At MTV's "Be the Change Inaugural Ball," newly inaugurated President Barack H. Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama walked out the tune of “Hail to the Chief” and were greeted with chants of “O-ba-ma” from a crowded ballroom of young men and women [7,000 strong] hoping to get a glimpse of their president. President Obama’s every word was greeted with cheers, chants, screams and whistles. He opened “how’s everybody doing tonight?” and “I have been looking for the ball for quite sometime [cheers] because when you look at the history of this campaign, [cheers] what started out as an improbable journey, when nobody gave us a chance [cheers] was carried forward, was inspired by, was driven by, was energized by young people all across America” [crowd chants: yes we can repeatedly].
He went on to say:
“I can’t tell you how many people has come up to Michelle and myself and said ‘I was a kinda skeptical but then my daughter, she wouldn’t budge: she just told me I needed to vote for Obama.’ Or ‘suddenly I saw my son, he was out volunteering and traveling and knocking on doors and getting involved like never before and so a new generation inspires previous generations, and that’s how change happens in America.
It doesn’t just happen in elections and campaigns, it’s happened in service all across America. Young people getting involved in Teach for America and Americorps, people teaching in schools and working in community organizations [pause] joining the Peace Corps! And as this is broadcast all around the world, we know that young people everywhere are in the process of imagining something different that what has come before. Where there is war they imagine peace, where there is hunger they imagine people being able to feed themselves. Where there is disease they imagine a public health system that works for everybody. Where there is bigotry they imagine togetherness. The future will be in your hands if you are able to sustain the kind of energy and focus you showed on this campaign. I promise you, that America will get stronger and more united, more prosperous, more secure. You are going to make it happen and Michelle and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
God bless you and God bless the United States of America.”
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