President Obama wept as he thanked his campaign staff for their tenacity, grit and intelligence.
In a video released Thursday evening on the official Barack Obama YouTube channel, the president talks about his past as a community organizer. “The work that I did in those communities changed me more than it changed the communities,” he says, as campaign senior strategist David Axelrod looks on. “Because it taught me the hopes and aspirations, and the grit and the resilience of ordinary American people. And it taught me the fact that, under the surface differences, we all have common hopes and we all have common dreams.”
“And so when I come here and I look at all of you,” he says to his staff, “what comes to mind—it’s not that you guys actually remind me of myself. It’s the fact that you are so much better than I was in so many ways. You’re smarter, you’re better organized, and you’re more effective. And so I’m absolutely confident that all of you are going to do just amazing things in your lives.”
The speech was evidently recorded on Wednesday, as he makes a reference during the remarks to “last night’s results.” The video was uploaded with the message, “Thank you. This is your victory.”
“The work that you guys have done means that the work I’m doing is important, and I’m really proud of that,” Obama continues, as tears become visible on his face. “I’m really proud of all of you.”
At this point he pauses to regain his composure, and the room bursts into applause.
Obama concludes his remarks by saying that the campaign staff’s potential to do great things is “the source of my hope. ” “That’s the source of my strength and my inspiration,” he says, “and I know that you guys won’t disappoint me, because I’ve already seen who you guys are. And you all are just remarkable people. And you’ve lifted me up each and every step of the way.”
Watch the full video below:
Ned Resnikoff is an urban policy analyst, researcher, writer, and editor. His byline has appeared in a variety of publications, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, Dissent, and The Nation. He writes the newsletter Public Comment, which can be found at publiccomment.blog.