The energy of over a thousand people shaking off the influence of cynicism caused by decades of slash-and-burn politics seemed to explode into many rounds of thunderous applause at a late-night rally here in Concord.
Skeptics believed this day would never come, but the throngs of people who waited in line for hours are now showing the world that they believe in Barack and in themselves and are eager to enact his vision of a country healed and a world restored.
After years of talking about the importance of hope, Barack explained that his vision of hope is a vision of action.
He said:
Hope is not blind optimism. It is not ignoring the road blocks, the hazards, the hurdles that stand in the way of you and your dreams. Hope is just the opposite. I know how difficult it will be to bring about health reform in this country… I understand that we cannot expect to somehow fix our schools or reduce poverty just with the snap of a finger just because we hope for it… I have battled in the courts as a civil rights attorney. I have seen good legislation wither away because good intentions weren’t enough because they weren’t fortified with the political will or political power. I know how tough this will be.So do you. But what you and I also know is that… somebody, somewhere, decided to believe in something that was not obvious, that contradicted the conventional wisdom, that contradicted the status quo, that hadn’t been done before… That’s how slaves and abolitionists resisted an evil system. That’s how a new untested president was able to plot a course to make sure we would no longer be half-slave and half-free. That’s how the greatest generation defeated fascism and lifted itself up out of the Great Depression. That’s how workers had the courage to take on the violence... to form unions so that all of us could benefit from the minimum wage… That's how women got the right to vote... That’s how young people traveled down south to Selma and Montgomery and they sat in and knocked on doors and registered voters and got assaulted… that’s what hope is. That’s what hope is.
Hope is not blind optimism. It is not ignoring the road blocks, the hazards, the hurdles that stand in the way of you and your dreams. Hope is just the opposite. I know how difficult it will be to bring about health reform in this country… I understand that we cannot expect to somehow fix our schools or reduce poverty just with the snap of a finger just because we hope for it… I have battled in the courts as a civil rights attorney. I have seen good legislation wither away because good intentions weren’t enough because they weren’t fortified with the political will or political power. I know how tough this will be.
So do you.
But what you and I also know is that… somebody, somewhere, decided to believe in something that was not obvious, that contradicted the conventional wisdom, that contradicted the status quo, that hadn’t been done before…
That’s how slaves and abolitionists resisted an evil system. That’s how a new untested president was able to plot a course to make sure we would no longer be half-slave and half-free.
That’s how the greatest generation defeated fascism and lifted itself up out of the Great Depression.
That’s how workers had the courage to take on the violence... to form unions so that all of us could benefit from the minimum wage…
That's how women got the right to vote...
That’s what hope is.
The crowd interrupted Barack with chants of “O-ba-ma” on several occasions, proving itself ready to answer his call for a reengaged citizenry.
Minutes after the rally ended, the very first poll in Dixville-Notch opened in this First-in-the-Nation Primary State and Barack won with 7 votes.
In the months since Barack launched this improbable journey, tens of thousands of New Hampshire voters have listened to him share his vision for hope and change. Now, thousands more, inspired by the outpouring of enthusiasm of Barack’s reception these past few days, will go to the polls to transform their own hopes into a movement that will sweep across the rest of the 48 states and transforms the country.
In a few hours, New Hampshire votes its aspirations. It votes for change we can believe in.
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