[BARACK OBAMA]
With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for presidency of
the United States.
We meet at one of those defining moments. A moment when our nation is at war, our economy
is in turmoil and the American promise has been threatened once more. Tonight I say to
the people of America, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land, it's
time for us to change America.
So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am president. I will cut taxes
for 95 percent of all working families, because in an economy like this the last thing we
should do is raise taxes on the middle class.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American
workers and small businesses who deserve it. Our government should work for us, not against
us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity, not just for those with
the most money and influence but for every American who's willing to work.
I'll invest in early childhood education, I'll recruit an army of new teachers and pay
them higher salaries and give them more support and in exchange I'll ask for higher standards
and more accountability.
Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class
education.
Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible healthcare for every
single American.
We are done.
And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because
I want my daughters to have the exact same opportunities as your sons.
As president, I will tap our natural gas reserves and I'll invest in affordable renewable sources
of energy, wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels.
As commander-in-chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation. But I will only send
our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment
they need in battle, and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly and finish the fight against Al Qaeda and the
Taliban in Afghanistan.
Welcome home. Welcome home.
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 the hospital, and to live
lives free of discrimination.
This is done.
Passions may fly on immigration but I don't anyone who benefits when a mother is separated
from her infant child, or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.
This too is part of America's promise. The promise of a democracy where we can find the
strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common efforts.
America, we can not turn back. Not with so much work to be done at this moment, in this
election. We must pledge once more to march into the future.
Thank you, God bless you and God bless the United States of America.