A lot has been said about tonight and what it means for our American Democracy. But there is at least one thing that is certain: Democracy is alive and well in the heartland of America.
With over 236,000 people voting in the Democratic caucus, as opposed to 114,00 in the Republican caucus, Iowa told America that Democracy is not going to give in to security. Iowa told America that Americans still value freedom and liberty. Iowa voted for change. Iowa said, "We've made mistakes in the past. But the Democrats are my party. I may not be liberal, but I know enough to know that America is better than to be lead long by fear and hate."
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My friends, if Barack Obama has been right about anything it's that there is more that joins us together than that divides us. All of our Democratic candidates had a great run tonight, and the real winner was Democracy. Americans decided in overwhelming numbers that our country is on the wrong track. Americans decided that they would not be defined by their error (or that of their judiciary), that they would not let themselves be defined forevermore as the country that would twice elect George W. Bush.
There is no better description for the hatred felt towards America (not our administration, but America as a whole) than the way the people of the world feel about our re-election of George W. Bush. Tonight, Iowa said "That's not our America." Tonight, Iowa said "We stand with a party of freedom, we stand with a party that does not torture, we stand with a party that represents the best instincts of Americans, we want a party that will be patriotic about something that is not war."
Tonight, Barack Obama changed a state. I know that many of you support John Edwards, and I respect that. This is a fight that many of us have been in for a long time, and John Edwards was fighting beside us.
But no matter where Barack Obama has been, he may not have been fighting beside us, but he was fighting for our ideals. And we can trust, at very least, that if Barack Obama is our nominee, he will do the best he can to give the people of this country a voice.
For the first time in history, a black man won the nomination for President of the United States from the state of Iowa. The best part of this victory to me is that Barack Obama didn't win because he was black, he won because Americans believed in his vision for our country.
Tonight, Barack Obama's voice changed the state of Iowa. And if one voice can change a state, it can change a nation. And if one voice can change a nation, it can change the world.
Let's go change the world...