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“Yes We Can”

Barack ObamaDelivered to supporters in Nashua, NHJanuary 8, 2008Well, first of all, I want to congratulateSenator Clinton on a hard-fought victoryhere in New Hampshire. She did anoutstanding job. Give her a big round ofapplause.You know, a few weeks ago, no one imaginedthat we'd have accomplished what we did heretonight in New Hampshire. No one could haveimagined it.For most of this campaign, we were farbehind. We always knew our climb would besteep. But in record numbers, you came out,and you spoke up for change.And with your voices and your votes, youmade it clear that at this moment, in thiselection, there is something happening inAmerica.There is something happening when men andwomen in Des Moines and Davenport, inLebanon and Concord, come out in the snowsof January to wait in lines that stretchblock after block because they believe inwhat this country can be.There is something happening. There'ssomething happening when Americans who areyoung in age and in spirit, who've neverparticipated in politics before, turn out innumbers we have never seen because they knowin their hearts that this time must bedifferent.There's something happening when people votenot just for the party that they belong to,but the hopes that they hold in common.And whether we are rich or poor, black orwhite, Latino or Asian, whether we hail fromIowa or New Hampshire, Nevada or SouthCarolina, we are ready to take this countryin a fundamentally new direction.That's what's happening in America rightnow; change is what's happening in America.

“Elephant Removal”Gets the elephant inthe room out of theway, so he canspeak freely withoutthe audiencethinking, “When’s hegoing to admit thathe lost?

PerspectiveWithout making anyexcuses ordiminishing himself,Obama says thathe’s always beenthe underdog. Thesimple fact that heis competing iscause for optimism.

IntrigueSomething ishappening to makepeople vote forObama—what is it?

ImageryMore than justromantic, it impliesthat Obama and hiscampaign must betruly different toinspire suchpassionate support.

ElevationA vote for Obama ismore than just avote, it is support forthese ideals.So is a vast majorityof voters, accordingto polls.

You, all of you who are here tonight, allwho put so much heart and soul and work intothis campaign, you can be the new majoritywho can lead this nation out of a longpolitical darkness.Democrats, independents and Republicans whoare tired of the division and distractionthat has clouded Washington, who know thatwe can disagree without being disagreeable,who understand that, if we mobilize ourvoices to challenge the money and influencethat stood in our way and challengeourselves to reach for something better,there is no problem we cannot solve, thereis no destiny that we cannot fulfill.Our new American majority can end theoutrage of unaffordable, unavailable healthcare in our time. We can bring doctors andpatients, workers and businesses, Democratsand Republicans together, and we can tellthe drug and insurance industry that, whilethey get a seat at the table, they don't getto buy every chair, not this time, not now.Our new majority can end the tax breaks forcorporations that ship our jobs overseas andput a middle-class tax cut in the pockets ofworking Americans who deserve it.We can stop sending our children to schoolswith corridors of shame and start puttingthem on a pathway to success.We can stop talking about how great teachersare and start rewarding them for theirgreatness by giving them more pay and moresupport. We can do this with our newmajority.We can harness the ingenuity of farmers andscientists, citizens and entrepreneurs tofree this nation from the tyranny of oil andsave our planet from a point of no return.And when I am president of the UnitedStates, we will end this war in Iraq andbring our troops home.We will end this war in Iraq. We will bringour troops home. We will finish the job --

He addresses thecrowd in NewHampshire, but thelarger TV audienceis the real target.EmpowermentAll of this languageis employed toassociate supportfor Obama withempoweringcitizens. Thecontinual use of “we” links thecitizens to thecandidate and viceversa. It’s thelanguage of amovement, not acampaign.

The ultimatedescription of efficacy.Sum > PartsMost Americanssupport both freetrade and tax cuts.But by linkingundesirableoutcomes from thetwo, Obama cantear down a strawman and make acontrary argumentof his own thatwouldn’t standotherwise. The sumof his argument isgreater than itsparts. The “middle-class” tax cutdoesn’t hurt either,since 53% of Americans identifythemselves as“middle-class.”Opportunity This is what a votefor Obama makespossible.

Notice the changefrom “we can” to“we will.” Theformer arepossibilities, but thelatter are pledges,moral absolutes thatcannot becompromised.

we will finish the job against Al Qaida inAfghanistan. We will care for our veterans.We will restore our moral standing in theworld.And we will never use 9/11 as a way to scareup votes, because it is not a tactic to winan election. It is a challenge that shouldunite America and the world against thecommon threats of the 21st century:terrorism and nuclear weapons, climatechange and poverty, genocide and disease.All of the candidates in this race sharethese goals. All of the candidates in thisrace have good ideas and all are patriotswho serve this country honorably.But the reason our campaign has always beendifferent, the reason we began thisimprobable journey almost a year ago isbecause it's not just about what I will doas president. It is also about what you, thepeople who love this country, the citizensof the United States of America, can do tochange it.That's what this election is all about.That's why tonight belongs to you. Itbelongs to the organizers, and thevolunteers, and the staff who believed inthis journey and rallied so many others tojoin the cause.We know the battle ahead will be long. Butalways remember that, no matter whatobstacles stand in our way, nothing canstand in the way of the power of millions ofvoices calling for change.We have been told we cannot do this by achorus of cynics. And they will only growlouder and more dissonant in the weeks andmonths to come.We've been asked to pause for a realitycheck. We've been warned against offeringthe people of this nation false hope. But inthe unlikely story that is America, therehas never been anything false about hope.For when we have faced down impossible odds,

UnityHere Obamaestablishes that weshare problems anddestinies. This laysthe groundwork forhis later argumentsabout sharingpolitics, too.

We all want thisutopia......but this movementis the only feasiblepath there......and you, theaudience member,can be a part of it. This is about somuch more thanWolf Blitzerreporting primarynumbers. The TrapArguing againstObama on his termsis cynical andunpopular—peoplewant to believe theycan affect thepolitical process.

The Write-Off Provides theaudience with aneasy way to dismisscritics: they’recynical and un-American.America wasfounded on thesame hope andoptimism he’s talkedabout for 12minutes.