Canthook

You won't hear this speech from Senator Obama - but maybe you should.

"You know, in 1964, Barry Goldwater, who held the same seat in the Senate that Mr. McCain now holds, ran for President, and there were a lot of people who voted against him, for a variety of different reasons.

"They voted against Goldwater because he was considered a war-monger. Lyndon Johnson, on the other hand, told voters he wasn't going to send American boys 9-10,000 miles to fight a war that Asians ought to be fighting for themselves. Well, as we all know, shortly after Lyndon was re-elected, we were waist-deep in VietNam.

"They voted against Goldwater because he was considered a racist. He voted against federal civil rights legislation - but you know, he supported the Arizona NAACP, and he fought to desegregate the Arizona National Guard.

"And some people voted against him because of his last name. He described himself as half-jewish.

"Now, I've said some nice things in the past about President Reagan, and I'm going to tell you now that Barry Goldwater was a good Senator, that he was honest, that he was smart, that he gave great thought to the bills he voted on, and when he spoke in the Senate, people listened to his ideas. Some of them were good ideas. And I've never hesitated to listen to good ideas from Republicans. Democrats aren't the only ones who have good ideas, and a good idea is a good idea, no matter who comes up with it.

"Now, I can know there are going to be people who vote against me because I'm muslim, even though I'm not, and there are going to be people who vote against me because I hate America, although I don't, and there are going to be white people who vote against me because I'm half-black, and there are going to be black people who vote against me because I'm half-white. I can't help that.

"And I'm not going to cry and tell you it hurts my feelings. It does hurt my feelings when someone who doesn't know me calls me a nigger. A Senator's job is to vote on issues, and if I have voted for on something you oppose, or I've voted against against something you're for, you have a right to object to that. But almost everyone gets treated poorly at times for reasons beyone their control, and for a lot of us, we never experience anything else.

"There's a reason why the United Coal Workers is a strong union, a reason why the Steelworkers is a strong union, why the Teamsters is a strong union, when the United Food and Commercial Workers is a strong union. It's because their members don't get treated with respect by their employers. It wasn't Walter Reuther who made the United Auto Workers strong, it was Henry Ford.

"You know, there are companies out there who have bad relations with their unions, and companies out there who have good relations. There are a lot of small companies who have no union at all, because the owner knows every employee, and when Jenny in Receiving has a baby, he feels almost like he has a new granddaughter. When you get a little bigger, unions make sense, because you can't deal individually with 400 or 4,000 or 40,000 workers, and because unions make it easier for management to know what workers want, they help. A good union makes good management look even better. And if you have bad relations between management and the union, it's going to cripple the company's performance.

"So I know where you're coming from. I cut my teeth helping workers who were out of jobs when the steel mills of Chicago shut down. At that point, you can't renegotiate with the steel mills; there's nobody to negotiate with. It's too late. A situation that was bad enough in the first place gets much worse, overnight.

"So I want to tell you, you may be for me, and you may be against me. It may be for reasons I can't help, or it might be because I'm doing things you disapprove of. They say you can't please all the people, all the time, and I'm not sure you can please even one person all the time, not if you're honest. Sometimes I've had to choose between two bad options, and I've voted for bills that I really wasn't very happy with.

"But then I look at Senator Clinton, who's been fighting for universal health care. She says she has 35 years of experience, and for at least half of those years, she's been trying to get universal health care passed, and she's a formidable fighter, but she hasn't gotten anywhere. Sometimes, it pays to remember that half a loaf is better than none.

"So I will promise you this: I will be the president of ALL the united states, not just the president of those who voted for me. That's why I've been very selective about who I accept political contributions from. I won't be bought. I won't even be rented.

"And after four years, maybe you'll change your mind, and you'll vote to re-elect me. And maybe after eight years, you'll decide that maybe I wasn't so bad after all. And maybe along the way, you'll decide to vote for Senators and Representatives who will help me get this country working again.

"This election isn't about me. It's about you. That's why the signs say "Yes, WE can", not "Yes, He can". Because, you know, a president can't do a lot all by himself. And whether you are one of my supporters, or you are the loyal opposition, I need you to take an active role in helping turn this country around.

"I won't ask you to vote for me because I'm half-black. I won't ask you to vote for me because I'm half-white. I won't ask you to vote for me because I'm a democrat. I'll ask you to vote for me because I'm an American, and because we need to stop the bickering in Washington in order to turn things around and get this country back on the right track.

"Senator Clinton, she went on Bill O'Reilly's show and said, "Rich People, God Bless Us". I'm here, with you, and I'm telling you, "America, God Bless Us". Because we need God's blessing now more than ever before."

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chicago - clinton - employers - Henry Ford - Lyndon Johnson - John McCain - NAACP - Barack Obama - Walter Reuther - Steelworkers - Teamsters