After a close race, President Barack Obama thanked “every American who participated in this election” as he spoke in Chicago, Illinois on Tuesday night. Obama won re-election on November 6, beating out rival former Gov. Mitt Romney. Of winning re-election, the president said in his remarks, “I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever.”
The president thanked Americans, saying, “We rise together because of you … We are an American family who rise and fall together as one nation and as one people.”
FULL TRANSCRIPT: Read Barack Obama’s 2012 Victory Speech
He also called out the campaign of former rival Mitt Romney, saying that the Romney family has chosen to give back to America through public service. “That’s a legacy that we honor and applaud tonight … In the weeks ahead I also look forward to sitting down with Governor Romney to talk about where we can work together to move this country forward.”
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To those who worked on the president’s campaign, he said they would have the appreciation of a grateful president. “You lifted me up the whole way, and I will always be grateful for everything you’ve done and all of the incredible work you’ve put in.”
He added, “Some of you were new this time around and some have been at my side since the very beginning, but all of you are family. No matter what you do or where you go from here, you will carry the memory of the history we have made together.”
“Our economy is recovering, a decade of war is ending, a long campaign is now over. And whether I earned your vote or not, I have listened to you, I have learned from you, and you’ve made me a better president. And with your stories and your struggles, I return to the White House more determined and more inspired than ever about the work there is to do and the future that lies ahead.”
Vice President Joe Biden didn’t go without mention, “I want to thank my friend and partner of the last four years, America’s happy warrior, the best vice president anybody could ever hope for – Joe Biden.”
“America has never been about what can be done for us, it’s about what can be done by us together through the hard and frustrating but necessary work of self-government. That’s the principle we were founded on. This country has more wealth than any nation, but that’s not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military in history, but that’s not what makes us strong. […] What makes [us] exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth,” he said.
“The belief that our destiny is shared only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and the future generations so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for comes with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love and charity and duty and patriotism. That’s what makes America great.”