Obama's closing arguments

One week.

After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of
failed policies from George Bush, and twenty-one months of a campaign that has
taken us from the rocky coast of Maine to the sunshine of California, we are one
week away from change in America.

In one week, you can turn the page on
policies that have put the greed and irresponsibility of Wall Street before the
hard work and sacrifice of folks on Main Street.

In one week, you can choose
policies that invest in our middle-class, create new jobs, and grow this economy
from the bottom-up so that everyone has a chance to succeed; from the CEO to the
secretary and the janitor; from the factory owner to the men and women who work
on its floor.

In one week, you can put an end to the politics that would
divide a nation just to win an election; that tries to pit region against
region, city against town, Republican against Democrat; that asks us to fear at
a time when we need hope.

In one week, at this defining moment in history,
you can give this country the change we need.

We began this journey in the depths of winter nearly two years ago, on the steps of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois. Back then, we didn't have much money or many endorsements. We weren't given much of a chance by the polls or the
pundits, and we knew how steep our climb would be.
But I also knew this. I knew that the size of our challenges had outgrown the smallness of our politics. I believed that Democrats and Republicans and Americans of every political stripe were hungry for new ideas, new leadership, and a new kind
of politics – one that favors common sense over ideology; one that focuses on
those values and ideals we hold in common as Americans.

Most of all, I believed in your ability to make change happen. I knew that the American people were a decent, generous people who are willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. And I was convinced that when we come together,
our voices are more powerful than the most entrenched lobbyists, or the most
vicious political attacks, or the full force of a status quo in Washington that
wants to keep things just the way they are.

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