The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors - found the courage to keep it alive. No matter where it takes hold, government of the people and by the people sets a single standard for all who hold power: you must maintain your power through consent, not coercion; you must respect the rights of minorities, and participate with a spirit of tolerance and compromise; you must place the interests of your people and the legitimate workings of the political process above your party.
Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Wright deliver a sermon called "The Audacity of Hope." And during the course of that sermon, he introduced me to someone named Jesus Christ. But my journey is part of a larger journey - one shared by all who've ever sought to apply the values of their faith to our society. And meeting them won't be easy. For the men and women of Reverend Wright's generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. Part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience.
It's what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family. I learned that my sins could be redeemed. This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach. For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path.
This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can't learn; that those kids who don't look like us are somebody else's problem. Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they're supporting the campaign. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient.
It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity one day and affirm my Christian faith. Because we all have the capacity to do justice and show mercy; to treat others with dignity and respect; and to rise above what divides us and come together to meet those challenges we can't meet alone. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong.
Thank you very much everybody.