd: Michael Powell sends this dispatch: Walk by the Puerto Rico delegation on the floor of the stadium and Senator Biden has just taken the stage and people are standing and jumping and waving and there is Eder Ortiz, fingers flying on the BlackBerry.Who are you texting? “My daughter and wife—I’m asking them, ‘Are you watching this?’ he says.“This is history;they have to watch it.”

As it happens, both are watching the night on television in San Juan.And, he adds with a smile, “looking for me.”

“I was the first one in the delegation to get down here,” Mr.Ortiz, 39, said.“I’m keeping them updated every couple of minutes.” As the reporter thanks him and begins to walk away, Mr.Ortiz taps his arm.“And I will tell my family about this interview too!” And he puts head down, fingers flying.9:22 p.m.| Biden’s Back: Senator Joseph R.Biden Jr.is onstage.“I have always dreamed of standing in this place,” he said.This, said Mr.Biden, is “an open convention.”

Mr.Biden delivers the party’s message pretty straightforwardly: that despite the glamorous aura of these Invesco festivities(and what the Republicans call the “Temple of Obama”)this convention is about the cops, firefighters, teachers and other ordinary folk.When he and Barack Obama are in the White House, he says, they’ll make sure that these ordinary people are heard.Former Vice President Al Gore(Damon Winter/The New York Times)9:09 p.m.| Making the Case: Mr.Gore is a perhaps uniquely qualified person to make Mr.Obama’s case that these elections matter: He said that eight years ago, some people thought there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties, but few would make that argument today.Had he been elected, he said, “We would not be bogged down in Iraq,” a statement that drew huge affirmation from the audience, “and we wouldn’t be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis.”(Transcript | Video)Mr.Gore knows something about convention speeches.His own, in 2000, got a so-so reaction inside the hall in L.A.where he delivered it, but it was a huge hit on the small screen and he came out of his convention with an 8-point bounce, as measured by Gallup, slightly higher than the Democratic average of 7.3 percentage points since 1960.8:45 p.m.| The Goracle: Al Gore is taking the stage at Invesco.He is introduced as Noble Prize Recipient, Vice President Al Gore.People are on their feet, waving American flags.“Let the Sunshine In” is playing.The crowd goes wild for this Gore line, after he said that a McCain presidency would be a rerun of Bush-Cheney: “Hey, I believe in recycling, but that’s ridiculous.” He said that the race between Mr.Obama and Mr.McCain is tight because defenders of the status quo “are desperately afraid of the change Barack Obama represents.”

Invesco Field(Photo: Todd Heisler/The New York Times)8:15 p.m | Showtime: DENVER — Hi everybody.We’re settling in to watch Barack Obama’s acceptance speech, which is coming up around 10 p.m., Eastern time.We’ll be anchoring the evening for you, with several of our colleagues reporting from Invesco Field, where they say the crowds are streaming into the stands.It’s already clear that one fear of the Obama campaign — rain — is not a threat.It is a gorgeous evening, and a spectacular sunset is in the offing.Stevie Wonder is on stage now at Invesco Field.You can watch his performance and all the other festivities tonight here: Our colleague Julie Bosman is in the stadium and sends along this dispatch: Hours before Mr.Obama was scheduled to speak, the concourse at Invesco Field was packed tightly with spectators, jostling each other as they made their way to their seats, and lining up to buy hot dogs, brats, nachos and pulled pork sandwiches.Vendors sold pins($3), T-shirts($20)and black rubber wristbands bearing the words “Hope” and “Obama ’08″($4).Attendees with special credentials were granted access to a “club level” with bars, leather seats and expansive city views.On the highest level of the stadium, some spectators relaxed in the shade and peered down at the stage using binoculars, waving signs and American flags.(Organizers had placed an American flag in the cupholder of each seat.)In between speeches, jumbo screens played video clips from Mr.Obama’s speeches and town hall events on the campaign trail, and strobe lights placed throughout the stadium shone circles on the crowd.Electronic banner screens dotting the stadium flashed the campaign logo and the word “Change” when the audience applauded during speeches.