Let's see.
Hello Chicago
Thank you thank you
Thank you
Thank you thank you
Chicago
It's good to be home
It is good to be home and
I don't know about you but
I'm feeling fired up
I am feeling ready to go
Thank you
Even if, even if I am the only person stupid enough to speak after Michelle Obama
I am feeling hopeful
Because this convention has always been pretty good to kids with funny names who believe
In a country where anything is possible
Because we have a chance to elect someone who has spent her entire life
Trying to give people the same chances
America gave her
Someone who sees you
And hears you
And will get up every single day and fight for you
The next president of the United States of America
Kamala Harris
It's been 16 years since
I had the honor of accepting this party's nomination for president
And I know that's hard to believe because I have not aged a bit
But it's true
And looking back
I can say without question
That my first big decision as your nominee turned out to be one of my best
And I was asking Joe Biden to serve by my side as vice president
Other than some common Irish blood
Joe and I come from different backgrounds
But we became brothers
And as we worked together for eight
Sometimes pretty tough years
What I came to admire most about Joe wasn't just his smarts, his experience
It was his empathy
And his decency
And his hard-earned resilience
His unshakeable belief that everyone in this country deserves a fair shot
And over the last four years those are the values America has needed most
At a time when millions of our fellow citizens were sick and dying
We needed a leader with the character to put politics aside and do what was right
At a time when our economy was reeling
We needed a leader with the determination to drive what would become the world's strongest recovery
15 million jobs, higher wages, lower health care costs
At a time when the other party had turned into a cult of personality
We needed a leader who was steady
And brought people together
And was selfless enough to do the rarest thing there is in politics
Putting his own ambition aside for the sake of the country
History will remember Joe Biden as an outstanding president who defended democracy at a moment of great danger
And I am proud to call him my president but I am even prouder to call him my friend
Thank you so much
The torch has been passed
now it is up to all of us
us to fight for the America we believe in, and make no mistake, it will be a fight.
For all the incredible energy we've been able to generate over the last few weeks, for
all the rallies and the memes, this will still be a tight race in a closely divided country,
a country where too many Americans are still struggling, where a lot of Americans don't
believe government can help.
And as we gather here tonight, the people who will decide this election are asking a very
simple question.
Who will fight for me?
Who's thinking about my future, about my children's future, about our future together?
One thing is for certain, Donald Trump is not losing sleep over that question.
There's a 78-year-old billionaire who has not stopped whining about his problems since
he wrote down his golden escalator nine years ago.
It has been a constant stream of gripes and grievances that's actually been getting worse
now that he's afraid to lose in the common.
There's the childish nicknames, the crazy conspiracy theories, this weird obsession
with crowd sizes.
It just goes on and on and on.
The other day I heard someone compare Trump to the neighbor who keeps running his leaf
blower outside your window every minute of every day.
Now from a neighbor, that's exhausting.
From a president, it's just dangerous.
The truth is, Donald Trump sees power as nothing more than it means to his ends.
He wants the middle class to pay the price for another huge tax cut that would mostly
help him and his rich friends.
He killed a bipartisan immigration deal written in part by one of the most conservative Republicans
in Congress that would have helped secure our southern border because he thought trying
to actually solve the problem would hurt his campaign.
He doesn't do not boo, boo.
He doesn't seem to care if more women lose their reproductive freedom since it won't
affect his life.
And most of all, Donald Trump wants us to think that this country is hopelessly divided
between us and them, between the real Americans who of course support him and the outsiders
who don't.
And he wants you to think that you'll be richer and safer if you will just give him
the power to put those other people back in their place.
It is one of the oldest tricks in politics.
From a guy who's, let's face it, gotten pretty stale.
We do not need four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.
We have seen that movie before and we all know that the sequel is usually worse.
America's ready for a new chapter.
America's ready for a better story.
We are ready for a president, Kamala Harris.
And Kamala Harris is ready for the job.
This is a person who has spent her life fighting on behalf of people who need a voice and a
champion.
As you heard from Michelle, Kamala was not born into privilege.
She had to work for what she's got.
And she actually cares about what other people are going through.
She's not the neighbor running the leaf blower.
She's the neighbor rushing over to help when you need a hand.
As a prosecutor, Kamala stood up for children who have been victims of sexual abuse.
She's an attorney general of the most populous state in the country.
She fought big banks and for-profit colleges, securing billions of dollars for the people
they had scanned.
After the home mortgage crisis, she pushed me and my administration hard to make sure
homeowners got a fair settlement.
It didn't matter that I was a Democrat, it didn't matter that she had knocked on doors
for my campaign.
She was going to fight to get as much relief as possible for the families who deserved
it.
As vice president, she helped take on the drug companies to cap the cost of insulin, lower
the cost of health care, get families with kids a tax cut.
And she is running for president with real plans to lower costs even more and protect
Medicare and Medicaid and sign a law to guarantee every woman's right to make her
own health care decisions.
In other words, Kamala Harris won't be focused on her problems.
She'll be focused on yours.
As president, she won't just cater to her own supporters and punish those who refuse
to kiss the ring or bend the knee.
She'll work on behalf of every American.
That's who Kamala is.
And in the White House, she will have an outstanding partner in governor Tim Walz.
Let me tell you something.
I love this guy.
Tim is the kind of person who should be in politics.
Born in a small town, served his country, taught kids, coached football, took care of
his neighbors.
He knows who he is, and he knows what's important.
You can tell those flannel shirts he wears, don't come from some political consultant.
They come from his closet, and they have been through some stuff.
That's right.
Together, Kamala and Tim have kept faith with America's central story, a story that says
we are all created equal.
All of us endowed with certain inalienable rights that everyone deserves a chance that
even when we don't agree with each other, we can find a way to live with each other.
That's Kamala's vision, that's Tim's vision, that's the Democratic Party's vision.
And our job over the next 11 weeks is to convince as many people as possible to vote
for that vision.
Now, it won't be easy.
The other side knows it's easier to play on people's fears and cynicism.
Always has been.
They will tell you that government is inherently corrupt, that sacrifice and generosity are
for suckers.
And since the game is rigged, it's okay to take what you want and just look after your
own.
That's the easy path.
We have a different task.
Our job is to convince people that democracy can actually deliver.
And in doing that, we can't just point to what we've already accomplished.
We can't just rely on the ideas of the past.
We need to chart a new way forward to meet the challenges of today.
And Kamala understands this.
She knows, for example, that if we want to make it easier for more young people to buy
a home, we need to build more units and clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations
that made it harder to build homes for working people in this country.
That is a priority, and she's put out a bold new plan to do just that.
On health care, we should all be proud of the enormous progress that we've made through
the Affordable Care Act, providing millions of people access to affordable coverage, protecting
millions more from unscrupulous insurance practices.
I noticed, by the way, that since it's become popular, they don't call it Obamacare no more.
But Kamala knows we can't stop there, which is why I shall keep working to limit out of
pocket costs.
Kamala knows that if we want to help people get ahead, we need to put a college degree
within reach of more Americans.
But she also knows college shouldn't be the only ticket to the middle class.
We need to follow the lead of governors like Tim Walz, who said, if you've got the skills
and the drive, you shouldn't need a degree to work for state government, and in this
new economy.
We need a president who actually cares about the millions of people all across this country
who wake up every single day to do the essential, often bankless work, to care for our sick,
to clean our streets, to deliver our packages.
We need a president who will stand up for their right to bargain for better wages and
working conditions, and Kamala will be that president.
Yes, she can.
A Harris-Waltz administration can help us move past some of the tired old debates that
keep stifling progress because at their core, Kamala and Tim understand that when
everybody gets a fair shot, we are all better off.
They understand that when every child gets a good education, the whole economy gets stronger.
When women are paid the same as men for doing the same job, all families benefit.
They understand that we can secure our borders without tearing kids away from their parents.
Just like we can keep our streets safe while also building trust between law enforcement
and the communities they serve and eliminating bias, that will make it better for everybody.
Donald Trump and his well-heeled donors, they don't see the world that way.
For them, one group's gains is necessarily another group's loss.
For them, freedom means that the powerful can do pretty much what they please, whether
it's fire workers trying to organize a union or put poison in our rivers or avoid paying
taxes like everybody else has to do.
Well, we have a broader idea of freedom.
We believe in the freedom to provide for your family if you're willing to work hard.
Give freedom to breathe, clean air, and drink clean water, and send your kids to school
without worrying if they'll come home.
We believe that true freedom gives each of us the right to make decisions about our own
life, how we worship, what our family looks like, how many kids we have, who we marry,
and we believe that freedom requires us to recognize that other people have the freedom
to make choices that are different than ours.
That's okay.
That's the America Kamala Harris and Tim Walz believe in.
In America where we, the people, includes everyone.
Because that's the only way this American experiment works.
And despite what our politics might suggest, I think most Americans understand that.
Policy isn't just a bunch of abstract principles and dusty laws and some books somewhere.
It's the values we live by.
It's the way we treat each other, including those who don't look like us, or pray like
us, or see the world exactly like we do.
That sense of mutual respect has to be part of our message.
Our politics have become so polarized these days that all of us across the political
spectrum seem so quick to assume the worst in others unless they agree with us on every
single issue.
We start thinking that the only way to win is to scold and shame and outyell the other
side.
And after a while, regular folks just tune out, or they don't bother to vote.
Now, that approach may work for the politicians who just want attention and thrive on division.
But it won't work for us to make progress on the things we care about, the things that
really affect people's lives.
We need to remember that we've all got our blind spots and contradictions and prejudices,
and that if we want to win over those who aren't yet ready to support our candidates,
we need to listen to their concerns and maybe learn something in the process.
After all, if a parent or grandparent occasionally says something that makes us cringe, we don't
automatically assume they're bad people.
We recognize that the world is moving fast, that they need time and maybe a little encouragement
to catch up.
Our fellow citizens deserve the same grace we hope they'll extend to us.
That's how we can build a true democratic majority, one that can get things done.
And by the way, that does not just matter to the people in this country.
The rest of the world is watching to see if we can actually pull this off.
No nation.
No society has ever tried to build a democracy as big and as diverse as ours before.
One that includes people that over decades have come from every corner of the globe,
one where our allegiances and our community are defined not by race or blood, but by a
common creed.
And that's why when we uphold our values, the world's a little brighter.
When we don't, the world's a little dimmer, and dictators and autocrats feel emboldened.
And over time, we become less safe.
We shouldn't be the world's policeman, and we can't eradicate every cruelty and injustice
in the world.
But America can be and must be, a force for good.
Discouraging conflict, fighting disease, promoting human rights, protecting the planet from climate
change, defending freedom, brokering peace.
That's what Kamala Harris believes, and so to most Americans.
I know these ideas can feel pretty naive right now.
We live in a time of such confusion and rancor, with a culture that puts a premium on things
that don't last, money, fame, status, likes.
We chase the approval of strangers on our phones.
We build all manner of walls and fences around ourselves, and then we wonder why we feel so
alone.
We don't trust each other as much because we don't take the time to know each other.
And in that space between us, politicians and algorithms teach us to caricature each
other, and troll each other, and fear each other.
But here's the good news, Chicago, all across America, in big cities and small towns,
away from all the noise, the ties that bind us together are still there.
We still coach little league and look out for our elderly neighbors.
We still feed the hungry in churches and mosques and synagogues and temples.
We share the same pride when our Olympic athletes compete for the gold, because the
vast majority of us do not want to live in a country that's bitter and divided.
We want something better.
We want to be better in the joy and the excitement that we're seeing around this campaign.
It tells us we're not alone.
You know, I've spent a lot of time thinking about these past few months because, as Michelle
mentioned this summer, we lost her mom, Ms. Mary and Robinson.
And I don't know that anybody has ever loved their mother-in-law any more than I love mine.
Mostly it's because she was funny and wise, and the least pretentious person I knew.
That and she always defended me with Michelle when I messed up.
I'd hide behind her.
But I also think one of the reasons Mary and I became so close was she reminded me of my
grandmother, the woman who helped raise me as a child.
And on the surface, the two of them did not have a lot in common.
One was a black woman from right here, south side of Chicago, right down the way.
Went to Englewood High School.
The other was a little old white lady born in a tiny town called Peeroo, Kansas.
I know there aren't that many people from Peeroo.
And yet they shared a basic outlook on life.
There were strong, smart, resourceful women, full of common sense, who regardless of the
barriers they encountered and women growing up in the 40s and 50s, they encountered barriers.
They still went about their business without fuss or complaint and provided an unshakable
foundation of love for their children and their grandchildren.
In that sense, they both represented an entire generation of working people who through
war and depression, discrimination and limited opportunity helped build this country.
A lot of them toiled every day at jobs that were often too small for them and didn't
pay a lot.
They willingly went without just to keep a roof over their family's heads, just to
give their children something better.
But they knew what was true.
They knew what mattered.
Things like honesty and integrity, kindness and hard work.
They weren't impressed with braggards or bullies.
They didn't think putting other people down lifted you up or made you strong.
They didn't spend a lot of time obsessing about what they didn't have.
Instead, they appreciated what they did.
They found pleasure in simple things, a car game with friends.
A good meal and laughter around the kitchen table, helping others.
And most of all, seeing their children do things and go places that they would have never
imagined for themselves.
Whether you are a Democrat or a Republican or somewhere in between, we have all had people
like that in our lives.
People like Kamala's parents who crossed oceans because they believed in the promise of America.
People like Tim's parents who taught him about the importance of service.
Good, hard work in people who weren't famous or powerful, but who managed in countless
ways to lead this country just a little bit better than they found it.
As much as any policy or program, I believe that's what we yearn for.
A return to an America where we work together and look out for each other.
A restoration of what Lincoln called on the eve of civil war are bonds of affection.
An America that taps what he called the better angels of our nature.
That is what this election is about.
And I believe that's why if we each do our part over the next 77 days, if we knock on
doors, if we make phone calls, if we talk to our friends, if we listen to our neighbors,
if we work like we've never worked before, if we hold firm to our convictions, we will
elect Kamala Harris as the next president of the United States.
We will elect leaders up and down the ballot who will fight for the hopeful, forward-looking
America we all believe in, and together we too will build a country that is more secure
and more just, more equal, and more free.
So let's get to work.
God bless you.
And God bless the United States of America.
Please stand if you are able for this evening's benediction offered by Bishop Samuel L. Green
Sr. and his eminence archbishop, Alpida Forest, of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along
the way.
You are the one who grooves over the days of our lives, and without you we would be nothing.
So we lift our hopes and hearts to thee, and we pause tonight to say thank you.
Thank you for loving us.
Thank you for not giving up on us.
Thank you for giving this nation the benefits of your mercy.
Because all of us can feel that something enthusiastic is rising in the soul of America.
And all of us can tell that the tyranny of resentment has finally met its match.
The candidacy of Kamala Harris has ignited an era of joy across America.
Right?
We thank you that even in the darkest of our pessimistic nights, love has not failed us,
and hope has stood its ground.
We who gather do so with audacity to believe that there will be compassion in America.
So God, deliver us from racism, deliver us from sexism, deliver us from evil, and keep
us forever in the path we pray, amen.
It is now time to pray to the Lord.
Let us pray to the Lord, eternal and ever-living God, source of goodness and grace.
We come before you, seek in your heavenly benediction upon this democratic national
convention.
Grant and to the nominee for President of these United States, Vice President Kamala
Harris and her running mate, Governor Tim Walz, to pursue the highest offices in the
land with love, with hope, and we faith in our nation.
Grant and to the delegates to engage with our fellow citizens in a spirit of joy and
beauty, always seeking the best for our country.
We also ask special blessings upon President Joseph Biden, First Lady Jill Biden, and
their family, for he has given a lifetime of service and of sacrifice to the American
people and has stood with nobility and integrity upon the international stage to lead in the
best traditions of the United States.
Finally, we ask that you protect and defend the armed forces who protect and defend us
so that in peace and security we may offer to you the one to God the praise that is in
your view, amen.
Friends, you are here in motion to recess until 5.30 tomorrow.
You are here a second.
All those in favor, please say aye.
All those opposed say nay.
That was one hell of a night, I'm bringing this thing to a close.