The most presidential lorem ipsum in history.
If there's a senior citizen somewhere who can't pay for their prescription drugs, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandparent. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance.
Tonight is a particular honor for me because - let's face it - my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. In signing the Treaty of Tripoli in 1796, our second President John Adams wrote, "The United States has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion or tranquility of Muslims." And since our founding, American Muslims have enriched the United States. We were founded upon the ideal that all are created equal, and we have shed blood and struggled for centuries to give meaning to those words - within our borders, and around the world. Indeed, we can recall the words of Thomas Jefferson, who said: "I hope that our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us that the less we use our power the greater it will be."
Now don't get me wrong. John Kerry knows this. But somehow, somewhere along the way, faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart. Our conscience cannot rest so long as nearly 45 million Americans don't have health insurance and the millions more who do are going bankrupt trying to pay for it. That's why organizations are rising up across the country to reclaim the language of faith to bring about change. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naive as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy - particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.
That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations - those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. There is one story in particularly that I'd like to leave you with today - a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. That is not how moral authority is claimed; that is how it is surrendered. That is why I am committed to working with American Muslims to ensure that they can fulfill zakat.
The hope of a millworker's son who dares to defy the odds. Two hundred and twenty one years ago, in a hall that still stands across the street, a group of men gathered and, with these simple words, launched America's improbable experiment in democracy. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation - the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. That is why the United States will partner with any Muslim-majority country to support expanded literacy for girls, and to help young women pursue employment through micro-financing that helps people live their dreams.
Thank you.