Dem Newswire

Understand — don’t let anyone talk down your dreams. Don’t let anybody deny your aspirations. Don’t let anyone talk down our country and our country’s future. We and all of our young people have every reason to be optimistic about what lies ahead — do you understand this? Because here in America, we always move forward — always. We always make progress. Do you hear me, young people?

And in the end, that’s what this is about. That is what elections are always about. Don’t let anybody fool you — elections are always about hope. Do you hear me?

The hope that I saw on my father’s beaming face as I walked across the stage to get the college diploma that he took out loans to help me get. The hope that Barack’s grandmother felt as she cast the ballot for the grandson she loved and raised — that’s the hope I’m talking about. The hope of all those men and women in our lives who worked that extra shift for us, who saved and sacrificed and prayed so that we could be here and be something more. The hope that so many of us see when we look into the eyes of our kids and our grandkids — that’s what this is about.

That’s why we’re here today — because we want all of our kids in this country to have a foundation for their dreams, every single one of them. We want all of our children to have opportunities worthy of their promise — because all of our kids are worthy. I don’t care what party you belong to — you know that’s true. We want to give our kids that sense of limitless possibility — that belief that here in America, the greatest country on the planet — you hear me, young people — there is always something better out there if you’re willing to work for it. Do you see me standing here?

So this is what Barack and I tell ourselves every day — every day. We will not turn back now — not now. We have come so far. But we know we have so much more work to do.