【正文】 a kidbullied, that doesnamp。39。t make us safer. Thatamp。39。s not telling it like it is. Itamp。39。s just wrong. It diminishesus in the eyes of the world. It makes it harder to achieve our goals. And it betrays who we areas a country.
　　”。We the People.”。 Our Constitution begins with those three simple words, words weamp。39。ve e torecognize mean all the people, not just some。 words that insist we rise and fall together. Thatbrings me to the fourth, and maybe the most important thing I want to say tonight.
　　The future we want amp。ndash。 opportunity and security for our families。 a rising standard of living anda sustainable, peaceful planet for our kids amp。ndash。 all that is within our reach. But it will only happenif we work together. It will only happen if we can have rational, constructive debates.
　　It will only happen if we fix our politics.
　　A better politics doesnamp。39。t mean we have to agree on everything. This is a big country, withdifferent regions and attitudes and interests. Thatamp。39。s one of our strengths, too. Our Foundersdistributed power between states and branches of government, and expected us to argue, justas they did, over the size and shape of government, over merce and foreign relations, overthe meaning of liberty and the imperatives of security.
　　But democracy does require basic bonds of trust between its citizens. It doesnamp。39。t work if wethink the people who disagree with us are all motivated by malice, or that our politicalopponents are unpatriotic. Democracy grinds to a halt without a willingness to promise。or when even basic facts are contested, and we listen only to those who agree with us. Ourpublic life withers when only the most extreme voices get attention. Most of all, democracybreaks down when the average person feels their voice doesnamp。39。t matter。 that the system isrigged in favor of the rich or the powerful or some narrow interest.
　　Too many Americans feel that way right now. Itamp。39。s one of the few regrets of my presidency amp。ndash。 thatthe rancor and suspicion between the parties has gotten worse instead of better. Thereamp。39。s nodoubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide,and I guarantee Iamp。39。ll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office.
　　But, my fellow Americans, this cannot be my task amp。ndash。 or any Presidentamp。39。s amp。ndash。 alone. There are awhole lot of folks in this chamber who would like to see more cooperation, a more elevateddebate in Washington, but feel trapped by the demands of getting elected. I know。 youamp。39。ve toldme. And if we want a better politics, itamp。39。s not enough to just change a Congressman or a Senatoror even a President。 we have to change the system to reflect our better selves.
　　We have to end the practice of drawing our congressional districts so that politicians can picktheir voters, and not the other way around. We have to reduce the influence of money in ourpolitics, so that a handful of families and hidden interests canamp。39。t bankroll our elections amp。ndash。 and ifour existing approach to campaign finance canamp。39。t pass muster in the courts, we need to worktogether to find a real solution. Weamp。39。ve got to make voting easier, not harder, and modernizeit for the way we live now. And over the course of this year, I intend to travel the country topush for reforms that do.
　　But I canamp。39。t do these things on my own. Changes in our political process amp。ndash。 in not just who getselected but how they get elected amp。ndash。 that will only happen when the American people demand will depend on you. Thatamp。39。s whatamp。39。s meant by a government of, by, and for the people.
　　What Iamp。39。m asking for is hard. Itamp。39。s easier to be cynical。 to accept that change isnamp。39。t possible, andpolitics is hopeless, and to believe that our voices and actions donamp。39。t matter. But if we give upnow, then we forsake a better future. Those with money and power will gain greater controlover the decisions that could send a young soldier to war, or allow another economic disaster,or roll back the equal rights and voting rights that generations of Americans have fought, evendied, to secure. As frustration grows, there will be voices urging us to fall back into tribes, toscapegoat fellow citizens who donamp。39。t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share thesame background.
　　We canamp。39。t afford to go down that path. It wonamp。39。t deliver the economy we want, or the security wewant, but most of all, it contradicts everything that makes us the envy of the world.
　　So, my fellow Americans, whatever you may believe, whether you prefer one party or no party,our collective future depends on your willingness to uphold your obligations as a citizen. Tovote. To speak out. To stand up for others, especially the weak, especially the vulnerable,knowing that each of us is only here because somebody, somewhere, stood up for us. To stayactive in our public life so it reflects the goodness and decency and optimism that I see in theAmerican people every single day.
　　It wonamp。39。t be easy. Our brand of democracy is hard. But I can promise that a year from now,when I no longer hold this office, Iamp。39。ll be right there with you as a citizen amp。ndash。 inspired by thosevoices of fairness and vision, of grit and good humor and kindness that have helped Americatravel so far. Voices that help us see ourselves not first and foremost as black or white or Asianor Latino, not as gay or straight, immigrant or native born。 not as Democrats or Republicans,but as Americans first, bound by a mon creed. Voices Dr. King believed would have the finalword amp。ndash。 voices of unarmed truth and unconditional love.
　　Theyamp。39。re out there, those voices. They donamp。39。t get a lot of attention, nor do they seek it, but theyare busy doing the work this country needs doing.
　　I see them everywhere I travel in this incredible country of ours. I see you. I know youamp。39。rethere. Youamp。39。re the reason why I have such incredible confidence