演講者
美國伊利諾州聯邦參議員
貝拉克·歐巴馬3日所獲得的將在民主黨全國代表大會上支持他的代表數已經超過2118名。這意味著他將穩獲民主黨總統候選人提名,成為美國歷史上第一個非洲裔的主要黨派總統候選人。
歐巴馬1961年8月4日在
美國夏威夷檀香山出生。他的父親是來自
肯亞的留學生,母親是堪薩斯州白人,兩人在就讀夏威夷大學期間相識。由於父親此後前往哈佛大學求學,歐巴馬從小由母親撫養。在歐巴馬兩歲多的時候,父母婚姻最終破裂。6歲時,歐巴馬隨母親和繼父前往印度尼西亞生活了4年。
此後,歐巴馬回到夏威夷,在完成中學教育後,進入加利福尼亞州西方學院學習,後轉入位於紐約的哥倫比亞大學,1983年畢業。1985年,歐巴馬來到芝加哥,從事社區工作。1988年,他進入哈佛大學法學院深造,還成為院刊《哈佛法律評論》首位非洲裔負責人。1991年在獲得哈佛大學法學博士學位後,他返回芝加哥,成為一名律師,並在芝加哥大學法學院教授憲法。
1996年,歐巴馬進入政壇,當選伊利諾州參議員,並連續擔任8年。2000年,已在全國政壇嶄露頭角的歐巴馬試圖進入國會,但在競爭聯邦眾議員席位的預選中失利。2004年,歐巴馬在民主黨全國代表大會上發表的政策演講贏得了廣泛關注,他在同年11月國會選舉中當選伊利諾州聯邦參議員。
演講詞
Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the new White House.
薩沙和馬莉婭,我愛你們,我對
你們的愛超出了你們的想像。你們已贏得了新的
寵物狗,它將和我們一起前往新的白宮。
And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
儘管她沒能和我們在一起,但我知道,我的祖母和養大我的家人在
看著我,我今晚很想念他們,我知道我欠他們的東西是無法計量的。
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.
我的妹妹馬婭、我的姐姐奧瑪,我其他的兄弟和姐妹,非常感謝你們對我的支持,我感謝他們。
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best ——the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
我的競選經理大衛·普勞夫,這位競選活動的無名英雄,他進行了最好的政治競選活動,我認為這是美國歷史上最棒的。
To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way. To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
我的首席策略師大衛·艾克斯羅德,他一直是追隨我的夥伴。你們組建了政治史上最好的競選團隊,是你們成就了今天,我永遠感謝你們為此所作出的犧牲。
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
但最重要的是,我永遠不會忘記這場勝利真正屬於誰,它屬於你們,它屬於你們。
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
我從來不是最有可能獲得這一職務的候選人。我們剛開始並沒有太多資金,也沒有得到許多人的支持。我們的競選活動並非始自華盛頓的大廳里,而是始於
得梅因、
康科德、查爾斯頓這些地方的普通民眾家中。那些辛勤工作的人們從自己微薄的儲蓄中捐出5美元、10美元、20美元。
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
競選活動因為年輕人的支持而越來越有聲勢,他們拒絕了他們那一代對政治不感興趣的神話,他們離開家,從事那些薪水少而且辛苦的工作。
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
競選活動的聲勢也來自那些已不再年輕的人們,他們冒著嚴寒酷暑,敲開陌生人的家門進行競選宣傳;競選聲勢也源自數百萬的美國民眾,他們充當志願者和組織者,他們證明了在兩百多年以後,民有、民治、民享的政府並未從地球上消失。這是你們的勝利。
This is your victory.
這是你們的勝利。
And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime —— two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
我知道你們的所做的一切並不只是為了贏得選舉,我也知道你們做這一切並不是為了我。你們這樣做是因為你們明白前面的任務有多么艱巨。即便我們今晚歡呼慶祝,我們也知道明天將面臨我們一生之中最艱難的挑戰——兩場戰爭、一個面臨危險的星球,一個世紀以來最嚴重的金融危機。
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.
就在我們今晚
站在這裡的時刻,我們知道勇敢的
美國士兵在
伊拉克的沙漠裡和阿富汗的群山中醒來,他們冒著生命危險來保護著我們的生命。仍有在孩子熟睡後仍
難以入眠的父母,他們擔心如何償還按揭
月供、付醫藥費或是存夠錢讓孩子上大學。
There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
我們需要開發新的能源、創造新的工作崗位,我們需要修建新學校,應對眾多威脅、修復與許多國家的盟友關係。
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
前方的道路將很漫長,我們攀登的腳步會很艱辛。我們可能無法在一年甚至一個任期內實現這些目標,但我從未像今晚這樣滿懷希望,我們將實現我們的目標。
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
我向你們承諾——我們作為一個整體將會達成目標。
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.
我們會遭遇挫折和不成功的起步。我作為總統所做的每項決定或政策,會有許多人持有異議,我們也知道,政府不能解決所有問題。
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years —— block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
但我將總是會向你們坦陳我們所面臨的挑戰。我會聽取你們的意見,尤其是存在不同意見的時候。最重要的是,我會請求你們參與重建這個國家,以美國221年來從未改變的唯一方式——一磚一瓦、同心協力。
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
21個月前在寒冬所開始的一切不應當在今天這個秋夜結束。今天的選舉勝利並不是我們所尋求的改變——這只是我們進行改變的機會。如果我們仍然按照過去的方式行事,我們所尋求的改變將不會發生。
It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
沒有你們,沒有服務和犧牲的新精神,就不可能發生改變。
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other. Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.
因此,讓我們發揚新的愛國和負責精神,所有的人都下定決心參與其中,更加努力地工作,不僅是為自己而是為彼此。
讓我們記住這一點,如果說這場金融危機教會了我們什麼東西的話,那就是我們不可能在金融以外的領域處於困境的同時擁有繁榮興旺的華爾街。
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people. Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
在這個國家,我們患難與共。讓我們抵制重走老路的誘惑,避免重新回到令美國政治長期深受毒害的黨派紛爭、小題大作、
不成熟的表現。
Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
讓我們記住,是伊利諾州的一名男子首次將共和黨的旗幟扛到了白宮。共和黨是建立在自立、個人自由以及國家團結的價值觀之上的。
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
這也是我們所有人共同的價值觀。雖然民主黨今天晚上贏得了巨大的勝利,但我們是以謙卑的態度和彌合阻礙我們進步的分歧的決心贏得這場勝利的。
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
林肯在向遠比我們眼下分歧更大的國家發表講話時說,我們不是敵人,而是朋友——雖然激情可能會褪去,但這不會割斷我們感情上的聯繫。
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
對於那些現在沒有投票給我的美國人,我想說,我可能沒有贏得你們的選票,但是我聽到了你們的聲音,我需要你們的幫助,而且我也將是你們的總統。
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
對於那些徹夜關注美國大選的海外人士,從國會到皇宮,以及在
被遺忘的角落里擠在收音機旁的人們,我們的經歷雖然各有不同,但是我們的命運是一樣的,新的美國領導層已產生了。
To those -- to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope.
那些想要顛覆這個世界的人們,我們將擊敗你們。那些追求和平和安全的人們,我們支持你們。那些所有懷疑美國 的燈塔能否能像以前一樣明亮的人們,今天晚上我們再次證明,我們國家真正的力量並非來自我們武器的威力或財富的規模,而是來自我們理想的持久力量:民主、自由、機會、不屈服的希望。
That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
這才是美國真正的精華——美國能夠改變。我們的聯邦會日漸完美。我們現在已取得的成就為我們將來能夠取得和必須取得的成就增添了希望。
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
這次大選創造了多項第一,也誕生了很多將世代流傳的故事。但是今天晚上令我難忘的卻是在亞特蘭大投票的一名婦女:安·尼克森·庫波爾。她和其他數百萬排隊等待投票的選民沒有什麼差別,除了一點:她已是106歲的高齡。
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons —— because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
她出生的那個時代奴隸制度剛剛結束;那時路上沒有汽車,天上也沒有飛機。當時像她這樣的人由於兩個原因不能投票,首先她是女性,其次她是黑人。
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America -- the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
今天晚上,我想到了她在美國過去一百年間所經歷的種種:心痛和希望;鬥爭和進步;在那裡時代,我們被告知我們
辦不到,一些人繼續堅信著美國的信念——是的,我們能做到。
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
婦女當時沒有投票權,她們的希望被挫敗,但是安·尼克森·庫波爾活著看到婦女們站了起來,看到她們站出來發表自己的見解,看到她們參加大選投票。是的,我們能做到。
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
當30年代的沙塵暴和大蕭條使人們感到絕望時,她看到一個國家用新政、新的就業機會以及對新目標的共同追求戰勝恐慌。是的,我們能做到。
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
當炸彈襲擊了我們的港口、暴政威脅到全世界,她見證了一代美國人的偉大崛起,見證了一個民主國家獲得拯救。是的,我們能做到。
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that "We Shall Overcome." Yes we can.
她看到
蒙哥馬利通了公共汽車、
伯明罕接上了水管、塞爾馬建了橋,一位來自亞特蘭大的傳教士告訴人們:“我們將克服阻力。”是的,我們能做到。
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.
人類登上月球、柏林圍牆倒下,世界被我們的科學和想像被連線在一起。今年,在這場選舉中,她用手指觸控螢幕幕投下自己的選票,因為在
美國生活了106年之後,經歷了
最好的時光和最黑暗的時刻之後,她知道美國如何能夠發生變革。是的,我們能做到。
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves -- if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
美國,我們已經走過了一條漫漫長路。我們已經歷了很多。但是我們仍有很多事情要做。因此今夜,請讓我們自問--如果我們的孩子能夠活到下個世紀;如果我的女兒有幸活得和安一樣長,她們將會看到怎樣的改變?我們將會取得什麼樣的進步。
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
現在是我們回答這個問題的機會。這是我們的時刻。
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes, we can.
這是
我們的時代——讓我們的人民重新就業,為我們的後代敞開機會之門,恢復繁榮,推進和平,重新確立“
美國夢”,再次證明這樣一個基本的真理:
我們是一家人;只要一息尚存,我們就有希望;當我們遇到嘲諷和懷疑,當有人說我們
辦不到的時候,我們要以這個永恆的信條來回應他們。是的,我們能做到。
Thank you. God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.
感謝你們。上帝保佑你們。願上帝保佑美利堅合眾國。
發表的演說
Change Has Come to American
November 04, 2008 Barack Obama
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy tonight is your answer.
It’s the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen, by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different, that their voices could be that difference.
It’s the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states.
We are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It’s the answer that led those who’ve been told for so long by so many to be cynical and fearful and doubtful about what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.
It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.
A little bit earlier this evening, I received an extraordinarily gracious call from Sen. McCain.
Sen. McCain fought long and hard in this campaign. And he’s fought even longer and harder for the country that he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine. We are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader.
I congratulate him; I congratulate Gov. Palin for all that they’ve achieved. And I look forward to working with them to renew this nation’s promise in the months ahead.
I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart, and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on the train home to Delaware, the vice president-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.
And I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years the rock of our family, the love of my life, the nation’s next first lady Michelle Obama.
Sasha and Malia I love you both more than you can imagine. And you have earned the new puppy that’s coming with us to the White House.
And while she’s no longer with us, I know my grandmother’s watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight. I know that my debt to them is beyond measure.
To my sister Maya, my sister Alma, all my other brothers and sisters, thank you so much for all the support that you’ve given me. I am grateful to them.
And to my campaign manager, David Plouffe, the unsung hero of this campaign, who built the best — the best political campaign, I think, in the history of the United States of America.
To my chief strategist David Axelrod who’s been a partner with me every step of the way.
To the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you’ve sacrificed to get it done.
But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to. It belongs to you. It belongs to you.
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington. It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston. It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give $5 and $10 and $20 to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on doors of perfect strangers, and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people, by the people, and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
And I know you didn’t do this just to win an election. And I know you didn’t do it for me.
You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime — two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.
Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us.
There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after the children fall asleep and wonder how they’ll make the mortgage or pay their doctors’ bills or save enough for their child’s college education.
There’s new energy to harness, new jobs to be created, new schools to build, and threats to meet, alliances to repair.
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there.
I promise you, we as a people will get there.
There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can’t solve every problem.
But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And, above all, I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation, the only way it’s been done in America for 221 years — block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.
What began 21 months ago in the depths of winter cannot end on this autumn night.
This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were.
It can’t happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice.
So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.
Let us remember that, if this financial crisis taught us anything, it’s that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers.
In this country, we rise or fall as one nation, as one people.
Let’s resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long.
Let’s remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House, a party founded on the values of self-reliance and individual liberty and national unity.
Those are values that we all share. And while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress.
As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, we are not enemies but friends. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.
And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices. I need your help. And I will be your president, too.
And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces, to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of the world, our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand.
To those — to those who would tear the world down: We will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security: We support you. And to all those who have wondered if America’s beacon still burns as bright: Tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty,opportunity and unyielding hope.
That’s the true genius of America: that America can change. Our union can be perfected. What we’ve already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.
This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that’s on my mind tonight’s about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She’s a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing: Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.
She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn’t vote for two reasons — because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.
And tonight, I think about all that she’s seen throughout her century in America — the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can’t, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.
At a time when women’s voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.
When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs, a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.
When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.
She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that “We Shall Overcome.” Yes we can.
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination.
And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change.
Yes we can.
America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves — if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?
This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment.
This is our time, to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth, that, out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope. And where we are met with cynicism and doubts and those who tell us that we can’t, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:
Yes, we can.
Thank you.
God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.