‘We Can Build One America’

I want to talk about our next president. For those who want to know what kind of leader he’ll be, I want to take you back about 30 years. When John Kerry graduated college, he volunteered for military service. He volunteered to go to Vietnam and to captain a Swift boat, one of the most dangerous duties you could have. And as a result he was wounded and honored for his valor.

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If you have any question about what he’s made of, you need to spend three minutes with the men who served with him then and stand by him today.

They saw up close what he’s made of. They saw him reach down and pull one of his men from the river and save his life. And in the heat of battle, they saw him decide in an instant to turn his boat around, drive it straight through an enemy position, and chase down the enemy to save his crew.

Decisive. Strong. Is this not what we need in a commander in chief?

We hear a lot of talk about values. Where I come from, you don’t judge someone’s values based on how they use that word in a political ad. You judge their values based upon what they’ve spent their life doing.

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... For the last few months, John has been talking about his positive, optimistic vision for the country -- talking about his plan to move this country in the right direction.

But we’ve seen relentless negative attacks against John. So in the weeks ahead, we know what’s coming -- don’t we? -- more negative attacks.

Aren’t you sick of it?

They are doing all they can to take this campaign for the highest office in the land down the lowest possible road.

This is where you come in. Between now and November, you -- the American people -- you can reject the tired, old, hateful, negative politics of the past. And instead you can embrace the politics of hope, the politics of what’s possible because this is America, where everything is possible.

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... I have spent my life fighting for the kind of people I grew up with. For two decades, I stood with families and children against big HMOs and big insurance companies. And as a senator, I fought those same fights against the Washington lobbyists and for causes like the Patients’ Bill of Rights.

I stand here tonight ready to work with you and John to make America strong again.

And we have so much work to do. The truth is, we still live in a country where there are two different Americas: one for people who have lived the American Dream and don’t have to worry, and another for most Americans, everybody else, who struggle to make ends meet every single day.

It doesn’t have to be that way. We can build one America.

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... We shouldn’t have two different economies in America: one for people who are set for life, their kids and grandkids will be just fine, and then one for most Americans who live paycheck to paycheck.

And you know what I’m saying. You don’t need me to explain it to you, you know -- you can’t save any money, can you? Takes every dime you make just to pay your bills, and you know what happens if something goes wrong -- a child gets sick, somebody gets laid off, or there’s a financial problem, you go right off the cliff.

And what’s the first thing to go? Your dreams. It doesn’t have to be that way.

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... We don’t want people to just get by; we want people to get ahead. So let me give you some specifics about how we’re going to do that.

To help you pay for healthcare, a tax break and healthcare reform to lower your premiums up to $1,000. To help you cover the rising costs of child care, a tax credit up to $1,000 to cover those costs so your kids have a safe place to go while you work. And to help your child have the same chance I had and be the first person in your family to go to college, a tax break on up to $4,000 in tuition. So now you ask, how are we going to pay for this? Well, here’s how we’re going to pay for it. Let me be very clear, for 98% of Americans, you will keep your tax cut -- that’s 98%. But we’ll roll back the tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, close corporate loopholes, and cut government contractors and wasteful spending.

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... We must build one America. We must be one America, strong and united for another very important reason -- because we are at war.

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... John and I will have one clear, unmistakable message for Al Qaeda and the rest of these terrorists. You cannot run. You cannot hide. And we will destroy you. John understands personally about fighting in a war. And he knows what our brave men and women are going through in another war -- the war in Iraq.

... To us, the real test of patriotism is how we treat the men and women who put their lives on the line every day to defend our values. And let me tell you, the 26 million veterans in this country won’t have to wonder if they’ll have healthcare next week or next year -- they will have it always because they took care of us and we will take care of them.

But today, our great United States military is stretched thin. More than 140,000 are in Iraq. Nearly 20,000 are serving in Afghanistan. And I visited the men and women there and we’re praying for them as they keep working to give that country hope.

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... But we can’t do this alone. We have to restore our respect in the world to bring our allies to us and with us. It’s how we won the World Wars and the Cold War and it is how we will build a stable Iraq.

With a new president who strengthens and leads our alliances, we can get NATO to help secure Iraq. We can ensure that Iraq’s neighbors like Syria and Iran don’t stand in the way of a democratic Iraq. We can help Iraq’s economy by getting other countries to forgive their enormous debt and participate in the reconstruction. We can do this for the Iraqi people and our soldiers. And we will get this done right.

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... The truth is every child, every family in America will be safer and more secure if you grow up in a world where America is once again looked up to and respected. That’s the world we can create together.

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... What we believe -- what John Kerry and I believe -- is that we should never look down on anybody, that we should lift people up. We don’t believe in tearing people apart. We believe in bringing people together. What we believe -- what I believe -- is that the family you’re born into and the color of your skin in our America should never control your destiny.

Join us in this cause. Let’s make America stronger at home and more respected in the world. Let’s ensure that once again, in our one America -- our one America -- tomorrow will always be better than today.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.