(Seattle, WA) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) made the following remarks on Tuesday, November 4th after Senator Barack Obama was elected to be the 44th President of the United States of America.
"Yes we can. And Yes, we did.
"The American people spoke loudly tonight and our voices were heard. Millions of people joined together in a campaign of hope and optimism. And the first thing I want to say is to the organizers across our state and the nation – the people on the ground who worked their hearts out – thank you. You have changed our country through your work – and we need you to stay involved, stay optimistic and continue to help us change this country.
"This is an historic evening for so many reasons. Barack Obama has broken barriers in this campaign from the very beginning and he did it again tonight. But it is also historic in how Americans engaged in the political process again. I’ve heard stories from all across our state and country of Americans standing in lines for hours waiting to vote – and not complaining – because they wanted to participate in our democratic process. All of those people and all of those stories are what makes America great – and that is why our best days are still ahead of us.
"This has been a long campaign. But when it came down to who the American people trusted to put our families first, get our economy back on track, end a war that has made us less secure and taken our eye off the ball in the rest of the world they hired Barack Obama and Joe Biden to get it done.
"As Barack has said throughout this campaign – our country has been divided for too long. Now is truly the time to come together and work to move America forward. And I know from my own experience that we will need to work across the aisle and across the country to tackle the critical problems facing our country.
"I think the American people spoke loudly tonight about wanting a government that works for them. Americans across the country are hurting and they need help.
"There’s a lot of hard work to do. We need an economic plan that will help working families. We need to end the war in Iraq responsibly, bring our troops home and make sure that our veterans are cared for. We need to tackle health care, the environment and education. And we are going to have to be honest with the American people about the sacrifices this is going to take. We are also going to have to work together – and that means working with Republicans and Independents to move our country forward.
"The mandate that the American people gave us tonight was to make sure government works for them. Well, America, Yes We Can. And Yes We Will. And we will do it together.
"And I’m so proud of voters here in Washington state. You turned out in droves and took part in history. So, once again, Thank You so much to everyone who knocked on doors, made phone calls, fed our volunteers, and voted.
"Every single one of you has made a difference and together we are going to tackle the challenges ahead and get our country back on track."
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