Read the full text of President-Elect Obama's acceptance by clicking the link below, or watch it at our video link at the botom of this page.

http://blog.dfamiami.com/post/2008/11/Full-Text-of-Obama's-Acceptance-Speech.aspx

Full Text of Obama's Acceptance Speech 

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didnt do this just to win an election and I know you didnt do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends...though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

Can I wear a t-shirt of the candidate I support when I vote? YES YOU CAN

Can I wear a button of the candidate I support when I vote? YES YOU CAN

Does my address on my voter registration card need to match my license? NO. You will be asked at the polls for your current address. If this address is not the address where you are registered to vote, they will send you to the proper polling precinct. If you have moved from one part of Miami to another and have no updated your registration, consider voting early. You can vote at any early voting location in the county.

Can I carry a signwhen I go to vote? You can carry it up to 100 feet of the polling place. Any closer and it's a big NO NO.

Check your voter registration status and make sure you are in the system. Infrequent voters might be purged. http://www.miamidade.gov/elections/ab-status.asp

If you have question contact the Supervisor of Elections 305-499 VOTE

THE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS IN PLAIN ENGLISH

(from the League of Women Voters)

Click here to get summaries, background info and the pros & cons 

Simon and I had been wanting to paint a mural of hope on the wall of the property since the acceptance speech at the convention. Finally, last Sunday, Carolyn and I had given ourselves enough time to actually do it. 

The wall has gotten great response. Cars honk. People give thumbs up. They shout out Obama as they ride by on bikes. People even stop to take photos. And we met someone who used a photo in a school project.  Of course, we knew there would be 'some' people who might object -- one person stuck gum in the O - quickly removed. Another put a McCain sticker on the O - quickly removed. But as a neighbor pointed out, it's private property. What we never expected stuck to the mural was a notice of violation from the City of Miami claiming we were in violation of ordinances because of Grafitti on the property and that we erected, constructed or posted a sign without a finalized permit.   

I kid you not. The code inspector considered it graffiti and the erection, construction, posting etc., of a sign without a finalized permit. If it doesn't come down by the 6th, Simon gets fined up to $200 a day with threats of liens on the property. So Simon and I are essentially in violation of showing signs of hope. Or murals of hope. Of being hopeful. Of thinking we can be better people, better neighbors, a better a nation, a better planet. To our Hope, we are told Nope by Inspector Rafael Galvez. Makes you  wonder if he's one of the those drivers that give us the finger when we hold signs that say Honk for Peace. 

Of course, I was ticked off. Simon just wanted to know if we needed to keep the sign taped the wall and how long we had till we had to paint it. I wasn't about to cave that quickly. If we are talking to voters every day about restoring the Constitution and protecting our free speech and privacy, I can't simply grab a paint brush and cover a mural that advocates Hope.

I had gone next door to Melanie and Jose to deliver some Obama schwag and told them about the notice. They had friends over for dinner and as ticked off as I was about the Notice, when I told them, they got even more ticked off. It was a unanimous decision to fight it. Have the house declared a historic site since it's more than 50 years old. Contact the media, the ACLU.

If graffiti in this instance is considered lettering or numbers painted on a wall - then isn't a house number on a wall graffiti? This was neither damage to property or unwanted... but think about this for a second....what about instances where someone actually does paint graffiti on your house. Is the City of Miami saying that you are in violation of codes if you were vandalized? Is this where our tax dollars are going? The city considered cutting back picking up trash/yard clippings from once a week to once a month but they have money to burn having Rafael Galvez drive around the Grove? 

And we didn't erect , construct or post a sign. It's a mural. It doesn't tell you buy anything, sell anything, eat anything, it doesn't even tell you to have hope. It's a wall of hope, around a house of hope, inhabited by hopeful people and a hopeful dog.

Melanie came back to the house and after maybe a minute, Simon picked up the phone and called the ACLU. We'll see where this goes. Melanie said she would protest if we painted over the mural and would raise a ruckus. But if we are forced to paint over it, who knows, maybe signs of hope will begin popping up all over town. All up and down the street. One a week. Keeping Mr. Galvez busy. He certainly needs some Hope. And I think this country needs some Change.

On Saturday, I was first at bat to testify at a public Field Hearing on the health care crisis in this country. State and Federal Representatives, like John Conyers, were there. Senator Peaden (R), immediately pulled me aside and asked me to come up to Tallahassee to meet with the Governor's team to discuss the problems I encountered and propose solutions. Thank you Simon and Wendy for coming.

I spoke about the problems I encountered dealing with COBRA, Open Enrollment, the state CFO site, the Department of Labor and being an automatic decline because I have pre-existing conditions. If an educated and tech savvy person has difficulty navigating their way through the labyrinth of a system we have, how are the less educated, less savvy supposed to do it? 

I had it posted on youtube and disabled it because I got a call from Peggy Gaines, one of our great leaders. She said that it looks like the whole group of us might be headed to Tallahassee to speak to Congress and also DC.  

Congressman Conyers 

Jesus was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.

Now THAT was a speech. For all the drama that the media built-up, Hillary rose to the occassion and delivered what has thus far been the best speech of the convention. Now I am not a fan of making everything under the sun about the Clinton's, but last night was Hillary's moment and she shined. My hat's off to the writers that worked with her to craft one of the most challenging speeches I've heard. 

So I say thank you to Hillary and I hope Bill delivers and redeems himself tonight. And I hope Biden takes off the gloves and gives people what they are itching to hear and didn't get from Mark Warner's vegan prose. I wish they showed Dennis K's speech on MSNBC. Will have to search for it. 

Now onto other news:

 
Larry Feldman beat Evelyn Greer in the race for School Board. And this was a BIG upset because Rudy Crew's job is now on the line. !!!!!!!!!

And WINZ, without notice, dumped Nicole Sandler's local call-in show, and replaced her with uber bigot, Don Imus.  And they did so the week of the Democratic National Convention. And they did so even though her show was beating sister station WIOD in key demographics. WINZ thinks Imus is 'entertaining'. I think it's time to turn the dial. What about you?

I really wanted to hear from the candidates and delegates this week on Convention news. I saw Brett standing behind Andrea Mitchell last night on MSNBC and will be looking for Maryanne Patlak and her OBAMA quilt.  I didn't see it - probably because the pundits was listening to themselves talk, but Joe Garcia said he was onstage with Raul for the Red to Blue Candidatea and I hope he, Raul and Annette and making waves there. 

More to come.