After decades of broken politics in Washington, eight years of failed policies from George Bush, and twenty months of campaigning – we are 5 days away from change in America.
When we began this journey, we knew how steep our climb would be. But I believed that Democrats and Republicans and Americans of every political stripe were hungry for new ideas and a new kind of politics that favors common sense over ideology and focuses on the values and ideals we hold in common as Americans.
Twenty months later, my faith in the American people has been vindicated. We’ve come so far and so close to changing this country.
But we can’t let up now. Not when so much is at stake.
We face the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. 760,000 workers have lost their jobs this year. Businesses and families can’t get credit. Home values are falling and pensions are disappearing.
Wages are lower than they’ve been in a decade, while the costs of health care and college have never been higher.
But when it comes to the economy, my opponent has stood with President Bush every step of the way – voting for the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy he once opposed, voting for the Bush budgets that spent us into debt, calling for less regulation twenty times just this year. And now, after twenty months and three debates, Senator McCain hasn’t been able to tell the American people one thing he’d do to separate his economy from George Bush’s.
Because it’s not change to give a $700,000 tax cut to the average Fortune 500 CEO, or billions to oil companies, big corporations, and the same Wall Street banks that got us into this mess. It’s not change to come up with a tax plan that doesn’t give a penny of relief to more than 100 million middle-class Americans.
We’ve tried it their way. This country can’t take four more years of the same old politics and the same failed policies that got us into this mess. It is time to turn the page.
I believe in rewarding work and the workers who create it. I’ll give a tax break to 95 percent of Americans who work every day and eliminate income taxes for seniors making under $50,000. If you make under $250,000 – which includes 98 percent of small business owners – you won’t see your taxes increase by a single dime.
Unlike John McCain, I’ll end tax breaks for corporations that send our jobs overseas, and give American businesses a $3,000 tax credit for every job they create here at home. I’ll eliminate capital gains taxes for small businesses and start-up companies, the engines of our job creation.
We’ll create two million new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling roads, bridges, and schools. And I’ll invest $15 billion a year in renewable sources of energy to create five million green jobs over the next decade that pay well, can’t be outsourced, and help us end our dependence on Middle East oil.
When it comes to health care, we don’t have to choose between a government-run system and the unaffordable one we have now. If you already have health insurance, the only thing that will change under my plan is that we will lower premiums. If you don’t, you’ll be able to get the same kind of health insurance that Members of Congress get for themselves.
And to guarantee every child a world-class education, I’ll invest in early childhood education and recruit an army of new teachers. But I’ll also demand higher standards and more accountability. And we’ll make a deal with every young American: if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford your tuition.
I won’t pretend that any of this will be easy – especially now. But as I’ve said from the day we began this journey, the change we need isn’t just about new programs and policies. It’s about a new politics that calls on our better angels instead of encouraging our worst instincts; one that reminds us of the obligations we have to ourselves and one another.
At this defining moment, I ask you to believe, not just in my ability to bring about change – but in yours. In 5 days, we can come together as one nation, one people, and once more choose our better history. If you will stand with me, and give me your vote, I promise you – we won’t just win this election. Together, we will change this country and change the world.