Barack Obama

“ I have always been convinced that change in America does not happen from the top down. Change happens from the bottom up. So I believed that if we could get the voices of the American people to join together, people from all walks of life: black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, North, South, East, West, rich, poor, young and old, we could gather our voices to challenge the special interests that have come to dominate Washington. But also challenge ourselves to be better. There was no problem we could not solve, there was no destiny we could not fulfill.

And I am here to report to you, New Jersey, that after a year of crisscrossing the country, after engaging in a conversation with the American people, my bet has paid off and my faith has been vindicated because the American people, they are ready to rise and create a new America. They are ready to turn the page and write a new chapter in the American story. I know this because I’ve been in a conversation with the American people and they are desperate for change, because the stories they tell me are all too often stories of hardship and stories of struggle.”