拜登胜选-2020-11-7
The full text of Joe Biden's speechafter historic election
Hello. My fellow Americans and the people who brought me to thedance, Delawareans. I see my buddy Tom -- Sen. Tom Carper down there and Ithink -- I think Sen. Coons is there and I think the governor's around. Is thatRuth Ann? And that former Gov. Ruth Ann Minner? Most importantly, my sisters inlaw and my sister Valerie. Anyway ...
Folks, the people of this nation have spoken. They've delivered usa clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for we, the people. We’ve wonwith the most votes ever cast on a presidential ticket in the history of thenation, 74 million!
And what I must admit has surprised me, tonight we're seeing allover this nation, all cities in all parts of the country, indeed across theworld, an outpouring of joy, of hope of renewed faith in tomorrow, bring abetter day. And I'm humbled by the trust and confidence you've placed in me.
I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify. Whodoesn't see red states and blue states, only sees the United States. And workwith all my heart with the confidence of the whole people, to win theconfidence of all of you. And for that is what America I believe is about. It'sabout people. And that's what our administration will be all about.
I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuildthe backbone of this nation, the middle class, and to make America respectedaround the world again. And to unite us here at home. It's the honor of mylifetime that so many millions of Americans have voted for that vision. Andnow, the work of making that vision is real, it's a task -- the task of ourtime.
Folks, as I said many times before, I'm Jill's husband. And Iwould not be here without the love and tireless support of Jill and my sonHunter and Ashley, my daughter, and all our grandchildren and their spouses andall our family. They're my heart. Jill’s a mom, a military mom, an educator.
And she has dedicated her life to education, but teaching isn'tjust what she does. It's who she is. For American educators, this is a greatday for y'all. You're gonna have one of your own in the White House. And Jill’sgonna make a great first lady. I'm so proud of her.
I'll have the honor of serving with a fantastic vice president whoyou just heard from, Kamala Harris, who makes history as the first woman, firstblack woman, the first woman from south Asian descent, the first daughter ofimmigrants ever elected in this country.
Don't tell me it'snot possible in the United States! It’s long overdue. And we're remindedtonight of those who fought so hard for so many years to make this happen. Onceagain, America's bent the arc of the moral universe more towards justice.Kamala, Doug, like it or not, you’re family. You've become an honorary Biden.There's no way out.
To all those ofyou who volunteered and worked the polls in the middle of this pandemic, localelected officials, you deserve a special thanks from the entire nation. And tomy campaign team and all the volunteers and all who gave so much of themselvesto make this moment possible. I owe you. I owe you. I owe you everything. Andto all those who supported us, I'm proud of the campaign we built and ran.
I'm proud of thecoalition we put together. The broadest and most diverse coalition in history.Democrats, Republicans, independents, progressives, moderates, conservatives,young, old, urban, suburban, rural, gay, straight, transgender, white, Latino,Asian, Native American. I mean it. Especially those moments -- and especiallythose moments when this campaign was at its lowest ebb, the African Americancommunity stood up again for me.
You always had myback and I’ll have yours. I said at the outset, I wanted to represent -- thiscampaign to represent and look like America. We've done that. Now that’s what Iwant the administration to look like and act like. For all those of you whovoted president trump, I understand the disappointment tonight.
I've lost a coupleof times myself, but now let's give each other a chance. It's time to put awaythe harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to eachother again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents asour enemies. They are not our enemies. They are Americans. They are Americans.
The Bible tellsus, “to everything there is a season: a time to build, a time to reap, and atime to sow and a time to heal.” This is the time to heal in America. Now thiscampaign is over, what is the will of the people? What is our mandate?
I believe it'sthis: Americans have called upon us to marshal the forces of decency, theforces of fairness, to marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope inthe great battles of our time. The battle to control the virus. The battle tobuild prosperity. The battle to secure your family's health care. The battle toachieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country.
And the battle tosave our planet by getting climate under control. The battle to restoredecency, defend democracy, and give everybody in this country a fair shot.That's all they're asking for, a fair shot. Folks, our work begins with gettingCOVID under control.
We cannot repairthe economy, restore our vitality or relish life's most precious moments,hugging our grandchildren, our children, our birthdays, weddings, graduations,all the moments that matter most to us until we get it under control. On MondayI will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisors tohelp take the Biden-Harris COVID plan and convert it into an action blueprintthat will start on January the 20, 2021. That plan will be built on bedrockscience.
It will beconstructed out of compassion, empathy, and concern. I will spare no effort,none, or any commitment to turn around this pandemic. Folks, I’m a proudDemocrat. But I will govern as an American president.
I'll work as hardfor those who didn't vote for me as those who did. Let this grim era ofdemonization in America begin to end here and now. The refusal of Democrats andRepublicans to cooperate with one another, it’s not some mysterious forcebeyond our control.
It's a decision. Achoice we make. And if we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide tocooperate. And I believe that this is part of the mandate given to us from theAmerican people.
They want us tocooperate in their interest, and that's the choice I'll make. And I'll call onCongress, Democrats and Republicans alike, to make that choice with me. TheAmerican story is about slow yet steadily widening the opportunities inAmerica. And make no mistake, too many dreams have been deferred for too long.We must make the promise of the country real for everybody, no matter theirrace, their ethnicity, their faith, their identity, or their disability.
Folks, America hasalways been shaped by inflection points, by moments in time where we've madehard decisions about who we are and what we want to be. Lincoln in 1860 comingto save the union. FDR in 1932 promising a beleaguered country a new deal. JFKin 1960 pledging a new frontier, and 12 years ago, when Barack Obama madehistory, he told us, "Yes, we can."
Well folks, westand at an inflection point. We have an opportunity to defeat despair, tobuild a nation of prosperity and purpose. We can do it. I know we can.
I've long talkedabout the battle for the soul of America. We must restore the soul of America.Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and ourdarkest impulses. And what presidents say in this battle matters. It's time forour better angels to prevail. Tonight, the whole world is watching America. AndI believe at our best, America is a beacon for the globe.
We will not lead-- we will lead not only by the example of our power, but by the power of ourexample. I know, I've always believed, many have you heard me say it, I'vealways believed we can define America in one word: possibilities. That inAmerica everyone should be given an opportunity to go as far as their dreamsand God-given ability will take them.
You see, I believe in the possibility of this country. We'realways looking ahead, ahead to an America that’s freer, more just. Ahead to anAmerica that creates jobs with dignity and respect. Ahead to an America thatcures diseases like cancer and Alzheimer's. Ahead to an America that neverleaves anyone behind.
Ahead to an America that never gives up, never gives in. This is agreat nation. It's always been a bad bet to bet against America. We're goodpeople. This is the United States of America, and there has never beenanything, never been anything we've been able -- not able to do when we've doneit together.
Folks, in the last days of the campaign, I began thinking about ahymn that means a lot to me and my family, particularly my deceased son Beau.It captures the faith that sustains me and which I believe sustains America.And I hope, and I hope it can provide some comfort and solace to the 230million -- thousand Americans who have lost a loved one through this terriblevirus this year. My heart goes out to each and every one of you. Hopefully thishymn gives you solace as well. It goes like this.
“And he will raise you up on eagles' wings, bear you on the breathof dawn, and make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of hishand.” And now together on eagles' wings, we embark on the work that God andhistory have called us to do with full hearts and steady hands, with faith inAmerica and in each other, with love of country, a thirst for justice. Let usbe the nation that we know we can be. A nation united, a nation strengthened, anation healed.
The United States of America, ladies and gentlemen, there hasnever, never been anything we've tried we've not been able to do. So remember,as my grandpop -- our grandpop, he said when I walked out of his home when Iwas kid up in Scranton, he said "Joey, keep the faith." And ourgrandmother when she was alive, she yelled, "No, Joey, spread it."
Spread the faith. God love you all. May god bless America and maygod protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you.