3. Obama’s Victory Speech (3)
But we are here tonight to say that this is not the America we believe in. I did not travel around this state over the last year and see a white South Carolina or a black South Carolina. I saw South Carolina. I saw crumbling schools that are (stealing) the future of black children and white children. I saw shuttered mills and homes for sale that once (belonged) to Americans from all walks of life, and men and women of every color and creed who serve together, and fight together, and bleed together under the same proud flag. I saw what America is, and I believe in what this country can be.
That is the country I see. That is the country you see. But now it is up to us to help the (entire) nation embrace this vision. Because in the end, we are not just up against the ingrained and (destructive) habits of Washington, we are also struggling against our own doubts, our own fears, and our own cynicism. The change we seek has always required great (struggle) and sacrifice. And so this is a battle in our own hearts and minds about what kind of country we want and how hard we’re willing to work for it.
So let me remind you tonight that change will not be easy. That change will take time. There will be setbacks, and false starts, and sometimes we will make mistakes. But as hard as it may seem, we cannot lose hope. Because there are people all across this country who are counting us; who can’t afford another four years without health care or good schools or (decent wages) because our leaders couldn’t come together and get it done.