DECLARATION OF CANDIDACY 竞选宣言 　　February 10, 2007 | Springfield, Illinois

　　2007年2月10日，伊利诺伊州首府斯普林菲尔德市 我为何要参加竞选 　　英文原文： 　　Let me begin by saying thanks to all of you who’ve traveled, from far and wide, to brave the cold today. 　　We all made this journey for a reason. It’s humbling, but in my heart I know you didn’t come here just for me; you came here because you believe in what this country can be. In the face of war, you believe there can be peace. In the face of despair, you believe there can be hope. In the face of a politics that’s shut you out, that’s told you to settle, that’s divided us for too long, you believe we can be one people, reaching for what’s possible, building that more perfect union. 　　That’s the journey we’re on today. But let me tell you how I came to be here. As most of you know, I am not a native of this great state. I moved to Illinois over two decades ago. I was a young man then, just a year out of college; I knew no one in Chicago, was without money or family connections. But a group of churches had offered me a job as a community organizer for $13,000 a year. And I accepted the job, sight unseen, motivated then by a single, simple, powerful idea—that I might play a small part in building a better America. 　　My work took me to some of Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods. I joined with pastors and laypeople to deal with communities that had been ravaged by plant closings. I saw that the problems people faced weren’t simply local in nature— that the decision to close a steel mill was made by distant executives; that the lack of textbooks and computers in schools could be traced to the skewed priorities of politicians a thousand miles away; and that when a child turns to violence, there’s a hole in his heart no government alone can fill. 　　It was in these neighborhoods that I received the best education I ever had, and where I learned the true meaning of my Christian faith. 　　After three years of this work, I went to law school, because I wanted to understand how the law should work for those in need. I became a civil rights lawyer and taught constitutional law, and after a time, I came to understand that our cherished rights of liberty and equality depend on the active participation of an awakened electorate. It was with these ideas in mind that I arrived in this capital city as a State Senator. 　　It was here, in Springfield, where I saw all that is America converge—farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. I made lasting friendships here—friends that I see in the audience today. 　　It was here we learned to disagree without being disagreeable— that it’s possible to compromise so long as you know those principles that can never be compromised; and that so long as we’re willing to listen to each other, we can assume the best in people instead of the worst. 　　That’s why we were able to reform a death penalty system that was broken. That’s why we were able to give health insurance to children in need. That’s why we made the tax system more fair and just for working families, and that’s why we passed ethics reforms that the cynics said could never, ever be passed. 　　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.

　　And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house 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.

　中文对照： 　　首先，请允许我对今天冒着严寒、远道而来的朋友们表示感谢。 　　我们此行都为了一个目的。我感谢大家的热诚，在我心里，我知道你们并非仅仅为我而来，你们此行的原因更在于你们相信这个国家的未来。面对战争，你们相信和平将至。面对绝望，你们相信希望尚存。政治将你们拒之门外，让你们安于现状，长期彼此分隔，但你们相信我们作为一个民族，能够实现可能实现的一切，打造一个更加完美的联邦。 　　这就是今天我们此行的目的。我告诉你们我是如何来到这里的。你们大多数人都知道，我并不是伟大的伊利诺伊州土生土长的公民，我是在20多年前搬到这里的。那时的我还是个年轻人，刚从大学毕业一年；在芝加哥，我身无分文，举目无亲。但有几个教堂为我提供了一份社区组织者的工作，年薪1.3万美元。我毫不犹豫地接受了这份工作，因为我的心一直被一个简单且有力的想法激励着—我可以为建设一个更加美好的美国尽一份绵薄之力。 　　这份工作使我有机会走访了芝加哥一些最贫困的社区。我和牧师及普通民众一起，帮助因工厂倒闭而备受蹂躏的社区。我发现人们所遇到的不仅仅是地区性的问题—关闭钢厂的决定是遥远的行政官员做出的；学校缺少课本和计算机可以追溯到千里之外政客们的施政不当；当一个孩子有暴力倾向时，他心灵的创口单靠政府永远无法弥补。 　　正是在这些社区里，我受到了有生以来最好的教育，也懂得了基督教信仰的真谛。 　　我在这个职位上一待就是三年，之后我去了（哈佛）法学院学习，因为我想要弄明白法律是如何为那些需要帮助的人提供服务的。我成了一名民权事务律师，并教授宪法课程。之后不久，我逐渐意识到我们所珍惜的自由与平等的权利依赖于全体选民的觉醒和积极参与。怀着这些想法，我来到了州首府，成为了一名州参议员。 　　正是在这里—斯普林菲尔德市，我眼见了美国所融汇的一切—农民和教师，商人和公司员工—所有人都有着各自的故事，所有人都希望获得一席之地，所有人都强烈期望自己的发言能够受到重视。我在这里获得了永恒的友谊—我看到许多朋友也在今天的听众当中。 　　正是在这里，我们学会了用和颜悦色的方式去对待意见不一—在坚持原则的情况下，达成共识；只要我们愿意倾听对方的意见，我们就能以人性的真善美而非假恶丑与人进行交往。 　　这是为什么我们能够改革千疮百孔的死刑体制，为贫困儿童提供健康保险，并使得税收体制更为公平和公正，以有益于工薪阶层家庭的原因。这也是为什么我们通过了被那些愤世嫉俗者宣称永远不能通过的道德改革法案的原因。 　　正是在这里，在斯普林菲尔德市，来自四面八方的人们汇集于此，让我忆起了美国人民的正统—我逐渐相信通过这种正统，我们能够建设一个更加充满希望的美国。

　　缘此，在古老的国会大厦下面，在林肯曾经呼吁分裂的议会团结一致的地方，在共同的希望和梦想仍然鲜活的地方，我今天站在你们面前宣布我将竞选美国总统。