Announce my candidacy for president of the United States of america. Early in the campaign, black people were feeling somewhat neglected. Is he going to represent us . Is he going to take our issues seriously . People felt he wasnt black enough. Mccains crowds turned uglier. The discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn. This is not a man who sees america the way that you and i see america. Okay, youre rolling. You obviously put a lot of thought into the decision to do this. Have you given thought to when youre successful, what would you want people to say about how america was different than the day you walked in the door . I dont think that were going to solve all our problems in eight years or ten years. One of the things about life, both for each of us and for the country as a whole, is that there are always going to be new challenges. There are always going to be new difficulties. But i hope that at the end of an obama administration, people will look back and say, we changed our politics so that people could take pride in their government again and could feel that the government was working for the people and not just for the few. That at the end of an obama administration, this country is a little more fair and a little more just, that our economy is a little more balanced, and that people have a slightly better chance of achieving the American Dream. And if we set this country on the right trajectory now, then we wont have solved every problem, but we will have laid the foundation for future generations to continue whats been this great experiment in democracy. So this is the Old State Capitol . One thing you can say with certainty about barack obama is that there has never been another president ial candidate like him. He is ambitious and just daring enough to invite comparisons to one of the few american president s who was elected with even less political experience than he has. Three years ago, you were a State Legislator here in springfield. What makes you think that youre qualified to be president of the United States . You know, i think were in a moment of history where probably the most important thing we need to do is to bring the country together. Nice to meet you. Hi. And one of the skills that i bring to bear is being able to pull together the different strands of American Life and focus on what we have in common. Im Hillary Clinton. Senator Hillary Clinton has burst onto the campaign field. Im running for president , and im in it to win it, with your help. A recent cbs news poll shows that black voters who could provide the key to winning early democratic primaries are wary of obama. How important is race in defining yourself . I am rooted in the African American community, but im not defined by it. I am comfortable in my racial identity, but thats not all i am. The stage is set for tomorrows announcement. Senator barack obama will make it official. He is in this race for president. And while he has never positioned himself as the black candidate, the question of his race is, of course, and will continue to be much discussed and debated, especially among African Americans. You think the countrys ready for a black president . Yes. You dont think its going to hold you back . No. You know, i think if i dont win this race, it will be because of other factors. Its going to be because i have not shown the American People a vision for where the country needs to go that they can embrace. I was scheduled the next morning to be in springfield due to the invocation, senator obama called me. He called me three times that day. He was very worried about my prayer. I said, what . He said, you know, i go to iowa the next day. Dont say anything and your prayers thats going to upset farmers. And i said, man, im the one talking about how you brought Southern Illinois together to stop distrusting and mistrusting chicago. I wouldnt do that in a prayer. He called back, davids worried axelrod. Davids worried, are you sure . I said, im straight. The third call, he said, rev, Rolling Stone has got their hands on one of your sermons. And david feels that if i take you out on the stage with me to open up the ceremony with a prayer, the press will only focus on you. You know, you can be over the top sometime. I said, what are you talking about . Im thinking, what have i done . What have i said . What sermon of mine have you heard thats over the top . Maybe we need to declare war on racism. He said, i still want you to pray for me and my family. Can you do that . Before i go out, i said, yes, i can do that. He said, ill see you in the morning. I landed in springfield with a car waiting for me that took me to the capitol. We joined hands in a circle and i prayed for the family, prayed for him, i prayed a nonpartisan prayer and asked that the candidate most dedicated to the principles of the founders would be elected and that god would keep him and his family safe. Secret service then took barack out to the platform. I walked up with michelle and stood next to her as he announced. It was here in springfield where north, south, East And West come together that i was reminded of the Essential Decency of the American People, where i came to believe that through this decency we can build a more hopeful america. That is why in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where lincoln once called on A House Divided to stand together, where common hopes and Common Dreams still live, i stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States of america. When he made the announcement that day in illinois, at the same time in virginia, there was a black agenda conference, that i was there. I wish, you know, all of this about our friend barack announcing today, i wish obama had announced here, because Lincoln Lincoln did not free us. The Abolitionist Movement freed us. And i was not yet there supporting him. We got to quit giving the wrong people credit for our history. Black leaders were kind of resentful, because he kind of did an end run around black leadership. Most black people who rise in black communities have to come through and kiss the ring of the black political dignitaries and potentates. Obama leapfrogged over them. By ourselves, this change will not happen. Divided, we are bound to fail, but the life of a tall, gangly, selfmade springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible. He makes the announcement springfield, tied to the legacy of abraham lincoln, which is a rich one. So we understood, okay, i mean, political calculation, every politician has to do that. And you dont want to alienate your white fellow citizens coming out of the box. He tells us that there is power in words. He tells us that theres power in conviction, that beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people. Hes got large numbers of White Brothers and sisters who have fears and anxieties, and hes got to speak to them in such a way that he holds us at arms length enough to say he loves us, but doesnt get too close to scare them out. So hes walking this tightrope. I want us to take up the Unfinished Business of perfecting our union and building a better america. Im not for or against him as a brother. If theres any white supremacist perception of barack, i defend him. Why . Because i hate White Supremacy. But hes got to be accountable. And starting off in springfield, illinois is not impressive to me. Hey. He called me up and he said, mr. West, i heard what you said about my speech. Why did you say it . I said, i said it because i believed it. He said, i was wondering whether you would work with me. I said, ive got one question. What is your relation to the legacy of Martin Luther king, jr. . How will your campaign enact the struggle against poverty, militarism, racism and materialism, those of the evils that Martin Luther king, jr. Saw right before he was murdered . I can still sing, we shall overcome. We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice. It bends towards justice. He was very honest with me and he said, professor west, you know that im not as radical as you are, but i do see myself directly connected to the legacy of Martin Luther king, jr. I said, that sounds wonderful to me. Fortytwo years ago, it would have been unimaginable. Two democratic president ial contenders, one a woman, another an africanamerican, Courting Black Voters in alabama, preaching to overflowing churches. Are you ready to march . Every year, theres a commemoration of selma, a great encounter between the forces of the Civil Rights Movement led by john lewis and others, and police with truncheons. And Hillary Clinton and barack obama want to make an impression in selma. Many black voters say theyre torn between voting for the africanamerican obama or sticking with the clintons whove supported civil rights for years. Thats the agonizing choice for john lewis, bludgeoned during the selma march and now a congressman. It was tough. It was tough. I supported president clinton and got to know hillary. It was one of the tough decisions of my political life. The clintons felt that they had deep inroads with the Africanamerican Community, and with reason. You remember in a certain new yorker magazine, Toni Morrison wrote that bill clinton was the first black president. Said with some irony, said with all kinds of, but mostly with admiration, too. Obama gives his speech at brown church, and hillary is down the street at another church. Yes, that long march to freedom that began here has carried us a mighty long way. Its a contest. Thank you. Thank you. Oh, giving all praise and honor to god for bringing us here today, i just want to talk a little bit about moses, and aaron, and joshua, because we are in the presence today of a lot of moses. Were in the presence today of giants whose shoulders we stand on. He begins paying tribute to what he calls the moses generation. Whos moses . Martin luther king, who famously says in his speech, i might not get there with you. As great as moses was, despite all that he did, leading a people out of bondage, he didnt cross over the river to see the promised land. God told him, your job is done. Were going to leave it to the Joshua Generation to make sure it happens. Theres still some battles that need to be fought, some rivers that need to be crossed. Obama pronounces himself the head of the Joshua Generation. Thats incredibly nervy. Moses told the Joshua Generation, dont forget where you came from. And im worried sometimes that the Joshua Generation in its success forgets where it came from. Thinks it doesnt have to make as many sacrifices. You think people in the 1940s, 1950s woke up and said, we are the civil rights generation. Lets do this. As though it was, you know, fantastic. Our nostalgia has made us look back at that period of time as though it was great. But it was not great getting hit in the head on the Edmund Pettus bridge. These werent fun times. These were times of commitment when people decided that they werent going to take it anymore and that they could make this country better. Folks complaining about the quality of our government, i understand theres something to be complaining about. Im in washington. I see whats going on. It means we cant sit out elections. It means we cant just vote for people and then not show up to hold them accountable. It means we cant think that government is something other people do. But i tell you what, i also know that if Cousin Pookie would vote, if uncle jethro would get off the couch and stop watching sportscenter and go register some folks and go to the polls, we might have a different kind of politics. Thats what the moses generation teaches us. Kick off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Go do some politics. Change this country. Thats what they teach. To me, that event is as much a declaration to run for president as his Announcement Speech in springfield, but its made particular to the black community. We got you. You got my vote. You got my vote, man. All right. You got my vote. You got my vote, man. Hey, i appreciate that. You got my vote. I think that there is a assumption on the part of some commentators that somehow the black community is so unsophisticated that the minute you put an africanamerican face up on the screen that they automatically say, thats our guy. A black candidate has to earn black votes the same way that hes got to earn white votes. And thats exactly how it should be. People were asking me, who are you going to support . And i said that, well, everybody thats my color is not my kind. I bring you the senator from illinois, senator barack obama. He had always said to me, im not asking you to support me, just dont hurt me. Thank you. There was concern. Is he going to represent us . Is he going to take our issues seriously . What does he know about us . We dont really know him. I am proud to be a candidate for the presidency of the United States of america. The black people are practically, were no longer interested in symbolic politics run as a reaction to White Supremacy run as, you know, a candidate who will protest. No, we want real people who are able to really win. I am mindful that i wouldnt be here if it had not been for Reverend Al Sharpton Running For President and Carol Moseley braun running for president and Jesse Jackson running for president and Shirley Chisholm running for president. Mike kennedy said, change the present course of our nation. I got involved as a protest really, resisting how liberals were taking us for granted and dismissing us and marginalizing us in the process. And so one thing led to another. I felt that we had the right to run and the reason to run and the capacity to take our case to the next level. Who would have thought . We love Jesse Jackson. In 88, he really got 7 million votes. So that was tremendous. After 30 contests, i would be in front. Thats more than symbolic. That was substantive. But we need more of that. I sense all across america a desire for something new, a desire to turn the page, a desire to write a new chapter in american history. And if i have all of you working with me, then i guarantee you that not only will we win this election, but we are also going to transform america. Thank you very much. I appreciate you guys. Thank you. The more i talked to him, the more i felt that barack obama was authentic because he wouldnt say to me what he knew i wanted to hear, but he said to me what i needed to hear. And that was, i really do believe we can make the country go forward and that our community can get what they want. Right . Uhh. Nope. Intuit quickbooks helps you manage your payroll taxes, cheers with 100 accurate Tax Calculations guaranteed. Im christine mahon. Im retired from Public Health nursing and from the army reserve. My Retirement Funds allow me to enjoy what i love to do. I volunteer with the medical reserve corp. 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